Introduction to the Théorbe de Pièces - French theorbo for solo pieces - music by Pinel 

Cheers, Lawrence. It’s a pleasure to play your lute.

Thanks, Erick! Best wishes for your guitar playing! I teach via Zoom, should you ever want lessons.

same here :)

@@Viezieg Thank you! Best wishes for your playing too!

Thanks. I’m not a natural talker, and imagine most people just skip to the music, so I’m very pleased you enjoy the introduction. Cheers, Rob.

My pleasure, Brandon.

Thanks for putting me onto this RU-vid channel Brandon!

And I, you.

@Documentary Partners Like I miss my accountant ;-)

Cheers. Glad you like it.

Cheers, Bernd. I get lost sometimes too!

Thanks, Aimo. Much appreciated!

Cheers, Thomas. Thanks for your nice comment!

Thanks, Riftman. More riffs per bar than most music ;-)

Cheers, Gearoid. Glad you like it!

Cheers, William. See you around.

Thanks Matteo! Nice to hear from you.

Cheers, Bertrand!

Thanks, Jelma!

Cheers, Michael. Wait till you hear Giant Steps on it! ;-)

Thank you, Sinja. Glad you like it.

Merci!

Cheers, Fred. I agree, though not always relaxing to play! :-)

Cheers, Josh. Good to see you again too.

Thanks, Steve. Always appreciated!

Thanks, Nima. Glad you liked it!

Thanks, Mårten! I’ll stick with this one!

@@RobMacKillop1 yes, I can understand that. The sound is gorgeous!

Thanks again, Juan. I wish these instruments were more popular. They used to be.

Cheers, Hag! :-)

Thank you, Adrian. For the birds, eh? I can’t imagine a better audience!

Good luck!

Good to know. Best wishes to you.

Well, I’m not the composer, but I thank you for your kind comment, my friend!

@@RobMacKillop1 Well, of course ! But again thank you for bringing this fine music to us, and you are quite right: enticed no doubt by the term "Courante" many "run" through the score. Your choice of tempo lets the music and the instrument sing.

@@MagicIsMusic Thanks. I can't sing, so try to help the instrument sing for me.

Yes, indeed. Evidence: D'Alambert (1752): "the sarabande is actually a slow minuet, and the courante a very slow sarabande". Rameau (1725): "a very slow dance that inspires an air of nobility more than the other dance". Rousseau (1768): "three slow beats", etc, etc. Check out "Performing Baroque Music on the Lute and Theorbo" by Peter Croton. I think there is a guitar version as well.

Ha, cheers, Nancy!

Thanks, Ignacio. Glad you like it! Yes, everything costs more than it used to. I have sell in order to buy. Such is life!

Cheers, Tom. Of course, I agree with you! 😎 It’s a great instrument from Dodd Lutherie, and the repertoire is superb. Cheers, Rob.

A strange thing for an atheist to be called ;-) but I appreciate your sentiment.

Cheers, Edward. I can well imagine your 7c is a beauty! Good to hear from you.

Cheers, Carlos. I’d like to hear you play it!

@@RobMacKillop1 Would love to try one for sure... never seen a left handed one though... :-(

@@CAJMusic That's no excuse! See: ru-vid.com

@@RobMacKillop1 Oh wow!!!!! Ok now you got me thinking...

You’ll have to start RU-vid painting classes, Cathy, then I could see and hear you :-)

@@RobMacKillop1 haha.. shy and still working on content and learning 😉😘

@@cathymcshannon Me too!

@@RobMacKillop1 😊😊you've got it down Rob! xx

Thanks, Jürgen! I’m going through a lot of changes just now, as I look to the future, so expect further surprises...The Tip Jar seems to work well most of the time, and then doesn’t. I don’t know why. Thanks for letting me know.

Does it work now?

Yes, it does. But you were already saved in my PayPal account🙂

Hi Wenona. Fit as an ageing fiddle, maybe :-) I hope you are well? Idioms with theorbo? It was the main instrument for accompanying song in the 17th century, and appeared in a few forms in different countries. It also has an interesting solo repertoire. Not sure if that is what you are referring to.

Haha. We have someone to do that, but we are in lockdown these days. But when that is over, you would be most welcome!, my friend!

This one is mine, though I had to sell in order to buy...the Ramirez now resides elsewhere. A difficult decision, but I’m very happy with how it worked out.

You can download ebooks or order hard copies from Mel Bay site, or order from any of their distributors. Some details also on robmackillop.net

Grazie. Hai letto le prove che ho fornito nelle informazioni sotto il video?

@@RobMacKillop1 Infatti, ho seguito le sue spiegazioni, però il mio commento è un punto di vista personale, comunque, credo che lei è un bravissimo interprete.

@@mixcoaquense Ah, amico mio, se la scelta è tra te e Jean Jacques Rousseau, devo scegliere quest'ultimo! Ma apprezzo molto la tua opinione. Auguri! 😀

Well, they packed it very well. I’d say it would most likely reach you in one piece. As for going broke, what else would you need in life? :-)

Talbot's measurements. You can read about it on the luthiers' website: www.lutherie.uk/catalogue/theorbos/ - the second instrument on that page.

@@RobMacKillop1 thanks. So a theorbo with only 6 strings and 8 diapason strings is proper for solo French repertoire of the 18th and 17th centuries?

@@PooyaRadbon Yes, Exactly. They came in two sizes, a large one with the first string at A, and a smaller one with the first string at D. So the smaller is a 4th higher than the larger, and easier to play. They called it the théorbe pour les pièces - solos as opposed to continuo playing. Because the music is in tablature, you can play the music on either instrument, and the result will be high or low depending on which instrument you use. But either way, they did not use a 7th string on the fretboard, unlike the Italians.

@@RobMacKillop1 thanks but what a pity, I have a large one with a for the top string which means it is not proper pour les pieces ;( it is from Scheuenberg... Btw most theorbos I see on RU-vid people play have at least 8 strings on the fingerboard!!!

@@PooyaRadbon I used to have one with 8 on the fretboard, which was helpful for continuo only. Look at the pictures in Castaldi’s book. They do not show HUGE theorbi. The string length seems shorter. I haven’t studied theorbo for a few years, and can’t remember how many strings Kapsberger uses in his solo works. I think his first book only uses ten (!), with seven on the fretboard. Someone will correct me if I am misremembering. Later books of his demand 14 strings, but again - I think - only seven on the fretboard. They are Italian sources. The French solo repertoire only uses six strings on the fretboard. And, as mentioned, they had a smaller one for pieces, solos, and a larger one for accompanying singers or ensemble work. The confusion comes when we read that, for example, here is a Suite in Am, and the music would be in Am on the large theorbo, not the Dm of the small theorbo. So some people argue that the solo works are therefore for the large instrument. But it could be argued that as the small theorbo was for solo playing (‘pour les pièces’) then it was easier not to think in Dm. It’s a bit like using a capo on a guitar. I can play an Em chord without the capo, then when I put the capo on the third fret and play the same fingering, I still ‘think’ Em even though it is actually Gm. Well, what are we to do? Baroque musicians were very practical. Use what you have, adapt it as best you can, adapt the music if you need to, just find a way to play it. When I gave up playing continuo I realised I didn’t need such a big instrument. The actual key does not matter when you are playing solo - Bach changed keys when arranging for other instruments, for example. And I discovered that the solo French theorbo in D has a more lute-like quality, while at the same time being genuinely single strung. Most original theorbi in Italy were double strung, yet everyone today uses single strings. Question everything 😎