Tablature for me is the best solution for playing the lute. The only problem I see is when I would like to transpose it into another key. (Or is this another 'dirty word' around here.?)
I would have to transcribe tablature into staff-notation, re-work every note up, (or down by the same amount) to the desired 'key'. Then transcribe it back into tablature? Ron UK -----Original Message----- From: Vance Wood [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 25 July 2005 00:08 To: lute list Subject: Re: Byrd When I studied Lute at Oakland University in the late 70's Dr. Nordstrom required us (meaning his Lute students) to be able to read and play from the Grand Staff. People that don't do this are robbing themselves of a degree of freedom in being able to explore music they may have only one source for. Not to mention the enlarged possibilities from intabulating your own versions, transcriptions, arrangements, or what ever you want to call them, from sources like the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book. I cannot understand why anyone in the Lute community would look down their nose at guitarists understanding that very many of us came to the Lute by way of the Guitar. That's like cursing your own father. As for me I can read and play from the Grand Staff, albeit slowly at first, I can sight read both French and Italian Tablature but to be honest I don't have a clue about German Tablature and its obscure forms. Which brings us back to the main problem of reading Grand Staff. A lot of the German Tab is available in Staff notation, which means that I can usually find what I want somewhere even if it is in Grand Staff. The real problem with staff notation, be it Grand Staff or treble is in the instrument itself and its reoccurring octaves. Simply put often there are conflicts or decisions about neck position where there may be more than one choice in a particular passage as where to play it. Vance Wood. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Sal Salvaggio" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 10:23 AM Subject: Re: Byrd > A bit on Treble clef vs. tab and other ramblings----- > > When I started to play the renaissance lute back in > the winter of'75, I worked from keyboard > transcriptions. I didn't read tab at the time. I saw > the lines in this richly contrapuntal music and used > my skills at fingering to come up with workable > solutions. After learning to read tablature, I > discovered that many of the composers for the lute > dropped voices where I didn't in my own arrangements, > Chords were voiced in different ways, etc. Each lute > composer had their own unique way of doing this. Their > individual approach to the music was part of their own > unique style. At one time, early on, I did use guitar > treble clef - but the pitch was off by a third -(or > more with all the different tunings ex: lutes in A, D, > etc) I figured I might as well hear the pitches that I > was seeing so I turned to keyboard transcriptions - > this also helped alot with my continuo playing later > on. I guess you could write out lute music for guitar > with the 3rd strting tuned down a half step and lots > of fingerings - I got a copy of Strizich's book of > deVisee to play on the baroque guitar as well as the > Weiss London ms. in treble clef to play on the 13 c. > lute- I have to admit that - with all the fingerings > clogging up the page and the octave displacements- the > experience was a bit on the frustrating side. IMHO > guitarists should learn to read tablature! That would > certainly open up a wealth of works for exploration. I > think people like Arthur (da Milano) have helped to > bring forgotten(due to the lost art of reading lute > tab) lute composers to the music world. I also believe > that lutenists who present works from original(or > facsimile)editions have given us a closer picture of > what the composer intended and heard in his head. Take > Beethovan - his 9th played on the piano is like black > and white compared to the orchestral rendition. He > conceived it for the orchestra - battling sectional > forces, antiphonal passeges etc.. Ever play Recuerdos > on the piano - or imagine what it might sound like - > hum........and all lutenist should learm to read > modern notation as well - couldn't hurt > > > Salvatore Salvaggio > http://www.Salvaggio.50megs.com > > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around > http://mail.yahoo.com > > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >
