Instrument History Report ( Strings ) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Instrument History Report ( Strings ) - Essay Example Different tones or pitches can be achieved with varying thickness and tightness of the strings, as well as with changing lengths. A string instrument may have strings already of various lengths played separately or in combinations, such as with harps and zithers. They can also have strings of the same length that are varied by pressing them against the instrument’s body, such as with lutes and lyres. Stringed musical instruments are said to have existed way back in 3500 BC with lyres and harps made by the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, and the harps of 3000 BC in the Old Empires of Egypt. But even before that time, the early civilizations in Africa and South America already developed the musical bow. Some say that it was made from the hunter’s bow and arrow, but others suggest that the bow and arrow evolved from the musical bow. In any case, the resemblance between the two seems to indicate that they are in a way related. From this simple single-stringed instrument, it is believed that the first harps were made. In form, these first harps were very similar to a simple bow in that a string is attached from one end of a bent piece of wood to another. However, unlike the musical bow, more strings have been added to produce a variety of tones in the harp. These harps were found in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. Harps were later adopted by the early Christian Church as one of the appropriate musical instruments. During these times, very few instruments were acceptable as most of them were considered tools of the devil. The harp also plays a significant role in European nations where it has evolved through the Medieval age and the Renaissance into the harps we know today. In fact, quite a number of early cultures in Europe had harps in their myths and legends. In Ireland, the harp has become the national instrument because of its Celtic heritage. Similar to the harp, the lyre is another string instrument deeply rooted in