> On Feb 4, 2020, at 6:31 PM, Mark Probert <probe...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Suppose I given a piece of early > Baroque music, take Monteverdi's duet "Ardo e scoprir"[1] by way of > specific example, and I want to create a passable continuo line to > support the singers (potentially with me singing one of lines). > > I come armed with my lute, an a-historic Dm 13c lute, a certain amount > of theory, but no real clue apart from "play the indicated root" and > "arpeggiate the triads”.
Neither of those is necessarily a good idea, especially if by “play the indicated root” you mean assuming the bass note is the root of the chord. But if you know the basic rules (you’re familiar with the rule of the octave?) you can get most of the harmonies right without too much trouble. > Given this is akin to asking "how do you realize a bass," can anyone > point me in the direction of how you start such a journey on a lute? If you want to learn how to do it, I’d start with Nigel North’s "Continuo Playing on the Lute, Archlute and Theorbo.” If you just want to slap something together for a specific piece, you might get a realized version (which will probably be intended for piano) and alter it to suit your needs. > And if the theory is much different using a Dm lute rather than theorbo? The theory doesn’t change. A major chord is a major chord and a suspension is a suspension. You’ll have higher notes than a theorbo has, but less volume and sustain. Sometimes this means playing a busier accompaniment to keep the sound going (good luck with that if you’re singing at the same time). To get on or off this list see list information at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/~wbc/lute-admin/index.html
