On Thu, Jun 11, 2009, morgan cornwall <mcornw...@ns.sympatico.ca> said:
> Hello, > > > > I am looking for advice on a first student lute hopefully you have a teacher to discuss this with, even if they mainly do guitar, cant hurt to ask, you never know. Not the first time this Q has been posed here, take some time to explore the archives. Dunno where you are in the world, your email address suggests canada. The LSA (Lute society of america) has canadian resident members, Vancouver is weel represented as I recall. LSA holds yearly week-long meetings in both eastern and western locations that move about each year, you would have a wonderful opportunity to see and perhaps even experience a wide variety of instruments by numerous makers. the BEMF (boston early music festival) is another opportunity, on this week, jun 6-14. Both music and makers wares are on the agenda (www.bemf.org) doubt they have any lutes on hand, but the two local vendors (Von Heune Workshop, whatever Green is calling his business these days) are worth a visit if they arent exhibiting. > Most of us started with classical guitar, and followed the borrowed lute/vihuealla repetoire to its original instruents. > Number of courses: The design of a stringed instrument involves some compromises when it has a wide compass. If you are playing in an ensemble the compass you need is usually restricted more than what is needed for solo work. If you can afford them, it helps to have a variety of 6c lutes, each in a different size (bass in D, baritone in E, tenors in F, G, alto in a, treble in d) the Venere Quartet travels with numerous lutes, I believe they have a full set of six with duplicates - D,E,F,G,A,d. You want the ideal lute for now, one that lets you explore all the repetoire, well, thats asking a lot. A 58-59cm G 8c does for many. One of the issues is facileness, quick passage work is most easily done on smaller instruments - you can get the effect by playing higher on the neck where the frets are closer. ANother issue is sound, low sonority is good in an instrument playing a supporting role in a low register, big body and longer strings for that. > It doesn't seem like there is a whole lot to be gained from going > to an 8 course lute. Ever hear Pete Seeger or Gordon Bok playing the twelve-string? BIG Booming sound when you have low bass notes in full chords. > Renaissance lutes > seem to vary in scale length from 540mm to 670mm. its more thn that, the longer lengths go with lower pitches. higher pitches go with shorter string lengths. Stuff breaks when you dont do that. > With guitars, often the intonation suffers with shorter > scale lengths, is this true of lutes as well? lutes most often use movable frets, you can not only set the pitch, but use temperaments other than the 'equal temperament' most guitar frets are placed at. If the intonation of a guitar isnt right over the whole fingerboard you should leave it unbought in the store. If an insturment has deteriorated to the point that it is become out of tune with itself there are aadjustments you can consider (neck tension rod adjustments if there are any) nut height, saddle height, repairs to the top bracing (if needed, could raise the bridge). On a lute, the conventional knot tying the string on to the bridge can be adjusted to raise and lower string height subtly. The size of each tied-on fret is normally graduated over the fretboard to adjust the action at each fret. Setting up for each instrument is a complex process that users as well as makers can muck with. > When I look at pictures of lutes they look to be of a similar shape, > but it's hard to tell if the body sizes are different. Body lengths, proportions, depth/section; all vary. Some lute designs are simple, the body section is a half-circle. Some are more complex, a flattened half circle is common on larger later instruments. The european lute is typical of 'short necked' instruments, having room on the neck for 8 or 9 tied-on frets; there are long-necked ones too (also seen in guitars, 10 frets on neck for some, 14 for others). More variety in body shape/proportions are known of than are commonly built for sale today; a few insturemnts have been thoroughly researched and plans made available, many more await investigation and publication. > is a shallower lute more comfortable to hold? possibly, this is a subjective thing, and a learned one for many; you will have to try it to see what works for you. Historical lutes seen in paintings often have a thin cord (possibly an old string) running from a button on the endclasp to another button set into the neckblock, not stretched tight, but not loose either. It is surmised that this string is hooked on a button sewn to the clothing. Many modern lutenists find that his works, but we dont commonly wear outer garments at all (it has gotten much warmer over all now than in 1550); let alone ones festooned with buttons as was the style then. It is also surmised that the player took advantage of tables when playing seated in two ways, by resting the edge of the lute against the table you stabillize it, but you also sometimes gain a coupling of the sond to the space under the top of the table, amplifying the sound. A lot depends on the table, how you positino the instrument, and how restive your tablemates are. > Is the sharp edge of the lute top an issue? RH playing positions are enough different that I have never felt that to be a problem, and I have blood circulation issues enough to be sensitive. eacho fs is different tho, my arms are probably longer than yours as I stand two meters tall. > Number of ribs: > > All of the student lutes I have looked at have either 9 or 11 ribs. easier for the maker, each of those ribs is hand shaped and fitted to the ribs on each side. More ribs, more work, more cost to you. Yew wood was valued for long bows, which England stockpiled from italian, french, and spanish sources (harvested from roman estates) as it could afford to, well into King Henry VIII's reign. Demand for yew for weapons use declined as rapier and personal handguns gained favor and it is thought that stockpiles of cut yew became available to instrument makers. Yew is visually appealing and has good qualitys for sound production, numerous instruments survive with yew backs as well as figured sycamore and maple. Unfortunatly, it seems as if the wood available was all limited in width, suggesting it was from bow-stave stock. Douglas Alton Smith has written a history of the lute, available from several sources online. Galpin Society Journal and the Journals of the Lute Society of America and the Lute Society are good reading for one interested in lute design and construction, seek them at a university music library (or JSTOR). -- Dana Emery To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
