I also think of scordatura less as playing in another key (although that may well be in a composer's mind given the idea of keys and emotions: see http://www.library.yale.edu/~mkoth/keychar.htm for example), but that it creates interesting and different sonorities, interval possibilities, and fingerings.
Recently I stumbled across this video of Antonello Lixi performing Kapsberger's Toccata arpeggia: http://weblogs.clarin.com/guitarras-del-mundo/archives/2007/10/ antonello_lixi_y_su_guitarra_barroca.html I began to transcribe his arrangement, then decided just to transcribe K's original and arrange it myself. An altered tuning seemed necessary to come even close to following the original pitches. Stuart's "Foscarini" tuning led me to try it (twice). I also tried a version with the fifth course lowered a half step. The results (Kapsberger_Solos2_rsm.pdf) can be downloaded from my Ning page: http://earlyguitar.ning.com/profile/RockyMjos Monica's research has given even more possibilities! Thank you! (Meant both sarcastically and sincerely) -- Rocky On Aug 16, 2008, at 6:51 PM, Stuart Walsh wrote: > >> 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. > Thanks for saying it's an interesting topic! There is a lot more > (oh no!) ...with pictures wherever too. The nice thing about the > Internet is that it would be quite a coup in itself if absolutely > no one was interested. > >> >> 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. > > I was hoping there might be similar alternative tunings to > Foscarini's. On the other hand there is yet another fascinating > issue: why guitarists wanted to play in strange keys? It's not > what plucked instruments typically do. > >> >> 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. > > I'm not sure that I do. But I uploaded a photocopy of a painting of > some children with an English guitar a while ago. I can't find it > anywhere though. > > Going back to Foscarini and his alternative tuning: he writes > campanella passages. Now it's probably possible to do campanellas > in just about any tuning but it's a lot easier in some than others. > One easier way is (Foscarini's) tuning in thirds (taken up in a > sophisticated way by the much later Russian guitar). Another way > is re-entrant tuning. Foscarini is writing campanellas around > 1632. Is anyone else writing campanellas at his time or before? Old > Fosco couldn't have been setting a trend could he? > > > Stuart > >> >> 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 >>> >>> >>> >>> To get on or off this list see list information at >>> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com Version: 8.0.138 / Virus >> Database: 270.6.4/1615 - Release Date: 16/08/2008 07:11 >> >> >> > > --
