How to Play the Moon Lute
- 1). Rest the bottom of the lute on the lap. Slant it about 45 degrees to the left, with more weight on the left thigh. Rest the thumb of your left hand on the back of the neck. The other four fingers should curve into a shape of a ball and rest on the face of the neck.
- 2). Tune the moon lute to a ratio of a perfect fourth or fifth. A perfect fourth means that there is a separation of four steps between each note. For example, C to F is a perfect fourth ratio that can represent a moon lute tuning. You tune the string by plucking it while simultaneously turning the tuning peg at the top of the lute.
- 3). Rest the guitar pick between your thumb and index finger. Use your fingertips to press the strings with your left hand while simultaneously plucking the string with the guitar pick in your right hand. Do not pull the strings left or right when you are pressing because it will affect the tone. In addition, if you push on the string too hard you will cause the note to bend to a higher pitch.
- 4). Pick the middle portion of the string between the neck and the bridge, much the same way you would pluck an acoustic guitar.
- 5). Learn scales and notes to combine plucking techniques with consecutive notes. Practice bending the strings towards the neck to reach notes that are otherwise impossible by playing the string flat. Unlike a traditional acoustic guitar, on a moon lute you bend the strings down towards the neck to bend a note. This is because the strings on a moon lute are positioned high above the fret and can change pitch the harder you press them down. This is a technique that you will learn through practice. Practice lightly pressing the string and plucking to play a note, and then without moving your hand position, press the string down harder to bend the note to a higher pitch.
- 6). Learn to play in the style of Vietnamese traditional folk music. It is common for the lute to be played with many tremolos, trills, and note bends. Slowly speed up your tempo by following the tempo set on a metronome. Listen to traditional Vietnamese recordings to learn how the instrument sounds when it is performed professionally (see resource).
