Communities

Writing
Writing
Codidact Meta
Codidact Meta
The Great Outdoors
The Great Outdoors
Photography & Video
Photography & Video
Scientific Speculation
Scientific Speculation
Cooking
Cooking
Electrical Engineering
Electrical Engineering
Judaism
Judaism
Languages & Linguistics
Languages & Linguistics
Software Development
Software Development
Mathematics
Mathematics
Christianity
Christianity
Code Golf
Code Golf
Music
Music
Physics
Physics
Linux Systems
Linux Systems
Power Users
Power Users
Tabletop RPGs
Tabletop RPGs
Community Proposals
Community Proposals
tag:snake search within a tag
answers:0 unanswered questions
user:xxxx search by author id
score:0.5 posts with 0.5+ score
"snake oil" exact phrase
votes:4 posts with 4+ votes
created:<1w created < 1 week ago
post_type:xxxx type of post
Search help
Notifications
Mark all as read See all your notifications »
Users Search
Help Dashboard Sign In Sign Up
Q&A Meta
Q&A
Posts Tags Edits
Ask Question

Comments on What is this bowed, fretted, lyre-shaped instrument?

Parent

What is this bowed, fretted, lyre-shaped instrument?

+4
−0

I came across this video and would like to know more about the instrument the woman is playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF9mtpw365c

(Starting at 0:16.)

The instrument is shaped sort of like a lyre, is being played with a bow, and it looks like she is "fretting" individual strings between her fingers.

What is the instrument called? Is this the way it is usually played, or is this performer doing something unusual? Does that fretting technique have a name?

instruments
posted about 3 years ago
3y ago
user card
Monica Cellio‭ staff
241 reputation 6 3 38 9
History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.
Why should this post be closed?

1 comment thread

It's certainly an unusual instrument. An interview says that Maria Franz plays the "ravanhata," more ... (1 comment)
Post
+4
−0

Til Norðheims!

Just to clarify: if you're asking about the fretted instrument, that one's a mandolin. If you're asking about the unfretted instrument, then continue on!

It's a tagelharpa. A better example and without the yowling.

It's basically a sound box with a frame. You tune your strings, two of which will be drones and one for the melody. No frets and no fingerboard, you just use your fingers!

The technique seems to be similar to that used for the morin khuur.

posted about 3 years ago
3y ago
user card
elemtilas‭
131 reputation 0 4 13 2
History
Why does this post require attention from curators or moderators?
You might want to add some details to your flag.

1 comment thread

thank you! (2 comments)
thank you!
Monica Cellio‭ wrote about 3 years ago
copy link

Thank you! Yes, I meant the one being played with a bow, not the mandolin. It looks like she's pinching the melody string between her fingers, which, like a fret, would shorten the pitch-producing part of the string. That's what I meant by "fretting between her fingers"; clearly there are no actual frets there.

elemtilas‭ wrote about 3 years ago
copy link

(:

She's actually just pressing on the string! That action shortens the string (obviously) which changes the pitch, and she also varies the pressure to bend the note and make vibrato.

If you watch the morin khuur closely, you can see that he often presses the string with his middle finger while having his index finger on the instrument's neck. His fingernail acts as a fret.