Plucked Strings

Plucked stringed instruments have ancient origins and were present in early Middle Eastern societies at least 6000 years ago. This group includes harps, zithers, and lutes of various kinds. Plucked stringed instruments are chordophones in which the strings are primarily induced to vibrate via plucking. Harps are characterized by having strings stretched within a frame. Zithers have strings that stretch over a resonating body, tube, or frame. Lutes are stringed instruments in which the strings are stretched over both a neck and resonator. The general category of lutes includes some of the most popular plucked stringed instruments, such as guitars. Many plucked stringed instruments have frets, or pieces of material against which the string can be pressed to decrease the vibrating length of the string while maintaining a good contact point and sustain of sound. The National Music Museum’s plucked strings include a strength in American fretted stringed instruments like guitars and mandolins, as well as historical European lutes and zithers.