I think it is interesting that when we actually hear someone playing historically, we wonder if it is. As for bending the last joint of the finger, that is a tricky question. If you grab and bend the last joint, you often will make a scratchy sound; if the joint is flexible and bends slightly backwards, yielding to the thread of pressure from the finger, wrist, and arm, you can strike both strings with no fear of the dreaded buzz. That said, there are many ways to strike a string, or groups of strings. Lotta reverb on that video :) beautiful playing.
dt At 09:26 AM 7/16/2007, you wrote: >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 > > > >--
