To put an end to all silliness apropos what what Pat deems to be the safest way of plucking, I made a small page UNDER EXTREME DURESS. So this is what Pat advocates, make no mistake about it, absolutely no hooking: http://turovsky.org/collapsing.html RT
----- Original Message ----- From: "Denys Stephens" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lute net" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 5:57 PM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Right hand > Dear Bruno, > I think what's being described in that passage is no more than the > natural movement of closing the hand. If you close your > hand to make a fist, the tip joints start to bend inwards > towards the end of the movement, but they stay relaxed > within the earlier stages of the closing movement that's used in > lute playing. The idea that lute playing simply uses movements > that are natural to the human body is in my view very much > in keeping with the spirit of the Renaissance. See, for example, > 'The fowertene Rule' of the English translation of Leroy's instructions > (1568) which begins: > > 'When thou wilte plai sixe partes upon the Lute, thou muste > strike dounewards, the sixte and the fifte stryng, with the thombe > onely, trainying it upon the twoo partes, as if thou wouldest shutte > thy hande, and strike upwardes the thirde and fowerth parts or > strynges, with the first finger, as if thou wouldest joyne, or shutte it > to thy thombe........' > > Note the very simple instruction to 'shut' the hand, also described > elswhere in these instructions as 'gripyng' - I take this at face value > to simply mean a very natural closing movement of the hand. > > I am always very wary of detailed instructions that specify > what one should or ought to do with small components of the > body - fingertips, for example. From years of working with > applying the principles of Alexander Technique to lute playing, > I am very much aware that attempts to excercise unusual sorts > of control over fingers or thumbs are usually doomed to failure - > even if they succeed while close focus is maintained, habitual > patterns of use will re-assert themselves as soon as the attention is > placed elsewhere. And there are levels of relaxation in the hands > that can only really take place when the whole body is poised > and in balance. So, for example, for a person who has difficulty > in using their hands due to over tense muscles, it's much better > to work on getting the whole body into balance and let the hands > work naturally than to try and focus on 'making' them work in > a particular way. > > Best wishes, > > Denys > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bruno Correia" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Sent: Thursday, July 06, 2006 5:52 PM > Subject: [LUTE] Right hand > > >> The quotation below is from Pat O'Brian right hand lecture. Could >> someone >> help me to understand what does he mean by the bending of the tip joint? > The >> movement comes from the knucles and the 1st joint, but the tip will move >> passively, otherwise we won't have a big surface area touching the >> string. >> The tip will flex pressing down the string. Does he mean we should avoid >> bending the joint actively? I can't do that... In the classical (if I >> remember well) only in the rest stroke the tip will flex, in the free > stroke >> it doen't move at all. >> "Concentrate the motion in plucking in the knuckles, > (metacarpal=ADphalangal >> joint.) and the joint immediately below, (joints between 1st and 2nd >> phalangal rows.) Avoid motion between the 2nd and 3rd phalangal bones, >> or, >> in other words, bending of the tip joints during the stroke. This is >> probably the most important single problem: bending tip joints produces >> tension, impairs tone and volume, and encourages sympathetic motion of >> adjacent fingers. It is to be avoided by learning the articulation of > other >> joints." >> >> -- >> >> To get on or off this list see list information at >> http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html >> >> >> >> -- >> No virus found in this incoming message. >> Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. >> Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 30/06/2006 >> >> > > > > -- > No virus found in this outgoing message. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.344 / Virus Database: 268.9.8/380 - Release Date: 30/06/2006 > > > > ___________________________________________________________ $0 Web Hosting with up to 200MB web space, 1000 MB Transfer 10 Personalized POP and Web E-mail Accounts, and much more. Signup at www.doteasy.com
