17th century lutenists foot-tapping

Subject: 17th century lutenists foot-tapping
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 May 19 - 04:00 AM

This is an absolutely fascinating read, covering an enormous range of issue and applying to many kinds of music.

Thomas Mace, 1676

Subject: RE: 17th century lutenists foot-tapping
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 May 19 - 12:48 PM

What struck me about Mace's description of how to tap your foot was that I'd heard it before - from the bellows piper Dick Hensold, who said the Baroque/ Cape-Breton fiddler David Greenberg had suggested it to him. The idea is that the foot keeps an unvarying pulse, but the downbeats you play don't exactly match it: you rush on or hold back for expressive effect, but the foot keeps track of how far you've drifted and gives you a reference point to go back to when you've made the expressive point. The description of both the technique and the reason for it were so similar over that 200-year span that there has to be a direct link (though perhaps Cape Breton fiddling has lost the doctrine of affects as a rhetorical framework? I wouldn't even be sure about that).

Subject: RE: 17th century lutenists foot-tapping
From: meself
Date: 05 May 19 - 03:35 PM

Haven't read the article yet, and I'm not certain what you mean by the "doctrine of affect" - but if you're referring to the explanation, you will hear Cape Breton fiddlers say that they're 'keeping the time' with their foot-tapping - most of the notable CB fiddlers are not, in my experience, nearly as articulate as David Greenberg when it comes to elucidating the fine points of their craft, but if pressed, I would expect that they would agree that he had it right. I would suggest that the loud, steady beat of the foot also helps the dancers stay with the beat while the fiddler is pushing it or dragging it with the instrument.

Subject: RE: 17th century lutenists foot-tapping
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 05 May 19 - 07:09 PM

Thanks for the link, Jack. Fascinating & wide-ranging indeed.
keep on pickin’
Dennis

Subject: RE: 17th century lutenists foot-tapping
From: leeneia
Date: 06 May 19 - 10:34 AM

Last month my great niece, who is 11 years old, came for a visit. We played duets, she on the violin and I on the guitar. Her timing is not so good. I had to listen to her every note and modify the beat many times so that we kept together.

If you have ever had to do that, you would realize that it takes so much fun out of playing that it would never become the norm. Only love makes it worth doing.

Subject: RE: 17th century lutenists foot-tapping
From: GUEST,JHW
Date: 08 May 19 - 12:25 PM

17th Century is slightly before my time but I did get bollocked once for tapping my foot during Messiah. (in the audience)