Dear Stephen, Many thanks indeed for your message and your kind comments. You ask about playing parallel 10ths in high positions. The same principles apply, depending on context, with a choice between the three fingering patterns I described in my previous message. (I shall use the word "pattern" rather than "position" to avoid ambiguity.) To re-cap, the three patterns were as follows:
1) Covering four frets; one finger per fret: __________________a__1c__3e__4f__ ______a__1c__2d__________________ __2d_____________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ _________________________________ 2) Covering three frets; 3rd & 4th fingers at one fret: __4d________________________ ___a__||_________||__4d__||_ __1b__||_1b__4d__||__3d__||_ ______||_2c______||______||_ ______||_3d______||______||_ __3d__||_________||__1b__||_ 3) Covering two frets; 1st & 2nd fingers also at one fret: ___a________________________________ ______4d_||__2c__4d___||__4d__2c_||_ __1c_____||__3d_______||__3d_____||_ __2c_____||__1c_______||_________||_ _________||___a_______||_________||_ _________||___________||__1c_____||_ Bearing this in mind, let's look at parallel 10ths. The one-finger-per-fret pattern won't apply, because that is more suitable for single-line melodies. Choosing between the other two patterns is determined by the number of frets to be covered. If a passage of parallel 10ths covers three frets, you use the second of my patterns: ______________ _____________ ___a__1b__4d__ __1b__+__4d__ ______________ _____________ ______________ = _____________ _______a__2c__ __2c_________ __3d__________ __3d_________ If only two frets are to be covered, you use the third of those patterns: ______________ _____________ ___a__2c__4d__ __2c__+__4d__ ______________ = _____________ ______________ _____________ _______a__1c__ ______+__1c__ __3d__________ __3d_________ Using those two patterns will take care of most of the parallel 10ths in low positions. Here the two patterns are combined: _______________a__2c__4d_____ ___a__1b__4d______________||_ __________________________||_ ___________________a__1c__||_ _______a__2c__3d__________||_ __3d______________________||_ The essential difference between those two patterns, is whether you use the 1st or 2nd finger with the 4th finger (chords 3 and 6 of the previous example). The choice of pattern is determined by the context. If you have just used your 1st finger (chord 2), you use your 2nd finger with the 4th finger (chord 3); if you've just used your 2nd finger (chord 5), you'll use your 1st finger next (chord 6). The same principles apply in higher positions. If the chord covers three frets, you will normally opt for my second pattern: __4h__ ______ ______ __1f__ ______ ______ If the chord covers only two frets, you have a choice between the two patterns, depending on the context: __4f___ __4f__ _______ ______ _______ or ______ __2e___ __1e__ _______ ______ _______ ______ If the parallel 10ths change position along the neck, it is generally wise for one finger (usually the 4th finger) to keep contact with a string (touching, but not pressing down), as it moves from one chord to the next. __4d__4f__4h__4i___ ___________________ ___________________ __1c__2e__1f__2h___ ___________________ ___________________ I imagine these four chords continuing from the previous passage of parallel 10ths, so I start with the 1st finger with the 4th. Notice how the 4th finger stays in contact with the 1st course, while the other two fingers alternate, sharing out the work between them. Having a choice between the two patterns may cause problems. In the previous example it would be possible to use the 1st and 4th fingers throughout. Although this would have the advantage of keeping the same fingers (1st and 4th) on the same strings throughout, I think it would be unwise, because it would mean two extra changes of pattern, increasing the risk of a mistake. A good example of all this in practice comes in Capirola's Recerchar Primo: |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ |\ | |\ | |\ | |\ |. | | | |. | _______________a___2c__4d______2c__a________a___ __a__1b_|_4d_____|________|_a________|_4d_____|_ _1b_____|________|________|__________|________|_ ________|________|__a__1c_|_____a____|________|_ ______a_|_2c__3d_|________|_______3d_|_1c__3d_|_ _3d_____|________|________|__________|________|_ Pattern 2 ------- Ptn 3 ---------------------- |\ |\ |\ |\ | |\ | |\ | | | | _2c__4d___4f__4h_____4f_4d___2c__4d_____2c__a___ ________|________|_________|________|_________|_ ________|________|_________|________|_________|_ __a__1c_|_2e__1f_|___2e_1c_|__a__1c_|____a____|_ ________|________|_________|________|______3d_|_ ________|________|_a_______|________|_a_______|_ Ptn 3 -- Ptn 2 -------- Ptn 3 ------ I would resist the temptation to use the 1st finger for e on the 4th course. That would be fine moving from bars 6 to 7 (keeping the fingers and the pattern the same), but it would be too risky moving to and from the chord with h on the 1st course (keeping the fingers the same, but changing the pattern). One last point: hold the 2nd finger at the 2nd fret of the 1st course from the beginning of bar 3 right up to the last chord of bar 4. The same happens in the last two bars. Best wishes, Stewart. PS To Mathias Rösel (I hope you're still with us), and to Martin Shepherd: thank you both for your contributions to this thread. I totally agree with Martin's extra thoughts about left-hand fingering, which (if I remember right) concur with something Mathias wrote some time ago. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Arndt" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Stewart McCoy" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, August 29, 2005 1:14 AM Subject: Re: [LUTE] Lute fingering in Fuhrmann's Ballet > Dear Stewart, > > I hope you understand that I was not arguing in favor of that fing ering, > just saying the way I would spontaneously (and perhaps ignorantly) have done > it. You certainly have given me some new things to think about. > > You wrote: "In passages of parallel 10ths, it is usually a bad idea to use > slides, except when moving to higher positions up the neck." I wonder if you > could explain this point more fully. What do you think makes this a bad > idea? Does this rule apply only to parallel tenths or to other intervals as > well? I am eager to learn as many tips of this sort as I can. So, I would > very much appreciate any other general rules of fingering that you have come > to on the basis of either your study or your own experience. > > In deciding what fingering to use, I suppose my guiding principle has > usually been the least expenditure of energy, that is, I have always tried > to find the most economical way of moving from one note or chord to the > next. You have now given me two other principles to consider: distributing > the work evenly among the fingers and having the fingers come back to the > same place. > > It must take a long time for you to type up your examples, but I want you to > know that your efforts are very much appreciated, and I hope that you will > continue to share such technical pointers whenever you come across examples > of them in your own playing. > > Sincerely, > > Stephen Arndt To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
