Deat Jon, <snip>
>I believe we know that the provenance of the lute was as a > melody instrument played with a quill plectrum. I don't know the provenance > of the guitar tuning. One of the reasons I have read (can't remember where) for the triumph of the violin family over the gambas is that the tuning in fifths is more suitable for melody whereas the fourths basis is more suitable for chords. I am not sure I understood why, but I am sure it was written by someone who did ;-) The provenance (ancestor?) of the lute may well have been a melody instrument played with a plectrum, but that in itself doesn't explain the tuning. The oud is still basically tuned in fourths and is still basically a melody instrument. Yours, Tony To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
