I really don't think the lute is particularly difficult.... :) dt
At 07:00 AM 7/6/2007, you wrote: >Lutes and guitars _are_ difficult instruments. Guitar pupil of mine of about >12, doing well after three years of lessons, enjoying it and studying >regulary at home (!), performed his piece on this year's pupils' night. He >really did well, no obvious mistakes, played through the whole piece without >stopping, it was musical, he had some tone and volume. Afterward his mother >comes up to me: "Is that all?" She just started on piano and was >disappointed with her son's result, as she's already doing much better after >the few lessons she's had. No wonder, try playing the opening of Fuer Elise >without piano lessons, my bet is you'll do fine. Try to do the same on a >guitar, my bet is that it'll take several years to come anywhere near the >percieved perfection and easy of your first try on piano. A piano is, in the >first stages, an on-off instrument, whereas on a guitar you'll find a miriad >of near hits before the tone is even acceptable. A lute is even harder to >play with its double strings, lower string tension and akward shape. > >Of course, piano music will be much more complicated for the advanced >student, so by that time it's a matter of different areas of difficulty. >And, obviously, the real test of mastering an instrument is being able to >express yourself musically on it, not to play the difficult pieces >technically well, but that's not the argument here. > >David - cannot play beyond the opening phrase of Fuer Elise on piano > > >**************************** >David van Ooijen >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >www.davidvanooijen.nl >**************************** > > > > >To get on or off this list see list information at >http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html