Hi Timothy: It's not too hard to get used to seven and eight courses. It boils down to a thing called muscle memory. Occasionally I have opportunity to play some six course music on the Guitar and I find that difficult because I have become used to the feel of the other course, meaning seven and eight. Most of the music you will find for seven or eight courses does not mean that those courses are fingered, though it does happen, most of the time they are used to deepen the limits of the base line and used mostly open. I hope you have a competent teacher. I am assuming you have followed the posts on the use of the right hand, but one thing that will really slow you down is not having the left hand in the correct position. It is an easy thing to get lazy with the left hand. If you do some of the counterpoint will be impossible if not painful to execute.
Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "timothy motz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 1:59 PM Subject: Re: 5c vs many more Hi Vance, I suppose that if you change the tuning of the eighth course you can play the later music without the bulkier and more awkward 10 course lute, too. I don't know how people manage those. A 6 course is plenty right now for me. Personally, I'm still working on Damiani's tutor book and trying to play simple tunes. Late Renaissance music seems a long ways off. Tim ---- Original Message ---- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: 5c vs many more Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 14:36:57 -0700 >Hi Timothy: > >True there is not a lot of "eight course" music out there, Molinaro >comes to >mind. The reason it has become kind of a default instrument is by >changing >the tuning of the eighth course will allow you to play a good deal of >music >written for nine and ten course instruments. The eight course Lute is >kind >of a poor man's catch all of early music. Of course this is just my >opinion >and my choice, I play an eight course instrument just for that >reason. > >Vance Wood. >----- Original Message ----- >From: "timothy motz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 9:57 AM >Subject: Re: 5c vs many more > > >> >Ed, >> When I built my present lute I took the plans for a 7-course and >> spaced 6 courses out over the same bridge and nut width. I find it >> more comfortable than the normal spacing. As a beginner, with the >> normal spacing I found it very difficult to feel the courses as >> courses and not as 11 evenly-spaced strings. But I'm middle-aged >> with big hands and have used my fingers a lot for building things, >so >> the tips might be pretty battered by now. I'm in the middle of >> building another lute which I want to be 7 courses, and I'll have >to >> decide whether I want the same spacing or should close things up a >> bit. >> >> If there's not that much music written specifically for the >8-course >> lute, how did it end up as the modern "default" lute anyway? For >any >> guitar player making the transition to lute, I would think that a >> 6-course instrument would feel more natural. >> >> Tim >> > >> > >> >---- Original Message ---- >> >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> >Subject: Re: 5c vs many more >> >Date: Tue, 5 Oct 2004 00:17:04 +0900 >> > >> >>Stewart McCoy wrote: >> >> >> >>>Dear Ed, >> >>> >> >>>If you have seven courses spread over an 8-course lute, the >strings >> >>>would be slightly further apart than they would be with eight >> >>>courses. Does this help explain why you have difficulty with >that E >> >>>flat chord? In other words, does the difficulty arise from wide >> >>>string spacing rather than how wide the end of your fingers are? >> >>>Just a thought. >> >> >> >>I think that explains part of it. However, my A lute is small and >it >> > >> >>still isn't easy for me. The finger has to be placed very >precisely >> >>to cover all four strings over two courses. I am not keen on duff >> >>notes. If I can't play it cleanly, getting both strings in both >> >>courses to sound cleanly, I'd rather look for a different >solution. >> >>Of course my attitude might change if it were for a more rustic >> >style >> >>of music. It is also something I've never practiced, so it is >within >> > >> >>the realm of possibility that I could develop the precision >> >>necessary. I don't know. >> >> >> >>About my lute, I arrived at the bridge spacing after >consultations >> >>with Pat Obrien and Grant Tomlinson. I was just getting too many >> >>rattles with the old spacing. I don't have enough self restraint >to >> >>not overplay, I guess. The bridge spacing is fine now, but I >spaced >> >>the 7 courses at the nut end evenly over the span that was for 8. >> >>Paul Odette played my lute recently and I asked him what he >thought >> >>about the spacing. He thought the bridge was nice but the nut was >a >> >>bit wide. It's the same dilemma on lute as on guitar: narrow >spacing >> > >> >>is great for single line work but chords benefit from wider >spacing >> >>so that the fingers don't touch adjacent strings. >> >> >> >>To answer Bill's query in a little more detail: I ordered an 8 >> >>course, as so many of us do, for my main Renaissance lute because >it >> > >> >>is kind of a standard. I think that is a kind of modern >convention. >> >>When you look at the literature, the percentage of music written >> >>specifically for 8 course is much smaller than that for 7 course. >In >> > >> >>my repertoire, it turns out that most instrumentals are for a 7th >F >> >>and most songs are for a 7th D. I just have to plan my sets so >that >> >I >> >>group them by 7th course pitch. It doesn't take long to retune, >but >> >>it is best to retune, play a piece that only requires 6 courses >and >> >>then go for the 7 course piece in the new tuning. That gives it a >> >few >> >>minutes to settle and a quick readjustment is all that is needed. >> >>However, I can't tell you how many times I've started performing >a >> >>piece and then realize that I've forgotten to retune just as I >hit >> >>that first 7th course note! That's the downside. It IS easier to >> >just >> >>worry about one 'extra' course outside of the 6 main courses >though. >> > >> >>That's the upside. >> >> >> >>cheers, >> >>-- >> >>Ed Durbrow >> >>Saitama, Japan >> >>http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >>To get on or off this list see list information at >> >>http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> >> >> > > >
