Lute

[JPD]

If I had it all to do again, I'd take up the lute.

Weiss: Sarabande from Partita in G minor – Nigel North

http://www.guitarist.com/blog/?p=1249

[Fadosolrélamisi]

If Crimus was here (and I hope he still read rmcg and ... double hope ...that he will come out of is lurking retreat one of these days) he would welcome you into the dark side and maybe he would try to convince you that it's not too late!
Our instrument carry so much string tension, a problem I wish luthier would one day address, that, yes, sometimes the grass look greener on the dark side of the melancholic nobility lute corner.

[Fadosolrélamisi]

On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 11:39:32 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:

Indeed, beautiful noble melancholia ... it fits well the last fall leaves feverishly hanging on to their branches and the grey sky looming over our city this morning.

[Guitarzan]

It's never too late.....

http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/DSC_0282.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/DSC_0267.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/DSC_0268.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/DSC_0264.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/DSC_0195.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/DSC_0170.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/IMG_0351.jpg
http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa334/MichaelThames/IMG_0325.jpg

[Cactus Wren]

For me, probably piano. Or at least, co-piano, co-guitar.

[David Raleigh Arnold]

His slurs are inexcusably weak. Regards, daveA

--
Guitar teaching materials and original music for all styles and levels.
Site: http://www.openguitar.com (()) eMail: d.raleig...@gmail.com
Contact: http://www.openguitar.com/contact.html"

[Jonathan]

Michael, what is the difference between your Dresden model and the classical guitar that makes the former more suitable for playing without nails?

[Paul Magnussen]

Does that last one have have 14 strings, or am I counting wrongly? And
if so, why? I thought 13, for Weiss, was the upper limit (pardon my
ignorance).

Paul Magnussen

[Claus Rogge]

Am 15/11/12 08.39, schrieb JPD:

> If I had it all to do again, I'd take up the lute.

Me 2.

--
New CD "Breaking Habits"
http://www.cdbaby.com/AlbumDetails.aspx?AlbumID=clausrogge
Music for free:
http://tinyurl.com/73efjm

[Alan Turing]

me too, i almost had the fortune of seeing him live not 2 weeks ago.
But was thwarted because of a silly class that too long to finish.
--
-AlanTuring

[JPD]

Are you in Vancouver, BC? Of all the big cities in North America,
that's my favorite. Seems like a good place to be a classical
guitarist -- or lutenist.

[Murdick]

North is quite good.

[Alphonsus Jr.]

Funny

On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 11:39:32 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:

Funny of you to say this. Just last time I dreamed that I had taken up the lute.

[Fadosolrélamisi]

Yes, Vancouver BC, Canada ... My guitar never complain about any dryness!
It is also a good place to be a classical guitarist. Since 3, 4 years our guitar society has improved ... and this year again we have a series of CG concert that involved some pretty good players. (The latest being Thomas Viloteau, extraordinaire young French player, do not miss his "La boite noire" when it will come out in English "the black box"?). Daniel Bolshoy is the new teacher at UBC ...
http://www.danielbolshoy.com/fr/index.html ... I'll have to get in touch with him at a point...

[Matt Faunce]

On 11/15/12 8:01 PM, Fadosolr�lamisi wrote:
> On Thursday, November 15, 2012 1:50:53 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:

>> On Nov 15, 7:50 am, Fadosolr�lamisi <rei...@telus.net> wrote:
>>
>>> On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 11:39:32 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:
>>
>>>> If I had it all to do again, I'd take up the lute.
>>
>>>
>>

