Stringed Instruments: English Vocabulary List

a musical instrument resembling a small harp that employs a button-controlled mechanism for selecting chords

"Autoharp strums chords automatically."

"The autoharp is a string instrument that uses felt dampers to press down strings allowing the player to strum chords easily."

a stringed musical instrument from Russian origin with a triangular body and three strings

"Balalaika has triangular body."

"The balalaika is a Russian stringed instrument with a triangular body and three strings."

a stringed musical instrument with a circular body and a long neck

"He plays the banjo at parties."

"The banjo's distinctive twang came from its drum like body and the metal strings stretched across a bridge."

a stringed musical instrument of Greek origin with a long neck and round body

"Bouzouki is Greek string instrument."

"The bouzouki is a Greek stringed instrument with a long neck and a pear shaped body used in folk music."

a type of electric guitar that produces the lowest pitch in the family of guitars

"The bass guitar is loud."

"She played the bass guitar in the band."

a traditional Chinese plucked zither with a long history, characterized by its distinctive sound and unique playing technique

"Guzheng is Chinese plucked zither."

"The guzheng is a Chinese plucked zither with movable bridges that can produce a wide range of sounds."

a triangular musical instrument with a row of strings that are stretched vertically, played with the fingers

"She plays the harp."

"The angelic sound of the harp filled the concert hall, captivating the audience with its ethereal melody."

a variant of the standard guitar played horizontally across the lap, known for its slack-key tuning and fingerpicking technique

"Hawaiian guitar is played flat."

"The Hawaiian guitar is played flat on the lap and uses a metal slide to change the pitch of the strings."

an early stringed instrument with a rounded body and a long neck that is played like a guitar

"Lute was Renaissance instrument."

"The lute is a plucked string instrument with a deep pear shaped body and a fretted neck popular in Renaissance music."

a string instrument with a pear-shaped body, 11 strings and a short neck that is fretless

"The musician played a haunting melody on the oud."

"The oud is a pear shaped string instrument from the Middle East with no frets on its neck."

a stringed musical instrument featuring a flat wooden soundboard with strings stretched across it, traditionally played by plucking or striking the strings

"Psaltery has plucked strings."

"The psaltery is a stringed instrument where strings are plucked and it is held vertically or laid flat."

a large musical instrument of the violin family that is held upright and is played by pulling a bow across its strings

"He plays the cello."

"The cello produces a deep rich sound that is often described as being the closest musical instrument to the human voice in tone and expression."

a small harp that is used in Irish or Scottish folk music

"Celtic harp is small portable."

"The Celtic harp is a small triangular folk harp with wire or gut strings associated with Irish and Scottish music."

a large musical instrument with a trapezoidal box or board in which strings are stretched, played by fingers or two small hammers

"Cimbalom is hammered dulcimer."

"The cimbalom is a Hungarian concert hammered dulcimer played with mallets that produces a rich resonant sound."

a traditional Persian hammered dulcimer, known for its distinctive sound produced by striking strings with small hammers, often used in Middle Eastern and Persian music

"Santur is Persian hammered dulcimer."

"The santur is a Persian hammered dulcimer played with wooden mallets and is the ancestor of the piano."

a fretless stringed musical instrument from India, known for its deep, resonant sound and intricate melodies, commonly used in Hindustani classical music

"Sarod is Indian fretless instrument."

"The sarod is a fretless Indian stringed instrument known for its deep weighty sound and used in Hindustani classical music."

a stringed instrument of the Indian origin with a round body, long neck and two sets of metal strings that are plucked to make sound

"Sitar is Indian plucked string."

"The sitar is a plucked stringed instrument from India with a long neck and sympathetic strings that buzz."

a stringed instrument that was popular during the Renaissance with a pear-shaped body and a neck that was thicker under the treble strings

"The Renaissance cittern was strummed like a modern guitar."

"The musician skillfully played the ancient cittern, its unique timbre evoking the spirit of the Renaissance."

a traditional Indian stringed instrument used for providing a continuous drone in Indian classical music, known for its rich and meditative sound

"Tanpura provides drone accompaniment."

"The tanpura is a long necked Indian string instrument that provides a continuous drone in classical music performances."

a small, four-stringed musical instrument resembling a guitar, originating from Hawaii

"Hawaiian ukulele sound."

