Langeleik

The instrument has one melody string, like a monochord, but it has additional bourdon strings (or drone strings), usually 7 or 8 on modern instruments, but older ones had fewer, most often 4 bourdon strings.

The frets under the melody string are placed such that it can only play a Major_scale (around A major, however it is referred to C major for the ease). The bourdon strings are also tuned to the Triad of the melody string ( in quasi C, E and G (really somewhere about A, C# and F#)). Since the instrument cannot play Chromatic scale nor be easily tuned to other pitches, it's very limited from playing with other instruments and/or more harmonic complex music. As a sidenote, the sound you get when you play other tones than those of the bourdons (the Triad C-E-G), is quite special.

The oldest known Langeleik in existance is dated 1524. It's clearly related to other European instruments, but mostly to the German Scheitholt and next the French épinette. See Zither for more relatives.

Elder Langeleiks are quite square like, but often lacks the buttom. They have often 5 to 6 strings. They often had special norwegian folklore scales other than major cord ( using 3/4 notes etc. Especially the Third and Seventh tend to be different, the Third to be in between that of a major cord and minor chord and the Seventh tend to be lower than the modern leading tone.

Modern Langeleiks are somewhat curved, beeing wider at the middle, as it is the ezperience of modern instrument makers experiments that this makes the instrument make sound louder. They are all tuned to a major scale