Again we are faced with the great string conundrum of not really knowing how and of what the original strings were made. If the finger behind the bridge technique was actually used, then the strings must have been incredibly flaccid and or the Lutenists used nails. I have tried this technique with my Lute; my Lute is very lightly strung. Not only is the sound more horrible than it is normally with my shaky technique, it is almost impossible, if not painful, to strike both stings of a single course clearly. So the question is: Why do some paintings depict this method of playing? Is it perhaps possible that we place too much credence on the accuracy of paintings in determining some of the finer points about the Lute and the way it was played?
Vance Wood. > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
