How much difference does the shape of a musical instrument make to its sound. There seems to be two families: hourglass shaped (guitars) and pear shaped (lutes). Why are mandolins either shape? Mandolin (and fiddle)tuning seems "sensible", guitar tuning is too apart from the irregular interval between the 3rd and 2nd string (why?)whereas banjo tuning is chaotic. How are citterns and lutes tuned? Dr John