Rob, this video is very nice! I like your gentle way of telling, or rather suggesting us, guitarists, how to take the first steps towards mastering the Baroque lute, an instrument that deeply fascinates every guitarist. You are a great teacher! Thanks for this highly inspirational lesson!
Thanks Attila! I personally prefer double courses for lutes, but it can still sound great with single strings. And if single strings helps guitar players make the transition, then I am all for it. Best wishes for your own musical development!
Rob, it's funny that you posted this because I've been in a heavy baroque lute kick recently. Going to give myself a couple of months listening and considering if I really want to take up the baroque lute. Seems like a very daunting commitment and I need to be sure with myself. With such priorities in life, it's hard to find time to pursue more than one instrument.
Good luck. It can be hugely rewarding, but also quite frustrating if you don't have a decent instrument and good strings. Have a listen to Lucian Contini, who I mentioned in the video. He plays beautifully on single strings.
Really awesome Rob. I have the Galilei model from LLD. It's amazing, but I come from the guitar background. I was working on playing with the double courses for a while and was getting frustrated and took the octaves and unisons off but felt like I was committing sacrilege by doing that. I can finally get a comfy feel and focus on the music and it still resonates beautifully. Watching you talk about this made me feel so much better. Thank you!
This is an interesting idea. I was considering doing this back when I owned a lute, but never got around to it. It would've made tuning much less of a hassle.
Very nice playing but I prefer the double strings for each course, also Mouton it'd be impossible to play on single strings as he demands to separate the bass and the octave.
This is an outstanding video in so many ways. I greatly enjoyed your playing. I was also struck by the quality of the recording. After a quick search of your website i didn't find any information about your recording methods for these videos. Would you mind describing your setup and equipment, or point me to a link if you have already discussed this. Thanks.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, David. I use a Ride NT4 mic into a Fostex FR2LE hard-disk recorder. Then I edit the file in Wavelab Essential 6, usually just chopping the beginning and end of, and Normalising the level, and adding a touch reverb. I bring the sound and video together in Vegas Studio Lite. Cheers.
Very nice sound indeed. I'm just wondering how modern music (I mean jazz/bossa tunes) or classical guitar pieces would render on luth? Could you please record a video on that? We often hear luth piece played on guitar, but I almost never heard the inverse. Thanks, Best regards
I prefer to play music written for the instrument I'm playing, but have played some arrangements. I'm not really interested in playing bossa nova on a lute, but I imagine it would sound interesting.
I own a renaissance lute can I played it with single strings too , but is it historical correct or does't matter? I have 2 LP's of Eugene Dombois where he plays the Barok lute the sound of the high double strings is more ringing do you agree? If more lute players use single strings is this a new approach?
Hi Humphrey. You can play Renaissance lute with single strings. I don't think there is any evidence for it, but to be honest, we don't even know how they really made strings, never mind how they interpreted their music. There is still so much we don't know, or will probably ever know. So, you have to absorb what you can, and then express yourself, no matter how that is. Francesco da Milano is said to have played with silver thimbles on his fingers, and Mersenne said strings should ring on for one third of a minute, twenty seconds. I don't see anyone playing lute with thimbles, or with strings that ring on so long. I'm at an age where I have absorbed a lot from my lute studies, but now feel I am happy to go wherever my inner feelings take me. I'll leave it to others to worry about whether it is "authentic" or not. Best wishes, Rob.
Hi Rob, honestly I don't play very often my Renaissance lute because tuning my lute is problematic because the tuning pegs have very heavy spin or to loose when turning to pitch. I bought the lute from Ebay €500 the tunings pegs are not the best, maybe I should replace all the tuning pegs with ebony pegs and try again playing the lute( I'm little frustrated when I try to get my lute in tune) and buying your lute book. Cheers, Humphrey
Thanx for your advice about the loose tuning pegs, what to do about the the tuning pegs with heavy spin? I ordered your lute book btw, I own a 8 course Renaissance lute, is there a big different in comparison with a 6 course lute and the lessons in your lute book? (Tuning etc.)