"He learned to play happy songs on his Hawaiian ukulele during the summer vacation."

a traditional Indian plucked string instrument with a long neck and resonating body, known for its rich and melodic sound, commonly used in Indian classical music

"Veena is ancient Indian instrument."

"The veena is a traditional Indian plucked string instrument used in Carnatic classical music."

a string instrument that is slightly larger than a violin, tuned a fifth lower and producing deeper sounds

"Viola is larger than violin."

"The viola is a string instrument that is slightly larger than a violin and has a lower deeper pitch."

a musical instrument that we play by holding it under our chin and moving a bow across its strings

"The violin was very expensive."

"She plays the violin in the school orchestra."

a stringed instrument used in folk music consisting of a flat thin body and many strings stretched across that is played by fingers or a plectrum

"Zither has many strings."

"The zither is a stringed instrument with many strings stretched across a flat sounding board."

a musical instrument played by turning a handle and pressing keys that make a wheel turn against the strings and create a tune

"Hurdy-gurdy uses cranked wheel."

"The hurdy gurdy is a string instrument that produces sound by a rosined wheel turning against the strings."

a West African string instrument with a round body and 21 strings that is played like a harp and is similar to the lute

"Kora is West African harp."

"The kora is a West African harp lute built from a large calabash gourd cut in half and covered with cow skin."

a small U-shaped string instrument similar to the harp originated in ancient Greece

"The ancient poet sang while playing a lyre."

"The ancient Greek lyre was strummed while reciting epic poetry accompanying the rhythmic verses of Homer's works."

any of the group of African musical instruments with a row of narrow metal pieces that is hold in the hands and played with the thumbs

"He used his thumbs to play a melody on the thumb piano."

"The thumb piano known as the mbira has metal tines that are plucked with the thumbs over a wooden soundboard."

an early string instrument similar to a violin, typically featuring six strings and played with a bow

"Viol is Renaissance bowed instrument."

"The viol is a fretted bowed string instrument that was popular during the Renaissance and Baroque eras."

a large musical instrument of the violin family, with four strings that are tuned in perfect fifths

"Violoncello is standard cello."

"The violoncello commonly called the cello is a bowed string instrument with a deep rich tone."

the largest member of the violin family in the modern symphony orchestra that produces the lowest pitch

"The jazz band's double bass provided the rhythm."

"The double bass is the largest string instrument in the orchestra and provides the lowest pitch foundation."

a musical instrument, usually with six strings, that we play by pulling the strings with our fingers or with a plectrum

"He plays the guitar well."

"She bought a new guitar last week."

a guitar capable of converting the vibration of its strings into electrical impulses using a pickup

"The loud electric guitar riff shook the room."

"The electric guitar solo was distorted and loud filling the arena with screaming feedback and power chords."

a stringed musical instrument with a trapezoidal board or box that is played by hitting the metal strings with a pair of light hammers

"She struck the strings of the dulcimer with small hammers."

"The hammered dulcimer is played by striking strings with small mallets producing a shimmering ethereal sound."

a unique, vintage musical instrument with a small keyboard and metal strings that are struck with hammers, producing a tinkling and bell-like sound

"Marxophone has metal strings."

"The marxophone is a type of fretless zither with metal reeds that are played by depressing keys."

a historical, bowed musical instrument from Wales, characterized by its boxy shape, multiple strings, and unique playing technique

"Crwth is Welsh bowed lyre."

"The crwth is an ancient Welsh lyre that was played with a bow and had a flat bridge."

a unique multi-neck guitar with intricate string arrangements, designed by luthier Linda Manzer

"Pikasso guitar has many strings."

"The Pikasso guitar is a multi necked custom guitar with over forty strings designed for guitarist Pat Metheny."

a saw that is used as a musical instrument, played by a bow and bent to produce different notes

"Musical saw bends pitch."

"The musical saw is a hand saw played by bending it and bowing the blade to produce eerie glissando tones."

a traditional plucked musical instrument from Afghanistan, known for its pear-shaped body, resonant sound, and intricate melodies

"The rubab is a traditional lute from Afghanistan."

"The rubab is a lute like instrument from Afghanistan and surrounding regions carved from a single piece of mulberry wood."

a type of guitar played horizontally, typically with a metal slide or bar to fret the strings, producing a characteristic sliding sound

"Steel guitar slides on strings."

"The steel guitar is played horizontally on a stand and uses a metal bar to fret the strings."