Items that Can be Used with Your Lute:

• Lute Case:

  • This is a specially designed case to store your lute in and transport it and any accessories safely.

• Lute Strap:

  • This is a strap that you connect to the lute and use to help you play when standing up or moving.

• Lute Picks:

  • These are small triangular pieces of plastic that come with varying thicknesses, that is used to pick or strum the string on your lute.

• Spare Strings:

  • After a lot of playing, strings tend to break and it is therefore wise to purchase and keep spare strings handy for any emergencies.

• Lute Stand:

  • This is a specially designed stand for you to place your lute on when you are not playing or when you don't need to place it in a case.

• Polishing Cloth:

  • This is a cloth that you use to keep your lute clean and pristine with no smudges or dust on it.

• Hygrometer and Thermometer:

  • This is a device that measures the temperature and amount of moisture in the air in order to make sure that your lute does not crack or sustain damage.

Tips for Consumers:

• Hire Before You Buy:

  • The lute is not a cheap instrument and it is recommended by many manufacturers and experts that beginners should rather rent a lute before buying one to make sure that it is worth it to spend the money to buy one.

• What music will you play?

  • It is important to consider what genres you want to play as different lutes have different sounds and can thereby impact the genre you play. Consider consulting a lute teacher about what you would like to play and what sound would be best for you.

• Parts Of the Lute:

• • Strap Button:

    • This is a button that one can attach a strap to in order to play easier whilst moving about or standing up.

  • Bridge:

    • This is the small raised rectangle on the body of the lute, to which the strings are attached.

    • It is important to make sure that your bridge is adjusted and set properly for proper playing, this can be done personally through online tutorials or through a professional at a musical instrument store.

  • Pick Guard:

    • A pickguard is a hard slab of material that is used to protect the wood of the top of the lute from being scratched by your pick when playing.

  • Soundhole:

    • The sound hole is the piece of wood that has been cut out of the body that allows for better vibration and volume.

  • Fret:

    • Frets are the raised lines on the neck of the lute are that indicate where you should play the chords to achieve a certain pitch.

  • Nut:

    • The nut is the raised ridge that separates the neck from the headstock.

  • Tuner:

    • This refers to the knobs on the top end of the neck of the lute, that a lutist can use to tune the lute and make sure all strings are in tune.

  • Headstock:

    • Headstock refers to the piece wood on the end of the neck of the lute, to which the tuning keys are attached.

  • Neck:

    • A lutes neck is usually fretted and is above the body of the guitar. The more frets, the longer the neck and the harder it'll be to reach certain chords.

  • Body:

    • The body of the lute is everything below the neck.