A Tutor For The Renaissance Lute Pdf Files

A TUTOR FOR THE RENAISSANCE LUTE PDF FILES DOWNLOAD

Out of the alphabet, add two extra symbols called 'et' (sometimes sort theįirst fret on the highest string k, (j is again skipped). Open highest string e, the first fret on the lowest string f. Lute, label the open lowest string a, the next open string b. This tablature assigns aĭifferent letter to every fret on every string. 'TOTALLY different from any of the above. It includes this rather entertaining description of the complexities of German tablature (I regret to say I have yet to get my head fully around it). See also this early music Google group () for info on lute tablature in general-including a description of German tablature: German tablature was very different and is explained on the Wikipedia page linked above. This webpage gives some images of the French and Italian tablature and also of Luis Milan's inverted vihuela tablature: The Spanish vihuela players used the Italian tablature system with the important exception of famous vihuela player Luis Milan who inverted the Italian tablature so that the highest pitched course was represented by the top line of the tablature rather than bottom line-rather like modern guitar tablature. In Spain during the renaissance the vihuela, a 6 course guitar shaped instrument with the tuning of a lute, occupied the place of the lute. The number '0' represented the unstopped string, '1' the first fret, '2' the second fret and so on. Thus Italian tablature looks somewhat like modern guitar tablature but upside down. Italian tablature used numbers to show the fret position rather like modern guitar tablature, but the 1st course (highest pitched) was written on the bottom line of the tablature not the top. French tablature was the lingua franca of lute music. The lower case letter 'a' represented the unstopped string, 'b' the first fret, 'c' the second and so on. As time went on, more bass courses were added until we get into the baroque period where enormous lutes were made with very long necks to accommodate the large number of extra drone bass courses.įrench tablature (used in Britain too) used the alphabet to show fret positions with the top line of the tablature representing the 1st (highest pitched) course. So for example my lute has seven courses. Over time, extra bass courses were added that were often not stopped (fretted), but were there as drones. The dividing line between octaves and unisons appeared to move down with time. The bass strings often used octave pairs while the higher sounding treble strings were in unison. The first (highest pitched) 'course' was often not a pair but a single string. The renaissance lute started out with 5 or 6 pairs of strings or 'courses' to begin with-much like a modern 12 string guitar but they used gut strings. He may be able to assist a MuseScore developer.

A TUTOR FOR THE RENAISSANCE LUTE PDF FILES DOWNLOAD

There is even a lute tablature typesetting programme created by Wayne Cripps available for download there which is available for use free of charge (but not for commercial use I believe). There is marvellous site at Dartmouth university run by Wayne Cripps which has lots of renaissance lute tablature archived in pdf files.

The following represents my understanding only. The reference work for lute tablature is Diana Poulton's book 'A Tutor for the Renaissance Lute'

A Tutor For The Renaissance Lute Pdf Files