The lyre is a type of stringed musical instrument that is well known for having been used widely in classical antiquity as well as later on. The recitations made by the Ancient Greeks were often accompanied by playing the Lyre. The Lyre known of in classical Antiquity was typically played by way of it being strummed using a pletctrum, similarly to a guitar or to a zither rather than it being a plucked instrument like the harp. The fingers of the player's free hand would be used to silence the unwanted strings in whatever chord was being played. The lyre is quite similar in appearance to a small type of harp, but there are certain specifically differences in the way it looks and the way it plays that make it unique to the harp.

The word lyre is capable of referring either specifically to a common type of folk instrument, which is similar in nature but smaller than the professional Kithara or the Barbiton of Eastern-Aegean descent, or the word Lyre can refer generally to all three of these instruments in a single family of instruments.

Classification of the Lyre

Lyres from a variety of different times and places are all regarded by certain organologists as being a branch from the zither family of instruments. Organologists are specialists in the field of musical instrument history. The zither family is a general category of musical instruments that includes a wide variety of different stringed instruments including guitars, lutes, kantele and psalteries in addition to plain old zither instruments as well.

Lyre Construction

Classical lyre instruments have hollow bodies or hollow sound chests, sound boxes or resonators. Extending from the sound chest you will find two raised arms that are sometimes hollow. These arms are curved simultaneously forward and outward and they are connected by a yoke or a crossbar near the top. There is an additional crossbar that is fixed to the soundbox and makes the bridge, which is what transmits the string vibrations to create the sounds. The deepest note is the note that is the furthest from the body of the player. The strings never differed much in terms of length, but more weight may have been capable of being gained using thicker strings for the deeper notes just like with the violin or the guitar. Tension may also have played a role in achieving deeper notes with this instrument. The strings were made out of gut and stretched between the bridge and the yoke or to a tailpiece that was below the instrument's bridge.

There were two different methods of tuning the lyre, one which involved fastening all of the strings to pegs that could be turned, and the other method was to change the placement of the string along the crossbar. Sometimes both of these methods were simultaneously used for the best result.

Photo Credits: Remote Sky

Originally posted 2009-09-15 03:19:53. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Introduction to the Bass Instrument The bass is also known as the double bass or the doghouse, and it is both the largest as well as the lowest pitch instrument in the violin family. Just like the violin, the double bass instrument evolved from the viol in Europe. Fine bass models are made out of......
• Confused About the Difference Between a Fiddle and a Violin? Basically, a violin is just a more specialized type of fiddle. A fiddle can be any type of stringed instrument that is played with a horsehair bow. The main distinction between a fiddle and a violin generally refers to the different styles of music played on each. Fiddles are more......
• The History of the Harpsichord The history of the Harpsichord can be traced back to the 15th century, but the instrument actually got its start from the psaltery, which was a stringed instrument that the player held upright to pluck its strings (unlike the dulcimer which rested on the player's lap so the strings could......
• Acoustic Guitar String Changing pt 1 If it is time for you to change the strings on your guitar, then you need to know what tools and equipment you need and also have an understanding of the process involved. The following guide is designed to help you remove the sixth string so that you can change......
• Metal Instruments 101 There are a range of different metal percussion instruments that can be found in the modern western orchestra, even though many of them have origins that are not only ancient in nature, but also global as well. The Anvil - The Anvil is a specific type of sound effect that......

Related Websites

• Bass Instruments: The History of the Bass Guitar Instruments teach the people who use them a great deal. For playing an instrument, you can have your first example of love without need of love in return from a person loving their instrument, you can learn notes and patience and many other valuable lessons, some of which have to......
• Types of Drums Drums are percussive instruments that are most commonly constructed by stretching one of a couple of different types of membranes over the opening in a vessel. The most common property of the various different types of drums is the pitch that each drum offers. Drums are by far one of......
• Technology in and for the Instrumental Music Classroom   Music education, in some form, goes back as far as education itself. While sometimes struggling for legitimacy, it nonetheless has had its champions. More recently, as technology has flourished within education, technological applications designed specifically for the teaching of music have been developed. While much of this technology is......
• Fender Guitar Dealers -> Musical Instruments -> String A Fender guitar is one of the best guitars you can purchase in the world today, whether it's a new instrument or a vintage one. Fender began with Leo Fender releasing the Esquire model guitar in 1950, but production only lasted for about......
• The History of the Bass Guitar The electric bass guitar is a staple of the music scene today. It provides the bass spectrum of sound to the likes of rock, jazz, metal, blues and numerous other musical acts. The bass may provide one part of the larger melody, or be featured as the primary instrument. Over......

Online Stores

• Lute String Musical Instruments
• Brass Musical Instruments Antiques
• Upright Piano Musical Instruments
• Acoustic Guitar Musical Instruments
• Vintage Pre-1980 Harmonica Musical Instruments

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Acoustic Musical Instruments, Instrument History, lyre

Tags:

aegean, ancient greeks, barbiton, classical antiquity, crossbar, folk instrument, hollow bodies, kantele, kithara, lyre, lyres, musical instrument history, psalteries, recitations, resonators, sound boxes, soundbox, stringed instruments, stringed musical instrument, zither