Lo scioglidita

[girldingo]

Hi all,
I have Parte 1 of Munier's Lo Scioglidita and would like to get the rest of the parts/books. #Does anyone know where I can get them?

Regards,
Ilene

[Jim Garber]

That is a tough one, not only to spell and pronounce... not sure where you can find these, but good luck. I wish I could help.

[Martin Jonas]

According to Michael Reichenbach's web site at Mandoisland, he has got all four parts. They were reprinted by Edizioni Maurri in Florence in 1982, so they may conceivably still be in print, or at least in stock somewhere in the world. I suggest you drop Michael a line to see if he can help you out.

Michael also has Munier's other method, "Metodo Practico Completo", available for free download here.

Martin

[girldingo]

Thank you Martin, I just emailed Michael and hopefully, he can assist me.

Best,
Ilene

[RSW]

I have to check, but I still might have parts 2 and 3 available (original edition) and can certainly help you out with a pdf copy of part IV.

[girldingo]

Thank you kindly.

Ilene

[billkilpatrick]

"sciogliere" (SHOAL-LE-REY - soft "c", silent "g") means to melt or dissolve but in this case - with a "dita" or "finger" - it means to make nimble or agile. "lo scioglidita" - i would guess - means warm-up exercises for the finger.

[billkilpatrick]

... more appealing in italian, no?

[mandoisland]

During the last weeks I have edited the first 40 exercises of the second part of Lo Scioglidita by Carlo Munier - this is now available for free download on my website mandoisland

Lo Scioglidita part 2 does contain exercises for the positions and for speed - the eight missing speed exercises will follow as soon as I have some more time to edit this.

I have just made a video of exercise No. 7 and I would be happy if someone else would make videos of other exercises.

I have played several of the exercises while I was editing it, I think those are really nice and good sounding and of course very useful exercises.

[vkioulaphides]

"sciogliere" (SHOAL-LE-REY - soft "c", silent "g") means to melt or dissolve but in this case - with a "dita" or "finger" - it means to make nimble or agile. "lo scioglidita" - i would guess - means warm-up exercises for the finger.

It does. Language translates only loosely at best. I recall Carlo Aonzo, in one of his technique sessions, recommending some particular exercise "to melt the fingers". Scioglere can also mean to untie, and Segovia used to admonish all his students "to untie their fingers". In fact, the root of all these words (to melt, to solve, to dissolve, to untie, to loosen, etc.) is one and the same in Greek; it is the "lu/ly" in such words as analysis, dialysis (Gr.), solution, dissolution, dilute (Lat.)

Sure, the author could have found something more, ah... marketable. But what? The Finger-Loosener-Upper? Jack-be-Nimble? Dunno... A great text though, and I highly recommend it— although my own fingers, I must sadly admit, are perennially twisted and muscle-bound, mandolin-wise :-(

Cheers,

Victor

[Bruce Clausen]

Right, Victor, catalyst, solvent, etc. are all from this root. The English form gives us 'lose' (but not 'loose'). "Finger-losing exercises"? Yes, it's much better in Italian.

Thanks for the helpful and nicely played video sample, Michael. I'm curious whether Munier specifies all down-strokes?

[vkioulaphides]

On looseness, an anecdote (se non è vero, è ben trovato) that Michael may know of, and remember:

Decades ago, PM Thatcher was about to attend a EU summit, and indeed serve as keynote speaker on one occasion; unpopular as she was on the continent, none of her corresponding colleagues and peers offered to introduce her as keynote speaker, dodging every approach by the Union's desperate functionaries. The onus was put on Chancellor Kohl (ever the Gentle Giant), who was prodded along to say a few words of introduction. After much of his habitual ho-hum and awkward silences, he said the requisite, bare minimum, and, grasping on the compound German verb losgehen (to get started, to begin), he nodded to her helplessly and muttered, "Now, you go loose!"

*ahem* It is hard to imagine Dame Thatcher, even back in her undergraduate years (let alone as British PM), going loose. Translate at your own risk, seems to be the moral ;-)

More, uh... on topic, my own copy of Lo Scioglidita has no pick-markings at all, but of course what Michael does works admirably.

Cheers,

Victor

[Jim Garber]

Michael:
Nice playing and thanks for posting Lo Scioglidita. I have a copy but I am not sure which volume it is. it is a rather old version.

[mandoisland]

Thanks to all who replied to my post.

I have got a scanned version of all 4 volumes of the Scioglidita from Richard Walz some time ago (thanks a lot, merci beaucoup Richard) - but as this is his work I am not allowed and do not want to share this version. I have been asked several times for Lo Scioglidita, so I think there is some interest that those exercises are made available.

I tried to copy all the fingering from this edition, and I have added the chord symbols for some exercises, because I think that is useful too. I have practiced some of the exercises, and I think it is really fun to play this. I think Munier's fingering recommendations are good in most cases, although other fingerings are possible.

Part 3 and 4 of Lo Scioglidita are also very interesting and I will make a new version with my edititing software when I find the time to do it.

I am also thinking about creating midi versions of all the exercises which might be also useful.

In the video I played it slow and only with downstrokes - it would be possible to play this much faster and with down/up-strokes.

[mandoisland]

During the eurofestival zupfmusik in Bruchsal I discovered that part 3 and 4 of Lo Scioglidita by Carlo Munier has been published this year by Trekel - so you can order it from Trekel now.

[John Zimm]

Sure, the author could have found something more, ah... marketable. But what? The Finger-Loosener-Upper? Jack-be-Nimble? Dunno... A great text though, and I highly recommend it— although my own fingers, I must sadly admit, are perennially twisted and muscle-bound, mandolin-wise :-(

Cheers,

Victor

Maybe he should have called it Hot Licks for Classical Mandolin. That would sell like hotcakes I'm guessing.

-John.

[imusici]

Here you are. I hope you enjoy it.

If you have still part 1. Post it please.

Regards.

Ivan

[mandopops]

This is great. I'll have to start checking these out.
I spoke with one of the Classical players once, I think Richard Walz, and he said he liked Munier pieces more than Calace. I wish someone would record the Munier Grand concert pieces. I'd love to hear them. Maybe someone has.
Joe B

[margora]

"I wish someone would record the Munier Grand concert pieces. I'd love to hear them. Maybe someone has."

Munier's Grand Concert Studies are of historical interest today mainly because he included five movements of Bach, demonstrating that Italian mandolinists ca. 1900 were trying to play the sonatas and partitas on the mandolin (contrary to the beliefs of some modern classical mandolinists who imagine this, incorrectly, to be a modern conceit). Otherwise the book consists entirely of arrangements of classical and romantic-era violin music, none of which are idiomatic to the mandolin and all of which sound far better on the violin. I can't think of a good reason to play or record them.

[DavidKOS]

Thank you all for these informative posts.