Dear Bernd and All: Paul O'Dette mentioned the tip-joint issue two weeks ago in his master class in Cleveland. He said you can VERY GENTLY flex the joint repeatedly as a daily stetching exercise, much as athletes do with much larger muscle-tendon groups. The trick for playing the Em chord was first suggested to me years ago by Toyohiko Satoh. On the G-chord shape that Sean mentioned. I think what is far more useful is to use the flexed tip joint to cover only the fourth and fifth courses, using the tip of the middle finger to fret the third course. It's remarkably easy with practice, yet unknown to most modern guitarists. Another flexed-joint trick I use comes from a Mason Williams guitar book. (Any oldsters out there remember "Classical Gas"?) Barre chords in the "G- chord shape can be fretted with the index finger and the ring finger, flexed to cover just the third, fourth, and fifth courses. Cheers, Jim
From: Bernd Haegemann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: 2008/07/12 Sat AM 04:22:37 CDT To: lute list <[email protected]> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Last joints that bend backwards. > Some people have fingers that > bend backwards somewhat at the last joint. > .and some make it bend... As POD said, a good exercise during boring train voyages :-) It also helps some people to apply the last member of the (bend-trained) first fnger not straight but put it a little bit cross to the fret direction AND extend the finger tip over the 3rd course (in the accursed Eb chord :) B. To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
