Monica, this tuning seems very odd? Fifth course a semitone lower than fourth course? Same note B on two courses (fifth course on fingerboard and fifth unstopped course)?
On 12 June 2019, at 12:08, Monica Hall <mjlh...@cs.dartmouth.edu> wrote: The latest issue of Early Music has a short article on the guitarre theorbee suggesting an interesting tuning/stringing method different from the one suggested by Donald Gill and myself - to witt - on the fingerboard - e' c' g c B 1st - 5th unstopped courses - F E D C B, 6th-7th unstopped courses - a g (nominally in C major - there is a C minor alternative) in other words there is a gap of an augmented 4th between the lowest note on the fingerboard and the first unstopped course, but this is filled in by the 6th and 7th courses which are at the correct pitch but out of sequence physically on the instrument rather than re-entrant in the strictest sense of the term. This certainly produces a better realization of the music - it eliminates the skip of a 7th in the bass line. I know that the theorbo sometimes had the lowest course or lowest two course re-entrant but these are not out of sequence. There is no gap between the stopped courses and diapasons. Does anyone know of any examples of a theorbo or other instrument where there is a gap between the stopped courses and the diapasons? What are the advantages to having the diapasons out of sequence like this. Are there any practical advantages either when constructing the instrument or when playing it? The strings will be of the same guage wherever they are positioned on the instrument. Food for thought. As ever Monica To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
