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64-615: Paracho is well known throughout both Mexico and elsewhere in the world as a hub of lutherie . This is because the town's craftsmen are reputed to make the best sounding guitars and vihuelas in all of Mexico. The town is full of music shops that sell handmade stringed instruments. Some instruments that can be found in Paracho are: ten-string mandolins , armadillo -backed guitars ( concheras ) and mandolins, and acoustic bass guitars, as well as regular classical guitars and mandolins, bajo sextos , vihuelas, guitarrones and many others. Many of

128-423: A double-harp) with a third set of strings between them tuned to the missing chromatic notes. The strings are spaced sufficiently for the harpist to reach past the outer row and pluck an inner string when a chromatic note is needed. Some harps, rather than using pedal or lever devices, achieve chromaticity by simply adding additional strings to cover the notes outside their diatonic home scale. The Welsh triple harp

192-500: A feast; a third female is shown sitting on a chair holding a harp in her hands. This find indicates that the instrument in Armenia had its Armenian name in 4th century BCE. Tahmizyan also writes about this horn beaker in his book. This find is evidence that Armenians knew and even enjoyed playing the harp in 4th century BCE. On the famous Armenian Cilician silver beaker a man is painted surrounded with his wife and animals. Formerly

256-783: A few years after the master's death. David Tecchler , who was born in Austria, later worked in both Venice and Rome . Luthiers from the early 18th century include Nicolò Gagliano of Naples , Italy, Carlo Ferdinando Landolfi of Milan, and Giovanni Battista Guadagnini , who roamed throughout Italy during his lifetime. From Austria originally, Leopold Widhalm later established himself in Nürnberg , Germany. The Jérôme-Thibouville-Lamy firm started making wind instruments around 1730 at La Couture-Boussey , then moved to Mirecourt around 1760 and started making violins, guitars, mandolins, and musical accessories. The early 19th-century luthiers of

320-644: A guitar maker in Vienna, Austria and Martin & Co. was born, with the X bracing being developed in the 1850s. Martin & Co still produce acoustic guitars. Paul Bigsby 's innovation of the tremolo arm for archtop and electric guitars is still in use and may have influenced Leo Fender 's design for the Stratocaster solid-body electric guitar, as well as the Jaguar and Jazzmaster . Concurrent with Fender's work, guitarist Les Paul independently developed

384-520: A half step. In the 18th century, a link mechanism was developed connecting these hooks with pedals, leading to the invention of the single-action pedal harp. The first primitive form of pedal harps was developed in the Tyrol region of Austria. Jacob Hochbrucker was the next to design an improved pedal mechanism around 1720, followed in succession by Krumpholtz, Naderman, and the Erard company, who came up with

448-465: A handful of times by major composers such as Mozart and Beethoven), and its use by Cesar Franck in his Symphony in D ;minor (1888) was described as "revolutionary" despite the harp having seen some prior use in orchestral music. In the 20th century, the pedal harp found use outside of classical music, entering musical comedy films in 1929 with Arthur "Harpo" Marx , jazz with Casper Reardon in 1934,

512-524: A key consideration was some way to facilitate the quick changing of a string's pitch to be able to play more chromatic notes. By the Baroque period in Italy and Spain, more strings were added to allow for chromatic notes in more complex harps. In Germany in the second half of the 17th century, diatonic single-row harps were fitted with manually turned hooks that fretted individual strings to raise their pitch by

576-432: A mixed electrical signal. Hollow body instruments can also be played acoustically, while solid body instruments must be amplified. The late-20th century Gravikord is a modern purpose-built electric double harp made of stainless steel based on the traditional West African kora . Harps vary globally in many ways. In terms of size, many smaller harps can be played on the lap, whereas larger harps are quite heavy and rest on

640-589: A narrowing spacing and lower tension than modern Western harps, and have a wide and deep soundbox that tapers to the top. The harp is also found in Argentina, though in Uruguay it was largely displaced in religious music by the organ by the end of the 18th century. The harp is historically found in Brazil, but mostly in the south of the country. The Andean harp (Spanish/ Quechua : arpa ), also known as

