Dear Rob,
The (single) basses of theorbos (and archlutes) are generally much
closer than even 12mm - some extant are less than 10mm! - and one is
able to navigate these. I suspect habit lays down neural pathways in
the brain which enable us to change from one instrument to another (I'm
still amazed at this facility ...). So in thoery an inter-course
seperation of 12mm should not cause insurmountable obstacles in the
long term - simply a matter of habit I guess.
Finally, I recall that the inter-course seperation of the few liuti
attiorbato I've measured was significantly less than ordinary
contemporary lutes - around 12mm
rgds
M
--- On Tue, 4/10/11, Rob MacKillop <robmackil...@gmail.com> wrote:
From: Rob MacKillop <robmackil...@gmail.com>
Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] Re: L'Infidele
To: "sterling price" <spiffys84...@yahoo.com>
Cc: "BAROQUE-LUTE" <baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Date: Tuesday, 4 October, 2011, 22:49
That's getting on the wide side, Sterling. Would you have a problem
with Bar 4 of L'Infidele? I agree that close spacing is difficult. I
don't know how people can play with a string band of less than 148, but
they do. People find a way.
Rob
www.robmackillop.net
On 4 Oct 2011, at 22:34, sterling price <[1]spiffys84...@yahoo.com>
wrote:
> The bridge spacing I use is 157mm and is based on a large Edlinger.
> Whenever I play a lute with a spacing much smaller than this, I
find it
> very difficult to play.
>
> --Sterling
> From: Rob MacKillop <[2]robmackil...@gmail.com>
> To: BAROQUE-LUTE <[3]baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu>
> Sent: Tuesday, October 4, 2011 2:05 AM
> Subject: [BAROQUE-LUTE] L'Infidele
> Enjoying exploring my new 13c, and slowly getting the feel for
> right-hand string spacing and thumb placement. I'm determined not
to
> look at my right hand, just feel my way. So, I've been slowly
growing
> in confidence...until I read through Weiss' L'Infidele.
> It's years since I listened to anyone play this suite, and it was a
> great joy to start reading through the Entree: 'Hey, I can do
this!'. I
> read the Courante slowly, but thinking it a possibility I will one
day
> be able to play it up tempo. The Sarabande, like all Weiss
Sarabandes,
> is sublimely beautiful. The minuet lies under the fingers. So, I
was
> beginning to think this is a suite I can get my teeth into. Then I
hit
> the Musette...
> Bar 4 demands the thumb on the 13th course, the index on the 5th
and
> (presumably) the ring finger on the 1st. The string band on my lute
is
> 153mm, and I have large hands. I should be able to do this, but is
is
> very hard. I can manage it, but, clearly, at a stretch. 153mm does
not
> seem excessive, and is pretty much bang in the middle of all
surviving
> 13c bridges, in other words an average size. Will practise of this
> passage make my stretch longer?
> Anyone else have problems with this passage? I seem (in
desperation,
> maybe) to recall someone arguing that originally the low A was up
an
> octave at the 6th course, and the 13th course was written in later.
Any
> info on that?
> Rob MacKillop
> [1]www.robmackillop.net
> To get on or off this list see list information at
> [4]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
> --
>
> References
>
> 1. [5]http://www.robmackillop.net/
>
--
References
1. http://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=spiffys84...@yahoo.com
2. http://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=robmackil...@gmail.com
3. http://us.mc817.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=baroque-lute@cs.dartmouth.edu
4. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
5. http://www.robmackillop.net/
