Lyre harps: string count and what it changes
Lyre harps: string count and what it changes
A lyre harp is one of the few instruments where a complete beginner can produce something that sounds intentional within an hour. There are no frets, no embouchure and no bow: pluck a string and it sounds. What the string count decides is how much music you can play.
Seven strings
One octave, usually tuned to a major scale. Enough for simple melodies, and enough to understand the instrument.
Seven-string lyres are small, inexpensive and often sold as kits. They are a genuinely good introduction and a real limitation: melodies that step outside the octave cannot be played without retuning.
Sixteen strings
Around two octaves. This is where the instrument becomes generally useful — most simple songs fit inside two octaves, and there is room for a bass note under a melody.
For someone who wants to play tunes rather than experiment, sixteen is the practical starting point.
Nineteen strings and above
Nearly three octaves. Room for fuller arrangements, more accompaniment under the melody, and pieces that move between registers.
More strings also means more tuning. Every string on a lyre is tuned individually with a wrench, and nineteen strings take proportionally longer to bring into tune than seven.
Tuning
Lyres are tuned with a wrench on each pin, exactly like a small harp. Most are supplied tuned to a diatonic major scale — C or G are common.
New instruments and new strings go out of tune constantly for the first few weeks as the strings stretch and settle. That is normal and stops. Tuning daily during that period speeds it up.
A clip-on chromatic tuner is close to essential. Tuning by ear across nineteen strings is a skill, and it is not the skill you are trying to learn first.
Materials
Bodies are typically mahogany, maple or basswood. Denser woods give more sustain and a brighter voice; lighter woods are quieter and warmer.
The saddle and bridge matter as much as the body. A bone saddle transmits string energy more efficiently than a plastic one, which is why it is worth noting when a maker specifies it.
Kits
DIY lyre kits — a body and parts to assemble — are a legitimate way in, particularly for someone who enjoys the making as much as the playing. They need care at the stringing stage, and the resulting instrument is generally as playable as an assembled one at the same price.
They are not a shortcut. If you only want to play, buy assembled.
What should be in the box
- A tuning wrench, without which the instrument cannot be played at all.
- Spare strings — they break, especially while learning to tune.
- A gig bag, since a lyre has exposed strings and an awkward shape.
- Instructions or a tuning chart.
Our listings itemise these, because a lyre without a wrench is an ornament.
Playing it
Fingers or a pick, both are used. Fingers give a softer, rounder sound and more control over which strings ring; a pick is brighter and louder.
The main technique to develop early is damping — stopping strings you do not want ringing, using the palm or the other hand. Without it everything blurs together, which is the most common reason a lyre sounds muddled.
Practical checks before ordering
- Seven strings to try the instrument; sixteen to actually play tunes.
- Confirm a tuning wrench and spare strings are included.
- Buy a clip-on tuner at the same time.
- Expect frequent retuning for the first few weeks.
- Choose a kit only if you want the building as well.
Where this sits in the shop
Everything discussed above comes back to one part of the shop: Violins and Strings, which currently holds 3 listings between $4.99 and $189.99. The whole of it is picked and packed at Music Inn World Instruments, 169 W 4th St, New York, NY, during Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, closed Sunday — so anything written here can be checked by phoning the counter on ((212) 243-5715.
From our shelves
- 8 Pieces Violin Strings Full Set G-D-A-E, Replacement Strings for 4/4 3/4 1/2 1/4 Violins — $4.99
- Violin 4/4 Full Size, AKLOT Acoustic Fiddle for Beginners Adults Solid Maple Kit — $99.99
- ENO MUSIC 4/4 Full Size Violin Kit for Beginners and Adults with Violin Rosin Bow and Hard — $189.99
What we get asked about this
Do you ship outside the United States?
Not at present. We ship to US addresses only, including Alaska, Hawaii and territories the carrier serves.
Can I pick my order up at the shop?
Web orders are shipped, not held for collection. If you want to buy in person, come to 169 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014, United States during opening hours (Monday–Saturday 10:00–19:00 · Closed Sunday) and buy across the counter instead.
Read next
- Violin sizes, and how to measure for one
- Mandolin styles: A body, F body and what actually differs
- Banjos: open back or resonator
Ordering from Music Inn World Instruments
Orders of $49.00 or more ship free anywhere in the United States, and a flat $5.99 covers everything below that. Handling takes 1–2 business days and carrier transit is normally 3–7 business days. Unused items can go back within 30 days, and if the mistake was ours we pay the return postage.
Questions about anything above go to [email protected], answered within 1 business day, or call (212) 243-5715. Full detail is on the Shipping Policy and Refund and Returns pages.