On a 6c lute I would normally have a neck width of about 45mm at the nut and 60mm at the body join (the string band being about 40mm at the nut and 75mm at the bridge). For a double top string you might want to make it slightly wider.
Pichounator As Tom Blassik alluded to, the sound boards are typically fine spruce, and the body and neck made out of fruit woods, such as pear. The wood is usually dried for *many* years before it's considered usable.
@sinjin480 The holes are cut with a very thin, narrow chisel (1mm wide), then the rest is carved from the front with a knife. The bracing is typical of 16th-17th C Italian lutes. The classic article on the subject is by Friedemann Hellwig, in the Galpin Society Journal about 1968. He shows lots of photos of old lutes and analyses the principles behind the bracing.
Thorrin Jonsson You shouldn't feel bad, the title is very misleading. You should be aware that the "bowl" of the lute itself is a task that takes days. The wood must be cut into precise sections, and then bent into shape. Then you'll need to build a mold, glue the pieces over the mold, and use tape to hold it together until it dries. Luthiers typically use hide glue which must be heated. The good thing about it is that it is water soluble. Even a seven course lute has 13 strings, and I guarantee you that tuning a lute from scratch alone takes more than 5 minutes, not to mention re-stringing them. Personally, I have moved to an 11 string alto guitar. While it does not have the richness in sound you get from doubled strings, lutenists do not always pluck both strings in a course anyhow, and tuning pegs held by friction can be very frustrating. Did I mention that the frets, made out of gut or nylon, come loose after a while and must be changed as well?
I built a 7 course Venere from an EMS flat-pack kit. (I had to cut all the ribs and assemble a toast-rack mold). The neck has warped and now the strings have 1/4 inch between the strings and the soundboard at the midpoint. I thought of making a new neck using to existing pegbox or possibly stem bending the neck back into line. Any advice?
If the neck is thick enough you might be able to remove the fingerboard, cut it down to correct the action and replace the fingerboard. If not you might need a new neck, though as you say you can recycle the pegbox
I don't know how your lute is at the moment, but if it hasn't been mended yet, there's a simpler solution than taking away from the existing neck (which is not always possible), resetting the neck, or making a new neck. You could fix a new, compensated fingerboard on the neck. I have seen that solution on some decent German lutes. If it's executed well, one can hardly tell that the instrument is modified. The compensated soundboard looks like a normal lute soundboard, but its surface is carved in such a way that it rises from its thin points, which are flush with the top, to a higher level of a thicker fingerboard at the body-neck joint, then its thickness gradually decreases again toward the pegbox. This solution is not so absolutely smooth and beautiful as a fingerboard with an even thickness, but it can certainly compensate for the increased action, without the need for a potentially dangerous, labour intensive neck reset. The secret of this solution lies in the way how the fingerboard thickness step at the body-neck joint is executed. For the best results, the body end of the fingerboard should be carved, chiselled or ground in such a way (in a gradual arc) that the thickness step actually becomes visually attractive. Naturally, if you want to follow a more rigorous, historical approach, this solution is not for you.
Jason Curtis If you mean the rose, yes it is cut directly into the soundboard with small chisels and a sharp knife - the pictures show some of the stages. It takes about 2-3 days.
+Michael Schlickman I can thoroughly recommend David Van Edwards' courses (one for Renaissance lute, another one for baroque lute) - you can find these at www.vanedwards.co.uk. He includes working drawings and excellent advice on building techniques, tools, etc. Working drawings are also published by the Lute Society (www.lutesociety.org). Good luck!
If one has never played a lute before, could they still build a decent lute to learn on by following a plan (supposing they are a woodworker)? >_> I feel like this is a dumb question, but...
+deepblue153 The short answer is "yes". It's important to have a good plan, such as the working drawings produced by the Lute Society or David Van Edwards, otherwise there are aspects of the design and construction which might make it difficult to make a successful instrument. It would help to have an expert at your elbow to advise on action, string heights, etc. but you can manage without and you'll learn a lot in the process. Good luck!
Hi Martin. Please, could you tell me where I can find the rosette design like yours (or others) on this video? I have already plan and book of Robert Lundberg but I'd like a different rosette.
The rosette shown comes from a lute by Wendelio Venere in the Museo Civico in Bologna (dated 1592). It is one of 18 designs drawn by Paul Thomson in the 1980s and the set is available from the Lute Society at www.lutesociety.org/pages/catalogue (the rose drawings are listed near the bottom of the page).
