Swedish Nyckelharpa
The nyckleharpa is a keyed string instrument, traditionally from Sweden. The instruments dates around the 14 th and 15 th centuries. The earliest record of the instrument comes from a carving on the gates of Källunge church dating around 1350. The instrument is both a key and string instrument. The name nyckelharpa comes from the Swedish words “nyckel”—meaning key—and “harpa”—a reference to fiddles. The nyckelharpa is a chromatic instrument that has sixteen strings. Of the sixteen strings, there are three melody strings, one drone string, and twelve resonance strings. Beneath the strings are wooden keys that that move to shorten the strings when pressed. The instrument is played using a short bow. The performer simultaneously pushes keys with one hand while bowing the strings with the other. The instrument is predominantly played in Sweden, given its ancestry and folk tradition. The modern nyckelharpa was made by Eric Sahström in 1980. He often experimented with the co...