The buff stop (also found on other schools of harpsichords) does not
have 'the opposite effect' to the 'lute' stop: it is simply a damping
mechanism (akin to the modern damping tecgnique on the guitar in which
the fleshy outside edge of the right hand touches, and hence damps, the
strings). The link with the lute is presumably that it reduces the
otherwise very long sustain of metal strung harpsichords to something
closer to that of a gut strung instrument
MH
--- On Thu, 21/1/10, Andrew Gibbs <[email protected]>
wrote:
From: Andrew Gibbs <[email protected]>
Subject: [LUTE] Re: Thumb rest stroke - 'lute stop' evidence
To: "Lutelist list" <[email protected]>
Date: Thursday, 21 January, 2010, 14:35
To add to the confusion: 17th c. harpsichord makers added another
feature called a buff stop that had the opposite effect - it pressed
leather pads against the strings to mute them. French and German
makers called this respectively a 'registre de luth' or 'Lautenzug'.
I have no idea why this would be considered lute-like - unless lute
players were damping the strings with the heel of their right hand?
Andrew
common in Flemish and English models but not Italians
On 21 Jan 2010, at 09:25, Martyn Hodgson wrote:
> There seems to be some confusion here: the reference wasn't to
> exotic
> instruments (such as the lute-harpsichord/lautenclavicymbal etc)
> but to
> normal run of the mill English harpsichords in which an
> additional row
> of jacks placed closer to the bridge than the main ones was/is
> called
> the 'lute stop' (sometimes 'theorbo stop'). Hence my remark that
> this
> also supports a closer to the bridge (and more brittle/brilliant
> sound)
> hand position than is the fashion today for 'baroque' lutes.
>
> MH
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