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The Schoole of Musicke.

it will paine the sinewes and hinder your play. All the aforesaid had, both in memorie and practises (the houlding of your Lute, carrying of your hand, and sitting vpright with your bodie, I mean) then (in the name of God) houlding the Lute (as is aforesaid) comelie with your thumb against your forefinger (as it were readie to stop, yet but onelie houlding your Lute then with the thumb of your right hand (houlding the rest of the fingers straight forth before your thumb (neither to neere the strings nor too farre off, begin to strik the first string downward with the thumb onelie, and also striking with your thumb behind your fingers say: Base, Tenor, Contra-tenor, Great Meanes, Small meanes Treble. This done : then begin at the Trebles and so goe vpward viz. backward, striking them string by string with your forefinger before your thumb, that is, houlding downe your thumb behind your fingers, and name them in order saying, Treble Small Meanes, Great Meanes, Contratenor, Tenor, Base, this doing so oft, downward and vpward, nameing them, and also striking them with the thumb behind the fingers, that you haue it most perfect and readie both in mind & fingers. This perfectlie had : learne to know your frets in order, and in stoping them comelie, cleanlie, & stronglie, the first string or Treble, stopped in the first fret, by the head of the Lute with the forefinger, is b in the Treble, and so stopped in the small meanes, great meanes &c. The first fret is b the second fret is c the third fret is d and so forth vntill you come to i which is the last fret about the neck of the Lute, but you may glue on more fretts in fit place and space (vntill you come to m. Againe if you haue 14. 16. or 18. strings, those bases are called Diapasones, now hauing the names & knowledge of the strings and stops perfectly by roate, you shall also learne to know them by booke (called Tableture.)
   Kni.    Now truely Timoth: I like this method verie well, for I perceiue great reason in it : But we (in old time) haue bene taught with rigour, not by reason, & that made vs then run, now vnregarded; for I see, that the houlding of the thombe alwaies against the fore-finger, giueth (not onely a great ease, & grace to the player) but also, it determineth a certain limitation to the hand, as of necessitie it must be so: proceed good Timotheus.
   Tim.    Sir, by this you see, how necessarie a thing it is, to know how to hould an instrument, before it is to know how to stop it, and likewise, how fit it is to know (both how to hould, & what to stop, first by roate, before it were fit to learne by the booke: for quell the spirite, & quaile delight. Now you know how to hold your Lute; also, what the strings and stops are, without booke : Now you shall learne vvhat they be by the booke; look how you name them vpon the Lute in order, vpward, and downward,so these lines, by the like denomination, shall signifie vnto you what strings they be by Tableture:   Example.



S Ome in the steed of (i) put (y) and although you, heere see but six single lines, and vpon the Lute euerie string double, you shall vnderstand, that two strings are in one tune, & also beare the name of but one string: as Base, not Bases, Tenor, not Tenors. Now let vs proceede, to learne a lesson by the booke. But first take this lesson by the way, offer not rashly to stop or strike, but be well aduised, with what finger to stop, & with what to strike, and for that purpose, mark what figure standeth vnder the letter, whether the figure of 1. 2. 3. or 4. for these figures represent the 4. fingers of the left or stopping hand. The figure of 1. representeth the first or fore-finger, 2. the second, 3. the third, and 4. the little finger. Also that letter which is to be striken downward, and if there be a prick vnder the letter, that letter must be striken vpward : this well noted, begin to play these stops and strokes following, striking them by 4. and 4. all in one length of time, vntill you can play it a pace, or runne it quick.



    Doe these points perfectly, not striuing at it, but with such ease, as if you did it carelesly, obseruing the carriage both of hand & body; & when you are weary, leaue it, and to it againe, but go to it with a willing minde.
   Kni.    How would you haue them learne this lesson, not knowing the tymes ouer head? were it not necessarie to teach them that first?
   Tim.    No, for the time without stops or tune, is but an abstract, & my purpose is, first to teach them the stops, & then the times with all afterwards: & therefore, I haue set it with all one time ouer head, as you see, vntill the lesson be perfectly had, & both the name & nature of that time well commited to memory, and this lesson had, than will I instruct them in all the varieties of tymes : as followeth.
B ij                                     A young


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