Calluses have a tendency to get rough. Sanding them smooths them out resulting in a "cleaner" sound. Roughness can excite unintended harmonics causing a less focused sound from the string, like pulling a fine tooth comb across the string.
Gary ----- Original Message ----- From: "Gregory Doc Rossi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "lutelist" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Tuesday, December 11, 2007 2:46 AM Subject: [LUTE] Re: Swanneck + loaded strings > I've been playing without nails for at least 30 years, and I play > only metal-strung instruments. I have light calluses on my right > hand, nothing like those on the left, but it never occurred to me to > sand the right-hand fingers. Maybe I'll try it when I haven't got > any concerts coming up. What do you see as the advantages, Gary? > > GDR > > On Dec 11, 2007, at 11:09 AM, gary digman wrote: > > > Every classical guitarist I know carries a small swatch of > > sandpaper in his > > of her guitar case for smoothing fingertips. I'm surprised that > > this is at > > all contoversial. #600 wet and dry is a very fine grain sandpaper. > > How often > > do you play modern guitar, Rob? It seems to me that if you play 2 > > to 4 hours > > a day on nylon strings without nails calluses are inevitable. But > > maybe I'm > > an anatomical oddity in more ways than one. > > > > It's true that I have to be careful to smooth out my fingertips to > > play > > lute. An unfortunate fact of life if one continues to play guitar > > as well as > > lute, at least for me. > > > > Gary > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Rob" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: "'gary digman'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'lutelist'" > > <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > > Sent: Monday, December 10, 2007 1:45 AM > > Subject: RE: [LUTE] Re: Swanneck + loaded strings > > > > > >> Calluses? Sandpaper? Mimic nails? Is that a common experience? I > >> must say, > >> Gary, that I've been playing without nails for almost 20 years, > >> and my > >> finger tips are very soft and smooth. Sandpaper?! Must be my blue > >> blood - > >> never done a day's work in my life. > >> > >> HRH Rob > >> > >> www.rmguitar.info > >> > >> > >> -----Original Message----- > >> From: gary digman [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > >> Sent: 10 December 2007 09:29 > >> To: lutelist > >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Swanneck + loaded strings > >> > >> I play guitar (modern and baroque) without nails. It's true that some > >> techniques such as tremolo become much more diffcult without > >> nails, but my > >> tremolo was never my strong suit anyway. I just got tired of > >> constantly > >> messing with nails, trying to get them shaped right, etc. Since I > >> started > >> playing lute, I kissed the nails goodbye. So far I've not > >> regretted it. > > The > >> fingers develop calluses, which have to be sandpapered (#600 wet > >> and dry) > >> smooth, but mimic the attack of nails on the guitar. > >> > >> Gary > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Alexander Batov" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: "lute list" <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> > >> Sent: Sunday, December 09, 2007 7:43 AM > >> Subject: [LUTE] Re: Swanneck + loaded strings > >> > >> > >>> On Sunday, December 09, 2007 3:06 PM LGS- > >>> Europe<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> wrote: > >>> .. > >>>> Nails/no nails have a similar effect on compositions; guitar > >>>> players > > may > >>>> notice differences between Giuliani and Sor resulting from their > > use/no > >>>> use of nails. (Hmm, authentic Lobos on gut. ;-) ) > >>>> > >>> > >>> It'll take one good player to disproof this. In a similar vein, > >>> most of > >> the > >>> 5-course guitar music, for example, was very much likely played with > > nails > >>> anyway ... but how many modern performers play it like this (I > >>> mean on > > the > >>> 'baroque' guitar)? - Perhaps a few. At the same time there are > >>> some good > >>> ones who play with or without nails. > >>> > >>> Alexander > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> 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 Free Edition. > >>> Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.17/1179 - Release Date: > >> 12/9/2007 11:06 AM > >>> > >>> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > >> -- > >> No virus found in this incoming message. > >> Checked by AVG Free Edition. > >> Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.17/1179 - Release Date: > > 12/9/2007 11:06 AM > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.17/1179 - Release Date: 12/9/2007 11:06 AM > >
