Each of the six lines in standard lute tablature represents a corresponding string and its open note on the lute instrument. It has a tuning of GCFADG and begins and ends with a G-note, rather than the E-note for the guitar, as does guitar tablature. The structure used in tablature for the guitar is that the highest note is on top and the lowest note is on the bottom. If a string is to be played open, it is accompanied the letter “a,” “b” if a finger is to be placed on the first fret, and “c” if a finger is to be placed on the second fret. Each line of tablature represents two lute strings, which are referred to as a course.
The lute has six courses default, but it can have up to 14. Slashes are used to indicate courses higher than the sixth on the lute tablature, so a seventh course will have one slash, an eighth course will have two slashes, and each additional course will have another slash. Time signatures are included in the system for indicating lute chords. Lute tablature uses flags and circles to indicate timing, and they resemble the top part of standard musical notation’s timing symbols. A line with a tail can also be used to indicate timing, which is especially useful when writing lute tablature on a computer.
The lute tablature does not provide information on the instrument’s tuning or go into great detail about cadences. Because it’s difficult to compare the notes to standard musical notation, computer programs to read and interpret lute music have been slow to develop. The disparity between the logic of lute tablature and transcribing it to computer programs has been a challenge, even for music theory experts who are often computer science experts. There is also a lack of precision when it comes to adding vocal accompaniment to lute music.
The current lute tablature is similar to that used when the instrument was first introduced to Europe in the 14th century. Finger-picking is used to play the lute, and the tuning is similar to that of a classical guitar with a capo on the third fret. Beginners can learn to read and play along with lute tablature in the same way they can with guitar tablature. There are also different types of lute tablature, ranging from Renaissance to Baroque. The English and French versions differ from the Spanish and German versions.