Curiosities about instruments, the Lute and Rising Star Fan Art.

Greetings to all my dear Rising Star friends, today I am very happy to share with you a new article on my blog. I want to tell you some interesting facts about a very interesting instrument, I am referring to the Lute. And, as usual, at the end of the post I will present you some fan art that I have created, inspired by our beloved game, Rising Star. Without further ado, let's begin.

Well, my dear friends, to start off, I'll tell you that the lute is a plucked string instrument, older than walking. 😀. It looks like a guitar but (be careful) with a rounder belly and a short neck that bends backwards. It has between 7 and 12 pairs of strings, which are tuned in pairs, so it seems as if it had been double-strung. The sound it produces is very beautiful. I've had the opportunity to play it, obviously I don't know how to make music with it. I just play the strings as if there were no tomorrow 😀.

On the other hand, imagine that more than 4,000 years ago, in Mesopotamia, there were already instruments that resembled the lute. But it was thanks to the Arabs that this instrument came to Europe. They called it ('al-ʿūd') don't ask me what it means 😀, that's where the name 'lute' comes from. The Moors brought the instrument to Spain during the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula, and from there the Europeans adopted it, transformed it and it became the star instrument in the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

In those days, the lute was like today's reggaeton, everyone loved it, haha, not everyone, but it was fashionable 😀. As far as we know, kings and nobles used the instrument in their private and public parties. Then composers like John Dowland in England and Sylvius Leopold Weiss in Germany wrote songs for this instrument. But, like everything in life, the lute had a small decline when the piano and the violin arrived. But that doesn't mean it has disappeared.

• A funny thing you should know is that the lute doesn't have a single inventor. Rather, it is the result of a lot of inventions and adaptations from different cultures. The Arabs were the ones who worked the hardest to perfect it and bring it to Europe. So, although there is not a single person we can thank for the lute, we know that it was an effort of many musicians and craftsmen over time.

Now let's change the subject a bit and see how this instrument works. The first thing you need to know is that the lute is played with the fingers or with a pick. Each pair of strings is tuned in intervals of a tone or an octave, depending on the type of lute. The right hand plucks the strings, while the left hand presses the strings on the neck to change notes. The sound box, or soul, so to speak, of the lute, amplifies the sound, making it louder.

As for the types of lute, you should know that there are many different types and shapes, some smaller, others larger and more classical. But most have a similar shape. To give some examples, we have the Renaissance, Baroque, Arabic and Laudon lutes. In addition to several more.

And now the favorite section of all those who read this post, the curiosities. Let's get to the point.

• The famous English writer William Shakespeare mentioned the lute in several of his works. In case you don't know, this is a very beloved writer in his time. What is striking here is that it was a very precious instrument among the nobility and he made this clear in his writings.

• During the times of the Inquisition, some lutes had secret compartments to hide forbidden manuscripts. Thus, musicians could carry clandestine texts without being discovered. The truth is that it is quite ingenious. It would not have occurred to me to do something like that.😀

• On the other hand, instruments such as the jarana and the vihuela, which we use in the son jarocho and the Mexican mariachi, have roots that come from the lute. And those are just a few, many more are inspired by this instrument.

Friends, these were the curious facts that I wanted to tell you today. The truth is that the Lute is an instrument with a cool history and many interesting facets. And very important before finishing, if you have a Lute lying around, feel free to tell me in the comments your experiences with it.

Rising Star Fan Art

Now, changing the subject, I present my post #77 about some of the fan art I've made with the help of DALL-E, inspired by our beloved game, Rising Star. In this post, I've used the card theme again along with several elements of the game. For example, I've added the star, some instruments and singers to give more personality to the images. Some of the images also have futuristic and retro touches, and I've added stages and concerts to give it a special touch.

The images are free to use, so you can use them from this post without any problem. I reiterate that they have been made by me with the help of DALL-E.

I hope you enjoyed this journey through the history and curiosities of the Lute. And that you liked the fan art. See you in a new post. Until next time friends, greetings to all.