This is a good discussion inasmuch as it demonstrates a fair diversity in what we look for in a lute. I think it's tough for us compared to classical guitarists who can go to a shop and spend a day or two trying out a range of guitars, playing and comparing before deciding which one to buy. As lutenists we are seldom if ever are in this situation - at least in terms of fine instruments. Buying from an established maker involves placing an order then waiting months, sometimes years for the lute. Even then there is no guarantee that the instrument will sound and feel exactly as you had hoped. Another approach that I know some fine players have used is to keep an eye on new makers who build on spec and try their instruments, snapping one up at a favourable price if they find it suits them. This would work less well for a beginner who has less knowledge of what to look for - so we can find ourselves in a situation where experts play instruments by unknown makers and beginners spend very large sums ordering from makers of high repute. Is that a fair summary? Bill Sent from my BlackBerry smartphone from Virgin Media
-----Original Message----- From: "David Smith" <[email protected]> Sender: [email protected] Date: Sat, 7 Apr 2012 18:13:53 To: 'Lute List'<[email protected]> Subject: [LUTE] Re: What makes a good lute? Just to add my two cents. My lutes are a joy for the visual elegance they have, the artistry of the makers, the beauty of their sound, and the physical sensation of playing their strings. I would be hard pressed to say which is more important but without all of them I would be dissatisfied with them. >From the simplest lute (a 1968 Harwood and Isaacs that Donna Curry used to play) to the 2011 Barber&Harris and Rinzo Salvador lutes (very ornate) they all have their own souls to expose. My challenge is to learn what they have to offer and how to bring that out. For me this is a new journey. The strings matter (gut, nylgut, synthetics) and each type changes the character. My participation in this journey is to learn what works for me. It may not be the same as what works for anyone else but I am learning immense amounts from this community. So, in my judgment, there is no one thing that makes a good lute. The most important is the lutenist learning the lute and how to make it sing but all the other aspects also matter. Anyway, this is the view from a novice. Regards David -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sauvage Valéry Sent: Saturday, April 07, 2012 11:40 AM To: 'Lute List' Subject: [LUTE] Re: What makes a good lute? I agree with this post... -----Message d'origine----- De : [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] De la part de A.J. Padilla MD Objet : [LUTE] Re: What makes a good lute? In medicine, we have a saying, "The most important part of the stethoscope lies between the earpieces." It's in the fingers (or rather, the corpus striatum in the brain). Al To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
