In response to Bill (whose postings I always enjoy very much, by the way) let me try to recall the essence of a statement I ran across in my "research" some time ago. It went something like this:
. . .and let it be noted, dear sirs, that all the good advices of all the best teachers shall mean little if the results give not pleasure to the ear and soul of the player. For music is, and must needs be, a most beneficial means of lifting the hearts of those who would play it. And for this effect to be most pronounced, 'tis the duty of the player to draw the sound from his instrument that most pleaseth his ear, so that his soul may be uplifted. And verily, then, if he findeth that this most pleasing sound comes forth from his instrument (lute) when he plucks the strings close to the bridge, so let him plucketh; but if he finds this most pleasing sound to come forth when he plucks the strings closer to the rose, so, again, let him plucketh there. And in the very same manner, let him find how his instrument responds to his hand when he extends his thumb out beyond the fingers, and playeth it in that manner if the sound is pleaseth to the ear beyond measure. If, howsoev! er, he findeth that by extending his fingers beyond the thumb, the sound issues forth in the most excellent and pleasurable manner, then let him adopt this manner of playing; for it is to be considered beyond dispute that for music to pleaseth and uplift the soul, it must in the first event, pleaseth and uplift the soul of the player. Ned On Mar 25, 2012, at 12:09 PM, William Samson wrote: > I'm with Valery and Ned on this one. > > Different people are offended by different things - Some hate > beginners' hesitancy, mistakes or poor interpretation; Others (myself > included) shudder when inauthentic technique is used, no matter > how fine the performance. Even subtly inauthentic technique (like > thumb-inside for baroque lute, or pinky too far from the bridge) can > cause the more sensitive souls among us to take to a darkened room and > suck our thumbs. > > The great thing is that it's easy to press the 'Stop' button as soon as > you realise it's going to bother you. > > On the plus side, beginners and improvers can get helpful feedback from > other musicians. Used this way, it's like a rather chaotic global > music school - but still much better than working in isolation. > > Anyway, like it or not, it's something we have to live with. > > Bill > > -- > > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
