A Toye for Two Lutes
Teja Gerken and Flynn Cohen play a John Renbourn-inspired duet of a Renaissance lute piece.
Whenever I get together with Peghead Nation instructor Flynn Cohen, the conversion inevitably leads to our shared enthusiasm for John Renbourn, who we were both fortunate to know. Having been involved in several videos that were produced while social distancing over the last year (including this version of “Here Comes the Sun,” which includes Peghead Nation instructor Marla Fibish), I suggested to Flynn that we try to do something similar as I was helping him get set up to shoot lessons for his Irish Backup Guitar course from his home in Vermont. Flynn replied that we should check out “A Toye for Two Lutes,” by Renaissance composer Thomas Robinson, which Renbourn had recorded on his 1976 album, The Hermit.
As its name suggests, the piece was originally written to be played on lutes, and while the Renbourn recording features steel-string guitars, we decided to play the tune on nylon-string guitars for more of a lute-like tonality. I recorded my portion using a José Luis Granados requinto (a Mexican short-scale nylon-string guitar), and Flynn played a Yamaha classical guitar, capoed at the third fret.
Flynn and I both tend to play steel-string guitars, so working up this version of “A Toye for Two Lutes” was a fun exercise to brush up on classical playing techniques. The arrangement’s structure has the two players take turns playing identical parts, creating a lovely interwoven quality.
Check out Flynn’s Irish Backup Guitar course and Teja’s Advanced Fingerstyle Workshop on Peghead Nation!
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