That is very pretty performance. I like this idea to put single strings instead of double courses. Can you write in more detail what strings you have put on? If I would have the same 690 measure, A=440, could you advice me how (where) I should order similar or the same set as you have used on this video?
Very clear and helpful thank you! The piece at the end was played beautifully too. Would you consider the tied frets bothersome for the thumb of the fretting hand? Would one have to change technique or anything when coming from guitar to lute in order to adjust to the tied frets?
After a very short while you will not notice frets on the back of the neck. They just seem to disappear. The left hand technique is similar to classical guitar, but with fewer barre chords due to most bass notes being open strings. The big difference is that the right hand thumb almost always plays rest strokes. Get that sorted, and the rest will follow.
Thank you very much for answering my questions. I like your channel a lot! You were the one who convinced me that I could make any right hand technique, with or without nails, work - which led to me starting to play the classical guitar and I am very happy with it. And now, one and a half year later, my interest in the lute is growing on a daily basis, thanks to the impulses I received on your channel which were the first ones to introduce me to the world of the lute and the music that comes with it!
@@Aalii6 Comment of the Day, Ali, and it's only 10am. Keep at it. It took me five years of lute playing before I felt I was getting anywhere. But that was before the internet landed, and there was no one in Scotland to teach me. So, keep up the good work!
Am a little confused about 415 Hz tuning. l have a baroque lute from Le Luth Dore. If I use a tuning fork to tune the A note to 415, how do I go about tuning the rest of the strings? by ear? and trying to find them as intervals above and below the A not?
I use an electronic tuner, or the ClearTune app. You can set it to 415, and just tune any string to its name. It will show you the name of the note as it is at 415. So, if you need an F, for instance, it will show the letter F. Few people use tuning forms these days.
Thank you. That was actually very helpful. I will look for the ClearTune app. In the meanwhile, could I ask you the name of the electronic tuner. Oh," the tuning fork", is because i am an old man.
There are many brands of electronic tuner, and quite a few of them allow choosing different overall pitches, but not usually as low as 415. All I have an electronic tuner for 440, but sometimes tune to the note a semitone below, D# instead of E, for instance. They vary in price. Mine is by t.c. electronic.
That was a really interesting little talk, Rob. Are you planning to keep it set up with single strings, or do you plan to go back to double courses later on?
Good question. As you know, I play guitar and theorbo (and quite a few other instruments too!) and as I get older, I'm finding it harder to jump from one to another. So, for that reason, going single is attractive to me. We will see, is all I can say...
Exactly that. The soundboard is designed to work optimally at a certain tension, which effectively is halved when half the strings are removed. It will work, but not very well.
I had a 8 strings lute for a while. I thought it is an amazing instrument, but I gave up because the 'stupid' wooden pegs.... really antediluvian technology. Even on a violin it is barely acceptable, but with 16 strings to deal with, it's just ridiculous. If I am correct, during the Renaissance and Baroque, it was said that lute players spent half of their lives just tuning up the instrument. Maybe that was a bit of a hyperbole, but still. It's a shame, as I was genuinely amazed by the musical possibilities offered by the lute. Musically, it would be far more capable than a 6 strings guitar, allowing for more advanced bass lines to be used. Even the sound, in my opinion, is superior to that of the guitar, which is almost a baritone instrument. The higher pitched tuning of the lute gives it more brilliance and liveliness, along with the resonance of the courses. Truly a beautiful sounding guitar-like instrument. Of course, you have known all this for far longer than I have. Just saying....I would have had no problem abandoning the classical guitar in favour of the 8 strings lute, if it weren't for the wooden pegs. After all, it's the music that should sound 'period authentic'.....we don't play geared tuners or wooden pegs. PS. congratulations for your excellent work.
