Caroline, and Timothy, I wonder at the concern for strings from rank beginners (as I am also). The lute is a subtle instrument, and I'm learning that in my play. But I have a very good ear for tone and pitch and have had to use nylon fishing line for my chanterelle to tune it up to g' without breaking as the lute is a bit long for that tuning (63.5). Since then I've found a nylon guage of musical string that holds the pitch. The rest of my instrument is nylgut.
But here is my point, you are learning to play, and what you play should approximate the sound of the lute as it was (which no one, even on this list, is quite sure of - unless they are either immortal or attuned to the music sent out into space 400 years ago - at very low volume). Any instrument needs two things, the instrument itself and the player. I have an expensive penny whistle I bought a few years ago, but I can't match the sound of a real player using a $5 store bought whistle. It is a compromise. A bad instrument will turn you off, but one that is too good will not help you, it will just cost you money. My "flat back", denigrated by some here, has the right string spacing and a sound that is "lutelike". So I'm now in the process of making a real one, but only as I've "found the joy of the lute". The difference between nylon, nylgut and gut is a matter of detail. Until you get the "attack" on the strings you probably won't notice it. Learn your tool before you spend too much on the details. Drummers often practice on a "dead" piece of board. And for the purists, this is no suggestion that there isn't a difference, even for the beginner. It is just a matter of priorities. Where do you spend the money and time? To me it is learning the music. Best, Jon To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
