Hi Michael, ++Glad you enjoyed your trip.
Whilst visiting the one of the most charming cities in Italia, Cremona, where Stradivari worked. I visited the museum that houses tools, and moulds etc. from his workshop, I was hoping some energy from the master would be absorbed into my DNA, my hopes were fulfilled. ++That is a wonderful museum which also has a violin by G.B. Ceruti, although not one of his best, to be sure. His best violins can be heard in various orchestras. Some concert masters have them, a fact that I discovered while singing with one. I noticed a lute template of the belly ( 11 course French lute) made from thick paper, folded down the middle to from the centre line, indicating to me, that lutes were originally conceived to be symmetrically prefect, and do in fact have a clear centre line, contrary to what Lundberg says. ++Yes, that is interesting. I also learned, while I was there, that Stradivari also made mandolins, although I have yet to see one in person. Cheers, Marion ++++++++++Mandolino napoletano+++++++++++ To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
