John
Your posts have always been amusing and insightful. One of the reasons why I have stayed on the list myself. I joined the list in the days of David van Edwards' baroque lute making internet course. I made myself a lute at the time when I was an aspiring guitar maker. I later became a violin restorer and double bass specialist. For living people life has strange ways of unfolding itself, and I wish you well in whatever may come your way. Njaal -- Njål Bendixen nj...@operamail.com On Sun, 17 Jan 2016, at 10:37 AM, Jon Murphy wrote: > Juan, I return your best wishes and thank you for them. I am not > departing either music or life - at least not for a long time - I'm > merely trimming my emails. I hope you will remember my direct address > should you have anything to share. > Best, Jon > > On 1/16/2016 2:23 PM, Juan Fco. Prieto wrote: > > Sincerely, my best wishes to you, Jon. > Juan Francisco Prieto. > > 2016-01-15 13:05 GMT+01:00 Jon Murphy <[1]j...@murphsays.com>: > > Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to remove myself from the Lute > Builder list. Nothing to do with the communications, it is a fine > group. I am 80 and no longer can deal with my several instruments - > I have chosen to stay with my harp and a couple of others. My old > guitar is yet an instrument I play when the grandchildren visit, but > I'm not a guitarist - I'm a singer who accompanies himself on > guitar. I fuss a bit with the home built psaltery now and then, it > is fun to shift from the hammers on the lap to the plucked at the > shoulder. What fun to imitate ancient instruments. I'll keep my > modified Charango, now tuned as a Scots Mandora, so I can play the > pieces from the Skene manuscripts. I think I'll pass on my "flat > back" lute (the Musicmakers kit) to my grandchildren, my fingers are > not up to handling all my instruments. I'll also pass on that silly > bowed psaltery that many think is an ancient instrument, but was > invented by a German at the turn of the 19th to 20th C. as a > training device. It is a good training device, but at my age I don't > need training, just better fingers. > The lute is the most beautiful of instruments, and the luthier the > epitome of artisans - be he making a lute (al oud) or a violin or > any of the other heirs of that Arabic necked instrument. I wish you > all well, and the same to your instruments. I am going to clear a > shelf in my closet, the storage room for my bedroom workshop, that > contains my form for shaping the lute body parts. Not a decision I > wanted to make, but a bit of realism. I intend to live another 20 or > 30 years (110 would be pretty good), but I know I'll not make > another lute. Another harp, maybe, they are easier. > I'll not leave the list tonight, you can all bless me for my future > should you choose. > Best, Jon > To get on or off this list see list information at > [2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > > -- > > References > > 1. mailto:j...@murphsays.com > 2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/%7Ewbc/lute-admin/index.html > -- http://www.fastmail.com - Faster than the air-speed velocity of an unladen european swallow
