Introduction to Stringed Instruments, pt 1

guitar2Stringed instruments are musical instruments that produce sound when strings on the instrument are excited or vibrated. Stringed instruments are also regarded as chordophones when following the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification. Some of the most well known and most common stringed instruments in this family as the cello, double bass, guitar, violin, viola and harp.

All string instruments are designed to produce sound when one or more strings is vibrated, transferring the vibration to sound by using the body of the acoustic instrument. Stringed instruments are most commonly categorized by the technique that is used to make the strings excited or vibrated. The most common three techniques used in creating vibration in the strings are plucking, striking and bowing.

Plucking is used as the sole method of playing instruments like the sitar, lute, harp, guitar, banjo, mandolin and oud. You can either use your finger or thumb or a plectrum like a guitar pick. This category also includes the keyboard instrument known as the harpsichord, which once used feather quills but which now uses plastic plectra in order to pluck the instrument's strings.

Plucked instruments from around the world include:

- Appalachian dulcimer (United States)
- Autoharp (United States)
- Bağlama (Turkey)
- Bajo sexto (Mexico)
- Balalaika (Russia)
- Bandura (Ukraine)
- Bandurria (Spain)
- Banjo (American)
- Barbat (Iran)
- Begena (Ethiopia)
- Bordonua (Puerto Rico)
- Bouzouki (Greece)
- Bugarija (Croatia)
- Buzuq (Lebanon)
- Cavaquinho (Portugal and Brazil)
- Çeng (Turkey)
- Charango (Peru and Bolivia)
- Chitarra battente (Italy)
- Chitarrone (Mexico)
- Cittern (Britain)
- Cuatro (Puerto Rico)
- Cuatro (Venezuela)
- Cümbüş (Turkey)
- Đàn bầu (Vietnam)
- Đàn nguyệt (Vietnam)
- Đàn tranh (Vietnam)
- Đàn tỳ bà (Vietnam)
- Diddley bow (United States)
- Dombra (Eastern Europe and Central Asia)
- Domra (Russia)
- Doshpuluur (Tuva)
- Dutar (Persia)
- Duxianqin (China)
- Ektara (India)
- Electric bass
- Electric upright bass
- Gayageum (Korea)
- Geomungo (Korea)
- Gottuvadhyam (India)
- Gravikord
- Guitar (Persia)
- Acoustic bass guitar
- Baritone guitar
- Bass guitar
- Cigar box guitar
+ SmokeBox Instruments
- Electric guitar
- Harp guitar
- Resonator guitar (a.k.a. dobro)
- Seven-string guitar
- Tailed bridge guitar
- Tenor guitar
- Guitarrón (Mexico)
- Gusli (Russia)
- Guqin (China)
- Guzheng (China)
- Harp
- Electric harp
- Harpsichord (Europe, keyboard instrument)
- Irish bouzouki (Ireland)
- Kacapi
- Kantele (Finland)
- Kanun (Middle East, Persia)
- Kobza (Ukraine)
- Konghou (China)
- Kontigi (Nigeria)
- Kora (West Africa)
- Koto (Japan)
- Krar (Ethiopia)
- Kutiyapi (Philippines)
- Langeleik (Norway)
- Laud
- Liuqin (China)
- Lute (Europe)
- Archlute
- Theorbo
- Lyre
- Mandolin
- Mandola
- Octave mandola
- Mandocello
- Mando-banjo
- Mohan veena
- Monochord
- Musical bow
- Nyatiti (Kenya)
- Oud (Middle East, Greece)
- Pandura
- Pipa (China)
- Portuguese guitar (Portugal)
- Psaltery
- Qanún/kanun (Middle East, Persia)
- Qinqin (China)
- Ruan (China)
- Requinto
- Rote
- Rubab
- Rudra veena (India)
- Sallaneh (Iran)
- Sanxian (China)
- Saraswati veena (India)
- Šargija (Bosnia)
- Sarod (India)
- Saung (Burma)
- Saz (Turkey)
- Shamisen (Japan)
- Sitar (India, Pakistan)
- Tambura
- Tamburitza (Pannonian plain)
- Tanbur
- Tar (lute)
- Tea chest bass
- Tiple (Puerto Rico)
- Tiple (South America)
- Torban
- Tres (Cuba)
- Tricordia (Mexico)
- Ukulele (Hawaii)
- Valiha (Madagascar)
- Veena (India)
- Vichitra veena (India)
- Vihuela (Spain)
- Paul Panhuysen's string installations
- Yueqin (China)
- Zhongruan (China)
- Zhu (China)
- Zither

Continued in Part 2.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2009-02-04 05:02:20. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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2 comments ↓
#1 Marian on 10.21.09 at 9:33 am

Please tell me the differences between the autoharp, the zither and the bandura?

#2 acoustic violin on 10.14.10 at 12:34 pm

One string instrument I would like to learn how to play with is the harp. It looks interesting and I believe only a few people knows how to play this instrument.

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