Good question! I think the best way to go about it is to pick one genre. For example, if you choose late 16th century English pavins. Go find 10-15 of them (Johnson, Dowland, Holborne, etc.) and analyze them. You will start to see some common patterns. For example, with those pavins, you will find that they often open with a half note followed by two quarters (though often ornamented), they are broken into 3 sections with ornamented repeats, they have a regal character, and will commonly end with a reprise of the second half of the first A section. You will also find that the harmonic rhythm is fairly complex (lots of chord changes in a single measure). After you have analyzed the pieces and played them a bit, steal a bass line from one of them and write your own piece above it. This is an excellent way to create an entirely new work with a structure that you know is historical! : ) Rinse and repeat after that!

I think that just comes from me switching back and forth a lot : ) Sometimes my hand just goes for what feels and sounds best for that particular moment. I don't necessarily think it would be the same for someone else. It is interesting looking at historical paintings and images and seeing the great variety of right hand positions people used. It is definitely a spectrum and not so simple as thumb-under and thumb-out, though it is a convenient way to divide things : ) I think stretching exercise would be particularly hopeful when learning new techniques since that is definitely the time when we are most likely to injure ourselves! Something I will keep in mind for a future episode : )

@@banjoboy01 for sure! I actually talk about it in an upcoming LSA article. One thing I found very helpful was to spend some time playing the common C major shape with 2 3 and 4 instead of the usual 1 2 3. Once you are really used to playing C major that way, you just move it up to D and drop that first finger. There are a few other tricks that I will definitely discuss in a future video : )

@@laudonschuett3019 thanks again, guide, slide, pivot, anchor fingers etc. are great but when that chord comes out of nowhere I'm too slow, I'll wait for the future vid

@@banjoboy01 it can be brutal. I think going SUPER slow and practicing getting all of the fingers down at exactly (or almost exactly) the same time. Forming that shape in the air and slowly lowering it. You do this over and over and over and it does start to get easier and faster. The trick is to NEVER cheat and put one finger down ahead of the other. Then find a piece with a bunch of them and practice getting into it in different context. I will make video!

@@laudonschuett3019 well said, I've been fighting my "fly away" pinky on guitar for years and this frustrating lute chord is going to cure that problem! I just looked at Abondante thinking they were intermediate tunes...lots of D major

@@laudonschuett3019 hey..making the left hand "claw" and adjusting the elbow really help, I'm going to shut up and practice now

@@keithwilcox7489 thank you so much!

@@keithwilcox7489 thank you so much!

If you continue with the series, you will find that all of these topics are covered. I also provide links in all of my videos that help to fill in gaps. For example, my very first episode includes a link to the LSA beginner's guide, which covers all note names and gives basic instruction on changing strings. I also go into further detail in episode 7 (introduction to tablature) and I provide links to music education programs like artusi. I do have a video coming out in a few weeks that includes tips on lute maintenance and care. While it is important to learn note names, I don't think it should be the first priority when you pick the instrument up. Getting a good sitting position and a good sound from your right hand should come first. Students are often overwhelmed with too much information in the beginning when they should be using their ears. Unlike other instruments, lutes also come a great variety of tunings and can be strung in different ways. Without knowing what instrument a student has, it can be difficult to give the best advice. Do they have an A lute?G? F? D? How many courses? Do we want octaves on all the basses? What pitch level is best? This is information is best conveyed individually. Lutes really don’t have a standard tuning or stringing like other instruments, but I do talk about this over the course of the series. While you may not agree with my order, this information is included in this series so I would recommend watching more before passing judgment. Additionally, many students are VERY interested in the historical elements and I believe they are important to the understanding of the instrument and why we play it the way we do. As for being a show off, I don't know what to say....I'm a performer, of course I'm going to show off. I'm not going to apologize for that! Finally, I will just say that this is a FREE series that I am creating to help students who do not have a teacher make their way on the lute. I could just post performance videos and call it a day....but I think that combined with using google and a few other resources, it could really help someone who does not have access to private lessons (which are the best way to learn when available). Here is my video on tuning if you need help with that: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-knShPBOhTpY.htmlsi=beoNHBQdUkU-SDLk

@@laudonschuett3019 usted debe ser el único o quizás uno de los pocos que da esa explicación. Por otro lado, no digo que presumir sea malo sino que solo se concretan a esto. Hay un señor que también explica muy bien casi todo. De todas formas miraré los links que a los que usted refiere tener colgados en sus clases y no se ofenda que de los comentarios inquietos también se aprende. Saludos, Carmen

Thank you, Arash! That means a lot coming from you

@@jameslouder thank you so much, James, that is very kind!