Do you mind if I ask how you carved the Rosette sound hole? I've always admired such things but be damned if I could do it my self. 1:37, that's peculiar bracing in the bottom corners, would you comment or explain the logic behind that? This is a beautiful instrument and well played I might add.
bchouli Ignoring your racist remarks, if you look up the history of the lute, you will find that it is a direct decendent of the oud. In fact, the word 'lute' is derived from 'oud', or 'wood', since it is made entirely of wood except for the strings, glue, and in the case of the lute, the frets. The rose (the ornate sound hole) has it's origins from the middle east where the geometric patterns were admired, studied and used to adorn mosques, among other things.
sinjin480 You could take a look at this site for a more detailed description of what it takes to build a lute. www.lutesociety.org/pages/building-lute-original-methods This site has someone trying to recreate a lute in a historically accurate way.
Lutes and mandolins look so stupid, I'm glad they're out of fashion. The external curvature is unneeded, and can be provided internally without it being external for all acoustic needs. They just look so corny and lame.
Holding them is not easy, for sure, but they look really beautiful. Curved shapes are smoother, more perfect, more beautiful than angular objects. That's why we find babies and young women more attractive and charming than older people. Apart from that, making a curved shape from wood is very tricky, very labour intensive. That elaboration itself tells about the quality of the instrument and increases its value. Not everyone can afford to build or own one, that's the message. A lute has always been an expensive investment. In the Baroque period only kings, dukes and very rich people could afford to pay the expenses of a lutenist, his instruments and the necessary strings. A gut string set for a Baroque lute may cost you $500 or more today, which is a lot of money for 24 pieces of easily breakable twisted dry gut. As for the fashion, lutes and bowlback instruments have never been fashionable with the lower classes, these instruments have always expressed majesty, dignity, sophistication, caring love, so they have been associated with the upper classes. Flatback plucked instruments, guitars, vihuelas, etc. have always been more popular with the general public. The lute was steadily popular in the appropriate layers of the society in the middle ages and the Baroque era. It almost vanished from the musical scene in the 18th century, but reappeared again in the end of the 19th century, and has been popular ever since, within its limited circle, of course. The mandolin has a slightly different story, because it has been widely used in operas, and it couldn't be substituted with another instrument, like the lute (its sound, when necessary, was substituted with the use of the harp). So the mandolin didn't cease to be popular. Actually, in the 1920's it became extremely popular in America, and it gave rise to the appearance of other types of mandolins. The flatback mandolin, however, is in fact more related to the cittern than to the Neapolitan mandolin. It's true that the mandolin is a very obscure instrument in my country these days, but this applies for the flatback type, too, so the bowl shape has not much to do with its moderate popularity. Still, mandolin-type instruments are widely used in operas and concerts, and they are currently gaining more popularity thanks to the work of great musicians such as Avi Avital.
Видеоклипы
All told it took me 8 minutes to make my lute so I guess I need to keep practicing.
wow, 8 minutes is crazy bro Xd
I thought this was a video on how to make a lute in five minutes, not a five-minute video on making a lute.
My bad, right?
You are a hell of an optimist! It's "[How to make a lute] + in five minutes," not "How to + [make a lute in five minutes]."
Fabricaiom luth
Fabricaiom lut
You didn't follow along? I did. My 5 minute lute is perfect. Just kidding, I'm not a neckbeard in a basement and like girls. :)
the lute: queen of instruments. sensitve playing and perfect artisanry.
Very inspiring, the rose in particular is superb!
On a 6c lute I would normally have a neck width of about 45mm at the nut and 60mm at the body join (the string band being about 40mm at the nut and 75mm at the bridge). For a double top string you might want to make it slightly wider.
Good old medieval clickbait
?
How's it clickbait?
@@squidking762 "in 5 minutes"
@@basedfinger I mean, the video is within 5 minutes' time, no?
I'm in love with the whole thing. Thanks for posting.
What a dream instrument!
Thank you for sharing!
Exquisite … a work of labour and love🌟
Amazing Lute!! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!
true and very enjoyable craftsmanship!
lovely music interpretation and lute making
Pichounator As Tom Blassik alluded to, the sound boards are typically fine spruce, and the body and neck made out of fruit woods, such as pear. The wood is usually dried for *many* years before it's considered usable.
@sinjin480 The holes are cut with a very thin, narrow chisel (1mm wide), then the rest is carved from the front with a knife.
The bracing is typical of 16th-17th C Italian lutes. The classic article on the subject is by Friedemann Hellwig, in the Galpin Society Journal about 1968. He shows lots of photos of old lutes and analyses the principles behind the bracing.