704-485: A new type of harp which had gut strings and semitone mechanisms like a reduced version of a single-action pedal harp; it was small and curved like the historical cláirseach or Irish harp, but its strings were of gut and the soundbox was much lighter. In the 1890s a similar new harp was also developed in Scotland as part of the popular revival of Gaelic culture . In the mid-20th century Jord Cochevelou developed

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768-406: A place where mariachi bands and other groups can purchase good quality accessibly instruments to play throughout Mexico. It also became a popular tourist destination where tourists can buy a factory-made or handmade guitar at very affordable prices. 19°39′0″N 102°4′0″W  /  19.65000°N 102.06667°W  / 19.65000; -102.06667 This article about a location in

832-533: A researcher at Matenadaran, the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, Candidate in Arts. In her work pictures of the instrument can be found. In the first picture the man is playing the harp which is on his knees. In the second picture the harp is played by a man who has a crown on his head, from which we may conclude that the musician has royal status. His harp is bigger and leans on

896-739: A solid-body electric guitar. These were the first fretted, solid-body electric guitars—though they were preceded by the cast aluminum " frying pan ", a solid-body electric lap steel guitar developed and eventually patented by George Beauchamp , and built by Adolph Rickenbacher . A company founded by luthier Friedrich Gretsch and continued by his son and grandson, Fred and Fred, Jr., originally made banjos, but now mainly produce electric guitars. Bowed instruments include: cello , crwth , double bass , erhu , fiddle , hudok , morin khuur , nyckelharpa , hurdy-gurdy , rabab , rebec , sarangi , viol ( viola da gamba ), viola , viola da braccio , viola d'amore , and violin . The purported inventor of

960-599: A tradition dating back over 480 years. When Spanish conquistadors arrived in west-central Mexico, a priest named Vasco de Quiroga determined that each indigenous village should learn a craft to foster economic mobility and integration into the Spanish colonial system. Similar systems were established by Quiroga in Santa Clara , where copper was produced, and in Uruapan , where lacquerware was turned out. The choice to have

1024-487: A variant of the modern Celtic harp which he referred to as the "Breton Celtic harp"; his son Alan Stivell was to become the most influential Breton harper, and a strong influence in the broader world of the Celtic harp. A multi-course harp is a harp with more than one row of strings, as opposed to the more common "single course" harp. On a double-harp, the two rows generally run parallel to each other, one on either side of

1088-654: A vessel in Nor Aresh and now preserved in the Erebuni Fortress , depicts a harp. Information about early medieval Armenian musical instruments has been found in Armenian translations of the Bible. In the past, the harp was played in the royal residences, in the royal recreation rooms. Sometimes not only the royal musicians, but the kings themselves played the instrument. Of course, in the past, harps did not have

1152-695: Is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard ; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or concerts. Its most common form is triangular in shape and made of wood. Some have multiple rows of strings and pedal attachments. Ancient depictions of harps were recorded in Mesopotamia (now Iraq ), Persia (now Iran ) and Egypt , and later in India and China . By medieval times harps had spread across Europe. Harps were found across

1216-419: Is a technologically advanced instrument, particularly distinguished by its use of pedals, foot-controlled levers which can alter the pitch of given strings, making it chromatic and thus able to play a wide body of classical repertoire. The pedal harp contains seven pedals that each affect the tuning of all strings of one pitch-class . The pedals, from left to right, are D, C, B on the left side and E, F, G, A on

1280-524: Is a type of lute. Some Samudragupta gold coins show of the mid-4th century CE show (presumably) the king Samudragupta himself playing the instrument. The ancient veena survives today in Burma, in the form of the saung harp still played there. The harp was popular in ancient China and neighboring regions, though harps are largely extinct in East Asia in the modern day. The Chinese konghou harp

1344-489: Is called Song of Vardavar : Evidence for the instrument’s Armenian origin is the horn beaker with a feasting scene, kept at the Erebuni Museum : The beaker was found buried inside a large container, in the district of Nor Aresh next to Erebuni Fortress in 1968 during construction work. The calf horn beaker has pictures of people depicted on it, including a harpist: It depicts a man and three women participating at

