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“
...exquisitely nuanced and marked by a range of timbral colors I didn't think possible on the lute.
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Upcoming Concerts

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December 3, 2020

***POSTPONED***Ronn McFarlane at Lincoln City Cultural Center

Lincoln City Cultural Center

Lincoln City, OR

December 5, 2020

***POSTPONED***Ronn McFarlane at 28 Chairs

28 Chairs House Concert

Washington, DC

December 6, 2020

***POSTPONED***Ronn McFarlane at 28 Chairs

Athenaeum

Alexandria, VA

December 13, 2020

***POSTPONED***The Baltimore Consort at Crystal Valley Concert Series

First United Methodist Church of Middlebury

Middlebury, IN

December 18, 2020

***POSTPONED***The Baltimore Consort at Chamber Music Corvallis

First Presbyterian Church

Corvallis, OR

The Celtic Lute

Ronn's original arrangements of traditional Irish & Scottish folk tunes for the lute

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Beyond the Basics

The Art & Science of Playing the Lute, from the Lute Society of America Quarterly

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History
of the Lute

Explore the ancient past of this instrument of Kings and Queens

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Musical
Performances

Watch videos of Ronn, recorded in the studio and at live shows

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Original
Music

Discover music in the tradition of the lutenist-composer

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Selected Albums

Browse the full Discography

The Celtic Lute

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The Celtic Lute

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Barley Moon

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Nine Notes that Shook the World

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Two Lutes

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The Art of Vivaldi's Lute

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Blame Not My Lute

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One Morning

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Adio España

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Bright Day Star

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Live in Concert

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Gut, Wind, and Wire

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Indigo Road

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Available today! Carolyn and I created and recorded the album in its entirety during Covid-19 lockdown in the spring of 2020. It features music for lute and viola da gamba by John Dowland, Marin Marais, Dave Shepherd, John Newton, G.F. Telemann, Hans Leo Hassler, Robert Robinson, Duane Allman, Turlough O’Carollan, Gounod, Carolyn, and myself. Learn more about the album on my website [link in bio] #newmusic #album #newmusic #newalbum #newalbum2020 #newalbums #earlymusic #violadagamba #almanbrothers #almanbrothersband #cdrelease #lute #laguitarra #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #lutenists #lutenist #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #accoustic #accousticmusic #accousticguitar #oud #music
From The Book of the Courtier (1528) by Baldassare Castiglione “If the Courtier be a righteous judge of himself, he shall apply himself well enough to the time and shall discern when the hearers’ minds are disposed to give ear and when they are not. He shall know his age, for (to say the truth) it were no meet matter, but an ill sight to see a man of any estimation being old, hoarheaded and toothless, full of wrinkles, with a lute in his arms playing up on it and singing in the midst of a company of women, although he could do it reasonably well. And that because such songs contain in them words of love, and in old men love is a thing to be jested at, although otherwise he seemeth among other miracles of his to take delight in spite of years to set afire frozen hearts.” Then answered the Lord Julian: “Do you not bar poor old men from this pleasure, Sir Frederick, for in my time I have known men of years have very perfect breasts and most nimble fingers for instruments, much more than some young men.” “I go not about,“ quoth Sir Frederick, “to bar old men from this pleasure, but I will bar you these ladies from laughing at that folly. And in case old men will sing to the lute, let them do it secretly, and only to rid their minds of those troublesome cares in grievous disquietings that our life is so full of and to taste of that excellence which I believe Pythagoras and Socrates favorite in music…” Art: “Self-Portrait playing the Lute” by Jan Havicksz. Steen, ca. 1663 - 1665 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #accousticguitar #lute #earlymusic #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #music #lutenists #lutenist #guitar #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #laguitarra #accoustic #accousticmusic #oud #musicappreciation
Ernst Gottlieb Baron from his Study of the Lute (1727) on disparaging comments about the lute made by Johann Mattheson. Now Herr Mattheson hits the nail on the head when he writes: “We pay twice for the best lute piece, for we have to hear the eternal tuning that goes with it. If a lutenist lives to be 80 years old surely he has spent 60 years tuning. The worst of it is that among 100 (especially non-professionals) scarcely two are capable of tuning accurately. In addition, there is trouble with bad or spliced strings, especially the chanterelle, and trouble with frets and tuning pegs, so I have heard that it cost as much in Paris to keep a lute as it does a horse.”
(This is an overview of an introduction to my Beyond the Basics series that was published in @lutesocietyofamerica Quarterly. You can read the full article on my website.) Mind Control: What to Think About When Performing What goes through the mind of a lutenist when he/she is performing? Hmmm. I’m feeling kind of nervous. My hands are getting cold and sweaty...Oh no, my tone is getting really thin...Aaaaaggghhh! Another mistake! I played that passage much better at home yesterday... I wonder if I look nervous to everyone...I wish that squirmy kid wasn’t sitting in the front row...what’s that rustling in the back of the audience?...Oh, I just know they’re getting bored with my playing...Why can’t I play this piece the way I played it at home yesterday? I’ve been there. Thoughts are running wild. Why is there so much anxiety just to play a few tunes? Presumably, you play the lute because you love it, and you are performing so you can share the instrument and music you love with others. But for many (probably most) of us, unwanted thoughts of nervousness and questions of self esteem creep into the mind and eat away at the quality of the performance. You have to learn to control your own mind: to put away negative, destructive thoughts and replace them with positive thoughts which will help your performance. …Read/download the complete article on my website… ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #accousticguitar #lute #earlymusic #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #music #lutenists #lutenist #guitar #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #laguitarra #accoustic #accousticmusic #oud #musicappreciation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Photo by @jamesfcarr