[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Anthony Hind
Sorry Wayne, I was going to add a subtitle, but someone phoned, and then I forgot, so here is my second effort. Alan If you are in the situation I was when beginning to play again, it is more a question of getting your hands back into a supple enough state to be able to do lute exercises.

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur Recording # 3 Newish direction

2008-02-26 Thread Anthony Hind
Alan If you are in the situation I was when beginning to play again, it is more a question of getting your hands back into a supple enough state to be able to do lute exercises. The index of my left finger after one or two exercises would click, and then a sort of burning sensation would

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Rob MacKillop
In my experience, students tend to use ten times the amount of pressure and energy than required, so when I see talk of finger strengtheners I get worried. The great classical guitarist, David Russell, taught me an invaluable lesson in this regard. Put your left hand index finger on any note, say

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Anthony Hind
Rob Yes I knew I would receive this message. That is why I have never mentioned it before; but I was careful to say it has nothing to do with strength, but everything to do with suppleness, and control. It seems to make the joints more flexible. I have naturally very unsupple fingers,

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Martin Shepherd
Thanks to Rob David for saying it so clearly - I agree absolutely. Two more related things: 1. It's easy to forget about the LH thumb, where it is, how much tension it has in it - but it's very important. 2. You could think of the stopping hand as being irrelevant to the sound, just needed

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Rob MacKillop
Excellent advice, David. Paul Galbraith told me to feel different surfaces gently with my fingertips - clothes, tables, guitar (lute) case - before plucking the string. It awakens the fingers to the subtleties of touch. Left and right hand shape the tone together 100 per cent right on. Rob

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Anthony Hind
Rob Had I wanted to do a Schuman on you, I would have suggested this contraption, http://tinyurl.com/2uv88o However, I was addressing Alan Hoyle, who is no beginner in a hurry to make progress, but apparently in a similar state to how I was, struggling not to go backwards. In some

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: Rank Amateur [ finger tip feed back]

2008-02-26 Thread Anthony Hind
Interesting your finger tips feed-back idea. It is often said that blind people make sensitive musicians because of their increased sense of hearing, but perhaps it is just as much to do with their increased sense of touch. After reading Matthew Wadsworths article on learning music by

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: [Exerciser for aging fingers]

2008-02-26 Thread Anthony Hind
Ed I am pleased to have triggered so much agreement, although, in none of my messages did I mention strength, just keeping ones limbs very supple, which I (like Father William) believe is essential for relaxation and lack of tension. Although I must note, that in the exercises, I was given

[BAROQUE-LUTE] Exercises for aging fingers

2008-02-26 Thread Alan Hoyle
I am very grateful to all who have responded with so much helpful advice. Gentle exercise of some sort is certainly necessary for my index fingers, which seem to have lost a lot of strength and are really slow and clumsy; Anthony Hind's advice here sounds extremely useful. Rob's warning,