@@banjoboy01 yeah, that would be amazing if we did

What an incredibly generous comment. Thank you for making my day! : )

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much!!

Thank you so, much! that really means a lot to me : )

Thank you, I am so glad you are finding the videos useful! : ) Happy practicing!

Thank you!

Thank you so much, Vanessa : )

@@miqbri it is a VERY special piece and I agree that it seems ahead of it’s time. The broken texture (almost style brise) and other things as well. I think you would like playing it! : )

@@laudonschuett3019 I'll make sure to add it to my 'on day hopefully' list ;)

So they never talk about it but I suspect they used dampened strings, especially when using the "Dalza" stroke, which is a strum with just the thumb. If you look at Dalza pivas, there will be random chords with splits and it just sounds weird to stop the strum, so I have always just dampened the string in between. I can't prove they did it but would blow my mind if they didn't : )

@@laudonschuett3019 also.....how often was an octave string used on the 4th course? any articles on the subject? I like the effect but need to watch when to use the index finger, thanks again Laudon

@@banjoboy01 Definitely used through Milano, Albert de Rippe, etc. Things get murkier after that. I'll see if I can find some up-to-date articles. The ones I remember are now getting pretty old and may not include more recently discovered sources! There are clues in the repertoire and I would say that the octave really starts to disappear in the 1590s, though it was probably already gone in some places and some repertoire. I'll pop back here in the next couple days if I find a good recent article!

@@banjoboy01 here is a nice little introductory article: luteshop.co.uk/2016/11/04/octave-stringing-irregular-to-the-rules-of-music/ I will see if there is something more comprehensive in the LSA journal or quarterly….

@@laudonschuett3019 I have seen Martin Shepard's site. article from 2016 so I didn't mention it after you responded. I'm not a LSA member but it looks like I can browse

P=thumb, I=index, M=middle, A=ring. I will put a note in the description to remind people of this. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it WAY back in episode 2 or 3 but it would be crazy to think that people would remember that this far in : ) Thank you for asking and I will put a clarification to help people! Cheers, Laudon

@@banjoboy01 it’s a great piece!

@@laudonschuett3019 I just looked at your version because I only play 6 course music. I like the minor key variation, is that uncommon for a bergamasca?

@@banjoboy01 that was inspired by this big beautiful change to minor in another ground, called Arthur’s Dump. I thought it would work nicely in a Bergamasca as well, though it would blow my mind if there isn’t an example in the literature. They definitely liked to play with Major/Minor/flat/sharp variations. The Milanese is basically a major version of the passamezzo antico. Thanks for asking and if I spot a bergamasca with that change, I will let you know : )

@@laudonschuett3019 thanks so much, one more thing...how strict is the ground since I don't have the low octave, there are times when a 1st or 2nd inversion could work in the bass, I'm just trying to avoid so much repetition of the root string

@@banjoboy01 great question! So they were fairly strict since the bass is the ground and not necessarily the harmony BUT there are some exceptions (just off the top of my head). First, you can add extra harmonies between the ground bass notes as long as those ground bass notes arrive on the downbeat of the next measure (John Johnson Quadro pavins for example). Second, I have seen substitutions, though I think all the ones I have seen were root position. Things like switching out an F major chord in a passamezzo moderno with a d minor chord. Usually this is after several iterations of the ground so it is clear that it is a variation.I think one of the great challenges is to keep it interesting over that static bass but I’m sure if you look hard enough through the repertoire, you will find some examples of 1st inversions of the ground. 2nd inversions would be avoided because of the 4th against the bass, which is cadential in the 16th century. I’ve only seen a few examples of non cadential 2nd inversion chords in fantasies where the composer got stuck and they usually find a way to pass through it quickly or break it up with a texture change. One thing I did before composing was a big survey and analyze of about 150 pieces and that helped to create a list of common traits and things they avoided. I hope this helps a bit! You know, looking at Vallet again after all these years, it has a few spots with inversions so there you go! I would say that that is fairly special but they obviously did it so okay to do! : ) m.49 and m.53 if you are looking for them….

