Hi Timothy: Not trying to take the place of your teacher, I am going to make a couple of observations from my own experience that might help you. Until recently I played the Lute like one plays the classical Guitar, left knee on foot stool etc. I had to change to using the right led as a resting place due to some back and shoulder problems. In doing so I began to notice my left hand technique was going into the crapper due to the fact that I was partially supporting the Lute with the left hand causing the portion of that hand between the thumb and forefinger to cradle the neck.
It is my hunch you might be doing the same thing to a lesser degree, using that hand position as kind of a default reference point. Just remember if you lay the first finger across the neck in any one fret you have to turn your left hand so that it is almost at a right angle to the neck. If your hand is not more or less in this position to begin with and you are reaching obliquely (crossing the frets at an angle less than 90%) then you have made your reach far less than it should be and in doing so, have made some of the reaches you have to make almost impossible. I have heard some say that they never use the fourth finger of the little hand to play notes on the fifth or sixth courses, I find it hard to play DaMilano without doing just that, without destroying the voicing. Sorry for being so wordy, or maybe covering things you already know, but maybe someone reading this may pick up something. The bottom line is, if you cradle the neck between the thumb and first finger your accuracy and reach is greatly diminished. Your left hand should not play any role in supporting the instrument, your left hand is for finding the notes, and this alone unless your nose itches. Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "timothy motz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 12:26 PM Subject: Re: 5c vs many more Hi Vance, Yes, I'm working with a local lutenist (actually, he's the local lutenist)and he has me concentrating on left hand position. Thumb-under seemed to come pretty easily, but left hand position is taking longer. This is the first instrument I've tried to play, so it's slow going. My muscles take longer to memorize, I suppose. But my goals are modest; I'm out to enjoy the process and eventually play for my own entertainment. Tim ---- Original Message ---- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Re: 5c vs many more Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 19:18:45 -0700 >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 >>> >> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> > > > >
