Dear Bill and All:
I believe the term originated with organ pipes, recorders and other such
tone-producers. It's the instant of white noise that precedes the focused
tone itself.
The application of the idea to lute playing came during a series of
sessions of recorded lute duets with my friend David Rastall. When I was
playing a plectrum part and David was making his usual sweet tones with
thumb-under technique on the tenor part, the difference between the two
sounds was too extreme, in my view, for a musically pleasing and integrated
duet. I'd been using a long, skinny oud plectrum.
It also relates to my efforts, in playing arrangements of vocal music, to
obtain the most vocal tone from the instrument, to produce more vowel and
less consonant with each "word." With less front-end chiff, the apparent
sustain of the note is greater.
I grip the pick much the same way as modern guitar players (I think):
using only the thumb and forefinger. I have it projecting at a 90-degree
angle to my forearm. The technique of stringing a long oud pick through the
fingers, with it projecting pencil-like from the hand, seems to force me
the bend my wrist. Though I have seen other players adopt this, it has
never felt comfortable for me.
Yours,
Jim
bill
<[EMAIL PROTECTED] To: James A Stimson <[EMAIL
PROTECTED]>
irgilio.it> cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Stephan
Olbertz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: plec magic
08/08/2004 06:20
PM
On Luned�, ago 9, 2004, at 00:06 Europe/Rome, James A Stimson wrote:
> front-end "chiff."
sounds terribly itchy ... what is it?
how do you hold your plectrum; in the palm of your hand with the tip
peeping out between the thumb and the fleshy part of the pointer finger
or like a pen with it pinched between the thumb and tip of the pointer
finger and resting on the first joint of the middle finger?
does this make us what the english used to called the scots; "obdurate
pic(t)s?"
- bill