>>>> Weiss: Sarabande from Partita in G minor � Nigel North

>>
>>>
>>
>>>> http://www.guitarist.com/blog/?p=1249
>>
>>>
>>
>>> Indeed, beautiful noble melancholia ... it fits well the last fall leaves feverishly hanging on to their branches and the grey sky looming over our city this morning.
>>
>>
>>
>> Are you in Vancouver, BC? Of all the big cities in North America,
>>
>> that's my favorite. Seems like a good place to be a classical
>>
>> guitarist -- or lutenist.
>
> Yes, Vancouver BC, Canada ... My guitar never complain about any dryness!
> It is also a good place to be a classical guitarist. Since 3, 4 years our guitar society has improved ... and this year again we have a series of CG concert that involved some pretty good players. (The latest being Thomas Viloteau, extraordinaire young French player, do not miss his "La boite noire" when it will come out in English "the black box"?). Daniel Bolshoy is the new teacher at UBC ...
> http://www.danielbolshoy.com/fr/index.html ... I'll have to get in touch with him at a point...
>

I love that guitar case.
http://www.classicalguitarreview.com/accord-case-review/1042/

--
Matt

[Cactus Wren]

Matt,
I notice you have a new pic. Are you bailing on the Lions? Apparently they have the hardest remaining schedule according to some measures.

On Thursday, November 15, 2012 6:51:26 PM UTC-7, Matt Faunce wrote:

> On 11/15/12 8:01 PM, Fadosolrélamisi wrote:
>
> > On Thursday, November 15, 2012 1:50:53 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:
>

> >> On Nov 15, 7:50 am, Fadosolrélamisi <rei...@telus.net> wrote:
>
> >>
>
> >>> On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 11:39:32 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:
>
> >>
>
> >>>> If I had it all to do again, I'd take up the lute.
>
> >>
>
> >>>
>
> >>
>

> >>>> Weiss: Sarabande from Partita in G minor – Nigel North

[Matt Faunce]

On 11/15/12 8:55 PM, Cactus Wren wrote:
> Matt,
> I notice you have a new pic. Are you bailing on the Lions? Apparently they have the hardest remaining schedule according to some measures.

Just looking for a change, and I thought I'd personalize my profile a bit.

No, I'll always love the Lions. ... The Lions' toughest opponent is
themselves. I guess every team could say that about themselves. No
matter how much they struggle, I'll always "believe in now." (In
response to the losing streak that ended our 2007 season, our motto in
the 2008 season was "Believe in Now." Well we went 0-16 in 2008, but I
still believe in now, game by game, possession by possession, and play
by play.) We try not to look too much at things like the rest of the
season at a glance.

--
Matt

[florenc...@gmail.com]

On Thursday, November 15, 2012 5:51:26 PM UTC-8, Matt Faunce wrote:

> On 11/15/12 8:01 PM, Fadosolrélamisi wrote:
>
> > On Thursday, November 15, 2012 1:50:53 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:
>

> >> On Nov 15, 7:50 am, Fadosolrélamisi <rei...@telus.net> wrote:
>
> >>
>
> >>> On Wednesday, November 14, 2012 11:39:32 PM UTC-8, JPD wrote:
>
> >>
>
> >>>> If I had it all to do again, I'd take up the lute.
>
> >>
>
> >>>
>
> >>
>

> >>>> Weiss: Sarabande from Partita in G minor – Nigel North

>
> >>
>
> >>>
>
> >>
>
> >>>> http://www.guitarist.com/blog/?p=1249
>
> >>
>
> >>>
>
> >>
>
> >>> Indeed, beautiful noble melancholia ... it fits well the last fall leaves feverishly hanging on to their branches and the grey sky looming over our city this morning.
>
> >>
>
> >>
>
> >>
>
> >> Are you in Vancouver, BC? Of all the big cities in North America,
>
> >>
>
> >> that's my favorite. Seems like a good place to be a classical
>
> >>
>
> >> guitarist -- or lutenist.
>
> >
>
> > Yes, Vancouver BC, Canada ... My guitar never complain about any dryness!
>
> > It is also a good place to be a classical guitarist. Since 3, 4 years our guitar society has improved ... and this year again we have a series of CG concert that involved some pretty good players. (The latest being Thomas Viloteau, extraordinaire young French player, do not miss his "La boite noire" when it will come out in English "the black box"?). Daniel Bolshoy is the new teacher at UBC ...
>
> > http://www.danielbolshoy.com/fr/index.html ... I'll have to get in touch with him at a point...
>
> >
>
>
>
> I love that guitar case.
>
> http://www.classicalguitarreview.com/accord-case-review/1042/
>
>
>
> --
>
> Matt

It looks like it's made to cross the (a) desert!

[Cactus Wren]

I guess you probably enjoyed when they came back on my Eagles earlier this year. Now, there's a team that has problems.

[Guitarzan]

Both the classical guitar and the Dresden are designed to be played
with nails due to the higher string tension than that of lutes.

I've done what Dimmick is fantasizing about. I gave up classical
guitar, cut off my nails, and played only lute and 19th century
guitars for 5 years. I took lessons from Robert Barto, and Paul
Odette....I did it all. I even thought I was more refined than mere
guitarists, most lutenists think this way, and consider the guitar an
unrefined vulgar instrument of the masses, if you want to know the
truth.

Steve Aron ask me to make him a 13 string guitar....... once I
completed it, I could play all the lute music on it. I was suddenly
thrown into an identity crisis as my whole lute world came to a
crushing to a halt in a matter of hours, since then I never touched a
lute again and never made another one.

The lute is indeed a noble instrument with a vast amount of extremely
high quality music written for it, and perhaps lutenists are correct
in their holier than thou attitudes, but, the simple fact remains most
people don't care. Most people prefer Bach on the piano, personally,
I can't stand listening to Bach on a harpsichord it drives me crazy.

Even guitarists that I played for couldn't relate to the lute at all,
and don't think for a second that a lute will win favor from the fair
sex it won't, unless you like frigid sexually repressed type women,
then by all means play the lute, or if you want a good reason to get
your wife to leave you, play the lute, she will in no time hook up
with a rock guitar player.

It's a wonderful fantasy, but in order to really play the lute the way
it should be played one must cut off their nails, that means you can
kiss the classical guitar good-bye.

In the end, I realized I enjoyed the guitar more than the lute, I
longed to play guitar again, when I made the Dresden all of a sudden
the doors were both swung open, I could play all the Weiss and Bach on
the Dresden, and play the modern classical guitar again.

It comes down to this do you want to cut off your nails? Think about
it!

[Guitarzan]

[Guitarzan]

On Nov 15, 12:19 pm, Paul Magnussen <magicon...@earthlink.net> wrote:

Paul yes you are correct the last one has 14 strings. Bach's G minor
lute suite ( the 5th cello suite) was written for a 14 course lute.
Some hard core lute players get 14 course lutes just to play this Bach
suite, others like me play it in A minor which fits the 13 ourse lute
perfectly and there is an excellent arrangement of this suite for 13c
lute by Hoppy Smith. There are also other pieces written for 14 course
lute, but can't think of any at the moment.

BTW, the other Dresden in the photos is a left handed one, and I
shipped it to a guy in your neck of the woods (England) two days ago.

[JPD]

I've played plenty of lutes over the years. I know what they're about.
I've just never owned one and really applied myself to the instrument.
Since I'm not playing guitar anymore, maybe this would be a good time
to sink into a lute or two. With the different right hand technique to
shake things up, who knows, it might bring me back. Cutting off my
nails? It'll probably kill me or make me stronger.

[Slogoin]

On Nov 16, 9:41 am, JPD <googlegroo...@guitarist.com> wrote:
> Since I'm not playing guitar anymore,

Wow, sorry to hear this. I thought you were getting back on track
with guitar and was looking forward to hearing something from you.

[dsi1]

On 11/16/2012 7:41 AM, JPD wrote:
>
> I've played plenty of lutes over the years. I know what they're about.
> I've just never owned one and really applied myself to the instrument.
> Since I'm not playing guitar anymore, maybe this would be a good time
> to sink into a lute or two. With the different right hand technique to
> shake things up, who knows, it might bring me back. Cutting off my
> nails? It'll probably kill me or make me stronger.
>

My guitar teacher used to be into lutes and built quite a few. I suspect
that his guitar teacher, Siegfried Behrend, may have introduced him to
the instrument.

My teacher would build them out of mango and koa wood so if you've
played an instrument built out these woods it was his or his associates.
The strips of these contrasting woods were awfully nice. I have vivid
memories of that thing lying face-down on the workbench. It seemed like
such an unlikely and ungainly instrument and I'd just stand there
looking in wonderment and puzzlement - regarding it as one would a dead
body.

I have no idea what they did with the lutes they built. God knows, I've
never seen any of them outside of his shop. Not a one. I have a feeling
that one day, I'll be on the mainland and someone will proudly show me
his prized monster and it be one made by my old teacher. Being
reconnected to my past will cause me great joy. I'll probably die soon
after that happens. That's the breaks but I can appreciate the symmetry.

Oddly enough, cutting off my finger nails didn't really affect me.

[JPD]

I have the guitar in my hands about an hour a day, but I can't call it
"playing." I'm still trying to figure out the problem, but it's just
getting steadily worse. Last year I couldn't move 'i' in opposed
motion to 'm', which meant I couldn't play arpeggios, or scales with i-
m alternation. But I could still play the hell out of chords, which
left me with plenty of repertoire.

But now, 'i' won't return to the string even just grabbing cords -- as
in, say, VL Prelude 1. Unless I'm playing /really/ slowly, it flexes
and just gets "stuck."

So maybe I can break out of this with a whole different hand posture
-- like the one required for lute. Just a thought.

*fingers crossed*

I'll be seeing a local hand specialist soon. I've got a theory on why
this is happening. I think it's all the mousing I do. In particular,
all the click-and-drag. It's been hardwiring 'i' to flex
sympathetically with 'p' and 'm', which causes all kinds of problems.
I'd probably have to give up mousing entirely for a year or more. I'm
not quite prepared to do that yet.

[JPD]

Just got back from my regular doctor. He's adamant that it's "trigger
finger." I'm scheduled for a cortisone shot next week. We'll see what
happens.

[JPD]

Mango! I'd like to see one of those.

[Guitarzan]

Sorry to hear about that, hopefully the cortisone will help. OK then,
perhaps it's a good time to reinvent yourself. Make sure you get a
good lute, a mediocre one will drive you nuts, nothing worse than a
bad lute, they sound like little toys. Good luck!

[Cactus Wren]

Good luck, John, I don't think that's considered one of the worst things that can happen, although it's not great. I have a friend who is a diabetic, plays flamenco, and gigs regularly, and had that. He has had 7 operations on his hands because of getting it in multiple fingers. Drop me an email if you want to get in touch with him.

[Slogoin]

On Nov 16, 6:55 pm, JPD <googlegroo...@guitarist.com> wrote:
>
> Just got back from my regular doctor. He's adamant that it's "trigger
> finger." I'm scheduled for a cortisone shot next week. We'll see what
> happens.

Good luck. It hurts to think about what that must feel like.

[dsi1]

On 11/16/2012 4:57 PM, JPD wrote:
>
> Mango! I'd like to see one of those.
>

Mango wood varies widely in appearance with contrasting stripes, big
open grain, and frequently, spalting. It's a wood with such intensity
that you can easily identify it as being wood from across the room.

The mango is a fast growing tree which makes the wood eminently
sustainable. My dad had a tree in his back yard. It was buckling a
retaining wall so he chopped it down. My brother planted another one
about 10 years ago and it's pretty big. It's sort of like the tilapia of
wood.

My understanding is that it's suitable for making furniture. My guitar
teacher made guitars and lutes mostly out of mango and koa woods.

[John Nguyen]

> happens.-

Good luck, John!