How the phorminx makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the phorminx belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
Phorminx is also a genus of cylindrical bark beetles.
The phorminx (Ancient Greek: φόρμιγξ) was one of the oldest of the Ancient Greek stringed musical instruments, in the yoke lutes family, intermediate between the lyre and the kithara. It consisted of two to seven strings, richly decorated arms and a crescent-shaped sound box. It most probably originated from Mesopotamia. While it seems to have been common in Homer's day accompanying the rhapsodes, it was supplanted in historical times by the seven-stringed kithara. Nevertheless, the term "phorminx" continued to be used as an archaism in poetry.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does a phorminx sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the phorminx?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.2).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q539942 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Phorminx – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Yolanda Chalvatzi= – CC BY-SA 3.0