What are /r/lute's favorite Products & Services?

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If the bridge broke before the string did, it probably wasn't your fault. Strings of all types are rated for a specific tension at pitch, exceeding it by too much will cause them to break but if the bridge went first, it was probably a flaw in the construction. However, to be sure nothing bad happens again, there are a few things you should check. What kind of strings are you using? Nylon? Gut? Nylgut? They each have their own tension limits so you want to be sure you're using the right gauges for your lute. You'll want to be sure you're tuning them to the right octave as well, if it's way out of tune you might want a reference pitch to help you out so you don't try to tune them too high or too low. A piano/keyboard, tone generator or guitar will provide good references. There are plenty of examples out there (the pitches given on the wikipedia page are written an octave higher than they sound a la guitar notation), you should be able to find something useful with some googling. The app you're using looks a bit confusing to me, I use gStrings, it has a pretty foolproof display and allows you to adjust for different tuning systems in the free version. Either way, check the chart here to make sure you're using the right notes for your lute and that you're tuning to the correct octaves. In case the chart seems confusing to you (I don't know how much of a beginner you are), you probably have a Renaissance Alto lute (which is tuned (high to low) g, d, a, f, c, G) or a Baroque lute (tuned (high to low) f, d, a, F, D, A). If you have a Renaissance lute, you can use a guitar as a reference, tune the 3rd (G string) on the guitar down one half step (to F#), put a capo on the 3rd fret and there you have "standard" Renaissance lute tuning.

I believe Linda Sayce has on her web several interesting articles on BC and of course there is the book by Nigel North. Both also discuss suitable instruments, and both have very valid points, albeit they both have different opinions on the mensure size. :) https://www.amazon.com/Continuo-Playing-Lute-Archlute-Theorbo/dp/0253314151

There are two sources I would highly recommend, depending on what you need:

1) Diana Poulton's Tutor for Renaissance Lute

This is quite probably one of the best self-teaching books for the lute out there. It teaches basic instrumental technique, breaks down the instructions, and supplements your learning with a number of solo pieces.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/094653506X?pf_rd_p=ab873d20-a0ca-439b-ac45-cd78f07a84d8&pf_rd_r=ZB75NYRA4HKRPQD0TKJ3

2) Nigel North's Continuo Playing on the Lute, Archlute and Theorbo: A Comprehensive Guide for Performers

The focus of this book is entirely different from the Poulton. North breaks down the history and techniques of continuo accompaniment. Furthermore it provides a number of chord shapes and practice sections for writing out accompaniments.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Continuo-Playing-Lute-Archlute-Theorbo/dp/0253314151

As it sounds like you're just starting out, I would highly recommend purchasing the former first and searching out a teacher for lessons. I started my own career by teaching myself, but found myself progressing even faster with direct instruction. I believe the lute society should also have a number of profiles of performers and teachers available for review on the site as well.

This classic book will get you started. There are others, but this also teaches 3 forms of lute tablature and has a good selection of songs. Here's a little YouTube playlist I've been compiling for reference on renaissance lute technique and related early music info. That should get you started.

I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for or not, but when I first got my lute, this video helped me out quite a bit. A Tutor for the Renaissance Lute by Diana Poulton has also been a huge help. I don't always adhere to her fingerings, but if nothing else the book provides you with a reasonable difficulty curve and it'll have you playing something resembling music faster than you might expect.

All that being said, I don't think anything is going to help as much as working with a tutor. If you can afford it, that's certainly the best way to make some real, meaningful progress in a short amount of time. It'll also help to have someone to criticize you when you start falling in to bad habits.