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1408-538: Is credited with creating the archtop guitar . The 20th-century American luthiers John D'Angelico and Jimmy D'Aquisto made archtop guitars. Lloyd Loar worked briefly for the Gibson Guitar Corporation making mandolins and guitars. His designs for a family of arch top instruments (mandolin, mandola, guitar, et cetera) are held in high esteem by today's luthiers, who seek to reproduce their sound. C. F. Martin apprenticed to Johann Georg Stauffer,

1472-611: Is documented as early as the Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE), and became extinct during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644 CE ). A similar harp, the Gonghu was played in ancient Korea, documented as early as the Goguryeo period (37 BCE – 686 CE ). While the angle and bow harps held popularity elsewhere, European harps favored the "pillar", a third structural member to support

1536-416: Is one such instrument, and two other instruments employing this technique are the cross-strung harp and the inline chromatic harp . The cross-strung harp has one row of diatonic strings, and a separate row of chromatic notes, angled in an "X" shape so that the row which can be played by the right hand at the top may be played by the left hand at the bottom, and vice versa. This variant was first attested as

1600-409: Is the harp, which was played not just at ceremonies. The instrument was performed by solo performers as well as with the accompaniment of other instruments. The Armenian translation of the Bible gives a lot of information about early medieval Armenian musical instruments. The translators of the Bible use the name harp among other quite popular musical instruments. In Armenian a verb has been formed from

1664-622: The Mirecourt school of violin making in France were the Vuillaume family, Charles Jean Baptiste Collin-Mezin , and Collin-Mezin's son, Charles Collin-Mezin, Jr. , Honore Derazey, Nicolas Lupot, Charles Macoutel, Charles Mennégand , and Pierre Silvestre. Nicola Utili (also known as Nicola da Castel Bolognese) (Ravenna, Italy, 1888–1962), beside traditional lute works, experimented the making of "pear-shaped" violins. Harp The harp

1728-599: The Tieffenbrucker family, Martin Hoffmann and Matteo Sellas . Two luthiers of the early 19th century connected with the development of the modern classical guitar are Louis Panormo and Georg Staufer . Antonio Torres Jurado is credited with developing the form of classical guitar still in use. C.F. Martin of Germany developed a form that evolved into the modern steel-string acoustic guitar. The American luthier Orville Gibson specialized in mandolins, and

1792-725: The arpa de dos órdenes ("two-row harp") in Spain and Portugal, in the 17th century. The inline chromatic harp is generally a single-course harp with all 12 notes of the chromatic scale appearing in a single row. Single course inline chromatic harps have been produced at least since 1902, when Karl Weigel of Hanover patented a model of inline chromatic harp. Amplified (electro-acoustic) hollow body and solid body electric lever harps are produced by many harp makers, including Lyon & Healy , Salvi , and Camac . They generally use individual piezo-electric sensors for each string, often in combination with small internal microphones to produce

1856-949: The Americas where it was a popular folk tradition in some areas. Distinct designs also emerged from the African continent. Harps have symbolic political traditions and are often used in logos, including in Ireland . Historically, strings were made of sinew (animal tendons). Other materials have included gut (animal intestines), plant fiber, braided hemp, cotton cord, silk, nylon, and wire. In pedal harp scores, double flats and double sharps should be avoided whenever possible. Harps have been known since antiquity in Asia, Africa, and Europe, dating back at least as early as 3000 BCE . The instrument had great popularity in Europe during

1920-579: The Andean harp was Juan Cayambe ( Pimampiro Canton , Imbabura Province , Ecuador ) The arpa jarocha is typically played while standing. In southern Mexico (Chiapas), there is a very different indigenous style of harp music. The harp arrived in Venezuela with Spanish colonists. There are two distinct traditions: the arpa llanera ('harp of the Llanos ’, or plains) and the arpa central ('of

1984-550: The Beatles 1967 single " She's Leaving Home ", and several works by Björk which featured harpist Zeena Parkins . In the early 1980s, Swiss harpist Andreas Vollenweider exposed the concert harp to large new audiences with his popular new age/jazz albums and concert performances. In the modern era, there is a family of mid-size harps, generally with nylon strings, and optionally with partial or full levers but without pedals. They range from two to six octaves, and are plucked with

