Description

The nyckelharpa (roughly translating to “keyed fiddle”) is a traditional Swedish bowed string instrument with origins dating back to medieval Europe. It is instantly recognizable by its keyboard mechanism and its rich, ethereal, and resonant sound, which is used in Scandinavian folk music. Though visual depictions trace back to 14th-century church art in Europe (such as stone carvings), the instrument evolved and found its home in the Uppland province of Sweden. After a period of decline in the 19th and early 20th centuries, it underwent a massive renaissance in the 1960s and 1970s and is now celebrated globally as the national instrument of Sweden. Instead of pressing fingers directly onto the strings to change pitches, the player pushes wooden keys (about 37 on a modern instrument). These keys have small wooden pegs attached to them called “tangents,” which act like frets to stop the string at exact notes. Modern chromatic nyckelharpas feature 16 strings in total. Only 3 or 4 are actively played with a short bow, while the remaining 12 are “sympathetic strings”. These sympathetic strings are not bowed; they vibrate in resonance with the played notes, giving the instrument its magical, echoing quality. The instrument is held horizontally across the body using a neck/shoulder strap and is played using a relatively short, heavily tensioned bow.

The nyckelharpa here was made in 1988 by Ulf Linden. We can’t find really any information about him, just a few other nyckelharpas that he made. This instrument has light play wear and some scratches on it’s back and is in very good condition. It comes with a bow, some instructional books and a gig bag (keyboard sized).

• 16 strings
• Chromatic
• Instructional books
• Gig bag (keyboard size)
• 4 fine tuners on tailpiece
• Made in 1988 by Ulf Linden