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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
Location: italy
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Mood: what?
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olive oil
ronnie wrote: "Ordinary virgin oil will do. The one I uses is almost impossible to get if you don't know a producer. I have tried virgin oil
and is working fine."
...i should hope so!
still waiting for the first risha making lesson.
ciao - bill
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Ronny Andersson
Oud Junkie
Posts: 724
Registered: 8-15-2003
Location: Sweden
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| Quote: | Billy wrote:
still waiting for the first risha making lesson.
ciao - bill |
It is comming.
Best wishes
Ronny
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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
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in a similar thread on the mandolincafe site there's an article translated by a nice man named victor which explains how to make a plectrum from
the quill of a predatory bird, usually vulture, eagle, or hawk. the article goes on to say that vulture quill is to be preferred above the others and
that there are two types of plectrum to be made from this materal - one dark in color and durable, the other white and more subtile.
i woke up this morning thinking about something i read in the article:
"The plectrum built from the white side of the quill is considered superior because it is softer, more flexible, and therefore gives the sweetest
sound...
...In olden times, lutenists would use the white pick when they performed for a small audience of few, sensitive revellers, while using the black one
for hard, loud playing for hours at village feasts."
in relation to electrified ouds and how to get more volume out of your instrument, i think, on the whole, i'd prefer to play my oud for a few
"sensitive revellers" than a bunch of drunks too long at the fair.
- bill
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chuckerbutty
Oud Maniac
Posts: 98
Registered: 4-5-2004
Location: Scotland
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Hi Bill
There was a very interesting article in the latest Lute Society magazine about the use of various plectra in medieval European lute playing - among
the materials mentioned are cowbone and ostrich quill. Unfortunately I seem to have gone and put the blessed thing in such a safe place that I
can't find it now, but when I do, I can give you a quick summary of the article if you wish.
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billkilpatrick
Oud Junkie
Posts: 563
Registered: 1-3-2004
Location: italy
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horn risha
you've probably all moved on to other concerns but i'm still in search of the ideal pick.
i've made a couple risha from the cow's horn i got from ronnie and learned a few things in the process...at least i think i've learned
a few things.
- the horn is formed from layers of keratose substance which in cross section appears to have different density.
- the inside of the horn seems softer than the outer layer and the outer layer has the consistency a bit like enamel. when polished it has a
semi-transparent surface.
- following instructions, i sawed-off a 15cm. (approx) "ring" section of the horn across the grain, then split the ring along the grain of
the horn. i used a saw to do this but a small hatchet or matchete would have probably been better suited.
- i then removed a 1.5 + strip of the horn with the saw and began smoothing it down; first with a rasp, then with a file and then finishing it off
(after rounding off the two ends) with various grades of sandpaper.
- i worked from the inner (soft) section of the horn towards the hard outer surface.
- i've placed several of the risha in olive oil. it's early days yet (the first i made has been in the bath for less than 2 weeks) but
i've noticed that they've all become more ridgid in the process.
...now this is interesting. before entering "risha-ville", i used a variety of plastic and nylon risha - the most successful of which is a
very thin (.38mm), "jim dunlop" guitar pick and i developed a technique with my right hand, adapted to the use of this soft, supple pick.
with these stiffer and longer horn risha, however, i've noticed that i have to loosen up my wrist considerably and leave a 3-4cm section of risha
in front of my thumb and forefinger in order to obtain a decent tremolo. i've also shifted the angle of strumming from 90°- ish to about 45° -
ish.
i know this sounds stupid and i don't really mean it literally, but it's a bit like playing an oud with a very pliant knitting needle.
my playing sounds different; i don't know if it's for the better or not but, oddly enough, my accuracy in hitting the complimentary bass
strings has improved enormously.
they're very satisfying to make - lovely and smooth - and if i end up reverting back to my plastic risha i can always sell them as hand made
collar stays to 70's survivalists, ted nugent-wanna'be, shirt enthusiasts.
- bill
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chuckerbutty
Oud Maniac
Posts: 98
Registered: 4-5-2004
Location: Scotland
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Hi Bill
I've finally found that article, entitled Playing the Lute of Medieval Europe, Part I, by Joseph A. Baldassarre in the Lute News of April 2004.
This is a resume of what it says about plectra and right-hand technique:
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- The types of plectra and hand positions change between the 9th century and 15th century. The earlier plectra are large and the hand is below the
strings; by the 15th century the plectra are smaller and the right hand is over the strings.
- There are three right hand plucking techniques.
- The first technique uses a large plectrum (a horn shard) passing through the palm. The primary stroke is a downwards rest stroke.
- The second technique: 12th to 14th century iconography shows the hand below the strings but using large quills (eagle, hawk, goose, swan and heron)
with the barbs removed. The shaft rests on top of the index knuckle, and the primary stroke is a down reststroke and an up freestroke. This appears
cumbersome and also produces seemingly arbitrary accents that run contrary to conceptions of later European music, but is idiomatic for the medieval
lute.
- The third technique is common in 15th century iconography. The hand is over the strings and a small plectrum (barbless ostrich feather) passes
between the index and middle finger. The stroke for this technique is called fan-picking - the plectrum passes through the string by slightly rotating
the wrist [i.e all free strokes].
Other types of plectra and techniques are shown in the iconography, but these three are the most common.
------------
Hope this helps.
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