Charles,
I used to always stand with a swanneck baroque
lute or theorbo. I felt I could get in to the music
better with the freedom this gives. After
performances, I got many compliments about my "dancing
along with the music," although I never knew I was
actually doing it.
Over the past three months or so, I've gone back
to sitting + sitting on the strap-end. I find this
provides a very solid base for movements of the right
hand. The real benefit for my comes in the subtlties
of tone-color shadings that I can do this way. When I
stand I feel like I can't move my pinky off the
soundboard.
I must say, I'm not completely satisfied either
way - Sit and you're constricted, but you have more
control over the instrument; stand and you have a lot
of freedom to move your body with the music, but
unfortunately the lute wants to do the same! Still
looking for the ideal...
Chris
--- Charles Browne <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
> Dear All,
> I was fascinated to watch Andrew Maginley at the
> recent Lute Society meeting
> as he played the baroque lute while standing. I have
> been trying this over
> the last two weeks with an archlute and a swanneck
> baroque lute and it is
> quite an interesting experience. I have found it
> much easier than I thought
> although the low ceiling in our cottage now has
> pockmarks all over! The
> archlute is easier to hold than the baroque lute
> due, in part, to the
> relative shallowness of the archlute bowl. The lute
> strap has a short 'tail'
> on which I usually sit and I tuck this end through a
> belt-loop on my
> trousers. The physical balance is easier to maintain
> and I do not feel so
> stiff after playing, presumably because I am
> standing upright and can move a
> little. Could these callisthenics be regarded as
> 'Playing a short exercise"?
> No, perhaps not!
> I wondered whether there are others who have
> converted from the sitting
> position and who observations about their own
> experiences?
> best wishes
> Charles
>
>
>
>
> To get on or off this list see list information at
>
http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
>
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