What are chordophone instruments?
James Williams
Updated on May 21, 2026
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.
What is chordophone and examples?
Definition of chordophone: any of a class of musical instruments (such as a guitar or piano) whose sound is generated by plucking, bowing, or striking stretched strings : stringed instrument — compare aerophone, electrophone, idiophone, lamellophone, membranophone.