1. What is it?
A. It's a Renaissance lute. Ancient ancestor of the guitar. It started
showing up in tapestries and paintings around the 12th century in Europe.
2. Where'd it come from?
A. The lute evolved from the Arabian oud ( o' ud --literally 'of wood')
which is an instrument from the Arabian peninsula that dates back about
3500 years or better.
3. Why's the head bent back like that? Someone break your guitar, guy?
A. Ha, ha, ha. never heard that one before.... (....swine ) The head's
bent back for a couple of reasons. First of all, it probably is a vestigal
remains in design from the oud which has a similiarly raked back peg head,
but it has a practical function as well. It decreases the tension of the
strings on the delicate table or soundboard (which is only about a millimeter
and a half thick), slightly by being bent back at such an angle.
4. How many strings?
The lute you see me playing is a late renaissance lute and has 19 strings
in ten courses. A course is a double set of strings. The odd number is
from the single chanterelle, (the singer in french ), or melody string
that is not doubled in this incarnation of the renaissance lute. Really,
it's not much more complicated than a 12 stringed guitar, although it
looks considerably more impressive than a 12 string.
5. How is it tuned? (guitarists always seem to want to know this)
The Renaissance lute is tuned lower than a guitar. Its range is in the
tenor range. The chanterelle is tuned to 'g' and then the first course
is a forth lower or 'd', proceeding down in forths until the 5 th course,
(where the 'A' would be on a guitar--but it's not an 'A' on the lute...
Confused? Excellent! ). From there the balance of the stings back diatonically
down the scale, until you finally run out of strings. (Lutenists were
noted for going mad or being drunkards betimes on olde times)
6. How can I make my guitar sound like a lute?
A. You don't. You can't. However, what you can do if you want to play
the formidable literature out there written for the renaissance or baroque
lute is de-tune your 'g' string one half step down to 'f #' . Now, move
all your chording positions one string bass-ward on the fingerboard. You've
lost a bass note, haven't you? Ah, but voila! You've gained a chanterelle
! Most of the Baroque tablature is written in a D minor tuning--(as if
your life isn't complicated enough already-)having previously tuned to
the renaissance tuning, now tune your guitar to a d minor chord (leave
the chanterelle intact). Go ahead and tackle that Lephold Sylvanius Weiss
piece you've been salivating over for so long.
7. Why'd you get involved in playing the lute anyway?
A. Sheer caprice. I offer no defense.
8. How long have you been playing the lute?
A. About 3 years (as of this writing, May 2006) As I'm a self taught guitarist
for 40 years before that... yep, I'm a crossover.... (no, I don't want
to discuss thumb-under/thumb out technique with you.), as also are many
of the prominant lutenists of today.
IF YOU'VE MADE IT TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE:
I 'd like to whole heartedly thank you for your interest in the lute,
and trust that
some of your questions have been answered (in part, at least), be sure
to visit
the links page for some more intensive searching of this, the prince of
all instruments,
however desceased it might be, its alive in my heart, and now, hopefully,
in yours.
Christopher Kohut