Uploaded November 2024 | Updated September 2026, 37 minutes ago
🎻 The sound of the 1300s? 'Nyckelharpan' is a traditional Swedish instrument, also known as the Swedish keyed fiddle. The name comes from the Swedish words 'nyckel' (key) and 'harpa' (stringed instrument). The first mentions of the nyckelharpa are believed to date back to around 1350.
The instrument has 16 strings, but only 4 are played, while the remaining 12 are so-called sympathetic strings. The sympathetic strings are positioned beneath the main strings in such a way that the bow does not touch them. These strings give the nyckelharpa its distinctive depth of sound and accompanying drone.
Unlike traditional bowed instruments, the pitch on the nyckelharpa is altered using 37 wooden keys, allowing for a register of three octaves. The instrument is played by holding the bow in the right hand and pressing the keys with the left hand.
In the video, @ErikRydvall-nyckelharpa and @rasmushemstrom perform a cavalry march after the legendary Swedish fiddler Carl Ersson Bösse (1783–1847).
Video: Erik Rydvall
#sweden #nyckelharpa #music #folkmusic
🎻 The sound of the 1300s? 'Nyckelharpan' is a traditional Swedish instrument, also known as the Swedish keyed fiddle. The name comes from the Swedish words 'nyckel' (key) and 'harpa' (stringed instrument). The first mentions of the nyckelharpa are believed to date back to around 1350.
The instrument has 16 strings, but only 4 are played, while the remaining 12 are so-called sympathetic strings. The sympathetic strings are positioned beneath the main strings in such a way that the bow does not touch them. These strings give the nyckelharpa its distinctive depth of sound and accompanying drone.
Unlike traditional bowed instruments, the pitch on the nyckelharpa is altered using 37 wooden keys, allowing for a register of three octaves. The instrument is played by holding the bow in the right hand and pressing the keys with the left hand.
In the video, @ErikRydvall-nyckelharpa and @rasmushemstrom perform a cavalry march after the legendary Swedish fiddler Carl Ersson Bösse (1783–1847).
Video: Erik Rydvall
#sweden #nyckelharpa #music #folkmusic