Cheers, Luigi. Do a search for Pegheds lute pegs. They look like wooden lute pegs, but have hidden gears inside them. Might but what you are looking for.
You play very well, but a warning on le luth dore brand. I do not want to create any confrontation here but please do not compare those chinese instruments to the work of professional luthiers because it is not only ethically regrettable but simply and logically far from the truth.
Well, I'm lucky to have played a couple of great instruments by UK luthiers, better than the Luth Doré instrument, but also more than twice the price. I've also played some very poor instruments by UK makers, and they were also twice the price. Just because it is a professionally-made instrument in the UK does not automatically make it a high-level instrument, in the same way that a lute made in China must necessarily be an awful instrument. It's a far more complicated story than you appear to or want to think. East = bad, West = good - I'm afraid it's not that simple. So, please explain why my ethics are regrettable, and also detail the logic you refer to. And have you played this Weiss model?
![[ ออกกอง ] วัยหนุ่ม 2544 โลกหลังลูกกรง..ทัวร์กองถ่ายหนังใน "คุกของจริง" | JUSTดูIT.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vB--aOkZCpw/mqdefault.jpg)
You can hear me play the same piece on the same lute, but with double courses, here: th-cam.com/video/cEddIvbvM7Y/w-d-xo.html
Great music teacher, and of course musician. Thanks, greetings from France
Cheers, Alain. Thanks for all your comments.
What a nice lighting. It looks like a vintage B&W print. It sounds like a song from heaven.
when this man passes on he will do so knowing that he has produced something of beauty.
thank you internet.
Thanks. I'm in no hurry to pass ;-)
Rob, this video is very nice! I like your gentle way of telling, or rather suggesting us, guitarists, how to take the first steps towards mastering the Baroque lute, an instrument that deeply fascinates every guitarist. You are a great teacher! Thanks for this highly inspirational lesson!
Thanks Attila! I personally prefer double courses for lutes, but it can still sound great with single strings. And if single strings helps guitar players make the transition, then I am all for it. Best wishes for your own musical development!
Rob, it's funny that you posted this because I've been in a heavy baroque lute kick recently. Going to give myself a couple of months listening and considering if I really want to take up the baroque lute. Seems like a very daunting commitment and I need to be sure with myself. With such priorities in life, it's hard to find time to pursue more than one instrument.
Good luck. It can be hugely rewarding, but also quite frustrating if you don't have a decent instrument and good strings. Have a listen to Lucian Contini, who I mentioned in the video. He plays beautifully on single strings.
Thanks muchly Rob, U are a true Scholar. And a mighty fine musician!
Brilliant, informative, inspiring; thanks for sharing this.
Really awesome Rob. I have the Galilei model from LLD. It's amazing, but I come from the guitar background. I was working on playing with the double courses for a while and was getting frustrated and took the octaves and unisons off but felt like I was committing sacrilege by doing that. I can finally get a comfy feel and focus on the music and it still resonates beautifully. Watching you talk about this made me feel so much better. Thank you!
Thank you! Alan
And I thank you in return, Alan. Rob
Marvellous !
Cheers, Robin. Go get yourself a lute! 😎
Very nice
Fascinating!
Beautiful Rob.
Cheers, Phil.
Awsome, Cant wait to get my Le Luth Dore Lute (8c)
Interesting stuff :) It's great watching you play.
Very interesting, and the lute sounds lovely - reminiscent of the sound produced by Walter Gerwig on his DG 'Archiv' recordings.
Yes, he was ripping me off, but disguised doing so by doing it earlier ;-)
This is an interesting idea. I was considering doing this back when I owned a lute, but never got around to it. It would've made tuning much less of a hassle.
Exactly. Tuning a lute can be a nightmare.
Very nice playing but I prefer the double strings for each course, also Mouton it'd be impossible to play on single strings as he demands to separate the bass and the octave.
Sure, but you are a lute player. My comments are aimed at guitarists, to get them into the lute rather than multi-stringed guitars.
