Lute Advice

Eric Phillips sounds great Eric. Looking forward to hearing some Dowland played on it

Eric Phillips While it is true that proper lute technique is difficult to achieve with right hand nails, it is not the case that guitar technique requires them. That, at least, is the position I have come to. When I began with the lute, I shortened my nails, but didn't eliminate them altogether. Over the course of perhaps a year, I gradually reduced their length even further, until one day I realized it was time for the clippers! (Frankly, I don't miss the nuisance of looking after my nails!) I did at this point discontinue my classical guitar playing, although I strummed away at an old 'acoustic' from time to time. After a few years of playing mostly lute, my playing was interrupted altogether by injury. For various reasons, during a long (and ongoing) rehabilitation, I have found it far easier to manage a guitar than a lute. So these days I am mostly playing the former. But after a few years of playing 'thumb under', I have found it difficult to return to standard modern guitar technique. Instead, I employ a technique similar to the one recommended by Sor in his Method: pinky on the soundboard, no nails, and so on. Essentially lute technique! I do concentrate on 19th century repertoire, but for the most part I find my right hand manages adequately. (Fast i/m scale passages are a bit of a problem, but there aren't many of those in the repertoire I play!) Well, that's rather a long story, and I realize my own shaky playing is hardly an endorsement of this approach. But there are some very fine musicians who approach the guitar in a similar manner. If you haven't come across multi-instrumentalist Rob MacKillop, you should check out his channel on YouTube: 

https://www.youtube.com/user/RobMacKillop