I will be honest, I am not a huge fan of Pyramid, especially their bass fundamental strings (though I know some people really like them...). Over the years I have ended up with a chimera of strings that I use. For my bass fundamentals, I use the Aquila Corde "Reds." I absolutely love them. For the bass octaves and my 2-4 courses, I use Aquila Corde nylgut and then for my chanterelle, I use Savarez nylon. I like using the Aquila Corde chanterelles but they kept breaking on the road so the Savarez has been great, but I will admit that I don't like the sound or feel as much as the Aquila Corde nylgut. I've used real gut as well but it is just too expensive and finicky for the road. Keep in mind though that lutes are all so different. A string that sounds bad on one lute might sound great on another. Assuming you are in the United States, you might want to reach out to Chris at Boston Catlines. He is a string dealer who does a fantastic job of working with people to find the best strings for their individual instrument. Here is the website in case you don't have it: www.bostoncatlines.com I hope that helps a bit!

@@laudonschuett3019 very helpful! that's awesome. what gauge for Aquila chanterelle? I beat mine up with a thumbpick and she won't break! I'm going to experiment with Savarez trebles (carbon) since they are not expensive and I did get much use from the nylgut. I've tried the bass Reds, thanks for the suggestion and the website

@@banjoboy01 I don't remember but they were pretty thin. I might go back and try them again (this was years ago) because I do like the sound so much. The Savarez chanterelles I use are .47mm and I don't think I have ever broken one. I should also mention that the Savarez KF series bass strings are excellent as well if you are looking for an alternative to the reds. I'm not the type to change my strings often so sometimes I do forgot what I have on : ) Have fun experimenting!

@@sottosopravoce Thank you! yes, I’ve found those sort of things to be the most helpful as well. Combined with getting into a good mental state, it can completely change a practice session : )

@@dtrumpster thank you so much! : )

Thank you so much, Paul!

@@hansekin there is my little piglet! I was getting worried about you. You mentioned you were so much older than me and I feared that you went and got lost in the woods or maybe a big bad wolf got you, but no, here you are safe and sound. I ruminated on your advice and have decided that you are right. I will quit music and choose a new profession. I have decided to become a truffle hunter and you can be my little truffle sniffer, my piglet. I can already see you marching in front of me with your little snout and whiskers pushed into the dirt, searching for those delicious morsels! What do you think, my dearest?! I think we would make quite the team

@@robertpurrenhage1400 best of luck!! Outdoor performances are always hard and yes, often comes to down to just making sure you are audible. Like you said, though, it is often a great way to reach new ears : )

Great comments and questions! Let me try to unpack everything here. First, I would say that this video really isn't for someone like you. My experience with beginners is that usually they are not paying attention to their tone at all. It sounds like it is something that has been very much at the front of your mind when playing and for a student like you I might say something like, "it's good to think about your tone but don't let it freeze you up." I do think that tone is very important for beginners to work on and it is often something that is totally ignored, but that may not be the case for you. Now, for the bit from 6:25 to 6:35....yeah, I got some pretty nice tone on that index finger! As for the thumb, who knows, maybe it was an off day or my skin was drier than normal, or I've worked so hard to get good tone on my index that it is actually more consistent now. I don't think the thumb tone was bad, it just got outshone in this moment by the index. Sometimes microphones pick things up in different ways and it sounds totally different live. It's really just about falling in to a range of good (nobody will ever be perfect!). It's a good example of the human quality of playing the instrument. There are a lot of VERY edited videos on RU-vid and I made the decision early on that I wouldn't do that because I do want students to have realistic expectations. If you watch a live video of one the lute greats (Paul O'Dette, Nigel North, Hopkinson Smith, etc.), you will hear buzzes, twangs, squeaks, etc. These are things that are often edited out of professional recordings like on cds (I can say for a fact that NOBODY sounds as perfect as they do on a professional recording and that is okay). Now, as for hitting both strings on that fourth. Good catch. You'll notice a little later in the video I was debating on whether I should retune the lower string of that course because they were a little out but I made the decision to just leave it. If one of the strings in a course goes out of tune, I will generally try to avoid hitting it (instead of rerecording the whole video or stopping to tune). Now, that said, I am also not obsessed with always hitting both strings in a course and I certainly do not believe that they should always be hit equally (especially bass strings). Depending on the context, I will change the emphasis. This idea of always hitting both courses appears to be a modern one....off the top of my head, I do not know of a single period source that says you should always hit both strings. It does make a nice sound but it is not always the "right" sound for the moment so I think it is much better to be flexible. There are also contrapuntal situations where you absolutely must emphasize one string of the course or the other or the voice leading is completely lost. Anyways, I hope this helps a bit and by no means do I want working on tone to get in the way of enjoying the instrument and learning pieces! Like you, I've worried about tone a lot and it can be good but it can also get in the way of the big picture. Let me know if you have any questions and I would be happy to answer those as well. Sorry for how long this is but figured I would give a well-rounded response : ) Cheers, Laudon

