Thanks Danny to express what my poor english skills do not allow me to say, but I feel we are in the same wagon... And I had a little adventure similar to yours. I was in a luthier workshop (In Tours, France) for my baroque lute, then a friend of him, an american amateur lutenist came to visit him (she is living in France) and with her were her parents from Oregon spending some holidays in France. And her mother was looking at me, and then came to ask me : are you Luthval, from Youtube ? I answer yes... And she told me she was looking to my channel at her home in Oregon. I won't say I'm an evangelist, but I would perhaps choose the term of ambassador. And every week I answer to many questions : where do I find a decent lute, a teacher, some lute music, and I give links and some advices when I can. Sometimes I have the great pleasure to have a message with some pictures of the new lute (some people here should recognized themselves...) And many of the question came from teens, when I visit their channels : heavy metal and hard rock music, but they say they love lute music... ;-) Regards to all of you, Valéry
-----Message d'origine----- De : Daniel Shoskes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Envoyé : mercredi 19 novembre 2008 19:38 À : Rob MacKillop Cc : lute List Objet : [LUTE] Re: The Online Lute Player I feel compelled to contribute my viewpoint, not because it is necessarily so profound but because I do enjoy making and sharing videos. First off, I am an amateur and I very rarely get the opportunity to play for others (my supportive wife and indifferent children and pets aside). When you play for your own pleasure and to increase your technical skills, it is difficult to have a final "goal". When is a piece good enough? When do you get tired of playing it? I find that planning to video a piece is an impetus for me to reach a level of proficiency that at least doesn't embarrass me to share the results. It's not the same as the proficiency level for a recital (I spent months working on my program before my inaugural LSA recital), especially having the luxury of multiple takes. Nevertheless it doesn't let you leave a piece until you can get through it with at least some level of decent tone and having considered the interpretive choices. By NO means would I ever claim to post a "definitive" recording, but I do like to feel that it was my best effort on the day. The other big advantage, since I am unable to get regular lessons, is that watching a video of myself can uncover technical problems. Am I breathing too heavily? Do I sway too much (as Barto is always telling me!)? Do I think I am varying my right hand position but really am ending up always in one spot? Are my Barre's too close to the fret for the middle courses? Does phrasing that I think is obvious actually come across as too subtle and four square? These are all examples that I have seen in my own playing only with the benefit of video. Also, even though my playing is far from the level of dedicated professionals, people who watch the videos seem to enjoy them. I am proud to be an evangelist for the lute and for the composers whose work can only be shared through the lute. The lute family of instruments are visually stunning and I believe that seeing them is a great part of the appeal (even if sound quality is diminished on video sharing sites). I have received countless emails from guitarists who chanced upon my youtube site and ask me how to get started on the lute. Yes, there are people who say I suck (I have a thick skin and surgeon's ego). There are also people who say my playing is better than O'Dette or Barto. I thank them and then refer them to professional recordings that demonstrate how untrue their sentiments were. Finally, of course there is an element of personal ego. I'm proud of what I have accomplished in my few years of playing. Musical performance is an act of communication. If nobody else hears, it is the proverbial tree falling in the forrest. I was once in South Florida during the Apollo's Fire tour (as Board Member, not performer). I was sitting in the hall during touch up rehearsals and someone from the local organizing committee walked past me, did a small double take, then walked past me a couple more times. Finally, she came up to me and said "Hey, you're Kidneykutter, aren't you?" OK, I admit it. That was cool. Danny On Wed, Nov 19, 2008 at 8:00 AM, Rob MacKillop <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I agree that MP3s are not the same quality as CDs, and add that CDs are not the same quality as vinyl. I wish I had made an old-fashioned LP. I suppose I still can, but it would be very expensive. I bought a 1930s gramophone a couple of years ago to play 78s. I was able to contrast the sound of some Benny Goodman/Charlie Christian recordings on 78s and CDs. I can state that, in my opinion, sound reproduction has not improved at all - it has just got different. With the CD versions (re-mastered) I can hear every instrument, even the bass drum, but the guitar sound is weak and lower in the mix. On the 78s, Charlie Christian jumps out of the speaker, right into your room - a fantastic sound - but some instruments are lost. In this instance I prefer the 78s. I actually WILL be recording a CD in February with the Paris-based viol player, Jonathan Dunford - well, he asked me to - for Alpha Recordings. I wonder if I could persuade them to make it a 78?! Rob MacKillop -- To get on or off this list see list information at [2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html -- References 1. mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] 2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html
