Thank you, Martyn. That makes sense. Since I play the cello (no frets on it) I should have thought of that. -Ned On Dec 18, 2010, at 3:38 AM, Martyn Hodgson wrote:
> He stopped the notes in the same way as all other contemporary lutenists did > before > glued-on frets became general: by depressing the string to the belly. > > MH > > --- On Fri, 17/12/10, Edward Mast <[email protected]> wrote: > > From: Edward Mast <[email protected]> > Subject: [LUTE] Re: lute piece by Brian Wright (and fret n) > To: "Martin Shepherd" <[email protected]> > Cc: "Lute List" <[email protected]> > Date: Friday, 17 December, 2010, 22:42 > > Martin- > If Dowland didn't have body frets on his instruments, does that mean he had > upward of 10 or 11 frets on the neck - even 12? Does this mean very long > necks? And would that mean a small body, or a larger body and perhaps a long > string length? How long a string length would be practical, in your > opinion, for him to have been able to play his more complex works (ones > involving chords requiring long stretches between fingers) ? > > Many questions, I know, but other than the information that he went from 7 > course instruments to 10 or more courses later in life, I've not seen any > detailed description of his instruments. > > Thank you, > -Ned > On Dec 17, 2010, at 1:12 PM, Martin Shepherd wrote: > > > Dear All, > > > > Sorry - another thought, perhaps less helpful than the first. The last > > several of Dowland's frets were made from first-course material (.40-.45mm > > gut?), so if he had had body frets (and it seems he didn't) they couldn't > > have been exactly tree-trunk sized. > > > > Best, > > > > Martin > > > > On 17/12/2010 16:17, Edward Mast wrote: > >> Stuart, I was thinking about your comments today as I worked on a Dowland > >> piece that has passages in the i,k,l fret area. On my lute these frets > >> don't have the resonance that the lower frets do, either. What I do find, > >> though, is that I get a better sound from the body frets when I play them > >> with the fingers - no matter where they fall in the measure - than with > >> the thumb. Perhaps you've noticed this, or perhaps your right hand > >> technique is different from mine. . . > >> -Ned > >> On Dec 14, 2010, at 6:16 AM, Stuart Walsh wrote: > >> > >>> On 14/12/2010 00:02, sterling price wrote: > >>>> Most lutes have way too small body frets as they come from the maker. I > >>>> always > >>>> make bigger more suitable frets on my lutes. This often means that they > >>>> get > >>>> -taller- as they go up from fret K, especially if there is 14 frets. Of > >>>> course > >>>> this all depends on the action of the lute. > >>>> > >>>> --Sterling > >>>> > >>>> > >>> 14 frets? Is there music that calls for 14 frets? > >>> > >>> On my lute the high g, fret n, sounds weak, very plinky an unfocused. I > >>> can't imagine what a fourteenth fret would sound like! > >>> > >>> > >>> Stuart > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> To get on or off this list see list information at > >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >> > >> > > > > > > > > --
