I think there's something in general to be said about so-called
"folk" techniques and projected early ones. Wrapping the thumb around
the neck and planting the little finger on the top are two examples.
Many "folk" guitarists also play only with thumb and index, although
not necessarily thumb under. Some Portuguese guitarists do use thumb
under, and dedilho; I've seen fingerstyle guitarists use the latter
technique as well. I used to play with traditional Irish fiddlers;
one day we were approached by a baroque violinist who wanted to talk
to the fiddlers about how they held the violin as it was so similar
to what he thought was the correct baroque position.
Doc Rossi
Element Music
Le Grand Domaine
Boulevard des Dames 26
13002 Marseille
France
www.cetrapublishing.com
www.magnatune.com/artists/docrossi.html
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
tel: (+33) (0)4 91 52 90 45
cell: (+33) (0)6 80 01 58 47
On Nov 30, 2006, at 4:19 PM, Anthony Hind wrote:
Le 30 nov. 06 =E0 15:52, [EMAIL PROTECTED] a ecrit :
Dear Anthony and all,
at the moment I do not (becaused at the moment I am playing mainly
a ten-course instrument) and when I came to the lute I tried to
avoid using the left thumb at all, but: it had worked well for me
on folk and rock guitar (early nineteenth-century guitar tutors are
said to know this technique, too) and I later learned that Ganassi
mentions it. I suspect it works very well in chordal accompaniments
(and possibly in a rendering of "Anji" on the six-course lute) but
I would avoid it when playing Francesco ...
Thank you Joachim
But about Francesco, in the painting postulated by some to be of him
(by Giulio Campi, 1525, Pinacoteca Civica, Como), there he is with
his thumb "cocked" in the ready position (see http://le.luth.free.fr/
renaissance/index.html, look at collumn 4 line 3). I think it may
have been argued that this could be a protrait of him in Lute
Festival 2004 Lectures by Mariagrazia Carlone, Portraiture of
Sixteenth-Century Lutenists, (see the juxtaposed comparison between
this and a known portrait at : http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~lsa/old/
Cleveland2004/Portraits.html#top).
but I may be mistaken, and this may not be his playing position.
All the best
Anthony
All best,
Joachim
"Anthony Hind" <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> schrieb:
Dear All
In Lute News N=B079, P.25, we can read that "The January
2006 (Vol
24, N=B0 05) issue has a paper on the technique of using the left
thumb, over the edge of the neck (seen
in some renaissance lute paintings)" and often seen in folk guitar
techniques. I suppose the article in question was "All Fingers and
Thumbs" by Yehuda Schryer (that I have not read).
The Iconography on a web page run by Jean-Marie Poirier shows this
clearly (http://le.luth.free.fr/pouce/index.html). Several
members of
the French lute list have suggested that this might only have
been on
relatively narrow-necked 5 to 6 course lutes with a semi-circular
section (rather than the later wider flatter necks). It has also
been
suggested that on the lowest courses the diapason and octave would
have been very close together, to assist in this "thumb-blocking".
It almost seems as though the neck-shape is intended to fit ;in
to the ;
curve of the hand for this technique.
However, I would like to ask if any of you actually hold this
type of
lute in this way, and whether you adopt this thumb over diapason
technique.
Anthony
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