Even though these instruments are similar to lutes in terms of shape, some of them can assume sizes as big as 40 inches (like the double bass). Typical examples include the violin, viola, and cello. Bowed String Instrumentsīowed string instruments include instruments played by a bow rubbing across strings. This family typically includes harps and lyres. The harp family is the oldest group of string instruments, which dates back more than 4 millennia to ancient Mesopotamia. Typical examples of zithers are the dulcimer, gusli, and kannel. The main distinction is the absence of the neck – instead, the strings run along the soundboard. The zither family is a variation of the lute family. It includes instruments like the guitar, balalaika, and mandolin, which usually consist of a resonating wooden body, a neck, and strings that run along the two.

The lute family is the most well-known subcategory. The 3 major groups of plucked string instruments are lutes, zithers, and harps. The most representative instrument in this subcategory is the guitar. The basic principle behind a plucked string instrument is pulling and releasing strings, which causes the strings to vibrate and emit sounds. String instruments are typically split into 3 categories: Plucked String Instruments These innovations have led to lots of experimentation in music and the creation of new genres like blues, jazz, and rock. The most recent major changes to string instruments came at the middle of the last century with the advent of electronic guitars and violins. It was sold for a record $2,032,000 at an auction in New York. For instance, The Lady of Tennant is one of the most expensive violins ever made – crafted by the Italian luthier Antonio Stradivari in 1699. They were much more rigid and reliable, and gradually, the process of creating them became a form of art. One of them was the gittern : a 4-stringed precursor of the guitar that used catgut or silk for its strings.ĭuring the Renaissance era, string instruments were being made of roughly the same materials they are today. Other early variations of string instruments were also developed during this period. It quickly became the favorite music maker in tea houses of the Ottoman Empire and influenced the earliest version of a violin. In the medieval period, Middle Eastern rebecs (a 3-stringed instrument from the period that was played with a bow) marked a revolution in regards to instrument shapes and their strings. Even though the application of these instruments was mostly religious, they soon extended their purpose to entertainment and leisure. Though a relatively young instrument family, the oldest string instruments date back to ancient Mesopotamia, where lyres were often used in burial ceremonies over 4,000 years ago. Although the concept behind it is relatively simple, it has given rise to countless musical instruments over the last 3,000 years, each unique in its sound.Įver considered playing a guitar, piano or ukulele? In this post, we’ll explore the nature of string instruments and what makes them so special. As the name might suggest, string instruments produce sound from vibrating strings.

What does a piano have in common with a ukulele? Amazingly, they are both part of the same family called string instruments.Īs you might already know, musical instruments are divided into several “families,” each characterized by a distinctive feature.

4 stringed instruments