Thank you for this long and very well explained answer first of all, I'll be working on your advices! Just a quick answer to your question. If you don't mind , you can add me on Facebook or we could have a Skype conversation I would gladly explain all the questions of yours about Maqam Music/Microtonal Music that you will ask! Here, It's kind of impossible to explain without demonstrating to be honest. But to give you something specific Turkish Makam Guide and Makam Modal Practice . Small addition: Turkish, Greek, Armenian or Arabic Makam phenomenon is something that is neither similar to tonal music nor modal music. Makam is a unique term that consist a bit of all. Copy-paste from wikipedia but It's correct: Each makam specifies a unique intervalic structure (cinsler meaning genera) and melodic development (seyir-). Whether a fixed composition (beste, şarkı, peşrev, âyin, etc.) or a spontaneous (improvisation) composition (gazel, taksim, recitation of Kuran-ı Kerim, Mevlid, etc.), all attempt to follow the melody type.

I've played guitar for around 36 years and lute off and on since 1995. In my opinion, it's worth getting used to that 'flattened 3rd' string/course because of the chord voicings and fingerings it allows you to do that standard tuning can't. My recommendation is to buy this book. It's filled with fantastic guitar transcriptions and images of 16th c. Lute pieces that are tons of fun to play, and they're all in standard classical guitar notation. Nearly half of the book requires you to retune your 3rd string to F#. Playing those pieces will show you the value and advantage of Lute tuning. It's really not difficult to learn lute tablature (French, anyway), so if you decide to dive into lute properly, don't be afraid to embrace the differences, especially the right-hand thumb-under position. (It'll take you 3 months to retrain and produce a decent tone with that, but it's worth it!) Diana Poulton's Tutor for the Renaissance Lute is a very good training manual if you obtain a lute.

I've thought about this, but unfortunately machine heads might be a necessary sacrifice. 3d printed plastic is not only slippery, but in particular PLA plastic (the only thing I'm really comfortable with using) deforms slowly when under constant stress. 3D printed string instruments universally use machine tuners and carbon fiber tent-poles to give the instrument necessary rigidity.

Would you say that the amount of tension on a single lute string is comparable to a ukulele string? In finding machine heads as light and cheap as possible, something like these ukulele tuning heads might just work.

3 bux on ebay if you're willing to trust the quality

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Violin-Bass-Lute-Guitar-Wall-Hanger-Holder-Hook-Mount-Display-Anchor-Stand-Racks-/222355543771

or 5 bucks on amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Hangers-Stands-Holder-Guitars/dp/B01M8HTFEG/ref=ice_ac_b_dpb?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1512762341&sr=1-4&keywords=guitar+wall+mount

Thank you! I wish I could claim that the binding was my handiwork haha. I do intend to try my hand at making one or two, but Paperblanks make a few journals that are reproductions of the binding of historical books. I'd found a much smaller one at a Barnes and Noble that gave me the idea. I had a really hard time finding one in a usable size, though. Even this size (8.25" x 11.75") required the tablatures to be reduced in size just a little bit, but it's available on Amazon for about $30.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AP9IGF2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3ODBPVTUTX257

If you're already a classical guitarist, I'd go with a 7 or 8 course renaissance lute. It's tuned in 4ths and will be the most similar to what you already know, albeit a minor 3rd higher in tuning, and with the M3 interval between the 3rd and 4th courses, rather than 2nd and 3rd like on a guitar etc. (Tune your guitar's 3rd string to F# and put a capo at the 3rd fret and you'll have standard renaissance lute tuning.) You'll need at least 7 courses to play the majority of music written for lute up to about the year 1600. 8 courses will cover a little more while making it unnecessary to re-tune a course for some songs. As I mentioned, having that 7th course already a whole step below your 6th is handy. It's like having an extra string on your guitar always tuned down to D so you don't have to retune your 6th string.

You technically CAN play baroque music on a renaissance lute, but you won't be able to play it from tablature meant for the baroque D minor tuning. You'd have to read from sheet music scores and create your own version, or you could instead play music meant for the Archlute, which maintained the renaissance tuning in 4ths for the first 6 courses. You can learn the basics of continuo playing and cover a lot of ground on a renaissance lute if you're creative. This is an excellent book on continuo playing on lute if you have the time to study it.