Hi Stuart
I haven't had time to read it all properly because I have just come back
from holiday ...and it seems to peter out at the end ....is that because you
are going to add some more? But this is very interesting topic.
The two sources which use scordatura like crazy are the Gallot ms.and
Campion and several other guitar books include pieces in scordatura but they
are not usually common chord tunings. The main purpose seems to be to
enable one to play in "difficult" keys.
Incidentally do you know the picture of the "Waldegrave" sisters at Houghton
Hall? Three charming little girls. one playing the English guitar. I've
just come back from Norfolk where I visited this particular stately home for
the first time.
Monica
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stuart Walsh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Vihuelalist" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 9:04 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] alternative tunings for Baroque guitar
I have been looking at some Foscarini pieces in an alternative tuning and,
just for the hell of it, I'm trying to do a little website about them. My
idea is to do the website as a sort of blog - a bit at at a time.
But blog software (I'm using WordPress) only lets you put postings in
reverse chronology - the latest post is first - whereas I'm wanting to
build up the thing the normal way around.
I've given it the title, "Foscarini's 'la cordatura diferente', Russian
guitars and erotic dance" (!) Anyway it amuses me... No part of it is
quite ready yet but there are a few provisional posts already: here:
http://www.tuningsinthirds.com/Foscarini/
(anyone who's interested in these things will no doubt see where it's
going)
Anyway what I'm after is information about alternative guitar tunings (for
Baroque guitar). I've never tried any other than Foscarini's but I know
there are lots. It would be especially interesting if there were other
guitar pieces that use Foscarini's alternative tuning - lowest course
raised a tone and top course lowered a tone B-d-g-b-d' .
The online pdf thesis of Julian Navarro Gonzalez discusses alternative
tunings on pp344-345 but I can't follow it and I can't even see
Foscarini's alternative tuning.
Any advice or sources of information on alternative tunings and any
comments, fatal flaws etc would be welcomed ( I think).
Stuart
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