SLEGS co-founder Bill Samson opened our meeting, after rounding off our last one.  He brought along a guitar which he built himself in 1988, and as the guitar is very similar to a Torres guitar owned by Francisco Tárrega, he played three pieces associated with him.  Firstly, he performed a study in E minor, and while the piece is often attributed to Tárrega, Bill’s research tells us it first appeared in a book published in Brazil.  Secondly, he played a study in B minor by Fernando Sor.  Bill, influenced by a historical recording of Miguel Llobet, played the piece with inégal, which suited it very well as it bounced along under his fingers.  Finally, we enjoyed a Pavane in A major, which Bill likes to call ‘a study in glissando’.  Bill used the whole range of his guitar as he slid up and down the neck, delivered precise and clear harmonics, and showed us that his guitar sounds as...

Our autumn meeting will be on the 22nd October, and we are excited that Sara Salloum will be joining us to give a talk and recital on her research on the Margaret Board lute book! If you are planning to attend, please register on the private eventbrite page so we have an idea of numbers, and if you have not attended our players meeting before, please make yourself known in advance by email.  22nd October Meeting 1pm-1.30pm – Arrive 1.30pm – Our regular meeting, members are invited to perform the music they have been working on and to present on topics of interest. Depending on the numbers present about 3 pieces per performer would be ideal. £1 donation for the venue. 3pm – Tea, Coffee, and Cake. A chance to socialise before the lecture recital. 3.30pm – Sara Salloum, The Margaret Board Lute book Sara Salloum is a musicologist and Renaissance lutenist currently pursuing a PhD at the University of Durham. Her...

Glen performed for us first, on a new instrument to him: a four-course Renaissance guitar built in Romania by Caius Hera.  He played three pieces from Guillaume Morlaye’s first book of guitar tablature (1552); Galliard No.2, Galliard No.4, and Les Buffons. All performances demonstrated that he is already very proficient on the instrument and able to bring the music to life with great clarity and style. We look forward to more Renaissance guitar repertoire from him in the future. Eric Thomas was next to play, treating us to some music that his Spinacino Consort will be performing this month.  First up was a Jean Paul Paladin intabulation of Le Contente Est Riche by Claudin de Sermisy. Paladin was a lute tutor to Mary Queen of Scots between 1548 and1553: a very appropriate piece to play in the heart of Edinburgh.  Eric showed great skill and accuracy with the quick chord changes and beautiful melody of the piece.  He then...

We are excited to present a special festival edition of the next SLEGS meeting on 6th August. Jamie Akers is in town and will play for us extracts from his new CD, music by the 19th-century Ukrainian guitarist Ivan Klinger! If you are planning to attend, please register on the private eventbrite page so we have an idea of numbers, and if you have not attended our players meeting before, please make yourself known in advance by email.  6th August Meeting 1pm-1.30pm – Arrive 1.30pm – Our regular meeting, members are invited to perform the music they have been working on and to present on topics of interest. Depending on the numbers present about 3 pieces per performer would be ideal. £1 donation for the venue. 3pm – Tea, Coffee, and Cake. A chance to socialise before the lecture recital. 3.30pm – Jamie Akers, Ivan Klinger: The Poor Branch Jamie Akers presents music by 19th-century Ukranian guitarist Ivan  Klinger from his new album. Klinger’s...

After our last extended meeting, which included a talk, concert, and prosecco and cake, this was slightly shorter, featuring our regular meeting, coffee and cake, and a lecture recital. We welcomed old and new members, with people coming equally with instruments to perform, and without to just enjoy the music and cake! Funds were raised to help bring further guest speakers in the future. Glen once again opened our meeting performing a mixture of German, Italian, and French repertoire on his 8 course EMS lute. First, he performed Margraffer dantz from a Swiss manuscript(CH-Bu. FII)showcasing his trademark ornamentation and arpeggiation, highlighting the rhythmic character of the dance. He then this followed this with Basso del Ninfe, delightfully balancing the bassline and melody of this beautiful tune by Cesare Negri. Finally, he took us to France with an intabulation of Las las porquoy, found in Pierre Attaingnant’s first ever lute publication of 1529. The contrapuntal three voice texture could be heard clearly and projected...

