I'm just an occasional dabbler in plectrum technique and I'm getting
really confused! Two related things are bothering me - which end of the
damned feather to use, and (difficult to phrase this one), wobbly or
stiff?
A guitar string (or presumably a lute string) or the thin end of a feather
is very wobbly indeed. Just out of interest I've tried both and I can sort
of see how they may work. Wouldn't you get a very tinny, 'rebec' like
sound.
On the other hand, surely a horn or bone (or modern plastic) plectrum or
even the thick end of a feather would be wholly different.
I found these pictures and text explaining how to split a feather and make
one of the resulting halves of the tip (the bit stuck into the bird) into a
plectrum, much like a pen, very instructive:
http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=263874652887a855b1a3a0ff8f6a6f14;act=ST;f=6;t=15088
I've done it with a turkey feather. I've made two quite different plectra
out of one feather. One for fast runs and flexible melodies, one for strong
tenor lines. I'm still hunting for an ostrich, not many around here, to try
the other type of plectrum, and haven't turned my bit of ossobucco into a
plectrum yet, but it's waiting. Cow's horn is also on my list, but I cannot
think of a dish yet.
Different plectra have quite a different sound, indeed. Choose one that
suits the piece and the ensemble.
David
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