This is inevitable and is part of the life of the lute. The more worn it is, the more it shows you've been practicing! After a few years, the soundboards of the instruments of some professional players can look as though they are going to develop a hole where the little finger rests, but I've never seen that actually happen.
If you wash your hands before you play and keep the fingernail of your little finger short, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. I wouldn't attempt to try any sort of patching of the finish, it will probably just make things worse. If the soundboard is dirty you can try using a plastic (not rubber) eraser but you have to be very careful not to apply any pressure and to go along the grain of the wood. In time you probably won't even notice that there is a mark where your little finger rests and if you do, you might actually grow to like it!. Best, Matthew On 27 juil. 2014, at 22:51, Herbert Ward <[email protected]> wrote: > I've worn a spot on the soundboard with my RH pinkie. > The bare wood is starting to show through the finish. > Should I do anything? > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