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2048-630: The Hellenistic world, were cherished in the Sasanian court. In the last century of the Sasanian period, angular harps were redesigned to make them as light as possible ("light, vertical, angular harps"); while they became more elegant, they lost their structural rigidity. At the height of the Persian tradition of illustrated book production (1300–1600 CE), such light harps were still frequently depicted, although their use as musical instruments

2112-514: The Mexican state of Michoacán is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Lutherie A luthier ( / ˈ l uː t i ər / LOO -tee-ər ; US also / ˈ l uː θ i ər / LOO -thee-ər ) is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments . The word luthier is originally French and comes from luth , the French word for " lute ". The term

2176-677: The Middle Ages and Renaissance, where it evolved into a wide range of variants with new technologies, and was disseminated to Europe's colonies, finding particular popularity in Latin America. Although some ancient members of the harp family died out in the Near East and South Asia, descendants of early harps are still played in Myanmar and parts of Africa; other variants defunct in Europe and Asia have been used by folk musicians in

2240-621: The Peruvian harp, or indigenous harp, is widespread among peoples living in the highlands of the Andes : Quechua and Aymara , mainly in Peru , and also in Bolivia and Ecuador . It is relatively large, with a significantly increased volume of the resonator box, which gives basses a special richness. It usually accompanies love dances and songs, such as huayno . One of the most famous performers on

2304-469: The West African kora and Mauritanian ardin are sometimes labeled as "spike harp", "bridge harp", or harp lute since their construction includes a bridge which holds the strings laterally, vice vertically entering the soundboard. In Armenia , the harp has been used since the fourth century BCE. Common usages included weddings and funerals. The "horn beaker with a feast acene", found inside

2368-505: The central area'). By the 2020s, three types of harps are typically found: A number of types of harps are found in Africa, predominantly not of the three-sided frame-harp type found in Europe. A number of these, referred to generically as African harps , are bow or angle harps, which lack forepillars joining the neck to the body. A number of harp-like instruments in Africa are not easily classified with European categories. Instruments like

2432-472: The double mechanism, in which a second row of hooks was installed along the neck, capable of raising the pitch of a string by either one or two half steps. While one course of European harps led to greater complexity, resulting largely in the modern pedal harp, other harping traditions maintained simpler diatonic instruments which survived and evolved into modern traditions. In the Americas, harps are widely but sparsely distributed, except in certain regions where

2496-549: The far ends of the arch and soundbox. A harp with a triangular three-part frame is depicted on 8th-century Pictish stones in Scotland and in manuscripts (e.g. the Utrecht Psalter ) from early 9th-century France. The curve of the harp's neck is a result of the proportional shortening of the basic triangular form to keep the strings equidistant; if the strings were proportionately distant they would be farther apart. As European harps evolved to play more complex music,

2560-433: The fingers, largely using the same techniques used for playing orchestral harps. Though these harps evoke ties to historical European harps, their specifics are modern, and they are frequently referred to broadly as " Celtic harps " due to their region of revival and popular association, or more generically as " folk harps " due to their use in non-classical music, or as " lever harps " to contrast their modifying mechanism with

2624-499: The floor. Not only did Armenians play the instrument but also they created songs about it. Kh. Avetisyan and V. Harutyunyan wrote a song called My Sweet Harp which was quite popular. This analysis and researches with the historical and archaeological evidence leads to the conclusion that the harp existed and was widely used in Armenians’ everyday lives, including royal families. The instrument’s popularity has grown during

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2688-557: The harp traditions are very strong. Such important centeres include Mexico , the Andean region, Venezuela , and Paraguay . They are derived from the Baroque harps that were brought from Spain during the colonial period. Detailed features vary from place to place. The Paraguayan harp is that country's national instrument , and has gained a worldwide reputation, with international influences alongside folk traditions. They have around 36 strings, are played with fingernails, and with

2752-452: The harp was played in royal castles. Sometimes not only musicians but also kings played the instrument. Of course, in the past harps did not have the sound range they have today but it is a fact that Armenians had the harp. Pictures of the harp can be found in People and Everyday Life ( Yerevan (1978) harvtxt error: no target: CITEREFYerevan1978 ( help ) ) scientific work of Astghik Gevorgyan,

