I am not sure where to direct this topic so I will post it here and see what happens. Would any of us be interested in an Early Music forum? Apart from me of course.

Yes, I would.

Yes and no: yes, in that I like discussing early music; no in that I don't want it to be segregated into a separate section visited only by 'Baroque nuts' such as myself.

I think YAP's summed it up for me, too. I think I'd rather see more early music being discussed in the mainstream General Music forum.

I like the idea, but we'd probably need to wait for the AB to introduce Early Music exams before they introduced one here.

<wanders off contemplating Grade 1 challenge on lute>

...and only last night was I questioning our string players about viols...

I don't usually think of music from the Baroque age as "early". I suppose what I really intended to ask was if anyone would be interested in a forum to discuss things from the mediaeval and renaissance, and these don't often seem to get any mentions here.

Start up a discussion, I'd join in. Ever heard a centre-plucked muselar virginal?

Sounds rude...

Yea it does! (although I know what a virginal is )

Yes, I have. Never owned one but I used to have a very handy little wing spinet that fitted into my hillman imp years ago. It got used for all sorts of stuff, often way out of its period but I could not and still cannot afford to keep a whole battery of plucked things just to be authentic. I wish that I could. Will keep doing lottery.

I know very little about early music, but those of you who know your stuff, please post - I would love to learn more!

...and mother and child virginals?
or pedal clavichords? Like this.

Baroque music is usually still classified as early, as far as I understand: I would be interested to learn more of the music from Renaissance times too, though - but a separate forum might not be sustainable, judging by what we have already.

A pity the lottery has such unpredictable returns!
Having said that, I've been in a few houses in which there are so many instruments that you can't move without tripping over another one, and am debating how to ensure it doesn't happen to us, given that my husband is capable of building them....

I'd love to see a forum on early musical instruments, thinks sackbuts and hurdygurdys Hey have any of you guys checked out the Early Music centre in Bradford, how cool is that place!

It is my favourite shop! I have bought most of my recorders there, and some good second hand ones for pupils too. They always seem to know who is around , where, and making what instrument. Also their recorder technician knows his stuff and that is very useful.

One of my favourite places too. I loved the fact that they unlocked entire cabinets of recorders and let me loose in there.
Also, when I gave them my Rottenburgh to get the thumbhole bushed, it came back about six times better, and almost lost me all justification for having bought my beloved Moeck Denner...almost but not quite.

Sounds fun

I've been there too! It's soooo cool! The ideal day out for me is an afternoon spent at Woods - looking at the pianos, sheet music and then the Early Music Shop!