Hi-If you are interested in the baroque lute, you should get one. You just might find the left hand fingerings easier on the fingers than the ren-lute. As to the question of how many courses-that should be determined by the music you want to play. Get a 13 course if you like Weiss and Bach, or get an 11 course if you like early German or French music. If you are not sure, just get a 13 course and you can cover it all. Sterling
----- Original Message ---- From: Alan Hoyle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: Lutelist Net <lute@cs.dartmouth.edu> Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2008 10:39:42 AM Subject: [LUTE] Decisions, decisions As retirement, and subsequent reduction of money to spend on luxuries, approaches, my wife (or 'wifu', David, but never again 'her indoors') has informed me that it should be possible for me to buy one last instrument. Realistically, though, I couldn't really go much beyond £2000( plus whatever I can get for my 1979 nine-course orpharion, which my slightly arthritic wrists, elbows & shoulders cannot manage to play now) At present, I have (in addition to the orpharion) a six-course G lute, a six-course G viola da mano, and a seven-course G lute that I built some 30 years ago from the Harwood & Isaacs lute kit - no prizes for guessing the repertoire that I have been playing. But now I find myself totally unsure what to choose. For many years I have dreamed of one day owning a baroque lute. Would that be a sensible choice for a man whose fingers are slowing down (to say nothing of his brain!). And if it were a sensible choice, then how many courses? The only baroque repertoire that I am at all familiar with is Weiss (thanks to Robert Barto) and Bach (thanks to Walter Gerwig) - almost certainly too demanding for me to contemplate trying to learn. I know nothing of the French 17th century styles, is there scope there for an aging novice? Should I stick to the 'Golden Age', simply moving from mostly pre-1550 to focus more on 1600? And then, once more the question arises, how many courses? I know this was discussed a few months ago & I can go and look in the archives... Or, should I stick with what I am accustomed to and buy an instrument of different character - a vihuela in A, for example, of a lower pitched lute in E or F? Or... should I simply tell my wife, 'No, dear, I really don't need any more instruments - I think you should buy yourself a bigger greenhouse'? I would seriously welcome suggestions and advice. Alan -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 3 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
