The Lyre
The lyre was the most widely used and most popular instrument in the time of ancient Greece. The lyre was considered to be a symbol of Apollo and was typically not played outside. This instrument was primarily used in the education of young peoples in conjunction with the aulos. The lyre is the national instrument of the Greeks. The lyre was typically played held on the left side of the body (secured with a harness) where the left hand would press down on or pluck the strings while the right hand strummed to strings. Most lyres had between three to twelve strings.
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A sweet little tune played on the lyre.
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The Kithara
The kithara is the ancient Greek form of a guitar. It was considered to be a "majestic stringed instrument with a powerful and deep sound...and would accompany song in music competitions." It consisted of a large trapezoid/ square sound box with two curved arms extending from either side that would connect to two upper arms. "The two spirals on the upper arms, supported the crossbar, helped in releasing and adjustment of tension of the crossbar (and the strings). Also the sliding balance bronze weights of the crossbar helped in its tuning."
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The Triangle Harp
The triangle harp is the oldest string instrument that has unequal length strings. It is considered to have a sound that is both sweet and ethereal. The triangle harp was almost always played by a woman who is called a psaltriai. She would play this harp in the seated position while holding the harp horizontal to her thigh, and the sound box of the harp parallel against her body. She would pluck the strings with both hands, which ranged from nine to twenty two.
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The Pandoura
The pandoura, also known as the trichord is a three stringed instrument that had a small sound box and a long neck with frets to aid in the production of different pitches. It has survived history to modern times under the name of "tambouras." The pandoura is also the predecessor to the lute. Again this instrument was primarily played by a women. She would hold the pandoura horizontally with the neck to the left. She would pluck the strings with her right hand, while holding down the strings with her left for different notes.
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