what is a lute course?

Full Answer

How do you play the lute?

The lute is plucked or strummed with one hand while the other hand "frets" (presses down) the strings on the neck's fingerboard. By pressing the strings on different places of the fingerboard, the player can shorten or lengthen the part of the string that is vibrating, thus producing higher or lower pitches (notes).

What kind of instrument is a lute?

A lute (/ljuːt/) is any plucked string instrument with a neck (either fretted or unfretted) and a deep round back enclosing a hollow cavity, usually with a sound hole or opening in the body. More specifically, the term "lute" can refer to an instrument from the family of European lutes.

How many courses does a lute have?

For most of the sixteenth century a lute with six courses, in a tuning close to that of the modern guitar, was used.

How are the strings of a lute tuned?

The courses are tuned in unison for high and intermediate pitches, but for lower pitches one of the two strings is tuned an octave higher (the course where this split starts changed over the history of the lute).

How many courses can a lute have?

Medieval lutes were four- and five-course instruments, plucked with a quill as a plectrum. There were several sizes and, by the end of the Renaissance, seven sizes (up to the great octave bass) are documented.

Is learning lute hard?

The lute attracted the attention of the most accomplished musicians in its day, and so some of the repertoire is very hard, but at the same time, the simplest lute music can sound truly beautiful if played with a correct basic technique.

What is an 8 course lute?

This Roosebeck 8 course travel lute has a body made of eleven solid sheesham staves, a sheesham neck and sheesham fingerboard. The peg box is solid sheesham attached at an angle of 135 degrees to reduce the depth of the instrument. The tuning pegs and end pin are sheesham. The soundboard is made out of European spruce.

Is lute easy to learn?

To answer this question, the lute is no more difficult to learn to play than other stringed instruments such as the guitar or violin. If you want to learn an instrument of any kind, even the lute, you simply need to put your mind to it and get started. Any instrument is going to take time to master.

What is the hardest instrument to learn?

The 11 Hardest Musical Instruments to LearnViolin. The violin is a wooden stringed instrument that's part of a larger family of similar instruments. ... The French Horn. ... The Organ. ... Bagpipes. ... Accordion. ... Oboe. ... Harp. ... Guitar.More items...

What's the easiest instrument to play?

The 11 Easiest Musical Instruments to LearnKeyboard. ... Castanets.Harmonica. ... DJ Controller. ... The Harp. ... Drums. ... Guitar. ... Ukulele. The ukulele is one of the most popular instruments for people to start with.More items...

How much does a lute cost?

All lutes are custom made instruments, and therefore they tend to be expensive. A used Larry Brown student lute, the "standard" of the beginner's lute world, goes for $1500 USA these days, give or take $500.

How many strings does a lute have?

The lute can have many strings, usually strung in pairs, called “courses.” In fact, the lute in our picture is an eight-course lute, which has 15 strings. (The highest string usually doesn't have a partner.) Normally, the two strings of a course are tuned to the same pitch.

How many strings are on a baroque guitar?

1600–1750) is a string instrument with five courses of gut strings and moveable gut frets....Baroque guitar.Baroque guitar built by Matteo Salas, c. 1630–50String instrumentClassificationString instrument (plucked)7 more rows

Is lute better than guitar?

Because of the lighter construction and strings, the sound the lute produces is much higher, brighter, and melodic than the guitar. The guitar has a deeper sound, even to the untrained ear. It is easy to distinguish the two by sound alone.

Do you play chords on a lute?

Lutes don't typically follow the same chord system as guitars. Instead, the notes in a chord will be specified using alphabetic notation on the French tablature.

Are guitars lutes?

The principal difference between guitars and lutes is that guitars have flat backs and lutes are rounded.

What are lutes made of?

Lutes are made of hardwood, especially maple, rosewood, or ebony. The wooden body is shaped into a flat thin plate, and they contain a hole below the strings that is known as rose. Unlike guitars, the hole is not completely open, rather is it covered with a single grille in the form of a vine. Some of them are also contain a decorated knot in place of a vine that is carved in wood.

How much does a lute cost?

Lutes are not a common instrument anymore like guitars and drums. They are custom made have a price range from $500 to $1500. However, is you want this instrument with higher courses then it may cost you a bit more than $1500.

What are the strings of a lute made of?

The strings of the lute were previously made of animal gut. Nowadays people use a mixture of nylon and animal gut to make its strings. You must be wonder animal gut? Well, there is a reason behind it.

How thick is a lute soundboard?

The thickness of a lute’s soundboard varies. It is mostly around 1.5 to 2.5 mm, however, previous craftsmen used to tune the belly of the instrument as by removing the mass and braced it according to the preference of luthiers to produce sonic musical notes. Some lute players used to coat their instrument’s belly with a thin shellac coat to keep it free from dirt.

When did the lute become popular?

Lute gained its popularity in Europe in the early 1600s and has reached its peak popularity in the 1700s. Most of you may know Lute as a musical instrument, but it was considered a popular art during The Renaissance and Baroque periods. It however originated in the Arab during the 13th century.

What is a chordophone with a hole in its belly?

It can be described as an instrument with a plucked chordophone that has few strings attached to its belly. It consists of a hole inside its belly that helps to echo sound and produce soft music.

How many courses does the lute have?

Many people taking up the lute begin with a seven-course renaissance instrument. Not only is there much excellent music specifically for this instrument, but being similar in sound to a six-course instrument, it is suitable for playing the entire sixteenth century repertoire.

What is the lute capable of?

The instrument is capable of producing the most beautiful sounds, and has a vast repertoire of music, which it would take a lifetime to explore fully. This repertoire includes not only solo music, but a substantial body of songs, duets, and consort pieces, and so the lute offers opportunities for social as well as solo playing.

How many pages are there in Stefan Lundgren's Baroque Lute Companion?

Miguel Yisrael, Method for the Baroque Lute (Ut Orpheus Edizioni) very extensive at 356 pages. Ut Orpheus Edizioni have also published a tutor for theorbo.

Is New Grove a good place to study lute?

As always New Grove is a good starting point for lute studies. The main fora for the publication of lute studies are The Lute (Journal of the Lute Society), The Journal of the Lute Society of America; the Deutsche Lautengesellschaft also now has a Jahrbuch.

Is lute music hard?

The lute attracted the attention of the most accomplished musicians in its day, and so some of the repertoire is very hard, but at the same time, the simplest lute music can sound truly beautiful if played with a correct basic technique.

Is the lute weaker than the guitar?

The main point is that the lute, which (compared to the guitar) is weak in the lower harmonics and strong in the higher, can sound tinny if played with nails.

Who published the Renaissance lute?

Stefan Lundgren, Method for the Renaissance Lute (Tree Edition) Stefan Lundgren, New Method for the Renaissance Lute (Lundgren Edition) Andrea Damiani, Method for Renaissance Lute (Ut Orpheus Edizioni) A series of beginners' lessons by Lynda Sayce is published by the Lute Society.