My recollection of exactly how he held it is a little fuzzy, but he holds it rather like a pen, with the free end of the string sticking out maybe a 1/4 inch or so (the feather is at the other end, basically just a decoration). The string is maybe four inches long, and he runs the remainder of it through his middle and ring fingers, which gives him a firm grip, and lets him adjust how much of the string is sticking out at any given moment (i.e., vary the stiffness of the plectrum).
He did talk about feathers, and as I recall, recommended using the thin end of ostrich feathers. The main issue is that they don't last very long. Guy -----Original Message----- From: Stuart Walsh [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 10:59 AM To: Guy Smith Cc: 'Lute Net' Subject: Re: [LUTE] Re: Anyone see Crawford Young's concert? Guy Smith wrote: > IIRC, from his 2008 class at LSA, it's a guitar E string or a similar length > of nylon, with a bit of feather attached. He talked about using real > feathers, but they tend to break down fairly quickly. > > Guy > I wish I had been at the concert in London to actually see Crawford playing. In his chapter on 'Lute, Gittern & Citole' in Duffin's 'Performer's Guide etc', he says: "...alternating up and down plucking becomes difficult or impossible when the plectrum is to bulky and stiff." In medieval iconography he sees fine, thin plectra. He mentions ostrich feathers - but he doesn't here mention the use of the floppy end of the quill (which I've been told, he advocates). And he quotes 18th century mandolinist, Gervasio: "the quill must not be stiff, but on the contrary, carved very thin." But, as far as I know (and thanks to communications off-list), mandoline players - and (almost?) all plectrum players play with much 'bulky and stiff' plectra.I wonder why he thinks alternating up and down strokes is not good with a stiff plectrum when that's seems to be just what every plectrum player does in fact do? Guy, can you describe what his use of the guitar E string (the top E, presumably) looked like and what bit of feather and where it was attached...and why? It seems quite bizarre - but intriguing. I'm not a plectrum player - but dabbling with plectrum play - and with a floppy feather which is possibly a bit mad. Stuart > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf > Of Stuart Walsh > Sent: Monday, October 05, 2009 5:36 AM > To: Lute Net > Subject: [LUTE] Anyone see Crawford Young's concert? > > Crawford Young gave a concert last night in London. I couldn't get to it. > > I'd be very interested to know anything about the polyphonic stuff with > psaltery and harp - like what instrument did what? And no percussion in > this? > > And - if anyone was sharp-eyed enough - what was he using as a plectrum? > (Crawford Young uses a bit of guitar string or the floppy end of a > feather for a plectrum, evidently!) > > > Stuart > > > > 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 - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.409 / Virus Database: 270.14.3/2415 - Release Date: 10/05/09 06:19:00 > >
