Shiro: Up front you need to realize that buying a lute is a serious financial commitment. They are not generally available over the counter except in a place like the Early Music Shop in Bradford, England. There are several hundred luthiers around the world who can build you one, custom made to your specifications, but that will take time (six months to four or five years, depending on the demand for that builder's work) and $1500 to $6000 or more.
A very fundamental choice you must make is what kind of music you want to play. Many people use the term "medieval music" for anything old. You need to understand clearly the distinctions and stylistic differences between Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque music. The lutes required are completely different. (So you may end up buying several instruments.) Some nice samples can be found on YouTube: Medieval: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB4CehJEK8A&NR=1 Renaissance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G23_pcCZkZg (Played by a professional) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3lKc_JMmIg (Played by a non-professional) Baroque solo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIANAfU2cS4 (Played by a professional) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVlFbu-0I3g (Played by a non-professional) or Baroque ensemble music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqkjkbSBHAs Finally, you need to realize that there is a significant time commitment involved in learning to play. All of the people who made these videos have worked at it regularly for many years to achieve the level of proficiency you see there (the shortest being around 4 years). Regards, Daniel Heiman On Thu, 31 May 2007 20:53:41 -0700 (PDT) Shiro Okami <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > im trying to buy a lute for myself because i really enjoy listening > to its sounds..ive never touched one before and i was wondering if > somebody could help me choose the right one for me. i like listening > to lute music from the medevil ages or stuff like a song called > skalds and shadows by blind guardian.. help me please.. thank you > > --------------------------------- > Got a little couch potato? > Check out fun summer activities for kids. > -- > > To get on or off this list see list information at > http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html > >