@@laudonschuett3019 > "it's good to think about your tone but don't let it freeze you up." That is a good advice, thank you. I am worried about building muscle memory of 'playing wrong', but it is probably something to accept, be aware of and work on gradually. > I don't think the thumb tone was bad, it just got outshone in this moment by the index. Sometimes microphones pick things up in different ways and it sounds totally different live. It's really just about falling in to a range of good (nobody will ever be perfect!). I didn't think that either! Just an observation. Mine definitely sounds bad, I can even get a nicer tone out of my ring finger consistently. But I am sure it comes from practice. For example, I've played ukulele for couple months and used PIMA without finger alteration, just assigned strings, so my A finger definitely got a lot of exercise on the highest string. :D > If you watch a live video of one the lute greats (Paul O'Dette, Nigel North, Hopkinson Smith, etc.), you will hear buzzes, twangs, squeaks, etc. Yes! That's one of the things that also draw me to the lute. Maybe it's a combination of the lute not being that loud so the microphones have to be set up in a way that they pick up all these little imperfections, maybe it is the rougher strings, maybe it's the no nail playing, maybe there are all kinds of reasons, but but the lute performances often sound very human and 'raw'. > off the top of my head, I do not know of a single period source that says you should always hit both strings. It does make a nice sound but it is not always the "right" sound for the moment so I think it is much better to be flexible. There are also contrapuntal situations where you absolutely must emphasize one string of the course or the other or the voice leading is completely lost. That makes sense, although in your case it is a deliberate choice, which is then even more impressive than always hitting both strings. In my case, it's more of 'hope to it both well but it does not always happen'. Maybe it emerges on its own to a degree where in slower or louder passages one would hit both more often and it would fit, while in lighter a faster passages it might more often only ring one. Either way, definitely something to work on for me. --- Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed reply, it's very helpful.

@@miqbri Of course, I love nuanced conversations like this! I really hate the "you must do this always" mentality. Don't beat yourself up about hitting both strings in the course always, I guarantee you that if you listen through my recordings you will find plenty of things (buzzes, ugly notes, single string when I meant to hit two, etc.). Listening to myself drives me nuts. Paul O'Dette told me once that he went to get a massage and the person put one of his cds on. He said it was awful because he didn't have the heart to tell the person turn it off so he had to listen to all his mistakes while trying to be relaxed! So, if Paul O'Dette feels that way, I think it is just part of being a musician : ) Cheers and happy practicing!

@@laudonschuett3019 That's a great story. It underlines that if we are only happy with perfection (even if beginner's perfect is awful compared to yours or Paul's perfect), we just won't get to be happy. :D Thanks!

