Composing for the Theorbo: 3

Compiled by Lynda Sayce

Left hand techniques

Left hand techniques on the theorbo are virtually the same as on the lute or the guitar, except that some allowance must be made for the longer string length and larger stretches involved. Note that the left hand stops only the top 6 strings of the theorbo: the low bass strings cannot be fretted, partly because they are too long to reach, and partly because there is no fingerboard directly under them.

Slurs in both directions are very successful on the theorbo, but need to fall within the reach of the hand; a 4-fret stretch is the maximum practical reach. Slurs to or from an open string are possible from any fret on that string.

Slides also work well, but need to be quite fast because of the instrument's limited sustain. Note that because of the theorbo's frets, these will sound as slurs rising or falling through several successive semitones, not as a smooth microtonal glissando.

A huge variety of left hand ornaments is possible. Players expect to add a lot of left hand ornamentation - mordents, appoggiaturas and trills of various types - to the theorbo's historical solo repertory, so adding them in the context of a modern piece should cause no problems.

Vibrato is regarded as an ornament in baroque music, not as a indispensible aspect of sound production, as it is on many modern instruments. It is effective on a theorbo but only with single notes, not with chords. Of course it can only be used on fretted notes, not on open strings. It is a subtle effect which works best on the upper frets (those nearest to the theorbo's body) but it can also work in lower positions. Although vibrato will slightly alter the pitch of a note, it is impractical to request extreme pitch-bending. This is only effective on theorbos with high actions (unpopular with many players!) and nylon strings. Gut strings are quite likely to break if you try this.

‹‹‹ previous

next ›››

 

Return to the Theorbo Information Page

Home