I've been through about eleventy-fourteen guitars, steel-strings, 12-strings, and classics (mostly classics) over the years, and now I'm down to two classics, one flamenco, and three travel guitars.

Since I had to take to a wheelchair some years ago, along with a few range of movement problems with a shoulder, I can't comfortably play the classics or the flamenco anymore, hence the travel guitars. I've got to sell the two classics and the flamenco because they are very nice guitars (the flamenco, a 1961 Arcangel Fernandez, is much sought after and it's worth a pile of money) and they really need to be played.

Why three travel guitars? Well, I didn't really like the fingerboard on the first one I got (nylon-string), so I had Sam Radding (go-guitars.com) make me another one, specifying the fingerboard dimensions and string spacing. Sam is very accommodating and likes to keep his customers happy. And just for kicks, I got one of his steel-string travel guitars. Although I like the nylon strings and play classic as well as accompany songs, I like a change of sound from time to time.

Once, after a performance in which I used one of the nylon-string travel guitars, an audience member asked me afterwards if it was some kind of period instrument. No. I told him what it was and why it didn't look like a regular guitar.

But that got the imp that sits on my shoulder muttering to me. Period instrument. Hmm. . . .

I'd heard about them before, but I had no idea of what they were like. The Baroque guitar. And then, it turns out that a young woman in this area plays one in an early music group (she also plays lute and modern classic guitar). So I heard one, saw it, and learned something about it. Fascinating!

Small, not much bigger than my travel guitars, and I could play one while sitting in the wheelchair, and it wouldn't bother my shoulder. It has some interesting characteristics. They're set up to take ten strings, but they're usually strung with nine. But the strings are doubled (called "courses") like on a lute. Or a 12-string guitar. They have 5 courses. They are tuned like the top five strings of a modern guitar. No sixth string or "course" (so folks who are hot for dropped D tuning wouldn't be happy with them). They are tuned, bottom up, A D G B and E. So chord fingerings and such would be the same, but you don't have a low E string (or strings). The A, D, and G are doubled and tuned in octaves like the low strings of a 12-stringer, the B is also doubled, but both strings are tuned to the same note, and although one could double the top E, most people leave it single, like on a lute. Called the "chanterelle."

Interesting instrument. And they are often fairly ornate.

This is a photo of someone playing one, so you can see what they look like and get an idea of their size:   CLICKY #1

And here is one being played by the young woman I mentioned:    CLICKY #2.

I need one of these like I need a wart on my nose. But what does need have to do with it?

Get thee behind me, Satan! And PUSH!!

Don Firth

P. S.   By the way, here's Elizabeth Brown again, holding forth on her lute:    CLICKY #3.