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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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March 6, 2021

Ronn McFarlane and Matt Palmer Virtual Concert at Baltimore Classical Guitar Society

Baltimore Classical Guitar Society Virtual Concert

Virtual Concert,

March 19, 2021

Ronn McFarlane at Friday Night Coffeehouse

Artichoke Music Virtual Concert

Virtual Concert, OR

April 10, 2021

Ronn McFarlane Live Stream at Santa Cruz Baroque Festival

Live Stream

Live Stream,

April 11, 2021

Ronn McFarlane Live Stream at the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society

Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society Live Stream

Virtual Concert,

April 16, 2021

***POSTPONED***Ronn McFarlane at Westminster Canterbury

Westminster Canterbury

Winchester, VA

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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On variety of touch on the lute, from the Burwell Lute Tutor (c. 1660-1672): “When you begin to play something well, you must alter your way of striking and flatter (as we speak) the lute - that is to strike it sometimes gently. For as the lute is kind of language, you must imitate the orators, who now raise their voices and then abate it; now they get asleep the hearer, and now they awaken him; now they charm him and now they amaze him, and with the same organ do express two sorts of sounds. Likewise, in playing of the lute, in some places you must strike hard and in others so gently that one may hardly hear you. That variety is pleasing and produces attention of the hearer. It belongs only to the lute touch so the same instrument, that, if one did not see you, he would think that you played upon two several lutes.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #lute #earlymusic #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #music #lutenists #lutenist #guitar #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #laguitarra #accoustic #accousticmusic #accousticguitar #oud #musicappreciation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Art:
Of the Enthusiasms and Ravishments of the Lute... “Of all the arts that I know there is none that engages more the inclination of men than the lute, for ravishing the soul by the errand the eyes by the swiftness and neatness of the fingers. These two senses being the chiefest ministers of our souls, it happens that it is employed in all her faculties and that it is wholly filled with that heavenly pleasure that is most conformed to its nature. In effect it seems that the lute was only invented for the soul, because the soul is soon weary and glutted of all other things except the lute.” ~ from the Burwell Lute Tutor (c. 1660-1672): ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #lute #earlymusic #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #music #lutenists #lutenist #guitar #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #laguitarra #accoustic #accousticmusic #accousticguitar #oud #musicappreciation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Art:
On the difference between performance and the written notation: “There are flaws, in my view, in our way of writing music, which are related to the manner of rising our language! … It is because we write differently than we play, which results in foreigners playing our music less well that we play theirs; by contrast the Italians write their music in the actual values they conceive it in. For example, we dot a series of conjunct eighth notes, and yet we write them as equal. Our custom has enslaved us; and nevertheless we continue.” ~François Couperin (1717) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #lute #earlymusic #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #music #lutenists #lutenist #guitar #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #laguitarra #accoustic #accousticmusic #accousticguitar #oud #musicappreciation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Art: “The Lute Player” by Michelangelo Caravaggio, ca. 1595
“Learn to fill and soften a sound, as shades in needlework, in sensation, so as to be like also a gust of wind, which begins from a soft air and fills by degrees to a strength as makes all bend, and then softens away again into a temper* and so vanishes.” *becoming temperate Roger North (c. 1695) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #lute #earlymusic #renaissancemusic #baroquemusic #folkmusic #classicalmusic #musician #classicalguitar #classicalguitarist #music #lutenists #lutenist #guitar #guitarist #guitarra #guitarista #laguitarra #accoustic #accousticmusic #accousticguitar #oud #musicappreciation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Art: