Looking at citterns, gitterns, vihuelas, four-course guitars etc. it seems that 4-string instruments tended to use 5ths, 5 or more courses tended to use fourths (often but not always with a 3rd in the middle). When you get to the more complex French lutes anything up to 14 courses (some tripled, tuned root-octave-quint) can be found, so I'd reckon you can claim some sanction for any tuning you choose - but the Hobgoblin guide is as good as anything else AS A GUIDE, not as a law. I use a guirat tuned F-Bb-D-G-B-E, so who am I to say? (and then I use it as two ukes ....) #
Reality : A particularly unconvincing illusion (see "Reality TV" if you disagree.)
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