The question of nails just arose because I felt the sound was extremely focused, almost as if he was playing on a single string with nails. Also, if you notice his right hand, the fingers are been used as in classical guitar technique where you don't bend the last joint. That's how I started out playing, but soon as I cut the nails I had to bend the last joint to be able to grab both strings together.
2007/7/16, David <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > On Jul 16, 2007, at 8:02 AM, Andrew Gibbs wrote: > > > Not that I'm in any position to be questioning Nigel North's > > technique but shouldn't these pieces be played thumb-under, little > > finger on the soundboard and with the right hand closer to the bridge? > > The little finger can still anchor the RH even though the hand > changes position, horizontally or vertically. > > Conventional wisdom seems to have it that thumb-out is okay for > Dowland because he was most probably playing thumb-out towards the > end of the 16th century. > > I noticed on those clips that NN's right hand thumb does slip behind > his fingers occasionally. He seems to be playing with that kind of > hybrid technique that more or less leaves the fingers more or less > where they are for either thumb-out or thumb-under. That method > doesn't require much change in RH position to bring the thumb over > the fingers instead of behind them. In fact, as long as the thumb is > busy playing bass notes the question of thumb under/out doesn't arise. > > We seem to have two different sets of iconography: artists' > impressions in old paintings and modern-day photographic, as well as > actual visual, evidence. Past and present iconographies don't always > show the same thumb-out position. Most lutenists I've seen in live > performance, in video's, in photo's accompanying CD notes or on > personal websites, play Baroque music with this hybrid technique, and > not in the more severe style depicted in the old paintings. > > Apparently thumb-under is not recommended for playing Baroque music, > but possibly might be acceptable if said Baroque music is played on a > renaissance lute. So is the Earl of Derby's Galliard renaissance or > Baroque? I dunno, it's very confusing. Does it really matter that > much... ;-) > > DR > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > --
