Nyckelharpa

Today we are going to have a look at a special musical instrument, Nyckelharpa. Not many of us would have heard of it. Nyckelharpa is a Swedish musical instrument and it is the National Instrument of Sweden. It can be called as a “Keyed Fiddle” or a “Key Harp”. Nyckelharpa is a String Instrument belonging to the Chordophone. The Nyckelharpa is similar to a Fiddle in appearance having key-actuated tangents to change the pitch. Its keys are attached to tangents. When a key is depressed, it serves as Fret to change the pitch of the string. Nyckelharpa is played usually with a strap around the neck and stabilized by the right arm. Watch a video on Nyckelharpa by Thomas Roth 00