Valery, I was going to ask the same question about which tutors advocate playing close to the bridge... I remember something like that but in the baroque period, not in the renaissance, and it seems that the increasing number of strings/courses influenced the right hand position and that gradually the right hand came closer to the bridge than in the earlier period.
I had set a couple of pages to demonstrate this and other things too on the basis of iconographical evidence. At the time there was a discussion about the use of the left hand thumb to stop strings over the neck, a practice clearly illustrated in a lot a paintings in the 16th century and quite common for jazz guitarists nowadays. At the same time there was also a controversy about Hoppy Smith's choice to play near or above the rose for his Dowland's programme, which I thought to be a very good idea indeed and musically rewarding. Then, to push my argument forward I put these pages online and you can have a look at them at : http://le.luth.free.fr/renaissance/index.html for the 16th century http://le.luth.free.fr/baroque/index.html for the 17th century http://le.luth.free.fr/baroque2/index.html for the 18th century http://le.luth.free.fr/pouce/index.html about the use of the left hand thumb, and Arthur J. Ness gave more information on that at http://mysite.verizon.net/vzepq31c/thumb.html Feel free to react... or not ! Jean-Marie ======= 25-09-2008 20:16:40 ======= > >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 > >----- Original Message ----- >From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "Andrew Gibbs" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Lute List" ><lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> >Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2008 7:57 PM >Subject: [LUTE] Re: Lute sound > > >> >> Andrew, >> >> >> I tend to agree with what the tutors recommend. >> (I don't know if I would use the words "sharp" or >> "pungent" to describe it, however.) There is also >> such circumstantial evidence as Capirola's advice to >> set your frets so that they actually buzz against the >> strings and the description of Francesco playing with >> thimbles into which were set little quills. Some have >> suggested that the thimbles/quills idea was just a >> poetic hyperbole. Possibly. But why would a listener >> from that time have thought to place such an invention >> in the hands of Francesco - things that would >> presumably produce a very, very bright sound - if >> brightness wasn't a desirable trait in the first >> place? >> >> I get the feeling that for many, playing so far >> over the rose is a relic of converts to the lute >> subconciously trying to re-create a warm tonal ideal >> remembered from their previous days of playing >> (modern) classical guitar. Personally I like playing >> fairly close to the bridge - there's more volume and I >> feel much more control over articulation and shading. >> You can still warm things up by moving closer to the >> rose if you want or brighten things by putting your >> pinky behind the bridge. >> >> >> Chris >> >> >> >> >> >> --- Andrew Gibbs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> wrote: >> >>> The original lute tutors consistently recommend >>> playing close to the >>> bridge - with the pinkie very close to the bridge - >>> or even on or >>> behind the bridge. Taking into account the possible >>> differences >>> between modern and historical strings, this still >>> seems to indicate >>> 16th c taste (early 16th c at least) was for a much >>> sharper, more >>> pungent sound than most modern lutenists are >>> playing. The close-to- >>> the-bridge sound is certainly surprising - I keep >>> trying it but my >>> hand keeps creeping towards the rose... >>> >>> >>> On 25 Sep 2008, at 02:00, Stephen Fryer wrote: >>> >>> > What sort of sound were they trying for in e.g. >>> the 16th century? >>> > Do we have any evidence on this? >>> >>> >>> -- >>> >>> To get on or off this list see list information at >>> >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >>> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> > > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >Orange vous informe que cet e-mail a ete controle par l'anti-virus mail. >Aucun virus connu a ce jour par nos services n'a ete detecte. > > = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://poirierjm.free.fr 25-09-2008 N ¶è®ß¶¬+-±ç¥Ëbú+«b¢vÛiÿü0ÁË j»f¢ëayÛ¿Á·?ë^iÙ¢ø§uìa¶i