@@laudonschuett3019 this would make a great future video, I get frustrated when alternating thumb/index on the basses and then over emphasize the octave, usually in a faster run

@@hansekin oh piglet, my piglet! I’m sorry I missed this comment, RU-vid is not always the best with notifications. I certainly don’t want you to think for a second that I am ignoring you. Pavana this, Pavin that. Is that all you think about? What about our truffle hunting venture? Did you have trouble finding a recording of the Alfonso Ferrabosco Pavin where it is spelled pavana and so you had to resort to using a different piece? Oh dear, I guess I should just be impressed that my little piggy can type at the keyboard at all! When I go to visit the other videos of Alfonso Ferrabosco’s pavin on RU-vid, I don’t see your comments there? Hmmmm, is that because this is really about your obsession with me, dearest one? lol but that’s okay because that has been clear for some time, hasn’t it : ) I was hoping to hear a great master and listen to some of your music but I noticed your channel has nothing….i suppose that is just because you are humble and not a show-off exhibitionist like me. Well, no matter, I’m now spending my free time learning about truffle hunting. Did you know that it is mostly done by dogs now? Well, we will show them, won’t we! The old ways are better and my little piglet is not about to be outdone by a dog! Oink oink, dear one and chat soon! Oh, and I found one for you since you were having so much trouble lol ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-J7RGZpLvor8.htmlsi=9ew3phC0CRapLW5q

@@hansekin here is the original facsimile, where it is clearly “pavin,” not “pavana.” Ferrabosco worked for the English court, spoke English, and wrote in an English style. My spelling is correct. Here is the link to the original publication in Varietie of Lute Lessons: www.lutemusic.org/facsimiles/DowlandR/Varietie_of_Lute_Lessons_1610/k2v.png in the future, please do a little research before posting misleading comments.

@@laudonschuett3019 the word is Italian, I am an Italian musician, I studied it before you were born. The word is in ITALIAN AND YOU DON'T KNOW ITS MEANING. Yours is the typical English cultural imperialism that is now truly out of date. The study before the PARTITA was in Italian, as were the note system and dynamic indications. Regarding your interpretation, I have a question: do you at least have a diploma? because it really doesn't seem like it. Try to use a little modesty, we have brought a large part of our cultural contributions to your island, recognize their origin and say thank you.

@@hansekin step one: wipe the Cheeto dust off your shirt. Step two: lean forward so you can read your computer screen. Step three: use the amazing device that gives you access to the world’s knowledge before writing an ignorant comment! Not that it matters but I hold both the Masters and Doctorate in Early Music (Emphasis Historical Plucked Instruments), which I earned from the Eastman School of Music under Paul O’Dette. Pavin is the title of the piece as the composer wrote it (in England, in the late 16th century). It is the appropriate spelling for this piece. If I were playing a pavana by Dalza, I would use that spelling. Now bugger off, you ignorant donkey

@@laudonschuett3019 I'm sorry you have to resort to insults, it's so childish... the pavane is a dance from the early Renaissance, the name is Italian and will always remain Italian. your violent reaction is typical of a nation that has cowardly attacked the whole world from the bottom of an inferiority complex that I see has not yet been resolved. I insist on the lack of depth of your interpretation, very uncertain, a typical modus of amateurs.

@@laudonschuett3019 you are so pathetic and childhood…

@@miqbri thank you so much! Honestly, the primary reason I have focused on 6 course is because of money. I come from a poor background and I just haven’t been able to save up for more instruments. I had a theorbo once that I had to sell for medical insurance. Luckily, things are getting better and I am hoping to get a nice 8 course next! : )

@@laudonschuett3019 I was expecting something along the line of it historically aligning with your favorite repertoire or the 'purity of it' but that sounds like as good of a practical reason as any. Quality lutes sure look expensive. I look forward to you comparing the two in the future!

@@miqbri I will definitely do that! Yes, I am a firm believer in being practical. I love the idea of owning lots of instruments, but you do what you can with what you have : ) I do make some small changes to the instrument when playing different repertoires. For example, if I am playing early repertoire (Dalza, Spinacino, etc.), I tune the lute up to A=440 and then I put an octave on my 4th course. Most of the repertoire in the early part of the 16th century was written for A lute and had octave stringing, so that gets it a little closer to the sound world : ) Cheers!

