As a relative newcomer to early music (less than a decade), I want to
second this point. The right hand is quite important. When teaching
guitar to youngsters I try to explain that the right hand is far more
important than the left. To illustrate, I play lots of left-hand notes
and chords with a mechanical right hand, and then play a single note or
chord with a musical right hand... Then ask them, which is a song?
It's unfortunate indeed that there is so little guidance in this
regard. Not just for technique, but for musicality. I know there's a
lot of deprecation toward "thrashing about" on the guitar. But where
does reasonable expression end and thrashing begin? How much of modern
techniques such as Flamenco, chitarra battente, or the wide range of
Latin American techniques echo early practice? How much have these
techniques suffered genetic drift? Has strumming the guitar drifted as
far afield as the catholic sects of Northern New Mexico drifted from
the dictates of the church? Can we discern original sensibilities in
what survives today? Oh, how I wish I would win the lottery, and quit
work!
cud
__________________________________________________________________
From: Eloy Cruz <eloyc...@gmail.com>
To: Vihuela List <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 11:47 PM
Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: Strumming as basso continuo
Dear List
Although the subject of this thread is labeled "Strumming as basso
continuo", the exchange of different list members has to do with how to
conduct or organize the harmony in the fingerboard, not at all with
strumming.
I think the 2 main features of guitarra espanola de cinco ordenes are
on one
hand (left), its peculiar harmonic language -all these inversions- and
an
apparently limited palette. On the other (right) hand, and much more
characteristically, strumming.
When dealing with an alfabeto piece (a solo or a song) the problem of
harmony is solved by the alfabeto itself (inconsistencies aside). If
the
player wants to give some different colors to harmony, he can use
alternative higher chord positions (using Sanz's Laberintos, for
example).
But rasgueado is an entirely different matter. The alfabeto notation
gives
not one single clue on how to realize it. Most of the time you won't
even
find indicators of up or down strokes. I know of not one single set of
original instructions on how to make it -do someone in the list know
something about it? We know about trillo, picco and repicco, and little
more, but I think the basic thing about strumming is precisely,
strumming.
The old ones are clear about this. Sanz: Hagase cuenta que la mano
derecha
que toca la Guitarra es el Maestro de Capilla que lleva el compas, y
los
dedos de la mano izquierda son los instrumentos y voces que rige y
gobierna
por ella. The right hand is the chapel master that rules and conducts
the
instruments and voices, represented by the left hand fingers.
I think strumming itself is a powerful tool to make clear the rhetoric
of a
piece, particularly a song. I think the main job of a guitar player
accompanying a singer, or himself, is to shape harmony with the right
hand.
As someone put it, to illuminate the text from within.
The old ones don't give detailed instructions about strumming because,
in my
opinion, strumming is an elusive art and science. It's something you
learn
by playing along with your teacher or with the community. Witness the
master
strummers of Latin American guitars -each instrument has its own
complex and
unique strumming language- some of these players have an outstanding
level
of performance and are as virtuosos in their field as any "classic"
guitar
player. They make what many old Spanish sources say: hacen hablar a la
guitarra, they make the guitar speak.
Regards
eloy
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