The thing that slightly puzzles me about these guitar variant tunings is why some (not all of course) were bothered with. Some chords (usually the tonic) are, of course, made easier but others in the same piece not. As you say Murcia transcribed back......... Rather like him, by and large, I often wish the others hadn't bothered. Was it: lute envy, showing off or simply 'doodling' do you think?
Martyn --- On Sun, 17/8/08, Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > From: Monica Hall <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Subject: [VIHUELA] Re: alternative tunings for Baroque guitar - and > campanella! > To: "Stuart Walsh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Cc: "Vihuelalist" <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu> > Date: Sunday, 17 August, 2008, 3:26 PM > Subject: Re: [VIHUELA] Re: alternative tunings for Baroque > guitar - and > campanella! > > > Thanks for saying it's an interesting topic! There > is a lot more (oh no!) > > ...with pictures wherever too. > > Well - I couldn't find any more..... > > The nice thing about the Internet is that > > it would be quite a coup in itself if absolutely no > one was interested. > > Anything to do with the baroque guitar is so fascinating > that I have just > spent an hour working out the scordaturae in Corbetta and > Granata which are > as follows...if they don't get mangled in transmission > > > > Corbetta 1643 4 4 3 3 > > a d g bflat d > > > > Corbetta 1648 3 4 4 4 > > a c# f# b e > > > > Granata 1659 > > p.82 4 3- 3 4 > D minor > > a d f a > d > > > > p.86 3 3- 4 3 > A major > > a c# e a > c# > > > > p.88 3 4 3 3- > F major > > a c f a > c > > > > p.93 3 4 4 4 > > a c# f# b > e > > > > p.95 4 3 3- 4 > > a d f# a > d D major > > > > They seem to re-arrange the intervals within the basic > compass on the > whole. > > > I was hoping there might be similar alternative > tunings to Foscarini's. On > > the other hand there is yet another fascinating issue: > why guitarists > > wanted to play in strange keys? It's not what > plucked instruments > > typically do. > > I haven't had time to do Campion in detail but his > scordaturae are similar > to Granata. The Gallot ones have always defeated me > because they are so > difficult to read. One possible explanation is that it > enables one to use > more open course but also simplifies the left-hand > fingering. In Foscarini > a lot of the chords consist just of a barre across all five > courses. > > > > I'm not sure that I do. But I uploaded a photocopy > of a painting of some > > children with an English guitar a while ago. I > can't find it anywhere > > though. > > I've put it on my guitar.ning site if anyone is > inteested. > > > > Going back to Foscarini and his alternative tuning: he > writes campanella > > passages. Now it's probably possible to do > campanellas in just about any > > tuning but it's a lot easier in some than others. > One easier way is > > (Foscarini's) tuning in thirds (taken up in a > sophisticated way by the > > much later Russian guitar). Another way is re-entrant > tuning. Foscarini is > > writing campanellas around 1632. Is anyone else > writing campanellas at > > his time or before? Old Fosco couldn't have been > setting a trend could he? > > Well - his book is the first to have appeared in print (as > far as we know) > but things have usually been round a while before anyone > gets to printing > them. There are dozens of Italian mss. most of which I > haven't seen and at > least one of them has mixed chords with lute style > counterpoint. There are > no campanella's in Corbetta's 1639 book but by 1643 > they begin to be a > feature. > > They are also associated with the theorbo so may have been > used by lutenists > earlier. > > Monica > > > >> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stuart > Walsh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> To: "Vihuelalist" > <vihuela@cs.dartmouth.edu> > >> Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2008 9:04 PM > >> Subject: [VIHUELA] alternative tunings for Baroque > guitar > >> > >> > >>> I have been looking at some Foscarini pieces > in an alternative tuning > >>> and, > >>> just for the hell of it, I'm trying to do > a little website about them. > >>> My > >>> idea is to do the website as a sort of blog - > a bit at at a time. > >>> But blog software (I'm using WordPress) > only lets you put postings in > >>> reverse chronology - the latest post is first > - whereas I'm wanting to > >>> build up the thing the normal way around. > >>> > >>> I've given it the title, > "Foscarini's 'la cordatura diferente', > Russian > >>> guitars and erotic dance" (!) Anyway it > amuses me... No part of it is > >>> quite ready yet but there are a few > provisional posts already: here: > >>> > >>> http://www.tuningsinthirds.com/Foscarini/ > >>> > >>> (anyone who's interested in these things > will no doubt see where it's > >>> going) > >>> > >>> Anyway what I'm after is information about > alternative guitar tunings > >>> (for > >>> Baroque guitar). I've never tried any > other than Foscarini's but I know > >>> there are lots. It would be especially > interesting if there were other > >>> guitar pieces that use Foscarini's > alternative tuning - lowest course > >>> raised a tone and top course lowered a tone > B-d-g-b-d' . > >>> > >>> The online pdf thesis of Julian Navarro > Gonzalez discusses alternative > >>> tunings on pp344-345 but I can't follow it > and I can't even see > >>> Foscarini's alternative tuning. > >>> > >>> Any advice or sources of information on > alternative tunings and any > >>> comments, fatal flaws etc would be welcomed ( > I think). > >>> > >>> > >>> Stuart > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> 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 - http://www.avg.com Version: > 8.0.138 / Virus Database: > >> 270.6.4/1615 - Release Date: 16/08/2008 07:11 > >> > >> > >> > > Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
