Laúd ( es, "lute") is a

plectrum A plectrum is a small flat tool used for plucking or strumming of a stringed instrument. For hand-held instruments such as guitars and mandolins, the plectrum is often called a pick and is held as a separate tool in the player's hand. In harpsic ...

-plucked

chordophone String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the st ...

from

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, played also in diaspora countries such as Cuba and the Philippines. The laúd belongs to the

cittern The cittern or cithren ( Fr. ''cistre'', It. ''cetra'', Ger. ''Cister,'' Sp. ''cistro, cedra, cítola'') is a stringed instrument dating from the Renaissance. Modern scholars debate its exact history, but it is generally accepted that it is d ...

family of instruments. The Spanish and Cuban instruments have six double courses in unison (i.e. twelve strings in pairs); the Philippine instrument has 14 strings with some courses singled or tripled. A similar, but smaller instrument, with a shorter neck, is the

bandurria The bandurria is a plucked chordophone from Spain, similar to the mandolin and bandola, primarily used in Spanish folk music, but also found in former Spanish colonies. Instrument development Prior to the 18th century, the bandurria had a round ...

, which also exists in 12- and 14-string versions. Traditionally the laúd is used by folk string musical groups, such as Spanish or Filipino

rondalla The rondalla is an ensemble of stringed instruments played with the plectrum or pick and generally known as plectrum instruments. It originated in Medieval Spain, especially in the ancient Crown of Aragon: Catalonia, Aragon, Murcia, and V ...

string ensembles, together with the

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and the bandurria. Like the

, it is tuned in fourths, but its range is one octave lower.

Tuning

For the Spanish laud the tuning is: *1st: A4 A4 *2nd: E4 E4 *3rd: B3 B3 *4th: F#3 F#3 *5th: C#3 C#3 *6th: G#2 G#2 The Cuban tuning is: *1st: C#5 C#5 (or sometimes D4 D4) *2nd: F#4 F#4 *3rd: B3 B3 *4th: E3 E3 *5th: A2 A2 *6th: D2 D2 The Filipino version, has (from bass to treble) one single course, two double courses and three triple courses (i.e. fourteen strings), and is tuned a step lower than the Spanish instrument.:Filipino Arts & Music Ensemble
, Filipino Heritage, The Making of a Nation, Volume 9, 1978, famenyc.org *1st: G4 G4 G4 *2nd: D4 D4 D4 *3rd: A3 A3 A3 *4th: E3 E3 *5th: B2 B2 *6th: F#2

Steve Howe Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to le ...

plays a laúd in both

Yes (band) Yes are an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by lead singer and frontman Jon Anderson, bassist Chris Squire, guitarist Peter Banks, keyboardist Tony Kaye and drummer Bill Bruford. The band has undergone numerous line-u ...

and as a solo artist, but he incorrectly refers to it in his guitar book as a Portuguese guitar. His tuning is: *1st: A-flat E *2nd: B E *3rd: B E *4th: A-flat A-flat *5th: E E *6th: B B

Cuban laúd

Buena Vista Social Club ZMF 2015 IMGP8914

There is also a

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

variety of laud—called the "Cuban laud" -- (such as played by

Barbarito Torres Bárbaro Alberto Torres Delgado (born 1956), better known as Barbarito Torres, is a Cuban musician best known for his work with the Afro-Cuban All Stars and the Buena Vista Social Club since 1996.

of the

Buena Vista Social Club Buena Vista Social Club is an ensemble of Cuban musicians established in 1996. The project was organized by World Circuit executive Nick Gold, produced by American guitarist Ry Cooder and directed by Juan de Marcos González. They named the gr ...

). It has the same appearance and use as the Spanish version, six sets of doubled strings, but a shorter scale length and higher tuning. Sometimes the Cuban variety has a different body shape, with two points instead of the lute-style or wavy shapes used for the traditional Spanish variety. The tuning is: *1st: D5 D5 *2nd: A4 A4 *3rd: E4 E4 *4th: B3 B3 *5th: F#3 F#3 *6th: D3 D3

References

External links

The Stringed Instrument Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laud Plucked string instruments Spanish musical instruments Cuban musical instruments Philippine musical instruments

Tuning

Cuban laúd

See also

References

External links