If Justin Bieber's 2012 YouTube play count is anything to go by, then people do not just like music, they crave it. According to one source, the number of plays passed the three billion mark last year, which is more than the combined populations of India and China. Without today's advanced technology, such a feat would be impossible. Electronics play an important role in the contemporary music industry, and most people can confidently identify some of the instruments and equipment used in making modern tracks. Few, however, can point out psalteries.
These small instruments look like miniaturized guitars, but differ in size and in how far the strings extend; these do not go beyond the sounding box. They are classified under the zither family, which includes pianos, harpsichords and Appalachian dulcimers. Psalteries have been around for a long time, and have been used by ancient Greeks among others. They have even been mentioned in the Bible's Old Testament.
Ancient Greeks called their musical instrument canons. These were small, and contained a small number of strings. Variations to this design became common as the instrument spread around Europe, with differences in size and string number being especially notable from the fifteenth century. In the nineteenth century, the autoharp and guitar zithers rose in prominence. The twentieth century saw a radical change; a psaltery that was played with a harp rather than strummed.
The guzheng is a close relative of the psaltery, the main difference being the number of strings; the Chinese instrument tends to have anything between eighteen and twenty three. This makes it possible to do things that a normal psaltery can only dream of. For instance, a skilled player can evoke a waterfall, a horse trot and so on. These instruments emerged at some point during the Warring States period, and became a common feature of the Chinese court in Tang dynasty.
The guqin is another Chinese zither that is closely related to the guzheng. The primary differences between the two are that the latter has moveable bridges, and the number of strings is less. Where the guzheng has up to twenty three, a guqin has just seven. The instrument is revered, and there are claims that Confucius preferred it to any other. That may be true, as the guqin was favored by the highly educated, sages and other elite. The small instrument is quiet, with a range of only four octaves.
A kantele is the Finnish version of a psaltery, and is closely related to the guzheng. The instrument belongs to a family of instruments known as Baltic psalteries, and is an important part of Finland's folk role. Those with fifteen strings or less are called concert kanteles, while those with more are called concert kanteles. Like canoes, original versions of the device were sculpted out of a single block of wood, and then stringed with horsehair. Modern ones have steel strings, while the bodies are made out of several pieces of wood.
The santoor is psaltery native to the Kashmir region. Its origins lie in musical instruments developed in Mesopotamia. The trapezoidal instrument can have up to seventy two strings, with the body moulded out of walnut or maple. It is played with light wooden mallets while placed on the lap.
Europe has its psalteries, Kashmir has the santoor, and Japan has the koto. This thirteen stringed device evolved from the Chinese guzheng, and the two are closely related. A sixteenth century Buddhist monk named Kenjun focused on developing pieces suited to the device, bringing out its full potential and making it extremely popular. The instrument is made out of wood, and the completed product is embellished with everything from ebony to metal figures.
These small instruments look like miniaturized guitars, but differ in size and in how far the strings extend; these do not go beyond the sounding box. They are classified under the zither family, which includes pianos, harpsichords and Appalachian dulcimers. Psalteries have been around for a long time, and have been used by ancient Greeks among others. They have even been mentioned in the Bible's Old Testament.
Ancient Greeks called their musical instrument canons. These were small, and contained a small number of strings. Variations to this design became common as the instrument spread around Europe, with differences in size and string number being especially notable from the fifteenth century. In the nineteenth century, the autoharp and guitar zithers rose in prominence. The twentieth century saw a radical change; a psaltery that was played with a harp rather than strummed.
The guzheng is a close relative of the psaltery, the main difference being the number of strings; the Chinese instrument tends to have anything between eighteen and twenty three. This makes it possible to do things that a normal psaltery can only dream of. For instance, a skilled player can evoke a waterfall, a horse trot and so on. These instruments emerged at some point during the Warring States period, and became a common feature of the Chinese court in Tang dynasty.
The guqin is another Chinese zither that is closely related to the guzheng. The primary differences between the two are that the latter has moveable bridges, and the number of strings is less. Where the guzheng has up to twenty three, a guqin has just seven. The instrument is revered, and there are claims that Confucius preferred it to any other. That may be true, as the guqin was favored by the highly educated, sages and other elite. The small instrument is quiet, with a range of only four octaves.
A kantele is the Finnish version of a psaltery, and is closely related to the guzheng. The instrument belongs to a family of instruments known as Baltic psalteries, and is an important part of Finland's folk role. Those with fifteen strings or less are called concert kanteles, while those with more are called concert kanteles. Like canoes, original versions of the device were sculpted out of a single block of wood, and then stringed with horsehair. Modern ones have steel strings, while the bodies are made out of several pieces of wood.
The santoor is psaltery native to the Kashmir region. Its origins lie in musical instruments developed in Mesopotamia. The trapezoidal instrument can have up to seventy two strings, with the body moulded out of walnut or maple. It is played with light wooden mallets while placed on the lap.
Europe has its psalteries, Kashmir has the santoor, and Japan has the koto. This thirteen stringed device evolved from the Chinese guzheng, and the two are closely related. A sixteenth century Buddhist monk named Kenjun focused on developing pieces suited to the device, bringing out its full potential and making it extremely popular. The instrument is made out of wood, and the completed product is embellished with everything from ebony to metal figures.
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