Dear Sean, Thanks for the kind words, but not sure what you mean about the fingernails?
Liuto Forte! I thought that was all over!!!! These days I prefer to read www.mylespaul.com/forums/historics-reissues/ Absolutely fascinating what authenticity fanatics these guys are.... They even influence Gibson into making their reconstructions of Les Paul's closer to the originals. One of the latest changes being the use of animal glue as they did in the 50's and the use of low output pick-ups. I think this fits in with the Liuto Forte thing, after years of high output pick-ups, things have come full circle because the best rock sounds from guys like Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Brian May etc were made by pushing relatively low powered basic equipment to the absolute limit. Liuto forte is like one of those pink point 1980's metal guitars, maybe louder, maybe easier to twiddle about on, but has a bland dated sound..... Cue RT All the best Mark On Aug 23, 2013, at 11:45 PM, Sean Smith wrote: > I see. I try to design my own concerts so I have a say over my choices. > Personally, I see it as a life-long graduate course worth, no doubt in > the end, a whole of [SFX: Dylan wheeze into harmonica]. I guess we all > try to get something different out of our playing. > > Of course I have to forego a lot of historical apparatus (the audience > has no clue how any of the original songs went and I'm not in a doublet > or can even afford a hat). But by focusing on the instrument --as far > as possible-- and the years in question we can go a long way on > re-enacting a possible performance and learning from the experience. > From what I've seen from hand-held video recording equipment, Roman has > learned and taught a lot of quite a bit about the kobsa over the years > by _not_ using a pan-instrument to approximate the sound and Mark > Wheeler shoots for a similar goal, fingernails (and RT's antipathy) > notwithstanding. Both, to whom I am grateful, btw. > > By exploring the niches, we learn incrementally a little more about the > music, the instrument, technique and its purpose --and it's ongoing. > Learn and teach, rinse, lather, repeat. My only point, even if we > assume there isn't future-instrument creep, is that the pan-instruments > lead us away from enlightening niches and riches. > > s > > ps, only 9 strings on the little guitar. Tunes like butta. > > On Aug 23, 2013, at 2:03 PM, howard posner wrote: > Two things to keep in mind: > 1. I don't really think there's a future-instrument creep going on. > Many of us have been lutophiles long enough to remember when we didn't > know enough to raise most of the questions you bring up. Players are > certainly more conscious of the variety of historical instruments, > notwithstanding the occasional generalized remarks about the "Old Ones" > or whatever around here. But doing something about it is another > thing. > 2. It's rare that a lute player has much of a choice about whether to > play a Diversi Autori Lutebook Concert. Most of the gigs are for > ensembles (as would have been the case three and four centuries ago), > and sure, I'm happy to do a solo between the trio sonata and the solo > cantata. I'll just put down the theorbo and play a Francesco recercar > on my six-course before picking up the archlute for the cantata. I'm > sure the audience won't mind waiting while I tune 31 strings. > On Aug 23, 2013, at 1:45 PM, Sean Smith <[1][email protected]> wrote: > > Again, the practicality is understood. What I should also mention is > that it influences the concert choice of music: > > "I have an 8c. To make best use of it I will play a concert that > spans a 100 years. ...because I can." vs "I have a 6c. I will play a > concert that might have happened out of the Diversi Autori lutebook. > ...because I can." We are often influenced by our instruments more > than the music or the history. > > or (or add the following statement to the above concert choice) > > "I have an 8c and it would be pointless to add an 8ve'd 4th course > for all the music I play so I will play the pre-1560 dances w/out." > (valid, no?) Followed by: "There are things about that 4th course > that I don't need to know and the audience needn't learn about them > either." It took me a long time to appreciate that 4th course and to > get past that bothersome jangle but tho it took years I'm > appreciative that I stuck to it. Are players doing themselves and > their audience a disservice by being quickly dismissive of earlier > instruments in the pursuit of pan-appropriate lutes? > > -- > To get on or off this list see list information at > [2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > > References > > 1. mailto:[email protected] > 2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
