Dorothee von Heydebrand und der Lasa

Guitarist, Germany
Liuto forte in e

Now it is exactly 10 years that I can call the 9-string Liuto forte in e my own. I still regard this instrument as a precious gift. From the very beginning I had succumbed to the sound magic of the delicate, relaxing and yet incredibly voluminous tone unfolded by this lute. In the course of the years I gained courage and routine, experimented with scordatura of the bass strings among others with S.L. Weiss and with the Kapo on the 3rd fret, with works by Dowland. The Liuto forte reacts sensitively and quickly to different music and musical ages and apparently “knows” by itself which timbres are desired by the player. This without any effort. The less power one uses, the more fascinating and free the sound unfolds. The selectivity of the chords when playing continuo proves to be a great advantage when playing chamber music.

I can only recommend guitarists to take the step towards this instrument. It opens up so many new possibilities, which in turn influence the playing of the guitar. As a guitarist I don’t want to miss my Liuto anymore!