There are a lot of really interesting instruments out there, in addition to the common ones that you hear about regularly. One example of a not so well known instrument is the cittern.

The cittern is a musical instrument possessing strings, and it originally came from Europe. It is said to have descended from the ancient Greek instrument that is known as the Kithara. The cittern was especially popular during the 1500s as well as the 1600s, but it lost much of its popularity between the 1700s and the 1800s. Still, the cittern managed to survive as a part of folk music in the 20th century in the rural parts of Germany, Portugal and Switzerland. The cittern has also been relatively popular in contemporary styles of Celtic music as well as folk music in the United States.

The cittern possesses a body that is pear shaped and it's profile is wedge shaped where the thicker part of the wedge is near the neck of the instrument. The instrument's length is capable of varying from between 21.5 inches to around 29.5 inches. The cittern has a relatively flat back as well as curved sides, and both are made out of hardwood, with maple being the most popular choice. The front of the instrument is flat or arched, and is typically made out of a softer type of wood such as spruce for example.

The early versions of the cittern typically had only four strings, but there was also some variation when it came to the number of strings as well as how they were tuned. Both the early citterns and the modern citterns have had wire strings that are fastened to a tailpiece and then passed along over a long and flat bridge. From that bridge, the strings then pass over a portion of the fingerboard that is raised, which is known as the nut. Then they pass into the front of the instrument's peg box where they are fed through tuning pegs. The peg boxes used for older cittern were sometimes shaped like a human head or an animal head that had a large hook on the back suggesting a nose or a snout.

The fingerboard on the cittern has metal frets that are thin and often made out of brass. The fingerboard projects out over the soundboard, which is made of a soft wood. In older citterns as well as some of the more modern citterns, you will find a groove located on the neck's top side that accommodates the thumb of the player, making it easier for them to finger the fret board of the instrument while playing.

Photo Credits: unforth

Originally posted 2009-10-01 03:56:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Acoustic Musical Instruments, cittern, Instrument History

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1500s, 1600s, animal head, boxes, celtic music, cittern, fingerboard, flat bridge, hook, interesting instruments, kithara, music in the 20th century, musical instrument, pear, peg, popularity, portugal, snout, variation, wire strings