For our summer edition, as well as our regular meeting, we will have a fundraiser lecture recital on Joan Ambrosio Dalza’s Libro Quarto. If you are planning to attend, please register on the private eventbrite page so we have an idea of numbers for social distancing, and if you have not attended our players meeting before, please make yourself known in advance by email.  Meeting is at the regular venue, Chris Elmes place, 1F1 25 Haddington Place, EH7 4AF. 9th July Meeting 1pm-1.30pm – Arrive 1.30pm – Our regular meeting, members are invited to perform the music they have been working on and to present on topics of interest. Depending on the numbers present about 3 pieces per performer would be ideal. £1 donation for venue. 3pm – Tea, Coffee, and Cake. A chance to socialise before the lecture recital. 3.30pm – Eric Thomas – Dalza’s Dictionary of Dance Eric Thomas will discuss Joan Ambrosio Dalza’s Libro Quarto, showing how Dalza...

Our founder Rob MacKillop and chairman Eric Thomas have relaunched the Scottish Lute and Early Guitar Society facebook group! We want this to be a place for non-virtual members to share what they have been playing in between meetings, ask questions, and continue to build the community for lutes and early guitars in Scotland. Virtual members can also share posts on anything relating to Scottish lute and historical guitar histories; this could be videos, sound files, articles, discussion of manuscripts, tune histories, editions, iconography, or questions. Rob has already shared a wealth of information, including videos, editions, and baroque lute tips, it’s well worth a look! We look forward to developing this space for our membership and for the discussion and promotion of Scottish lute and guitar music! Click the link below to visit the group and begin posting!

This was our first meeting with a new format incorporating our regular player’s session followed by lunch, a short discussion of and signing of our constitution, then a talk and then, after cake, brownies and prosecco, a recital. The playing session was arranged in approximate chronological order of the pieces played. Glen Robertson started us off with a piece from the Skene manuscript that included his own, well thought-out and idiomatic variations. I will not go to bed till I die sounded great on his 8 course EMS lute. His performance was graced with his now trademark nifty ornamentation – what was referred to as ‘shakes’ back in the day but which one wonders may have been called ‘shoogles’ in Skene castle. He then played a Ballet by von Harling from the Lute Society’s collection Easy to Intermediate Pieces for Renaissance Lute. He followed with a difficult Pavane – played with apparent ease – the sole surviving known piece...

This meeting marks the tenth anniversary of the first meeting of SLEGS which took place on 1st October 2011, in the Laigh Room at St Cecilia’s Hall. There was a great turnout of eleven members, including three who attended the inaugural meeting; Rob Mackillop, Gordon Ferries and Bill Samson. Rob, Bill and Philip Lord have organised the meetings up until now, and decided that it was time for a ‘regime change’.  Chris Jupp and Eric Thomas are the new management and will take over running SLEGS after today’s meeting. Rob took his usual role as master of ceremonies today and as this was also his own 30th anniversary as a lute player, he started by recounting his life as a musician, including his time at Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, studying guitar in Italy and buying his first lute – an archlute – on which he learned how to play continuo from figured bass in three weeks...

October 2021 will mark ten years since our first meeting. We feel this is worth a celebration! As the website reports show, a lot has happened in that time, and although attendance numbers are often low, many of us always look forward to the meetings, and have missed them through the pandemic period.  We plan to resume meetings on Saturday 9th October 2021, at Chris Elmes’ place*, but this time with the addition of cake! Feel free to bring your own drink of choice!  There’s also another reason this meeting will be a special one: Rob, Philip and Bill will be handing over the organisation of future meetings to Chris Jupp and Eric Thomas during this meeting. So, there will be a look back to what we’ve done, but also a look forward from Chris and Eric about their vision for the society in the coming months and years.  We would like everyone to be as Covid-safe as possible, and...