Those that have met me will know that I am a very mediocre player indeed and will probably remain one. But I've thought quite a lot about this.
My set has 11 keys. I use the Fâ®s quite a lot. Although the top one is difficult to play cleanly, I like the dark sound when you slip it into a tune. It's nice to know the two Gâ¯s are there, but they don't seem to crop up that often. The one key I really wish I had is the middle Bâ. I've met two people who have bought 17 key sets, and then never learnt to play them. I can't help thinking there's just too much confusing metalwork to get in the way of ones fingers when one is new to the instrument. Dru On 14 Dec 2010, at 16:58, John Dally wrote: > > When do you qualify to really "need" more keys? When I ordered my set > a number of years ago I was convinced that the desire for 17 keys was > really too much, so I ordered a thirteen key set instead. Now I find > myself reaching for the two "missing" Bb's and C#'s. Is there such a > thing as "key-envy"? Is it presumptuous or perhaps a failure of > imagination to want more keys? How many keys is enough? I hear tell > of twenty five key chanters now. Is this obsession a pipemaker's > nightmare? > cheers, > John > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > --
