The Fundamentals of Lute Playing, Episode 5: Basic Right Hand Technique

This episode covers the very basic elements of playing single notes on the Renaissance lute. This is to prepare students for playing their first piece in this series, a single line treble.
A special thank you to my Patreon supporters:
Vanessa Green
D. Martin
Chris Hatchell
Jack Haefner
Miqbri
My book for intermediate and advanced players, published by Mel Bay:
www.melbay.com...
A link to my Patreon: / fundamentalsofluteplaying

[@ralphmarshall1000]

Thank you so much for these lessons. I live in Florida and don’t have access to a teacher. Thank you also for not assuming that we’re only interested in thumb under, like most lute books do. My shaky 63 year old thumb can’t accurately navigate all 9 courses of my lute, so I want to leave it in the bass, like the left hand of a keyboard , and use M I in the treble. I also believe it’s more historically accurate on this type of lute. I love the way you give so much of your time to us newbie’s. You’re the best 👍.

[@laudonschuett3019]

I’m so glad you find this helpful! I will continue to cover the different right hand options in future episodes as we add more voices and deal with more complex music. Thank you so much for your kind words and happy practicing!

[@laudonschuett3019]

This episode covers the very basic elements of playing single notes on the Renaissance lute. This is to prepare students for playing their first piece in this series, a single line treble. My book for intermediate and advanced players, published by Mel Bay: www.melbay.com/Products/30967/the-art-of-lute-playing.aspx

[@susannekalejaiye4351]

Excellent! This means I wish this had been available when I had my lute. It would have helped greatly. Maybe another lute will be in my future.

[@laudonschuett3019]

I hope so! : )

[@Neruomir]

I bet in i couple of hundred years the wise are gonna bicker on whether bass guitar was slapped, used with plectrum or with finger style. The lute was probably used in different ways in different genres of music, in different regions depending on the period. We also know that the lute superstars traveled extensively around the noble estates and courts of Europe tutoring as they went so you likely find people using German style in Italy and vise versa depending on the fashion of the day and who was popular. One of my favorite pieces was by far is Henry the fith's "Pastime with Good Company" It's basically a song about hanging out and playing games with your bro's.

[@laudonschuett3019]

Yes, we know they did exactly that. Players were using different styles, mixing, and experimenting all the time. Just in terms of right hand position, you had players using plectrums, finger plectrums, thumb-out, thumb-under, and middle and index alternation. I think the biggest error today is believing that everything was uniform. Capirola visited England, Dowland was all over the place, Alberto da Ripa worked in France, etc. etc. I hope people are becoming more open minded about this concept but I think sometimes people want a simple answer like 16th century=thumb-under when that is just blatantly incorrect. And yes, I do think in a couple hundred years people will be having arguments like that about electric bass guitar and I think it would be pretty funny to hear lol cheers!

[@colin3424]

Great video, hoping I can steal some of the finger techniques for playing renaissance music on my tenor ukulele

[@laudonschuett3019]

Thank you! Absolutely, the finger techniques are very similar. I’ve loved playing uke whenever I have had the chance : )

[@sottosopravoce]

Hands down (thumbs in?) the best lute lessons on youtube!

[@laudonschuett3019]

lol thank you, that is too kind!

[@jackhaefner9237]

Very good. Thanks, Laudon. Question about right hand pain. I've always have had some level of pain mainly in my extensors. Practice in front of a mirror to check my wrist position. Yes, I occasionally cup my hand inwards, reaching for the edge of the rose closest my elbow. Not sure why, but it is only occasionally. Any other thoughts? Previously though it was my computer mouse, but I now do that all with my left hand.

[@laudonschuett3019]

Hi Jack! Sorry to hear about the pain. If you are comfortable sharing a video of your right hand, that would be very helpful. You can either share a link here or email me at [e-mail] You can also find me on Facebook. It is great to get a couple different angles (straight on and then one from over the right shoulder, looking down at the plucking hand, if possible). Seeing your sitting position will help as well! Sometimes a small adjustment can really help so I'll see if I catch something. Cheers, Laudon

[@jackhaefner9237]

@@laudonschuett3019 , that is very kind. I'll send you something this weekend when I get some time to film.

[@therealziphius]

Great teaching.

[@laudonschuett3019]

Thank you so much! I'll keep working on it : )

[@matthewyun08]

hahaha the whole “m, i, m, i” thing reminded me of some of our first guitar lessons together 😂

[@laudonschuett3019]

And look how far you have come! : )

[@clay_geo]

Interesting that you say rest strokes with the thumb are not so much a thing. I've started working through Rob MacKillop's Introduction to the Lute book and it emphasizes that the student should "try to almost always" play rest strokes with the thumb. It doesnt say anything about whether this is historical or not though, so maybe this is just what MacKillop finds to be the best for learning. Anyway, I find it awkward so I'm going to go ahead and take your advice as license to use a free thumb anyway :) Thanks!!

[@laudonschuett3019]

I'm glad you found this helpful! Rob is a great player and there are a number of excellent players that use rest stroke quite a bit, but I generally hate the words "always" and "never." I do think there are some places you will find where rest stroke is helpful but it can also be problematic in a lot of places. I'm sure they used it in the 16th century (even though they don't write about it) but it probably varied from player to player and period to period. I think it is VERY helpful with 10-course repertoire and it is clear that they do start using it more in the 17th century. Anyways, I think finding what works for you and what works in a given situation is the best way to go about...flexibility is the key! : ) Cheers, Laudon

[@shenyathewelder9695]

I didn't realize you could just hit half the corse, I'm working on writing some music for a lute and this could change how I write some of the lower notes.

[@laudonschuett3019]

You can, but it is definitely challenging! The thing you see in the literature more often is that you fret one note of a course but you play both strings as usual. For example, on the third course, you can fret just one of the strings on the 3rd fret and then pluck both and you get an A and a C instead of just C. So two for the price of one, but it doesn't work so well on all frets. The other thing you can do is emphasis the octave of bass strings by indicating that you want them plucked with the index finger. The upstroke from the index finger will emphasis that octave unless you work hard to hit both strings. That all said, it is possible to play just one string in a course (easier on bass strings for me) but it is tricky, especially if it is fast! A fun thing to explore! : )

[@miqbri]

Was resting on a ring finger instead of pinkie ever a thing historically? My pinkie is little shorter than usual and it seems little more natural to rest on the ring. It seems like it shouldn't matter since even if I were to use a, it would require me to lift the pinkie most of the time anyways so no difference in support.. As I am typing this I am realizing that a guitar has raised fingerboard so I am assuming the strings are also lower above the sound board on the lute. Maybe resting the pinkie is more natural on a lute.. I will have to experiment when I get one

[@laudonschuett3019]

It is interesting that you ask this! My pinky is so flexible that it doesn’t do a good job of keeping my hand stable when playing fast runs. For this reason, I put my ring finger down with it when doing divisions. This is something I am going to talk about in a future episode. There is definitely plenty of iconographic evidence that players did this but the only source I know that mentions it is Piccinini. Anyways, you are right that you should probably test it on a lute before settling but I don’t think you should worry about it too much as long as you are able to lift it when needed for chords! Cheers, Laudon

[@miqbri]

@@laudonschuett3019 Thank you Laudon, that's good to hear. I am looking forward to the episode :) I guess there is only so much one can test on a classical guitar, I shall decide between 6c/7c/8c over the weekend and order the lute so that I can practice the lute playing 'properly' and not mix it up with guitar technique too much.

[@laudonschuett3019]

@@miqbri good luck choosing! : ) it is definitely a different feel from guitar but once you get used to it, it is such a wonderful instrument.

[@miqbri]

@@laudonschuett3019 Thank you! I've decided to start with 7 course lute. I've also ordered your book. I know you said it's for intermediate and advance players but I bet most of it is very applicable, even if I can't play the pieces in the second part in tempo for quite some time.

[@laudonschuett3019]

@@miqbri that is very kind of you! I think it makes a good supplement to the video series and you will be able to play the stuff in the back before you know it : ) Congratulations on getting a lute!

[@sopranocarmen]

Nadie hace una clase enseñando el nombre de las cuerdas, como se afina ni como se colocan. en todos los instrumentis se enseña bien pero en este no. Todos lo que hacen es lucir sus acrobacias ejecutorias del instrumento y con historia del instrumento.

[@laudonschuett3019]

If you continue with the series, you will find that all of these topics are covered. I also provide links in all of my videos that help to fill in gaps. For example, my very first episode includes a link to the LSA beginner's guide, which covers all note names and gives basic instruction on changing strings. I also go into further detail in episode 7 (introduction to tablature) and I provide links to music education programs like artusi. I do have a video coming out in a few weeks that includes tips on lute maintenance and care. While it is important to learn note names, I don't think it should be the first priority when you pick the instrument up. Getting a good sitting position and a good sound from your right hand should come first. Students are often overwhelmed with too much information in the beginning when they should be using their ears. Unlike other instruments, lutes also come a great variety of tunings and can be strung in different ways. Without knowing what instrument a student has, it can be difficult to give the best advice. Do they have an A lute?G? F? D? How many courses? Do we want octaves on all the basses? What pitch level is best? This is information is best conveyed individually. Lutes really don’t have a standard tuning or stringing like other instruments, but I do talk about this over the course of the series. While you may not agree with my order, this information is included in this series so I would recommend watching more before passing judgment. Additionally, many students are VERY interested in the historical elements and I believe they are important to the understanding of the instrument and why we play it the way we do. As for being a show off, I don't know what to say....I'm a performer, of course I'm going to show off. I'm not going to apologize for that! Finally, I will just say that this is a FREE series that I am creating to help students who do not have a teacher make their way on the lute. I could just post performance videos and call it a day....but I think that combined with using google and a few other resources, it could really help someone who does not have access to private lessons (which are the best way to learn when available). Here is my video on tuning if you need help with that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ-2mYN4hM2Hprssi=beoNHBQdUkU-SDLk

[@sopranocarmen]

@@laudonschuett3019 usted debe ser el único o quizás uno de los pocos que da esa explicación. Por otro lado, no digo que presumir sea malo sino que solo se concretan a esto. Hay un señor que también explica muy bien casi todo. De todas formas miraré los links que a los que usted refiere tener colgados en sus clases y no se ofenda que de los comentarios inquietos también se aprende. Saludos, Carmen