[Dixielandjazz] Lute shaped instruments

[Stephen G Barbone]

On Mar 16, 2011, at 3:00 PM, dixielandjazz-request at ml.islandnet.com  
wrote:

> "Ulf Jagfors" <ulf.jagfors at telia.com> wrote (polite snip)
>
>
> I just would like to add a few things here.
>
> According to the Sachs-Hornbostel instrument classification system  
> of 1914
> all string instruments, Chordophones, plucked or bowed are referred  
> to as
> belonging to the Lute family. That means that a scholar definition  
> of for
> instance a banjo is that it is a plucked lute instrument with a neck
> piercing throw the sound body. A guitar is a plucked lute with the  
> neck
> attached to the sound body. A fiddle is a bowed lute with the neck  
> attached
> to the body. I am not going to give any explanation how the  
> classification
> system is built up in detail as this should be a 15 page  
> documentation.
> Furthermore the 1914 system is with our extended knowledge of today  
> very
> incomplete when it comes to classify certain variations of instruments
> within one family

Yes indeed Ulf:

Which is why the makers of stringed instruments, as well as the  
repairmen for them are called luthiers. That comes from the french  
word luth, meaning lute. It is used worldwide for all stringed  
instruments from  the smallest violin or mandolin to the double bass.

One could argue that the first guitar lutes, or six string lutes, or  
lutar or whatever we now call them, were invented in Europe during the  
9th century. e.g. Wandervogel Lutes

For a picture of an early 6 string Wandervogel Lute see

http://www.lute.ru/instrument_eng.htm

Deiter Egerland and Tobias Karl make six string lutes, as well as  
other plucking instruments today. I think they are in Germany. See:

http://www.guriema.de/englische.html

Surf the site, or go to the below page and see the first 4 lutes. They  
are 6 string

http://www.guriema.de/Lutes.htm

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband