As a mammal, I find breathing vital for more things than I can begin to list here; and apparently I continue to breathe- albeit unconsciously- during lute practice no matter what the dance style, rhythm, or lack thereof. Extended hemiolas have left me short of breath if I run into them unexpectedly.
For playing dance rhythms convincingly and with life it is more necessary to know the dance itself, remember the feel of the physical motion- then, when passively sitting and performing it through the lute, one should sit upright, balanced center of gravity, and let the internalized body/muscle memory of the dance inform your playing. This is vital; analogous to knowing the song- words and melody- of an intabulated chanson in order to give it meaning, something we all understand. It is bad practice (but an insidiously familiar habit) to slump physically and mentally in practice, to NOT breathe properly, and play only half consciously in a distracted and careless fashion- something I'm all too guilty of when grabbing the lute for a quick few licks when tired or pressed for time. As instrumental musicians we are mediums; we channel the energy, lilt, and grace of the dance as well as the pathos, glory, and wonder of a good story that has been transmuted into song- which we then present pared down to its essence, a final distillation- like a fine cognac from the wine of the original. I drink to breathing, but I do not monitor it. Dan >As a singer, I find breathing very important; as a lute player, I >find not breathing very important. Why this is, I don't know, but it >definitely affects my accuracy. > >dt > > > >>On Sep 28, 2008, at 12:53 AM, damian dlugolecki wrote: >> >>> Regular breathing is essential to maintaining composure while >>>playing; >>> but I wonder if some of you might think about breathing in more >>>detail >>> when learning a piece. Do you breathe differently when playing a >>> Courante than an un-measured prelude? >> >> >>A wonderful insight. I think the essential thing about breathing is >>the link with phrasing. All the greats keep telling us to sing. Must >>be something to it. >> >>There are other things we tend to ignore that can really help, like >>plotting the course of the left hand thumb when you are working out >>fingerings. Not to mention just being aware of the whole body and >>where tensions are. >> >>Ed Durbrow >>Saitama, Japan > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
