Fret Placement for Lutes, Vihuelas, Viols and Early Guitars

Derived from historical treatises on tuning and temperament

Mensur: 62 <= (Enter your string length here. Fret locations, measured from the nut, will be calculated below.)

Silbermann 1/6 Comma

Ganassi's Lute and Viol

1/8 Comma Meantone

Mersenne's Spinet #1

Mersenne's Spinet #2
Equal Temperament

Mersenne's Lute #1

Mersenne's Lute #2

Bermudo's Vihuela
Pythagorean (Just)

Werckmeister's #3
Aron's Meantone

Dowland's Lute
Gerle's Lute

Kepler's #1

Kepler's #2
Tuning
System:
______
Fret
Tastino none 3.13 2.64 NA 3.21 NA NA 2.48 NA NA NA NA 3.10 3.13 3.10 3.31
1st 3.48 3.94 4.07 3.76 NA 3.88 3.88 NA 3.90 3.90 3.76 3.58 NA 3.76 3.76 3.58
2nd 6.76 6.89 6.53 6.89 6.89 6.89 6.20 6.89 6.16 6.90 6.89 6.77 6.20 6.63 6.66 6.73
3rd 9.86 9.69 10.19 10.02 10.33 10.33 10.33 9.09 10.39 10.39 9.39 9.69 9.30 9.67 10.03 9.93
4th 12.79 13.01 12.34 12.76 12.40 12.40 12.40 12.40 12.34 12.34 12.45 12.81 12.40 12.53 12.60 12.69
5th 15.55 15.50 15.65 15.50 15.50 15.50 15.50 15.50 15.49 15.49 15.50 15.50 15.50 15.49 15.61 15.58
6th 18.16 18.46 17.52 18.08 17.91 17.91 18.41 17.36 18.46 18.46 18.08 18.18 18.08 17.80 17.86 18.04
7th 20.62 20.67 20.53 20.67 20.67 20.67 20.67 20.67 20.68 20.68 20.67 20.58 20.67 20.56 20.56 20.59
8th 22.94 23.29 22.17 * 22.81 23.25 23.25 22.32 23.34 23.34 23.17 22.77 22.73 22.71 22.57 22.77
9th 25.13 25.26 24.86 NA 25.26 24.80 24.80 24.80 24.69 24.69 25.26 25.11 24.80 24.97 24.99 25.08
10th 27.20 27.13 27.39 NA 27.56 27.13 27.13 27.13 27.69 27.69 26.93 27.13 26.87 27.09 27.29 27.23
11th 29.16 29.42 28.71 NA 28.93 28.93 28.93 28.93 28.84 28.84 NA** NA** 28.93 28.89 28.94 29.08
12th 31.00 31.00 31.00 NA 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00 31.00
* "Closer to 7th than the 6th fret is" ** Suggested value for 11th: 28.96 29.14
Copyright Daniel F. Heiman and the Lute Society of America, AD 2003, 2006
References:
J. Murray Barbour, Tuning and Temperament, Da Capo Press, New York, 1972.
Mark Lindley, Lutes, Viols and Temperaments, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1984.
Pietro Aron, Toscanello in musica,Venice, 1523 & 1529.
Juan Bermudo, Declaración de instrumentos musicales, Ossuna, 1555.
Robert Dowland, Varietie of Lute Lessons, London, 1610, pp.16-17.
Hans Gerle, Musica Teutsch, Nuremberg, 1532, Preface.
Sylvestro Ganassi, Regola Rupertina, lettione seconda, 1543.
Johannes Kepler, Harmonices mundi, Augsburg, 1619. p. 163.

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Marin Mersenne, Harmonie universelle, Paris, 1636-1637, pp.54, 117-118.
Andreas Werckmeister, Musikalische Temperatur, Frankfurt & Leipzig, 1691.

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