String instrument

A string instrument (or stringed instrument) is a				be held by a strolling player, include the plucked
musical instrument that produces sound by means				autoharp, the bowed nyckelharpa, and the hurdy
of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs				gurdy, which is played by cranking a rosined
scheme of musical instrument classification, used				wheel.
in organology, they are called chordophones. The				Steel-stringed instruments can be played using a
most common string instruments in Western				magnetic field. An E-Bow, for example, is small
music are those in the violin, piano and guitar				hand-held device which can be used to excite the
families.				strings of an electric guitar.
Types of string instruments				String length or scale length
String instruments are usually categorized by the				This is the length of the string from nut to bridge
technique used to produce sound. In order for a				on bowed or plucked instruments and ultimately
string instrument to produce sound, its string or				determines the distance between different notes
strings must vibrate. There are three common				on the instrument. For example, a double bass
ways to initiate vibration.				with its low range needs a scale length of around
Plucking				42 inches, whilst a violin scale is only about 13
Instruments such as the guitar, oud and sitar are				inches. On the shorter scale of the violin, the left
plucked, either by a finger or thumb, or by some				hand may easily reach a range of slightly more
type of plectrum. This category includes the				than two octaves without shifting position, while
keyboard instrument the harpsichord, which				on the bass' longer scale, a single octave or a
formerly used feather quills (now plastic plectra)				ninth is reachable in lower positions.
to pluck the strings.				Contact points along the string
Bowing				The strings of a pianoIn bowed instruments, the
Instruments like the cello and rebec are usually				bow is normally placed perpendicularly to the
played by drawing a bow across the strings. All				string, at a point half way between the end of
instruments in the viol and violin families fall into				the fingerboard and the bridge. However, different
this category.				bow placements can be selected to change
Occasionally instruments which are normally				timbre. Application of the bow close to the bridge
bowed are plucked (this is known as pizzicato)				(known as sul ponticello) produces an intense,
instead, and instruments normally plucked are also				sometimes harsh sound, which acoustically
bowed (for example, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin				emphasizes the upper harmonics. Bowing above
sometimes played the electric guitar this way				the fingerboard (sul tasto) produces a purer tone
using a violin bow, and more recently JÃ³n				with less overtone strength, emphasizing the
ÃžÃ³r (JÃ³nsi) Birgisson, singer and				fundamental, also known as flautando, since it
guitar player of the Icelandic band Sigur RÃ³s				sounds less reedy and more flute-like.
has made use of the technique). It is also possible				Similar timbral distinctions are also possible with
to hit the string with the wood of the bow (col				plucked string instruments by selecting an
legno), a technique used for special effect. A				appropriate plucking point, although the difference
more detailed list of bowing techniques is available				is perhaps more subtle.
here.				In keyboard instruments, the contact point along
				the string (whether this be hammer, tangent, or
Bowing techniques pig				plectrum) is a choice made by the instrument
Striking				designer. Builders use a combination of experience
The third common method of sound production in				and acoustic theory to establish the right set of
stringed instruments is to strike the string with a				contact points.
hammer. By far the most well-known instrument				In harpsichords, often there are two sets of
to use this method is the piano, where the				strings of equal length. These "choirs" usually differ
hammers are controlled by a mechanical action;				in their plucking points. One choir has a "normal"
another example is the hammered dulcimer,				plucking point, producing a canonical harpsichord
where the player holds the hammers. The piano is				sound; the other has a plucking point close to the
often considered a percussion instrument, since				bridge, producing a reedier "nasal" sound rich in
sound production through struck blows defines				upper harmonics.
this instrument family; the proclamation that the				Production of multiple notes
piano is a percussion instrument has at times				A string at a certain tension will only produce one
served as rhetoric for composers who relished				note, so to obtain multiple notes string
sharp percussive effects.				instruments employ one of two methods. One is
A variant of the hammering method is found in				to add enough strings to cover the range of
the clavichord: a brass tangent touches the string				notes desired; the other is to allow the strings to
and presses it to a hard surface, inducing vibration.				be stopped. The piano is an example of the
This is a very inefficient method of sound				former method, where each note on the
production, yielding a very soft sound. The				instrument has its own set of strings. On
maneuver can also be executed with a finger on				instruments with stoppable strings, such as the
plucked and bowed instruments, where it gives				violin or guitar, the player can shorten the
equally soft results. Guitarists refer to this				vibrating length of the string, using their fingers
technique as "hammering-on".				directly (or more rarely through some mechanical
Other methods				device, as in the hurdy gurdy). Such instruments
The aeolian harp employs a very unusual method				usually have a fingerboard attached to the neck
of sound production: the strings are excited by				of the instrument, providing a hard flat surface
the movement of the air.				against which the player can stop the strings. On
Some string instruments have keyboards				some string instruments, the fingerboard has
attached which are manipulated by the player,				frets, raised ridges perpendicular to the strings
meaning they do not have to pay attention to				that stop the string at precise intervals, in which
the strings directly. The most familiar example is				case the fingerboard is called a fretboard.
the piano, where the keys control the felt				Modern frets are typically specially shaped metal
hammers by means of a complex mechanical				wire set into slots in the fretboard. Early frets
action. Other string instruments with a keyboard				were cords tied around the neck, still seen on
include the clavichord (where the strings are				some instruments as wraps of nylon
struck by tangents), and the harpsichord (where				monofilament. Such frets are tied tightly enough
the strings are plucked by tiny plectra).				that moving them during performance is
With these keyboard instruments too, the strings				impractical. The bridges of a koto, on the other
are occasionally plucked or bowed by hand.				hand, may be moved by the player, occasionally
Composers such as Henry Cowell wrote music				in the course of a single piece of music.
which asks for the player to reach inside the				The middle Eastern string instrument the qanun is
piano and pluck the strings directly, or to "bow"				equipped with small levers called mandal that allow
them with bow hair wrapped around the strings,				each course of multiple strings to be incrementally
or play them by rolling the bell of a brass				retuned "on the fly" while the instrument is being
instrument such as a trombone on the array of				played. These levers raise or lower the pitch of
strings.				the string course by a microtone, less than a half
Other keyed string instruments, small enough to				step.

Eban Products

String instrument

More in Articles