Hello Valery
Thomas Mace for sure. I'm fairly sure Marin Mersenne and Mary
Burwell. Now I was sure Gerle said something like 'plant the 4th and
the 5th finger on the soundboard close to the bridge' - but on
checking I find he actually says 'place the little finger and the
ringfinger on the soundboard, not on the rose, but a little lower'.
Hmm, false memory...
Or maybe it was Newsidler who said to put the last finger on the
soundboard very close to the bridge - I'll check.
So I must re-phrase my statement:
The original lute tutors consistently recommend playing close to the
bridge...
to
SOME of the original lute tutors recommend playing close to the
bridge...
Andrew
On 25 Sep 2008, at 19:16, Sauvage Valéry wrote:
Could you please name the tutors telling to play so close to the
bridge ? and the iconographical evidence (yes there is some but not
so much...)
And the other evidence (speak with some luthiers) is to try to play
the strings in different places and hear where sound is the best
(objectively, not just as an idea of your ideal sound) Of couse it
depends on the lute, strings and soundboard, but I'm quite sure it
is not by playing close to the bridge you get the better
"objective" sound from our instrument.
Do you also think people listening to songs like Janequin wrote,
Lassus and others, listeining to viols and flûtes, could like
buzzing strings on frets ? I'm really not sure of this idea. (I
believe Da Milano's silver nails is a poetic hyperbole, so many
poetic hyperboles in this time poetry, paintings and writings....)
My two cents...
Valéry
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