There will be/already have been plenty of lutes at BEMF. The LSA has a
booth and has sponsored a concert featuring up and coming lute players:
Salome Sandoval
Dieter Hennings
Chris Wilke
Chris is on the list, so perhaps he will make some comments on this.
There are also a number of other lute events that are part of the
fringe concerts, including a concert by LSA treasurer Garald Farnham's
group The Goodpennyworths and by Tim Burris.
Nancy
At 08:03 AM 6/12/2009, [email protected] wrote:
On Thu, Jun 11, 2009, morgan cornwall <[email protected]>
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 ([1]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
[2]http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
Nancy Carlin Associates
P.O. Box 6499
Concord, CA 94524 USA
phone 925/686-5800 fax 925/680-2582
web site - [3]www.nancycarlinassociates.com
Administrator THE LUTE SOCIETY OF AMERICA
web site - [4]http://LuteSocietyofAmerica.org
--
References
1. http://www.bemf.org/
2. http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
3. http://www.nancycarlinassociates.com/
4. http://lutesocietyofamerica.org/
