At 10:38 AM 8/24/2006, Rob Dorsey wrote: >I'm going to take a chance and cut to the chase. All arcane and archaic >solutions aside, a good and wide guitar strap hanging from proper strap >buttons at the end cap and under the extreme forward end of the body is a >most secure and comfortable solution. I've tried lap chamois, ribbons, gut >and string, all pale in comparison to a good strap. They are relatively >inexpensive, most luthiers will put strap buttons on your lute for a >reasonable charge and they are so solid that one can play standing as easily >as sitting.
This certainly is a personal thing. I usually play seated and prefer no strap at all, from diminutive mandolino to Neapolitan mandolin to speculative vihuela to lutes to guitars. I came to this practice after years of happy strap use on modern guitars. Granted, I do not have to grapple with theorbo, archlute, bass colascione, or other neck-heavy things. With non-waisted things, I usually elevate the right leg using a foot stool or by crossing right over left. I do sometimes use chamois, especially where I'll have a small instrument (i.e., mandolin incarnations) on my lap for extended times. Best, Eugene To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
