Dear Martyn, I don't know the picture Kenneth was talking about (I wasn't on the list at that stage) but there's a Watteau painting of a woman playing a French theorbo with a strap arrangement which looks more like bondage! I've put it up for general consumption at http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/straps.htm plus a more familiar picture of a tight strap on a 12 course by Mieris.
I'll try to assemble a gallery of other pictures showing strapping lute players! Best wishes, David At 17:09 +0100 9/7/07, Martyn Hodgson wrote: >Yes, I recall you did mention this and I think yours was the sole >response I mentioned at the time! > > However later I got an email plus photo attachment from Kenneth Be >(8 May 2006) which shows a lute player (two headed lute c.1660) >using what looks like TWO seperate ribbons attached to his waistcoat >(American 'vest'): one fastened to the button on the top end of the >back and one, presumably, going to an end button. I wrote 'EUREKA' >at the time but, to my shame, haven't tried it yet (not having a >stiff enough waistcoat). This picture ought to be found in the >archives. A few others, including Robert Barto, expressed interest >at the time but I've had no further reports. > > Since then, on pondering from time to time, I now think the >answer may be one continous ribbon(strap) which crosses over the >chest and thence round the back: this gives significantly increased >friction and much reduces the tendency for the whole thing moving >around (as found with my unsatisfactory earlier experience using a >single loop fastened to these buttons but which just went around the >back). I've tried this cross over loop in rough mock up mode and it >seems promising but I need to find time to experiment more fully - >perhaps others might try. One final thing to mention is that it >gives the appearance of TWO ribbons coming out of the waistcoat as >in the KB picture especially if the ribbon is put on underneath a >waiscoat/vest which also increases the steadying/frictional effect. > > MH > > >Ed Durbrow <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I may have mentioned that my old Basel roommate Robert Clancy used >to use that. I think he used a saxophone strap in place of a button >on his clothing. I found it completely unstable. The thing flopped >all over the place. > On May 3, 2006, at 3:15 PM, Martyn Hodgson wrote: > > Whilst the use of a loop round a button seemed, on the face of >it, an eminently practical and sensible thoery; the difficulty I had >was in making it work in practice. I asked if any one else had >tried it and, I recall, only got a single response which echoed my >own negative experience. > > > Have you actually tried this method or do you know of anybody >who has? More to the point if you, or others, have tried it what has >been the experience? > > > Ed Durbrow > Saitama, Japan > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > http://www9.plala.or.jp/edurbrow/ > > > > > > > > >--------------------------------- > What kind of emailer are you? Find out today - get a free analysis >of your email personality. Take the quiz at the Yahoo! Mail >Championship. >-- > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- The Smokehouse, 6 Whitwell Road, Norwich, NR1 4HB England. Telephone: + 44 (0)1603 629899 Website: http://www.vanedwards.co.uk