Thorrin Jonsson You shouldn't feel bad, the title is very misleading. You should be aware that the "bowl" of the lute itself is a task that takes days. The wood must be cut into precise sections, and then bent into shape. Then you'll need to build a mold, glue the pieces over the mold, and use tape to hold it together until it dries. Luthiers typically use hide glue which must be heated. The good thing about it is that it is water soluble.
Even a seven course lute has 13 strings, and I guarantee you that tuning a lute from scratch alone takes more than 5 minutes, not to mention re-stringing them.
Personally, I have moved to an 11 string alto guitar. While it does not have the richness in sound you get from doubled strings, lutenists do not always pluck both strings in a course anyhow, and tuning pegs held by friction can be very frustrating. Did I mention that the frets, made out of gut or nylon, come loose after a while and must be changed as well?
Eugh, despite loving the sound of one all that is a bit too much for me, I have immense respect for those who have the ability and time to though.
thanks so much! love the video!
Neck and pegbox are sycamore, veneered with ebony.
sweet job
I think that would take more than 5 minutes to make... :P
Vulcan Princess the video is five minutes
3 mins, take it or leave it
lol God bless you all XD
magnifique !!!!!!
wow what an art! ò.ò
WOW!
@luteshop
Thank you very much. That's a tiny chisel.
Very sensitive playing, Martin.
im working on refurbishing a 6 course (12 string) lute...about how wide if the neck on this one?
Very beautiful & interesting !
Great thanks !
what wood did you use for the pegbox?
Details of my lutes can be found on my website, which is easy enough to find if you search for "Martin Shepherd lute"
Yes - you can find more information at ruclips.net/user/luteshop
like a fairytale..
DO YOU BUILD THEM?
Not very in-depth but lets see what I’m getting into when I look up some plans
I built a 7 course Venere from an EMS flat-pack kit. (I had to cut all the ribs and assemble a toast-rack mold). The neck has warped and now the strings have 1/4 inch between the strings and the soundboard at the midpoint. I thought of making a new neck using to existing pegbox or possibly stem bending the neck back into line. Any advice?
If the neck is thick enough you might be able to remove the fingerboard, cut it down to correct the action and replace the fingerboard. If not you might need a new neck, though as you say you can recycle the pegbox
I don't know how your lute is at the moment, but if it hasn't been mended yet, there's a simpler solution than taking away from the existing neck (which is not always possible), resetting the neck, or making a new neck. You could fix a new, compensated fingerboard on the neck. I have seen that solution on some decent German lutes. If it's executed well, one can hardly tell that the instrument is modified. The compensated soundboard looks like a normal lute soundboard, but its surface is carved in such a way that it rises from its thin points, which are flush with the top, to a higher level of a thicker fingerboard at the body-neck joint, then its thickness gradually decreases again toward the pegbox. This solution is not so absolutely smooth and beautiful as a fingerboard with an even thickness, but it can certainly compensate for the increased action, without the need for a potentially dangerous, labour intensive neck reset. The secret of this solution lies in the way how the fingerboard thickness step at the body-neck joint is executed. For the best results, the body end of the fingerboard should be carved, chiselled or ground in such a way (in a gradual arc) that the thickness step actually becomes visually attractive. Naturally, if you want to follow a more rigorous, historical approach, this solution is not for you.
Do you need to cut the design into the body of the lute?
Jason Curtis If you mean the rose, yes it is cut directly into the soundboard with small chisels and a sharp knife - the pictures show some of the stages. It takes about 2-3 days.
Where exactly can I get measurements and such for this?
+Michael Schlickman I can thoroughly recommend David Van Edwards' courses (one for Renaissance lute, another one for baroque lute) - you can find these at www.vanedwards.co.uk. He includes working drawings and excellent advice on building techniques, tools, etc. Working drawings are also published by the Lute Society (www.lutesociety.org). Good luck!
nice do you make oud ?
If one has never played a lute before, could they still build a decent lute to learn on by following a plan (supposing they are a woodworker)? >_>
I feel like this is a dumb question, but...
+deepblue153 The short answer is "yes". It's important to have a good plan, such as the working drawings produced by the Lute Society or David Van Edwards, otherwise there are aspects of the design and construction which might make it difficult to make a successful instrument. It would help to have an expert at your elbow to advise on action, string heights, etc. but you can manage without and you'll learn a lot in the process. Good luck!