This is an outstanding video in so many ways. I greatly enjoyed your playing. I was also struck by the quality of the recording. After a quick search of your website i didn't find any information about your recording methods for these videos. Would you mind describing your setup and equipment, or point me to a link if you have already discussed this. Thanks.
Thanks for your thoughtful comments, David. I use a Ride NT4 mic into a Fostex FR2LE hard-disk recorder. Then I edit the file in Wavelab Essential 6, usually just chopping the beginning and end of, and Normalising the level, and adding a touch reverb. I bring the sound and video together in Vegas Studio Lite. Cheers.
Very nice sound indeed.
I'm just wondering how modern music (I mean jazz/bossa tunes) or classical guitar pieces would render on luth?
Could you please record a video on that?
We often hear luth piece played on guitar, but I almost never heard the inverse. Thanks,
Best regards
I prefer to play music written for the instrument I'm playing, but have played some arrangements. I'm not really interested in playing bossa nova on a lute, but I imagine it would sound interesting.
That’s s cool lute rob, but that shirt is kickass!
Haha. Denim shirt from Marks & Spencer :-)
I own a renaissance lute can I played it with single strings too , but is it historical correct or does't matter? I have 2 LP's of Eugene Dombois where he plays the Barok lute the sound of the high double strings is more ringing do you agree?
If more lute players use single strings is this a new approach?
Hi Humphrey. You can play Renaissance lute with single strings. I don't think there is any evidence for it, but to be honest, we don't even know how they really made strings, never mind how they interpreted their music. There is still so much we don't know, or will probably ever know. So, you have to absorb what you can, and then express yourself, no matter how that is. Francesco da Milano is said to have played with silver thimbles on his fingers, and Mersenne said strings should ring on for one third of a minute, twenty seconds. I don't see anyone playing lute with thimbles, or with strings that ring on so long. I'm at an age where I have absorbed a lot from my lute studies, but now feel I am happy to go wherever my inner feelings take me. I'll leave it to others to worry about whether it is "authentic" or not. Best wishes, Rob.
Hi Rob, honestly I don't play very often my Renaissance lute because tuning my lute is problematic because the tuning pegs have very heavy spin or to loose when turning to pitch. I bought the lute from Ebay €500 the tunings pegs are not the best, maybe I should replace all the tuning pegs with ebony pegs and try again playing the lute( I'm little frustrated when I try to get my lute in tune) and buying your lute book.
Cheers, Humphrey
You should use chalk on your pegs, which should stop them spinning. Ebony is not the best material for pegs. I prefer a softer wood, like yew or plum.
Thanx for your advice about the loose tuning pegs, what to do about the the tuning pegs with heavy spin?
I ordered your lute book btw, I own a 8 course Renaissance lute, is there a big different in comparison with a 6 course lute and the lessons in your lute book? (Tuning etc.)
That is very pretty performance. I like this idea to put single strings instead of double courses. Can you write in more detail what strings you have put on? If I would have the same 690 measure, A=440, could you advice me how (where) I should order similar or the same set as you have used on this video?
Very clear and helpful thank you! The piece at the end was played beautifully too.
Would you consider the tied frets bothersome for the thumb of the fretting hand? Would one have to change technique or anything when coming from guitar to lute in order to adjust to the tied frets?
After a very short while you will not notice frets on the back of the neck. They just seem to disappear. The left hand technique is similar to classical guitar, but with fewer barre chords due to most bass notes being open strings. The big difference is that the right hand thumb almost always plays rest strokes. Get that sorted, and the rest will follow.
Thank you very much for answering my questions. I like your channel a lot! You were the one who convinced me that I could make any right hand technique, with or without nails, work - which led to me starting to play the classical guitar and I am very happy with it. And now, one and a half year later, my interest in the lute is growing on a daily basis, thanks to the impulses I received on your channel which were the first ones to introduce me to the world of the lute and the music that comes with it!
@@Aalii6 Comment of the Day, Ali, and it's only 10am. Keep at it. It took me five years of lute playing before I felt I was getting anywhere. But that was before the internet landed, and there was no one in Scotland to teach me. So, keep up the good work!
Am a little confused about 415 Hz tuning. l have a baroque lute from Le Luth Dore. If I use a tuning fork to tune the A note to 415, how do I go about tuning the rest of the strings? by ear? and trying to find them as intervals above and below the A not?
I use an electronic tuner, or the ClearTune app. You can set it to 415, and just tune any string to its name. It will show you the name of the note as it is at 415. So, if you need an F, for instance, it will show the letter F. Few people use tuning forms these days.
Thank you. That was actually very helpful. I will look for the ClearTune app. In the meanwhile, could I ask you the name of the electronic tuner.
Oh," the tuning fork", is because i am an old man.
There are many brands of electronic tuner, and quite a few of them allow choosing different overall pitches, but not usually as low as 415. All I have an electronic tuner for 440, but sometimes tune to the note a semitone below, D# instead of E, for instance. They vary in price. Mine is by t.c. electronic.
That was a really interesting little talk, Rob. Are you planning to keep it set up with single strings, or do you plan to go back to double courses later on?
Good question. As you know, I play guitar and theorbo (and quite a few other instruments too!) and as I get older, I'm finding it harder to jump from one to another. So, for that reason, going single is attractive to me. We will see, is all I can say...
Even with single strings, a Baroque lute still sounds distinctly different from a classical guitar.
Indeed, Sam. You'll have to buy one :-)
@@RobMacKillop1 LOL I like double courses on lutes.
Why could i not just remove every other string? Problem with the tension or what? :/
Exactly that. The soundboard is designed to work optimally at a certain tension, which effectively is halved when half the strings are removed. It will work, but not very well.
The woderful music starts at 11:17
Good idea, Karl. I talk too much :-)
I had a 8 strings lute for a while. I thought it is an amazing instrument, but I gave up because the 'stupid' wooden pegs.... really antediluvian technology. Even on a violin it is barely acceptable, but with 16 strings to deal with, it's just ridiculous. If I am correct, during the Renaissance and Baroque, it was said that lute players spent half of their lives just tuning up the instrument. Maybe that was a bit of a hyperbole, but still. It's a shame, as I was genuinely amazed by the musical possibilities offered by the lute. Musically, it would be far more capable than a 6 strings guitar, allowing for more advanced bass lines to be used. Even the sound, in my opinion, is superior to that of the guitar, which is almost a baritone instrument. The higher pitched tuning of the lute gives it more brilliance and liveliness, along with the resonance of the courses. Truly a beautiful sounding guitar-like instrument. Of course, you have known all this for far longer than I have. Just saying....I would have had no problem abandoning the classical guitar in favour of the 8 strings lute, if it weren't for the wooden pegs. After all, it's the music that should sound 'period authentic'.....we don't play geared tuners or wooden pegs. PS. congratulations for your excellent work.
Cheers, Luigi. Do a search for Pegheds lute pegs. They look like wooden lute pegs, but have hidden gears inside them. Might but what you are looking for.
You play very well, but a warning on le luth dore brand. I do not want to create any confrontation here but please do not compare those chinese instruments to the work of professional luthiers because it is not only ethically regrettable but simply and logically far from the truth.
Well, I'm lucky to have played a couple of great instruments by UK luthiers, better than the Luth Doré instrument, but also more than twice the price. I've also played some very poor instruments by UK makers, and they were also twice the price. Just because it is a professionally-made instrument in the UK does not automatically make it a high-level instrument, in the same way that a lute made in China must necessarily be an awful instrument. It's a far more complicated story than you appear to or want to think. East = bad, West = good - I'm afraid it's not that simple. So, please explain why my ethics are regrettable, and also detail the logic you refer to. And have you played this Weiss model?