How the tremoloa makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the tremoloa belongs to the board zithers: strings are stretched across a flat board or box – the family of the piano, harpsichord and hammered dulcimer.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The tremoloa, plural tremoloas, is a stringed instrument belonging to the fretless zither family. It was produced in the United States in response to the rapid increase in popularity of Hawaiian music during the 1920s, and continued to be produced until the 1950s.
Musical collective Broken Social Scene features the instrument in "Tremoloa Debut." The instrument is also featured sporadically on The Magnetic Fields' album 69 Love Songs.
Other board zithers
Frequently asked questions
What does a tremoloa sound like?
As one of the board zithers, its sound comes from the way strings are stretched across a flat board or box.
What type of instrument is the tremoloa?
It is classified as board zithers (Hornbostel–Sachs 314.122-6).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q7838128 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Tremoloa – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Royalbroil – CC BY-SA 3.0