a Lady's size Oud/Lute

I want to learn to play the Lute. I really do. I would really love to have one that's small, because I have tiny hands. One catch - I haven't anyone to teach me around here, at least that I know of. I may have to start hunting more seriously, if I keep seeing things like this. I'm fighting not to buy the thing right now, because I know I won't do anything with it without lessons. 8/

And I would LOVE to get good enough at it to sing and play at the same time. That's going to take a lot of work! But it's a goal I'd like to work towards.

Update: ok, I gave in to temptation. I put in a lowball bid on it. Between my bid and shipping, it's less than $70. If I get it, fine, if I don't, well, there will be others down the road...

Maestro Allesandro agreed to play for me for my stuff for Queen's Artisans. Now all I have to do is write a book on the stuff I'm researching. *LOL*

This is my response to spending well over an hour trying to hunt down mp3s of some Dowland songs I'm trying to study. OMG. WTF? I've heard some very strange things passing as professional recordings of this stuff. One included someone who sounded as if they were either being tortured, or in the throws of passion. ACK.

OK, I'm no professional recording artist, but do these people have no shame? Some of them clearly aren't trying for anything like a period performance. A couple that were sounded awful - the lute and voice only agreeing on some of the notes. Ick ick ick! BTW, this was all on Amazon and iTunes - two places you don't find a whole lot of "amature" music, unless you're listening to someone's pod cast.

*sigh* When I got the Sting album, I thought his performances passible. It was making the music more accessible to the masses, by having a pop star sing it. OY. Turns out, the thing is worth more to me than I thought. At least Sting doesn't sound like a pompus operatic tenor, trying to sing music his voice just seems too big for... and doing so at the speed of a funeral dirge.

Ok, end of rant. Back to trying to find a recording that isn't revolting...

UPDATE - I found some. I was specifically looking for three songs:
The Lowest Trees Have Tops
Clear or Cloudy
Wilt Thou Unkind