Ah yes, the never-ending search for the perfect instrument. All would
do well to keep firmly in mind the idea that our instruments sound
different to the listener out in front of us than they do to us as we
play them. That is true whether we play a trumpet, french horn,
recorder, guitar, lute, or whatever. For brass and woodwind players,
the search includes mouthpieces, too. Yes, double reeds have their own
issues and bassoonists search for the perfect bocal.
The most unfortunate thing is although we can ask someone to listen to
us play a particular instrument and we can ask someone to play an
instrument in which we are interested, their ears/touch/technique will
never match ours, so we remain without an objective way to arrive at
that most subjective decision-- is this t h e instrument for me?
Far as I can tell, David, with his recording set-up; and vast
experience has the best way to solve this question-- at least for
lutes. I, for one, really appreciate his contributions to this list.
Steve
__________________________________________________________________
From: David Tayler <[email protected]>
To: lute-cs.dartmouth.edu <[email protected]>
Sent: Mon, November 16, 2009 4:28:02 AM
Subject: [LUTE] Re: lute tasting, was Greenwich festival
I have worked with many musicians, and I can tell in a few moments if
their instrument will record well or not, and they usually are
interested, but unable to change it.
By the time the recording rolls around, it is too late.
And the sad thing is, that after awhile we imagine the sound to be
different than it is, and the recorded sound seems different.
On the other hand, if you like the lute, and are totally happy with
it, then all is well.
Funny how so many professionals change their lutes so often (there
are some notable exceptions)
I wonder how much of that is a recent recording experience, and the
lute is changed after the recording instead of before it.
I mean, if the pros can't pick a winner, what chance do we have? And
if advice were the important factor, who advised them?
I think a lot of it is fashion, mystique and so on. Otherwise there
would not be so many regional differences.
To be fair, I was taught that we do not choose our instruments, but
that they choose us.
And I believe that is true :)
dt
At 12:02 PM 11/15/2009, you wrote:
>Choosing a musical instrument seems to me to be a tricky thing. For
>years I owned two cellos. After playing one for a few months I
>would switch and really like the "new" one. A few months later and
>I would rediscover the things I likes about the other one. In a
>way, it was a remedy for any boredom that might be creeping into my
>daily practice routine - a different sound and feel to the revisited
>instrument. Ultimately I sold what I actually had concluded was the
>'better' instrument - those I played with thought so and it did
>project better than the other - simply because the top string was
>brighter than I could quite get used to. So, yes, as David says,
>it's how the instrument sounds under your own ear that ends up being
>the most important issue.
>
>Now I'm finding a similar situation with two lutes. One is a more
>expensive instrument than the other; finer craftsmanship and lighter
>construction, and more responsive to the slightest changes in
>touch. But the other has it's own good points that make it
>enjoyable to play also. Perhaps as I progress in skill and
>experience, the choice will become clearer. Right now i wouldn't
>want to sell either one.
>
>Ned
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