String Instruments are instruments that produce sound by vibrating strings. A majority of these instruments can be played by plucking or strumming the strings. Some of these instruments include: zithers, harps, guitars, sitars, lutes, etc. But there are many other instruments that use other techniques than just those. For example, instruments like the violin, viola, cello, and double bass can be played by dragging a bow accross the strings. There are instruments that can be played by using a hammer to hit the strings and produce a vibration. Instruments that untilize a hammer are: pianos, harpsicords, celestas, organs, etc.
The Lyre of Ur is considered to be one of the oldest surviving string instruments. If we're looking at the bowed instruments, the instrument that most closely resembles the modern day violin, viola, cello, and contrabass, is the Lira Da Braccio, which looks like a cello but has 7 strings. But, it is said that the creator of the violin borrowed various developments from the Byzantine Lyra. The Byzantine Lyra is a pear shaped instrument played using a bow created in the 9th century AD.
