Kordofoner

Kordofoner is a term used in musicology to denote the family of musical instruments whose sound is produced primarily by vibrating strings. The strings vibrate and are amplified by a resonant body, with pitch determined by string length, tension, and mass. The strings may be plucked, bowed, or struck.

In modern taxonomy, kordofoner is commonly referred to as chordophones, one of the main instrument families in the Hornbostel–Sachs classification. They encompass a wide range of instruments, from ancient zithers to modern electric guitars, and include traditional folk instruments as well as contemporary designs.

Subtypes include zithers, which have strings running along the body without a neck, and lutes, which have a neck over which strings are stretched. Some instruments combine features of several subtypes, and playing techniques vary from plucking and strumming to bowing and striking.

Examples of kordofoner include the guitar, violin, cello, harp, sitar, koto, erhu, pipa, and hammered dulcimer, as well as pianos, which produce sound from vibrating strings struck by hammers. Construction materials for strings range from metal and nylon to gut and synthetic fibers, while the instrument’s body and bracing shape its timbre. Kordofoner play a central role in many musical traditions worldwide and span a broad range of genres and contexts.