Dear Louis and All,
Thanks Louis for this analysis of hand/arm position, which I think is
correct.
I have (of course) two points of dissent!
First, if the height of the bridge is as low as it is on most historical
lutes, putting the little finger down somewhere is easy to do and is a
reassurance (and a hangover from earlier technique) which it seems was
common.
Second, you say you're playing next to the rose - why not next to the
bridge? The old guys did this, and also (and I can understand why)
tended to rest the little finger on or behind the bridge - if behind the
bridge, you avoid some of the problems of RH stretch in dealing with
13/14 course instruments. I suspect the reason most modern lutenists
don't play close to the bridge is they use a string tension which is way
too high, which is a thought I will leave in the air, as it were...
Best wishes,
Martin
On 03/08/2014 18:51, Louis Aull wrote:
Tony,
It really depends on the angle your arm enters the soundboard and the
length of your pinky relative to the index finger. If your arm enters
the lute top well behind the bridge, the pinky naturally falls on the
sound board. So it makes a good anchor point for finding the strings as
well as keeping the lute in position.
As the baroque necks got longer and peg boxes got heavier, the weight
of the neck could be eased by raising the neck toward your head.
Unfortunately that changes the angle your forearm comfortably makes
with the bridge. Watch some of the hot shots and you will see what
compromise they have reached between the two. Also watch the pinky lift
on the big chords that involve both the very top and bottom strings.
As my lutes got bigger I found my pinky raising more and more often,
and eventually I stopped putting it down. One learns how to place the
thumb for each chord without putting down a pinky by the relative
position to the other fingers. My arm now enters the lute soundboard
from a position directly above the bridge and I pluck the strings just
below the rosette. The lute rests between my legs with a 45 degree neck
angle to my body. I have to warm up a bit for my right hand to
correctly find the basses, but after that I just recognize the chord
and the thumb finds the note. A big benefit of this position is I sit
upright in the chair and both arms find a comfortable position,
allowing me to play longer, without shoulder or wrist discomfort. With
the pinky up you can tolerate a taller bridge and closer spaced
strings.
My swan neck I play now has an beautiful englemann spruce top with no
finish, touching it for any reason leaves a mark.
Louis Aull
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