I definitely think there are a lot of benefits to dance. If you are learning to play a dance on lute/guitar, knowing the dance can really help capture the character and style. That said, there was definitely music for just "listening" in the 16th century (chromatic fantasies, for example) but it is hard to draw the line sometimes. I won't speak to the modern era, but I do think there are still some strong dance traditions: The waltz, tango, some Celtic dancing traditions, Indian dance, etc. Some of the hip-hop dancing is incredibly complex. I think the incentives are generally different today, though. In the past, dancing was often an opportunity to find a romantic partner and was one of the few social situations where it was appropriate for young people to be in physical contact. Today, that is no longer really needed so I think knowledge of dance forms tends to be less widespread. It's great exercise and I wish it did come back in favor. Some years back my wife and I took dance lessons at Arthur Murray and it was fantastic, just got too expensive : (

😂😂😂oh typos! I will fix it. I don’t think we really know his dates. Thanks for catching : )

@@laudonschuett3019ha! I seriously thought those were the correct dates and then began to get that horrible sense of lack of accomplishments and anguish in general lol

@@vanessagreen3986 LOL I'm sure he was excellent at a young age but it would surprise me if he was under 20 when that first book was published. It is considered some of the most difficult Renaissance lute music to play so he must have been a monster, though!

@@laudonschuett3019yes! This in and of itself is INTENSE! I am curious about the type of training these types of composers underwent. I imagine some musician priests training them and learning to sing polyphony in the Catholic Church

@@vanessagreen3986 Certainly the great madrigal, motet, and mass composers cut their teeth in the churches (Catholic, Anglican, etc.), which had an excellent history of training vocal composers going back Guido and beyond. For lutenists, we don't know a ton about the average apprenticeship in the 16th century, but if they were like other instrumentalists it would be a 7-9 year apprenticeship with a master (usually starting at a young age), then a jouneymanship of 2-3 years training with a bunch of different masters. Finally, you would presumably write and perform your "masterwork" and then be a master yourself. Often the career was familial like with John Johnson and his son, Robert so not only were there trade secrets but secrets held between family members. It's quite interesting!

Sounds like you are doing some great work! If it makes you feel better, I have been playing for 27 years and I still get frustrated during practice. Just trying to constantly improve that. It's great that you have recognized the power of being able to play slowly. It's a tough skill to gain but will make learning things SO much easier down the road. Happy practicing and thank you for the update! : )

@@laudonschuett3019 Oh I believe it! I doubt frustration ever ends, but just the reminder that I've been toying with music for like 6 months but true expertise like yours comes with decades of dedication is what really makes me feel better. :D Not that I have any expert aspirations, but I know even for what I want to do I have years of works ahead of me, I hope I can keep it up, I also plan on having an in person / online teacher, but I want to be able to have some basics first.. :)

@@miqbri that’s wonderful! It’s definitely a journey with lots of difficulties, but I think it is totally worth it. I’m glad you are finding these videos helpful! : )

I have to say I am having some trouble with the Prelude as it contains more stretches, even if short for a good player, simce my fingers are not that flexible yet. Would it be possible to get some more detail on the fingering? For my trouble now, what is the reasoning behind playing the 2nd note on the 3rd bar with third finger? I might have to switch it to 4th for now since that is much more comfortable for me at the moment but I'm sure there is a reason for why you annotated it with 3. Maybe because if that 'stretch' is easy for you, walking up the courses is more fluid then using 4 on d and then again 4 on d on the second course after the two notes in between? But for me, I really have to twist my hand, tense up the forearm and move my elbow to 'stretch' the three frets so maybe it's not worth it for me yet

@@miqbri Definitely feel free to change the fingerings! : ) 3 and 4 are often absolutely interchangeable, just a matter of hand size. People with big hands sometimes find 4 uncomfortable, people with small hands find 3 uncomfortable, etc. For measure 3, I use 3 on the 3rd course so that I can hold that note under the other notes for a bit more resonance, while using 4 on the f on the second course. You certainly don't have to do that, just something that I like! : ) But in general, I have found that even if I have three students playing the same piece, I will create different fingerings for each of them to fit their hands. I put fingerings on a few of these early pieces to help guide people but I certainly don't want anyone to feel like they must follow them exactly. I hope that helps! : )

I think you absolutely could, especially with solo music. I think the issues start to arise when you play in public and with other musicians. Most concert halls are not well designed for that style of play. If you are too low on the stage, the sound doesn't project. There are platforms that oud and sitar players use sometimes but they are very difficult to transport (and expensive). When you start playing with other musicians (who are either standing or sitting) it becomes a problem as well because you are so much lower than them. The blend between instruments suffers and it is difficult to communicate. Finally, while the instrument was probably initially designed for sitting, by the time of its "conversion" to the European lute, we really don't see people sitting that way with the instrument (they are either standing or sitting on chairs). So if you are trying to reconstruct a Renaissance way of playing, then that would be somewhat outside of the box. I don't see any probably with using it though and if you can make it work, go for it! : )

Thanks, makes good sense.