Excellent! I was expecting a more negative answer. xD
mine took longer than five minutes to make... what did I do wrong?
Hi Martin.
Please, could you tell me where I can find the rosette design like yours (or others) on this video?
I have already plan and book of Robert Lundberg but I'd like a different rosette.
The rosette shown comes from a lute by Wendelio Venere in the Museo Civico in Bologna (dated 1592). It is one of 18 designs drawn by Paul Thomson in the 1980s and the set is available from the Lute Society at www.lutesociety.org/pages/catalogue (the rose drawings are listed near the bottom of the page).
Thanks a lot, Martin.
what makes a lute cost so much more than other string instruments?
Try to make one, you'll see.
Do you mind if I ask how you carved the Rosette sound hole? I've always admired such things but be damned if I could do it my self. 1:37, that's peculiar bracing in the bottom corners, would you comment or explain the logic behind that? This is a beautiful instrument and well played I might add.
The Good shepherd. I'm telling God on you :)
i've tried and tried and i can't make a lute in 5 minutes.
i though i'd be able to make a lute in 5 minutes
I thought this was going to be a tutorial to literally make a lute in 5min haha! How naive ;)
more like 5 years still cool tho
How to make a lute in 5 minutes: own a lute making factory.
bchouli Ignoring your racist remarks, if you look up the history of the lute, you will find that it is a direct decendent of the oud. In fact, the word 'lute' is derived from 'oud', or 'wood', since it is made entirely of wood except for the strings, glue, and in the case of the lute, the frets. The rose (the ornate sound hole) has it's origins from the middle east where the geometric patterns were admired, studied and used to adorn mosques, among other things.
Hi can I buy you a lute plan please?
If you're interested in building a lute, I can recommend David Van Edwards' courses - see www.vanedwards.co.uk/renlute.htm
@@luteshop thank you!
...well - from 2:59 to the end it was the same picture so perhaps you should revise the title to: How to make a lute in three minutes!
sinjin480 You could take a look at this site for a more detailed description of what it takes to build a lute. www.lutesociety.org/pages/building-lute-original-methods This site has someone trying to recreate a lute in a historically accurate way.
It should have showed how the strips of wood were made Iit started too late and no show how the sound box was made
you cant make a lute in 5 minutes :(
How can you expect that? Watching the video takes 5 minutes...
@@attilakovacs5803 excuse my bad humor
y lie
Not an instructional video.
That's why it is "in 5 minutes". A real lute making course could last 5 years, and a whole life afterwards.
@@attilakovacs5803 How to revive a bad joke after two years.
Lutes and mandolins look so stupid, I'm glad they're out of fashion. The external curvature is unneeded, and can be provided internally without it being external for all acoustic needs. They just look so corny and lame.
Holding them is not easy, for sure, but they look really beautiful. Curved shapes are smoother, more perfect, more beautiful than angular objects. That's why we find babies and young women more attractive and charming than older people. Apart from that, making a curved shape from wood is very tricky, very labour intensive. That elaboration itself tells about the quality of the instrument and increases its value. Not everyone can afford to build or own one, that's the message. A lute has always been an expensive investment. In the Baroque period only kings, dukes and very rich people could afford to pay the expenses of a lutenist, his instruments and the necessary strings. A gut string set for a Baroque lute may cost you $500 or more today, which is a lot of money for 24 pieces of easily breakable twisted dry gut.
As for the fashion, lutes and bowlback instruments have never been fashionable with the lower classes, these instruments have always expressed majesty, dignity, sophistication, caring love, so they have been associated with the upper classes. Flatback plucked instruments, guitars, vihuelas, etc. have always been more popular with the general public.
The lute was steadily popular in the appropriate layers of the society in the middle ages and the Baroque era. It almost vanished from the musical scene in the 18th century, but reappeared again in the end of the 19th century, and has been popular ever since, within its limited circle, of course. The mandolin has a slightly different story, because it has been widely used in operas, and it couldn't be substituted with another instrument, like the lute (its sound, when necessary, was substituted with the use of the harp). So the mandolin didn't cease to be popular. Actually, in the 1920's it became extremely popular in America, and it gave rise to the appearance of other types of mandolins. The flatback mandolin, however, is in fact more related to the cittern than to the Neapolitan mandolin.
It's true that the mandolin is a very obscure instrument in my country these days, but this applies for the flatback type, too, so the bowl shape has not much to do with its moderate popularity. Still, mandolin-type instruments are widely used in operas and concerts, and they are currently gaining more popularity thanks to the work of great musicians such as Avi Avital.