Hello Paul:
I would strongly suggest that you look into David Van Edwards WONDERFUL
course on the building of either a Renaissance or Baroque lute
Which type of lute you build will actually depend on the music you wish to
play and the level of your skills. I think the baroque lute might be a
little more daunting if only for the construction of the neck and
fingerboard as well as the bass rider.
If you want to play the music of Bach or Weiss, then the Baroque.
If you are interested in the music of Dowland, Da Milano etc then the
Renaissance lute.
After this decision is made while at the professional level there are going
to be differences between which kind of Baroque or Renaissance instrument
you are going to build be it a Tielke or Mahler or Venere or Hoffman, for
the beginning luthier this kind of differentiation should be less of a
concern than picking a good representative example of the type of lute which
allows you to play the music you wish and then make it as well as possible
and that with good guidance. In general lutes are among the richest sounding
plucked instruments we have anyway and I don't think you can go wrong using
any good historical example as a guide actually.
David used a Hoffman 13c lute for his baroque course (Hoffman being one of
the greatest instrument builders of any age - he was the builder to JS Bach
no less) and a lovely instrument based on the George Gerle lute of 1560 for
his Renaissance course
There is a lot of "special" things which must be done to build an
instrument like a lute and as well these things really need to be done in a
certain order - David's course covers these things and gives you wonderful
information as well.
I would also suggest you look at his web site and see the instruments he
builds..
http://www.vanedwards.co.uk/
I am especially fond of his realization of the Leopold Widhalm 13c baroque
lute as well as the 6-8 course Renaissance lute in G after VVendelio Venere
1592.
I think one cannot do better than to do his course.
As far as the "mellow" quality of lutes you hear on recordings, by the way,
I would say first that a lot of the sound quality you might hear on a disc
relates as much to touch of the player as to the instrument and also to the
recording venue and equipment used for the recordings. I worked for decades
in ultra high end audio design and also with Kavi Alexander at Waterlily
Acoustics doing several recordings one of Ali Akbar Kahn and can attest to
the differences which varying recording chains can create in the overall
sound.
In general the quality of the instrument at least with respect to the
materials used, absolutely rests with the choice of woods for the top. Yes
the staves if they are of blackwood or rosewood etc figured maple will have
an effect, but the quality of the top is ultimately the most important.
As important too is your woodworking skills. one can get a C- sound from an
AAA top simply by rushing the project and by not paying CAREFUL attention to
the thicknesses of the top and the bracing. David goes into great detail
here.
Finally , and all things being equal, your strings will have a good deal to
say as to the final character of sound you will ultimately attain.
Carbon fiber is a bright and brilliant sound , many baroque players use
carbon fiber, while nylgut will give a bit richer sound and is also
preferred by many.
In general real gut strings will give you the roundest and richest sound (in
my opinion) of all.
Good luck with your project!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Paul Daverman" <daverman.p...@sbcglobal.net>
To: <lute-buil...@cs.dartmouth.edu>
Sent: Saturday, December 13, 2008 10:52 AM
Subject: [LUTE-BUILDER] What to build.
I am considering building a lute. Unfortunately, I have little
knowledge of the lute other that hearing the wonderful, mellow tone of
the lute on various recordings. I see there are plans available for
building various types of lutes. Does any one know of a resource that
has a list of the various types of lutes and a sound sampling of each
type?
So far, I have built a dulcimer (hammered), two mandolins, and am
currently working on a violin. (I also built two ukuleles for the
kids, but somehow it doesn't seem like those count.) I am looking to
build a plucked instrument with a richer, more mellow sound than the
mandolins. Any ideas on what type of lute?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Paul
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