"More of a guitar player" Well, it could possibly be that Herbert Ward
is more of a LUTE player, in which case pinkie down is not a crutch; in
fact most of us aspire to be cripples just like Francesco da Milano,
John Dowland, Charles Mouton, Sylvius Weiss, and a whole bunch of other
cripples. It's a different instrument. My own lute tops stay clean,
because my pinkie (pinky?) only lightly touches down some of the time,
but folks is different. I've noticed that amongst even virtuoso
non-classical guitarists who employ the plectrum, some have the pinkie
down, & some don't. "Pick guards" on Jazz archtops seem to be more for
pinkie stability at an appropriate distance to the string plane, as were
some early Classical guitars built for the likes of Napoleon Coste, when
the fingerboard was elevated above the plane of the soundboard, which is
why pinkie down on modern classical guitar doesn't work. As a technical
exercise, I can do a 1st course full tremolo- p i m a (reverse of the
guitarist's usual finger order) with the pinkie DOWN on the soundboard
in thumb-inside position. For kicks & giggles I've even done a bit of
"Recuerdos de la Alambra" by Tarrega; but tremolo really bogs down on
doubled, inside courses. Maybe that's a good thing in this case!
On 7/28/2014 9:57 AM, Tobiah wrote:
On 07/27/2014 01:51 PM, Herbert Ward 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?
I'm more of a guitar player, but I would suggest that
this is a symptom of an undeveloped right-hand technique.
I'd go as far as to say that you are witnessing the
impression made by an appendage that has been long used
as a crutch.
Tobiah
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