What kinds of strings are used?
Stings were traditionally made of gut (i.e., the processed intestines of sheep), and today lute strings can be gut, synthetic gut (i.e., Nylgut), nylon, carbon fiber, copper or silver wire wound on a core of synthetic fibers or gut, or a combination of these materials. The number of strings can range from 7 to more than 24. The strings are arranged in pairs, called courses, and this is how many lutes are distinguished from one another (e.g., a 7-course Renaissance lute or an 11-course Baroque lute). Although a course is defined as a pair of strings, the highest course on most Renaissance lutes is usually a single string and, on lutes of the later Baroque period, the two highest courses are usually single strings.
