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chordophone
musical instrument
chordophone, any of a class of musical instruments in which a stretched, vibrating string produces the initial sound. The five basic types are bows, harps, lutes, lyres, and zithers. The name chordophone replaces the term stringed instrument when a precise, acoustically based designation is required. Compare aerophone; electrophone; idiophone; membranophone.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Alison Eldridge.
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