Hi All,
As Georges says, having the D on the 7th course gives you a 7c lute with
an optional F on the 8th, which is handy for playing those pieces where
the 7th course is fingered (some of Dowland's difficult solos, and
Danyel's lute songs come to mind). No use for Molinaro, of course.
Many people (myself included) feel that there is a difference in sound
and feel between 7c and 8c lutes, which is perhaps more noticeable with
small instruments than big ones. On an 8c lute, the bridge is longer,
and there is more total string tension. From the playing point of view
I always feel I want either one or two less, or one or two more,
courses. A 7c lute seems much more at home with 6c music than an 8c, so
in a way it covers more music.
9c lutes are not popular these days but seem to have been common around
1600-1610. One nice tuning is with the 9th at Bb and the 8th at Eb, so
you get a lovely tuning/stringing arrangement for playing in Eb or Bb.
It's surprising how many pieces in "10c" sources (like Ballard) are
playable without modification on 9 courses.
10c lutes cover more music, of course, but you still have the E/Eb
tuning dilemma and it's really a "baroque" lute, a long way away from 6c
music. The great thing about it is the large repertoire for
transitional tunings.
Martin
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