The Theorbo is a Renaissance instrument developed from the lute. The upper melodic strings terminate at the lute like headstock, but the lower strings are attached to a massively long neck extension. These lower strings are tuned to the scale of the composition and are not fretted. They are played as open strings. You can use this video either to examine a fascinating and even bizaare looking instrument, but also to compare it to a modern approach to the same design problem, the Chapman Stick. This video contains several pieces, so play one as an example. The setting is a baroque church, chosen in part for its acoustic properties.
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