Taco- Martin of course has nailed it all down as authoritatively as anyone in the business could, combining as he does, the triple threat polymath combo of performer, builder, and scholar.
One of the most beautiful 11 course lutes I ever saw a picture of had a doubled 2nd course. I forget which museum, I hope not the Victoria and Albert. Beware of designating any particular technique as being "Baroque"; if you mean thumb out/over, it was well established by many Renaissance players in the late 16th century on lutes of fewer than 10 courses, and even earlier in Spain on the vihuela. It's the specific application of elements of technique that may be more characteristic of one period over another. Some comments as a lifetime player: I can tell you that mastering the touch- especially the right hand of course, but also the left- on a doubled first course gives one a skill and sensitivity that will benefit any lute or any other double-course instrument one ever plays. But be advised, the double first is a troublesome beast; at first getting used to the touch and- with gut, the tiresome matching and relatively frequent replacements and expense. But gut is by far the best material for this special 1st course configuration for feel and sound. "a modern player used to the single strings of the guitar (and then the usual single top string of the modern lute), double strings can require some adjustment of technique." The best training refinement I have ever had in recent years was putting a doubled gut first course on my Chambure copy vihuela. It took many months of hard work to master the touch; almost as difficult as learning thumb-in lute touch/technique after modern guitar training many decades ago. Dan > >Hi Taco, > >We have very little evidence for any of this, of course. But it >seems extremely probable that the single 2nd came into being when >people converted 10c lutes into 11c lutes, because it involved only >the addition of a treble rider, a bass extension to the bridge, and >an overhanging nut - no major rebuild of pegbox, no need to open the >lute. There are plenty of 11c lutes with double 2nd in paintings >and surviving lutes, perhaps they were new-built rather than >conversions. Unusually, Thomas Mace seems to have used a double >first as well as a double 2nd. Mary Burwell's author has it that >the single 2nd is used because it is difficult to find two strings >"to agree", but I suspect that the real reason is the ease of >conversion from 10c to 11c. > >So I think it is very unlikely that 10c lutes ever had a single 2nd, >in fact one might ask whether or not they had a double 1st, since >double firsts were common in 7 and 8c lutes, and used also by >Dowland on 9c lutes (1610). > >I'm not convinced that playing technique has anything to do with it, >except that to a modern player used to the single strings of the >guitar (and then the usual single top string of the modern lute), >double strings can require some adjustment of technique. > >Best wishes, > >Martin > > >Taco Walstra wrote: >>Does anybody know when the single second course came into use on >>baroque >>lutes? During a relative short period several new, transitional tunings >>came into use before everybody settled on Dm tuning on 10 course lutes. >>But did these lutes have a single 2nd course? If a typical baroque >>technique was already used it's perhaps yes. Ballard is still >>renaissance tuning with -I assume- a double 2nd string, >>or do we still play this music on totally wrong instruments and wrong >>technique? Was change in playing technique the only reason for the >>change? >>Are there any historical facts about this in literature, old >>instruments? >>Taco - who just turned his 10 course into a french baroque lute. >> -- To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
