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 har ...

-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 s ...

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") , ...

, played also in diaspora countries such as Cuba and the Philippines. The laúd belongs to the cittern family of instruments. The Spanish and Cuban instruments have six double

courses Course may refer to: Directions or navigation * Course (navigation), the path of travel * Course (orienteering), a series of control points visited by orienteers during a competition, marked with red/white flags in the terrain, and corresponding ...

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 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 string ...

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 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 li ...

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 pers ...

variety of laud—called the "Cuban laud" -- (such as played by Barbarito Torres of the Buena Vista Social Club). 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