On Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 10:43 PM, Peter Ruskoff<[email protected]> wrote: > I am on a quest to extract more power out of my lute in the 5th or > more courses of my lute (in other words, the typical fundamental + > octave courses).
A lute is not a loud instrument. It can have very subtle nuances in dynamics, depending a little on string choice, but any contest in volume with piano or guitar it will lose. Forget about those, fine, instruments and concentrate on the voice of your lute. For me, the bass sound of a Renaissance lute is all about depth. After plucking I feel the top of the lute vibrate and the sound changes colour during its decay. Warmth and fullness of sound is what I am looking for. The comforting feeling of a mouth full of chocolate or smoked eel. > I want them to (especially the fretted 6th course in first position). > This is important when, for example, playing more polyphonic Clarity is what you are looking for here. Aim for a dryer attack. I play such notes a little closer to the bridge than the others. More tip of the thumb, actually more of the 'corner' of the thumb, if it were rectangular (if you know what I mean?). Using time is also a good way of giving these notes more presence. Prepare them with a little 'white space' before, then pluck them so they can be heard and their attack is not in the maximum of the sustain of the note before, give them time to develop their full sound, to reach maximum amplitude a bass string needs a little more time, and only after that continue with the next note. This is very subtle time shifting and will help to bring clarity to a note or voice in muddy counterpoint. Use your ears, obviously, not your metronome. Do a reality check with a tape machine every once in while to make sure you are not developing caricatural behaviour. I know I tend to. > On those instruments, when you want more bass power you simply...play > harder. Not so easy on a lute. Because a lute is not about volume, nor is lute music. If the top voices are too loud compared to the bass, play the top softer to get a good balance. A balance of power can be reached in two ways, choose the one that fits the instrument. I think a lute player should always be listening to sound quality foremost, volume is of much, much lesser concern. If you're playing with an orchestra and choir in a big church, that's another story, but playing intimate solo music for yourself or a small audience you should go for quality of sound, not volume or power. > I am NOT playing my lute > with nails. I use "proper" thumb under technique. For what it's worth, a good sound can be achieved with nails or as thumb out, as well. You're more likely to have a louder attack with these techniques, but that can be adjusted. Been there, done that. > (mainly by Paul O'dette), and these players always use synthetic > strings. Doesn't he record on gut? Another thought. It's my experience that achieving more resonance, making the top move more (larger amplitude as well as longer), is more effective in being heard than playing with a louder attack. These are just a few of my thoughts, others will give theirs. Take your pick. The best advice is to find a teacher, obviously, even if it's just for the odd lesson once in while. It might safe you _soo_ much time. 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