@@messmer777 of course! Happy practicing : )

@@user-tv1ey1uc3r thank you : )

@@jameslouder it’s great music : )

@@sottosopravoce that’s wonderful! Congratulations : )

Thank you so much!

Thank you so much, Paul!

I get that, I definitely do decaf in the evenings! : ) I've moved all my practice to the morning these days and with my toddler getting up at the crack of dawn, I don't know if I could function without the coffee lol Hopefully that will change when he gets older and I can sleep a bit more!

Thank you! It is definitely an important tool!

Sure! Unfortunately, they are a bit on the pricey side (the good ones at least). The Damiani method is excellent: earlymusicshop.com/products/damiani-method-for-renaissance-lute and I have heard really good things about the Peter Croton method, though I think they are restocking them: leluthdore.com/lutes/sheet-music/didactic-music/renaissance-lute/a-method-for-the-renaissance-lute-with-a-supplement-for-the-archlute.html I'm working on making an affordable high quality beginner lute book (in the $5 range) but it won't be finished before the end of the year, I think. I hope this helps a bit!

Hi! I’ve used many different pronunciations and spellings of pavane/pavane/paduana/etc. When speaking in English and using period pronunciation (OP), that is the correct way to say it. You don’t have to use it but because I work with OP with singers it has become my habit. Paul O’Dette also pronounces it this way as well as others. To learn more about English OP, you can visit David Crystal’s site: originalpronunciation.com/GBR/Home . Now, that all said, I’m not telling anyone that they must use OP. In the video I only complained that people tried to correct me when using it. So please feel free to use whatever pronunciation you like. In fact, you could change it, as I often do, when discussing particular repertoire (English, Spanish, Italian, French, etc.). The way I pronounce it in the video is just my standard way since I am an English speaker but I am not stuck with it. As for the spelling, that is straight from English sources in the late 16th century and early 17th century. Here is one example (understand that u and v were interchangeable): www.lutemusic.org/facsimiles/DowlandR/Varietie_of_Lute_Lessons_1610/k1v.png In fact, the English language at the time used variable spellings and you find multiple options in the sources. This is just a common one. Hope that helps!

@@laudonschuett3019 I really do appreciate all this information. Thank you. By the way, the facsimile you posted, is that for an 8-course?

@@josesolismusic Happy to! Yes, it is for an 8 course lute with 7 tuned to F and 8 tuned to D. It's a beautiful piece. Here is the link for full source in case you would like to play through them! www.lutemusic.org/facsimiles/DowlandR/Varietie_of_Lute_Lessons_1610/

@@laudonschuett3019 thank you so much. I'm just learning how to read tablature.

@@josesolismusic Here is a nice source that starts easy and gets progressively more difficult. Great for learning to read tablature!: www.lutemusic.org/sources/NewsidlerH/ein_new_kunstlich_lauten_buch/v.1_1547/pdf/

Happy to help! So here are a couple tips: first, play around with the angle of your right hand and make sure that you can hit both strings. Just make sure that is possible. It is okay if you miss sometimes. Second, try a bit of "planting/prepping" before each pluck. This just means that you place the fingertip onto the course before you pluck (as opposed to plucking from the air), making sure that your flesh is pushing into both strings before you pluck. At first your notes will be a bit staccato doing this (because each preparation silences the string) but over time you can remove the plant and keep the angle and motion. One trick to make sure you are really hitting both strings is to detune one of the strings in the course. When you hit both, it should sound awful but it will make sure you are being honest. Once you are consistent, put the strings back in tune and just listen for that full sound of two strings struck! Finally, it is okay if you miss a string here and there. There is a modern obsession on the lute with hitting both strings firmly and equally (which I do think produces a nice sound) but I don't know of any source from the 16th century that says you must do this and that it is essential, so take that for what it is worth! Hope that helps a bit. Cheers, Laudon

Glad you are finding these helpful : )