Editing String instrument (section)

== Classification ==
In [[musicology]], string instruments are known as chordophones. It is one of the five main divisions of instruments in the [[Hornbostel–Sachs]] scheme of [[musical instrument classification]].

Hornbostel–Sachs divides chordophones into two main groups: instruments without a [[resonator]] as an integral part of the instrument (which have the classification number 31, also known as 'simple'); and instruments with such a resonator (which have the classification number 32, also known as 'composite'). Most western instruments fall into the second group, but the [[piano]] and [[harpsichord]] fall into the first. Hornbostel and Sachs's criterion for determining which sub-group an instrument falls into is that if the resonator can be removed without destroying the instrument, then it is classified as 31. The idea that the piano's casing, which acts as a resonator, could be removed without destroying the instrument, may seem odd, but if the action and strings of the piano were taken out of its box, it could still be played. This is not true of the [[violin]], because the string passes over a bridge located on the resonator box, so removing the resonator would mean the strings had no tension.

Curt Sachs also broke chordophones into four basic subcategories, "zithers, lutes, lyres and harps."<ref name="sachschordophones463-467">{{cite book|last=Sachs|first=Curt|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmusical00sach|title=The History of Musical Instruments|date=1940|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|location=New York|pages=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmusical00sach/page/463 463–467]|isbn=9780393020687|url-access=registration}}</ref>

* [[Zither]]s include ''stick zithers'' such as the [[musical bow]], ''[[Tube zither|tube zithers]]'' with a tube as the resonator such as the [[valiha]], [[Raft zither|raft zithers]] in which tube zithers are tied into a single "raft", ''board zithers'' including [[clavichord]] and [[piano]] and [[Dulcimer (disambiguation)|dulcimer]], and ''long zithers'' (described as combination of half-tube and board zithers) including [[Se (instrument)|Se]] and [[Guzheng]] families.
* [[Lute]]s are stringed musical instruments that include a body and "a neck which serves both as a handle and as a means of stretching the strings beyond the body."<ref name="sachsshortlong">{{harvnb|Sachs|1940|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmusical00sach/page/464 464]}}</ref> The lute family includes not only ''short-necked plucked lutes'' such as the [[lute]], [[oud]], [[pipa]], [[guitar]], [[citole]], [[gittern]], [[Mandore (instrument)|mandore]], [[Rubab (instrument)|rubab]], and [[gambus]] and ''long-necked plucked lutes'' such as the [[tanbura]], [[swarabat]], [[bağlama]], [[bouzouki]], [[veena]], [[theorbo]], [[archlute]], [[pandura]], [[sitar]], [[setar]], but also ''bowed instruments'' such as the [[Yaylı tambur]], [[rebab]], [[erhu]], and entire family of [[Viol|viols]] and [[Violin|violins]].<ref name="sachsshortlong" />
* The [[lyre]] has two arms, which have a "yoke" or crossbar connecting them, and strings between the crossbar and the soundboard.<ref name="sachschordophones463-467" /> Sachs divided this into the ''box lyre'' such as the Greek [[kithara]] and the ''bowl lyre'' which used a bowl on its side with skin [[Sound board (music)|soundboard]].<ref name="sachschordophones463-467" />
* The [[harp]] which has strings vertical to the soundboard.<ref name="sachschordophones463-467" />