CRETAN LYRA

CRETAN LYRA

The lyra has a pear-shaped, hollowed-out soundbox and a short neck, without frets, the neck continues from the soundbox, and is equipped with rear pegs. The instrument also is fitted with a ridge, and is equipped with three single chords attached to the lower edge of the body, the tailpiece, or to a stringholder it is played with a bow. With the passage of years the pear-shaped lyra underwent certain morphological modifications, an evolutionary process centred on the island of Crete. The original form of the pear-shaped lyra is the lyraki(small lyra), however the very different requirements for the accopmaniment of song, led in time to the creation of a larger kind of instrument which gradually evolved into the vrondolira, or thunderlira. In between the two above-mentioned instruments an inetermediate type of lyra was created, the common lyra. Source: Book of Foibos Anogeianakis “Greek folk musical instruments”