Re: left-handed violinning: http://www.captainfiddle.com/playvioleftbook.html
Best, Eugene > -----Original Message----- > From: Edward Martin [mailto:[email protected]] > Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 8:52 PM > To: Eugene C. Braig IV; 'lute' > Subject: [LUTE] Re: Re : Re: restring? > > Has anyone seen many lefty violinists? > > ed > > > At 04:25 PM 1/9/2009 -0500, Eugene C. Braig IV wrote: > >Greetings All: > > > >I'm another stereotypical lefty...except when it's time to pluck. Every > >stringed instrument I have endeavored to play, I do so on standard > >instruments. > > > >As alluded by a few, most plucked string instruments to stop strings > along a > >neck--from the very dawn of extant instruments--are braced asymmetrically > to > >stiffen the soundboard nearer the bridge on the treble side in an effort > to > >balance tone across range. Simply reversing strings, even if crafting > new > >nut and bridge, aren't true conversions to mirror images of standard > >instruments because of this internal asymmetry. Unfortunately, the whole > >world of original vintage instruments is shut off to those who opt to > learn > >to play in reverse to standard, because accommodating instruments > >historically were non-existent to very, very rare. > > > >Because playing music is very strictly anthropogenic, I contend that > >assignment of tasks, string plucking or stopping, may be relatively > >arbitrary. I'm not arguing that it makes no difference which job is > >assigned to the dominant hand, but that both jobs are relatively complex > and > >strictly learned behaviors. I suspect a lefty who approaches music > plucking > >with the right (from their perspective, non-dominant) hand very well > *may* > >do so differently than righties. I thus also contend that left-handed > >beginners at least owe it to themselves to *try* to learn using standard > >instruments with neck in left hand. > > > >I sometimes wonder if lefties who insist on learning in reverse to > standard > >do so because of the expectations they've learned growing up left handed. > >There certainly are left-handed keyboard players and violinists out > there, > >but seeing any of them play in reverse to standard is rare in the > extreme. > >I'm not certain why we find plucked string luthiers catering more to the > >whims of left handedness, perhaps because keyboards tend to be such > >substantial and often multi-user things, and the vintage violin market is > >much more serious than the vintage lute/guitar/mandolin market amongst > >"serious" musicians. > > > >Best, > >Eugene > > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Miles Dempster [mailto:[email protected]] > > > Sent: Friday, January 09, 2009 3:46 PM > > > To: David van Ooijen > > > Cc: lute > > > Subject: [LUTE] Re : Re: restring? > > > > > > David, > > > > > > What an instructive and hilarious posting! Many thanks! > > > > > > I am a lefty, but from the very beginning of my plucking life (age 12 > or > > > therabouts) I have played guitar and lute right-handed. Perhaps I am > > > ambidextrous to some degree, but I certainly throw a ball with my > left, > > > and write with my left. > > > > > > Since both hands must be used skilfully, I wonder if there is any > > > fundamental reason why the plucking or bowing hand has to follow one's > > > dexterity or sinister tendencies. > > > > > > Just a thought > > > > > > > > > Miles Dempster > > > > > > ----- Message d'origine ----- > > > De: David van Ooijen <[email protected]> > > > Date: Vendredi, Janvier 9, 2009 5:30 am > > > Objet: [LUTE] Re: restring? > > > À: lute <[email protected]> > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, Jan 9, 2009 at 8:12 AM, Jean-Marie Poirier > > > > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > I'm afraid it isn't that simple... I am left-handed so I know > what > > > > I'm talking about. In fact a lute is not built like a guitar and it > is > > > > not enough to change the strings the other way round to ba able to > > > > play a left-handed instrument. > > > > > > > > > > > > Another lefty here. Jean-Marie is right, it's not a good idea to > use > > > > a > > > > right-handed lute the other way round, too many complications. > Having > > > > said that, I do own one right-handed lute, and have re-strung it. > Just > > > > so you know what a bad idea that is, I'll give a short summary of > the > > > > problems playing that lute gives me. It's a 7-course: single first > > > > course, 6 double courses. That makes 13 strings. I have not altered > > > > the bridge or nut, so to have it as a left-handed 7-course I have a > > > > single first and a single 7, only the middle 5 courses are double > now. > > > > That makes 12 strings, and one spare peg. It has a very awkward > string > > > > spacing, left and right. For fixing that, changing the nut would > not > > > > be a big problem, drilling some extra holes in the bridge is a > little > > > > more tricky, especially as they must be very close to the existing > > > > holes. I never bothered. The neck is, as it should be, slightly > > > > off-centre. That means it's slightly off-centre the wrong way round > > > > now. You don't want to know how awkward that can be, playing in > high > > > > positions. The neck, the whole instrument in fact, is slightly > warped, > > > > perhaps designed to be so, perhaps it came about when the maker was > > > > adjusting the instrument, perhaps it happened over time. The result > is > > > > a good action: low for the first course, a little higher for the > > > > basses. But that's good action for a right-handed lute, so more > circus > > > > acts needed to play it as a lefty. Minor aberrations as slanted > bridge > > > > or nut to compensate for tuning differences in high and low strings > I > > > > don't particularly notice, the other problems are great enough to > > > > occupy me when playing it. Luckily I once managed to push my knee > > > > through the sound board, in a desperate act preventing the lute > from > > > > falling from my lap, firmly pressing it with my hand to make sure > the > > > > knee went all the way through, which resulted in an excellent > repair > > > > job by a better luthier than the original maker. He managed to > improve > > > > the action by shaving of a considerable part of the edge of the > bowl, > > > > before gluing the, repaired, soundboard back in place. Repair cost > me > > > > almost more than the lute itself. > > > > Remains the question, why do I bother with an instrument like this, > > > > having a good collection of quality lutes? It's my teaching > instrument > > > > when I have to go off to my music school: strung in all-carbon > (yuk!) > > > > and Pyramid (yuk!). From 415 to 440 in no-time between pupils. D- > minor > > > > for the next. Single bass to C, D, or F, whatever is needed. > Everyone > > > > is allowed to have ago on it, drop it, sit on it, leave it in the > > > > rain, dry it on the heater. In good Dutch: it's my StuiterLuit > > > > (bouncing lute). Would I ever bring it on stage? No. Would I ever > > > > record with it? No. Would I ever play it at home for fun? No. Do I > > > > ever treat my pupils and myself to a proper lute? Regularly. Should > > > > you treat yourself to a proper lute? Definitively! > > > > > > > > David > > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > > > ******************************* > > > > David van Ooijen > > > > [email protected] > > > > www.davidvanooijen.nl > > > > ******************************* > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > > > > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > > > > > > > > > > >No virus found in this incoming message. > >Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com > >Version: 8.0.176 / Virus Database: 270.10.5/1884 - Release Date: 1/9/2009 > >8:38 AM > > > > Edward Martin > 2817 East 2nd Street > Duluth, Minnesota 55812 > e-mail: [email protected] > voice: (218) 728-1202 >
