I think there really is no thumb under and over. There are however
Thumb "in"--the thumb is inside the hand'' NB: just as it was called back then Thumb "in tips up" the finger tips are higher Thumb "out & stretched"--thumb must be like a bow NB specifically described historically Thumb "out"--not like a bow, more relaxed Thumb "middle"--this is "over" in the sense that it is directly over the first finger, however, it would be confusing to term it this way. Obviously, there are a thousand variations on these, but this is a good starting point. To just start at "over" and "under" will just create technique problems becuase you may get stuck or wobble between different positions. Each of these produces a very distinctive and different sound. Also, because the historical positions are not accurately described, they have fallen out of use. I use all five of these depending on the instrument and the repertory. dt At 07:09 AM 7/31/2009, you wrote: >On Fri, Jul 31, 2009 at 3:56 PM, <[email protected]> wrote: > > when the index finger strikes the string, it ends its > > =A0 stroke under and behind the thumb, before returning to its starting > > =A0 position in front of the thumb. > >There are many ways of looking at it. Some suggestions, others will >give more, so take your pick. > >A relaxed hand has thumb under index. Try without a lute. Aim for a >relaxed hand when playing. > >Place thumb between index and middle finger. (Yes, fig-sign.) Unbend >fingers, don't overdo the strechting, remember to relax. Good lute >playing hand. > >Do the plucking movement with your under-arm, bit of wrist, very litle >bit of finger. So index-to-thumb position does change but little >during plucking. > >After plucking thumb, don't 'move it back' to starting position, but >let plucking motion (under-arm) for index take your hand and hence >thumb back to starting point. > >Play slowly, concentrate on relaxing and erradicating superfluous movements= To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
