During the Renaissance , bigger lutes were designed . As a result , lutes are generally more expensive than mass-produced modern instruments such as the guitar , though not nearly as expensive as the violin . Unlike in the past there are many types of lutes encountered today : 5-course medieval lutes , renaissance lutes of 6 to 10 courses in many pitches for solo and ensemble performance of Renaissance works , the archlute of Baroque works , 11-course lutes in d-minor tuning for 17th century French , German and Czech music , 13\/14-course d-minor tuned German Baroque Lutes for later High Baroque and Classical music , theorbo for basso continuo parts in Baroque ensembles , gallichons\/mandoras , bandoras , orpharions and others .