2816-594: The hunter's bow, without the pillar that we find in modern harps. The Chang flourished in Persia in many forms from its introduction, about 4000 BCE, until the 17th century CE . Around 1900 BCE, arched harps in the Iraq-Iran region were replaced by angular harps with vertical or horizontal sound boxes. By the start of the Common Era, "robust, vertical, angular harps", which had become predominant in

2880-455: The instrument reading "A&H". Antonio died having no known offspring, but Hieronymus became a father. His son Nicolò (1596–1684) was himself a master luthier who had several apprentices of note, including Antonio Stradivari (probably), Andrea Guarneri , Bartolomeo Pasta, Jacob Railich, Giovanni Battista Rogeri, Matthias Klotz , and possibly Jacob Stainer and Francesco Rugeri . It is even possible Bartolomeo Cristofori , later inventor of

2944-531: The instrument used by wandering minstrels for accompaniment. Iconographic evidence of the yaal appears in temple statues dated as early as 600 BCE. One of the Sangam works, the Kallaadam recounts how the first yaaḻ harp was inspired by an archer's bow, when he heard the musical sound of its twang. Another early South Asian harp was the ancient veena , not to be confused with the modern Indian veena which

3008-511: The larger pedal harp. The modern Celtic harp began to appear in the early 19th century in Ireland, shortly after all the last generation of harpers had all died-out, breaking the continuity of musical training between the earlier native Gaelic harping tradition and the revival of Celtic harp playing as part of the later Celtic revival . John Egan , a pedal harp maker in Dublin, developed

3072-523: The methods of construction, particularly in terms of tools used. While European methods typically involve a workbench with forms, the Mexican methods remained carving wood while seated, the practices of their indigenous ancestors. For over a century, Paracho luthiers would sometimes deconstruct foreign guitars that arrived in town to enhance their craftsmanship. Eventually in the 1980s, Paracho began hosting master luthiers from Spain to refine their craft, resulting in improved guitar quality. Today, Paracho remains

3136-581: The mid-17th century include Giovanni Grancino , Vincenzo Rugeri , Carlo Giuseppe Testore , and his sons Carlo Antonio Testore and Paolo Antonio Testore , all from Milan . From Venice the luthiers Matteo Goffriller , Domenico Montagnana , Sanctus Seraphin , and Carlo Annibale Tononi were principals in the Venetian school of violin making (although the latter began his career in Bologna ). Carlo Bergonzi (luthier) purchased Antonio Stradivari's shop

3200-496: The modern era, particularly Myanmar 's saung -gauk , which is considered the national instrument in that country. Though the ancient Chinese konghou has not been directly resurrected, the name has been revived and applied to a modern newly invented instrument based on the Western classical harp, but with the strings doubled back to form two notes per string, allowing advanced techniques such as note-bending. The concert harp

3264-565: The modern era. The earliest harps and lyres were found in Sumer , 3500 BCE, and several harps were excavated from burial pits and royal tombs in Ur . The oldest depictions of harps without a forepillar can be seen in the wall paintings of ancient Egyptian tombs in the Nile Valley , which date from as early as 3000 BCE. These murals show an arched harp , an instrument that closely resembles

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3328-523: The name of the instrument: տաւղել which means to play the harp. The word has two meanings the second of which is stringed musical instrument which has the form of a triangular frame and this corresponds to the description of the musical instrument in Genesis 4:21 where it states Other uses of the word can be found in one of the songs of Grigor Narekatsi, a 10th century Armenian monk, medieval writer, and founder of Armenian Renaissance literature. The song

3392-528: The neck, and are usually both diatonic (sometimes with levers) with identical notes. The triple harp originated in Italy in the 16th century, and arrived in Wales in the late 17th century where it established itself in the local tradition as the Welsh harp ( telyn deires , "three-row harp"). The triple harp's string set consists of two identical outer rows of standard diatonicly tuned strings (same as

3456-419: The piano, apprenticed under him (although census data does not support this, which paints this as a possible myth). Gasparo Duiffopruggar of Füssen , Germany, was once incorrectly credited as the inventor of the violin. He was likely a maker, but no documentation survives, and no instruments survive that experts unequivocally know are his. Gasparo da Salò of Brescia (Italy) was another early luthier of

3520-515: The remote village of Paracho specialize in stringed instruments was a strategic one from Quiroga, as the area was surrounded by forests of pine; allowing raw material to be abundant and allowing many families to perfect their craft throughout the generations. Despite the Paracho luthiers honing their craft over generations, the models produced there differ drastically from their European counterparts. Yale anthropologist Ron Fernandez, who imports guitars from Spain, noted this difference, attributing it to

3584-404: The right. Pedals were first introduced in 1697 by Jakob Hochbrucker of Bavaria. In 1811 these were upgraded to the "double action" pedal system patented by Sébastien Erard. The addition of pedals broadened the harp's abilities, allowing its gradual entry into the classical orchestra, largely beginning in the 19th century. The harp played little or no role in early classical music (being used only

3648-429: The sound capabilities that they have today, but the evidence that Armenians had a harp is well established. Armenians have had the instrument of harp since ancient times. This proves that Armenians loved the harp and used it in their everyday life, at weddings and burials. According to YSC professor, scholar of Middle Ages, doctor of Arts N. Tahmizyan, many musical instruments kept their pre-Christian form; among them

3712-421: The stores and workshops allow visitors to watch the guitar-making process directly. A national festival "Feria de La Guitarra" is held in Paracho once a year, usually the second week of August. Lasting nine days having its culture, gastronomic and traditions display. From its traditional "Pan" to its famous guitars, Paracho is rich in culture and traditions. The city remains renowned for its guitars and luthiers,

3776-492: The violin family), is commonly divided into the two main categories of makers of stringed instruments that are plucked or strummed and makers of stringed instruments that are bowed . Since bowed instruments require a bow, the second category includes a subtype known as a bow maker or archetier. Luthiers may also teach string-instrument making, either through apprenticeship or formal classroom instruction. Early producers of lutes , archlutes , theorbos and vihuelas include

3840-659: The violin family. About 80 of his instruments survive, and around 100 documents that relate to his work. He was also a double bass player and son and nephew of two violin players: Francesco and Agosti, respectively. Da Salò made many instruments and exported to France and Spain, and probably to England. He had at least five apprentices: his son Francesco, a helper named Battista, Alexander of Marsiglia, Giacomo Lafranchini and Giovanni Paolo Maggini . Maggini inherited da Salò's business in Brescia. Valentino Siani worked with Maggini. In 1620, Maggini moved to Florence. Luthiers born in

3904-593: The violin is Andrea Amati . Amati was originally a lute maker, but turned to the new instrument form of violin in the mid-16th century. He was the progenitor of the Amati family of luthiers active in Cremona, Italy until the 18th century. Andrea Amati had two sons. His eldest was Antonio Amati ( circa 1537–1607), and the younger, Girolamo Amati ( circa 1561–1630). Girolamo is better known as Hieronymus, and together with his brother, produced many violins with labels inside

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3968-571: The years and the harp has become an instrument that represents the emotional inner world of the Armenians. In India, the B in-Baia harp survives about the Padhar people of Madhya Pradesh . The Kafir harp has been part of Nuristani musical tradition for many years. The harp largely became extinct in East Asia by the 17th century; around the year 1000, harps like the vajra began to replace prior harps. A few examples survived to

4032-522: Was originally used for makers of lutes, but it came to be used in French for makers of most bowed and plucked stringed instruments such as members of the violin family (including violas , cellos , and double basses ) and guitars . Luthiers, however, do not make harps or pianos; these require different skills and construction methods because their strings are secured to a frame. The craft of luthiers, lutherie (rarely called "luthiery", but this often refers to stringed instruments other than those in

4096-587: Was reaching its end. Marble sculptures of seated figures playing harps are known from the Cycladic civilization dating from 2800-2700 BCE. Mesolithic era paintings from Bhimbetka show harp playing. An arched harp made of wooden brackets and metal strings is depicted on an Indus seal . The works of the Tamil Sangam literature describe the harp and its variants, as early as 200 BCE. Variants were described ranging from 14 to 17 strings, and

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