Talharpa

Talharpa [tall, pine, or tagel, horsehair], a form of *bowed harp preserved in the Swed. settlements of Estonia, that is, in the coastal area and islands settled not later than the 13th c. It corresponds to the Finn. jouhikantele, from which it may be derived. The handhole is very wide, often square. The 3 or 4 strings were formerly of horsehair, now are gut or metal; 2 are melody strings, the remainder, drones. They are secured by rear tuning pegs. The playing position is that of the…