Dyslexia
The use of well adapted glasses could indeed be a way of avoiding  
precocious eye-related tiredness, which according to Laura Maschi  
could contribute to vertical dyslexia.
I will be rushing out later to the optician. I have been using some  
American pharmacy glasses that had about the right dioptrie for  
reading music, these last two years, but perhaps they distort. Thanks  
for the advice.

Strap
Jacob Heringman, as I recall, uses no strap, but a sort of non-slip  
spider-web foam, as used under a carpet. From a distance, I thought  
it looked quite elegant, but from close-up apparently not. I believe  
he sits very low, and uses a foot stool, so that his lute can make a  
straight line with his left arm. The position looks almost like that  
of an archer and the lute is held bow-like. This does seem to be very  
effective for him. I was very surprised by the degree of projection  
he achieved (even without a table).

Personally, I would prefer to avoid having to carry a foot-stool, so  
the strap is the obvious solution. The only way of keeping the lute  
completely stable, without the need for a non-slip mat for me, seems  
to be a rather tight strap which holds the lute very high up on the  
chest. This does also allow you to stand, and as Sean Smith says, to  
be on the same level as the singers you may want to accompany. This  
could be particularly useful, if like Chris Goodwin, you also sing  
yourself. The only slight misgiving, I have about the tight strap, is  
whether it may effect slightly the freedom of the right arm and  
perhaps your breathing, if you sing at the same time. Catherine Usher  
also points out that this position may be less easy for women.
Holding the lute low, on the other hand, can be a problem for the  
rather stout man. The lute belly, with your own, can form a sort of  
fulcrum, if you know what I mean.

Tying the strap towards the end of the peg-box, seems to give further  
stability. Sean tells me he ties his to three points, for additional  
stability. I wrap the end of my leather strap round the end of the  
peg-box, as well as tying it there with strings.
Regards
Anthony

Le 17 mai 07 à 02:50, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> a écrit :


>  Dear All: I currently use a crescent-shaped foam pad designed for  
> classical guitarists. They use it on the left leg, in lieu of a  
> footstool. The brand is "Dynarette" and I ordered it from an L.A.  
> guitar shop.
>  I put mine on my right leg and rest the bottom of the lute on it,  
> elevating the lute about four inches. This eliminates the need to  
> hunch over and allows me to sit upright with both feet on the  
> floor. To stabilize the lute, I removed a section of foam about  
> three inches in diameter from the top of the pad, then replaced the  
> vinyl covering (which comes with a zipper - be careful when you  
> remove it that you don't break the zipper).
> Cheers,
> Jim
>
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>




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