How many courses and are the strings wire or gut? Some English Guitars had lute bowl backs. A photo would help enormously.
Rob ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, September 16, 2003 2:18 AM Subject: Mandolo info > Dear Combined Knowledge, > > A friend of mine came over tonight asking me for some instruction on how to > play a mandolo he acquired some years ago and never learned to play. The > instrument itself is beautiful, having 23 ribs of very nice curly maple and > an inlaid maple neck. It's also a very nice sounding instrument. But there > my knowledge of this instrument stops. It's tuned in C rather than G like > its smaller cousin the mandolin, and I was able to help him figure out some > scales and a few rudimentary chords. I also found some info on tablature > online. But we still have a few questions. > > 1. When did this instrument first show up in history? Is it Medieval, > Renaissance or Baroque? Or is it strictly modern (post 18th c.)? > > 2. If it's a period (Ren. at least) instrument, are there manuscripts of > music written for it? And by whom? And are facsimiles available (I haven't > seen anything in OMI's catalog but that may only be because there are no > facsimiles of extant manuscripts). > > 3. Would Kingham or some other case maker be able to make a case for this > instrument (it currently has none and came with none)? > > Thank you for your time. > > Regards, > Craig > > > >
