Laúd

Common card · No. 489751

Laúd (Spanish: "lute") is a plectrum-plucked chordophone from Spain, played also in diaspora countries such as Cuba and the Philippines. Its name, just as lute itself, stems from Arabic al-oud العود, literally meaning “the wood”. The laúd belongs to the cittern family of instruments. The Spanish and Cuban instruments have six double courses in unison (i.e. twelve strings in pairs); the Philippine instrument has 14 strings with some courses singled or tripled. A similar, but smaller instrument, with a shorter neck, is the bandurria, which also exists in 12- and 14-string versions. Traditionally the laúd is used by folk string musical groups, such as Spanish or Filipino rondalla string ensembles, together with the guitar and the bandurria. Like the bandurria, it is tuned in fourths, but its range is one octave lower.

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