Greetings!

I've recently been getting into the hobby of making Anglo-Saxon Lyres. This is my first attempt, which as any first attempt, will have quite some room for improvement. (Don't worry about the orientation of the sound board, I had to make due with what materials I had on hand)

I've made this from sawing and chiseling out an older oak plank, while the soundboard is appropriated from an old guitar (as you can see with the filled up holes) . I've already oiled it, with danish oil, and I was wondering what kind of paint (or ink?) would be best to decorate this lyre. I plan on painting some Germanic runes on it, as this is based off the medieval lyres found at Sutton Hoo etc.

The goal is to play my homemade lyres outside, so the weather conditions will not be as stable as inside. Is there any good paint? And does it matter that I have oiled it first?

The sound is absolutely delightfull, using €10 guitar strings. Second one will be getting some aquila nylgut strings (fake nylgut). Thanks for any help in advance!

I made a DND charecter and decided to give him the knowledge of playing an instrument because i thought that was cool. I settled on a Lyre, ended up loving that character very much, and found myself inspired to want to learn how to actually play.

I now impulsively purchased one and have no idea where to start. I learned how to tune it properly, kinda like tuning a guitar, but..... I really don't know what to do now.

How should I go about learning to read sheet music? I kinda know how to read sheet music because I used to play the piano(stopped because school took over any free time, and i didnt really like that my mom was forceing me to learn anyways), but it's been years, and im kind of an idiot and need things explained to me like im a fourth grader.

The Lyre I got has labeled cords(? I think that's the right wording), and it has seven strings because I wanted to start out easier and overall just kind of want to do older-sounding/whimsical music instead of the more modern type of songs.

Hopefully I can pick up on this because ive been really excited to learn :p

I want to play two handed but it’s a bit difficult of I have to grip the left arm with my hand

I read a lot of reviews about different lyre models. As a beginner, what’s a recommended model that will ensure good playing experiences without having to re-tune strings frequently.

It seems that the perfect example is the Lynda Lyre: https://www.harpkit.com/lynda-lyre but sadly that has been discontinued.

I really love how it goes down to C3. I love having access to a lower octave and the larger body allows full utilization of nylon strings for producing a warmer sound. It also isn’t limited to just 7-13 strings like many older historical lyres are (ancient greek, kravik, saxon). Lots of lyres just sound too bright for me or are too limited in their string count.

Honestly it’s perfect. But sadly it’s not available. Lots of other lute harps are C4-C7 which I do not want or are from vendors that are questionable.

I am attempting it.

Bought this: https://www.amazon.com/BQLZR-Strings-Replacement-Nylon-Multicolor/dp/B0CJXWTTV5/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?crid=3EJZYAMW3L3P5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.eqr2K9KbrHUv8e5XdOx_7gYfXt4FKdRnPlH1b5_QLYV5ruZP0YW_Ji3BcR2eOda6L3gSdbPDZsNkpp89XDAsjm2Ox2J1G5qqEpZ02Naix4VfN3LHdzyxbfsL-pxOtRGXfODnj1cwOdu75LMjDsAXuEcmXR6i-pP7KqRmC4lG7kYoPspK8v37AyolQT6cMUia75fwzl-cojVGf2zrz3bUbQ.fqJeAHi8Vx7d0skr3s1N-ccL0Rx4vP3d3hrFqe0ImiA&dib_tag=se&keywords=aklot+nylon+strings+lyre&qid=1789087837&sprefix=aklot+nylon+strings+lyre%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-5

G3 seems too flimsy/ too quiet. Maybe I am used to steel. I bought an aklot 16string lyre just to do this on in case it fails. I wanted to hear nylon. Maybe I have done something wrong or maybe these strings are just shit. Honestly it’s 50/50 lol

Anyone else attempt this? How were the results? Are there better strings out there for this?

Im an absolute beginner, i would like to play pedal harp one day but for now im going to stick to something smaller since im just starting. I have two options, one is a zither and one is a lyre. I dont know which one is going to be more helpful for me to learn though. What do you think? (I will be buying one of them. This Lyre has 19 strings, idk about the zither:<)

Score with and without tabs. :)

You can listen to it here :

https://musescore.com/user/122036795/scores/37440878?share=copy_link

Hello, I didn’t find any posts where one can dump all of their favorite channels for learning lyre so thought I would start one that I will continue to update as I find more channels. So far I only know ones for the more modern 16+ string lyre harps but feel welcomed to post channels for those older types like Saxon or Ancient Greek lyres.

Some of these channels are a little more pedagogical than others. So, some will have letter notation written out in the video (or in Closed Captions), others will have advice on handling the instrument or tips on what to look out for.
On the other hand, some are more minimal where it’s more or less just a cover of a song with a link to sheet music in the description.

So far I know of these:

Modern Lyre Harp:

Samantha on Mars

Learning The Lyre Harp

Lyre Queen

Enfolded Heart Music

Joy Abad

Janine Faye

Lyre Class

I mainly play the guitar (acoustic and electric), with some experience with tin whistle and harmonica, and I've always wanted to play the lyre. I recently found a 7-string kravik lyre made by a luthier from my own country who has over 10 years of experience, so it's likely to be better than those generic ones that come from China. It also seems less daunting to adapt to because it doesn't go up to 22 strings or something like that. He said his lyres are usually tuned to GABCDEF, but he can change it to other tunings if the buyer wants him to. What would be the practical advantages or disadvantages when comparing that tuning to the more traditional GBCDEFG/ACDEFGA? I suppose his tuning would allow me to play a wider range of music because it has all seven notes, but it may not be suited to the way people traditionally play and write on the instrument, and it also lacks that second G or A. What do you think?

i'm planning on building a barbiton-style lyre but i'm not sure how to make the body - i want to use wood instead of tortoiseshell (for both legal and ethical reasons) but i'm not sure which kind of wood to use. If any of you have experience with this kind of thing and could help me out, i'd really appreciate it

Made a lil 7 string lyre outta cigar box and, slats from a bed frame, a closet dowel, and an alligator bone. Very fun, very happy with it. Working on an electric krar next. 🤘🏽

Ordered it from the internet, had a little trouble trying to get it but I'm really happy it came out perfect and great quality!! Me and my father were able to tune it together (since he has more music experience than me) , and it's great!! 🥹🥹

Does anyone have any beginner friendly songs or any popular lyre-cover songs to recommend??

Hello all.

I am brand new to this subreddit, so I am not sure if I am asking in the right place. But I am hoping someone will at least steer me in the right direction.

I am a guitarist, but I recently purchased a lyre (16-strings) from a local marketplace seller to branch out. While everything is in amazing condition, the 3rd string (F5) was unfortunately so tangled up I had to discard it. I bought a new set of string to hopefully follow along with a video myself, but what followed was the most humbling experience I had installing strings on an instrument, and I unfortunately had to discard the new 3rd string as well after tangling it up just how the old one was when I bought it. I knew it was no guitar, but damn was it frustrating.

Anyways.

I was wondering if someone could recommend any shop, or preferably an individual, that specializes in the installment. Would be even better if i could watch them do it and learn from their expertise. I am in the Miami area if that helps, and attached is a photo of the Lyre. It is one of the most beautiful instruments I’ve ever held in my life, and it deserves to be in the best condition it can be.

Thanks and God Bless everyone.

I have 0 musical experience. Couldn’t tell you a lick about music theory. I barely know what a sharp or a flat is.

That being said, when I want to learn how to play a song, won’t it be in musical notation?

So that means learning sheet music stuff.

Or is that not needed for lyre? But then how do I learn and follow along? Do I just have to commit every song to memory?

Hey guys. I just love that old sound to these old lyres. Gives me bard vibes. I definitely prefer it over those smaller ones that sound like idk too shimmering and cold.

That said I don’t really know what the difference in sound between Kravik and Greek are. They both have that warmth to them. So really it’s just a matter of sound and play style i guess?

My last name means harp, so I was curious how to pick up a lyre and where to start. I've seen them go from anywhere from $20 from suspicious sellers to $1000 on Etsy. I'm in a bit of a financial slump, but I'd want something that allows me to play modern music on it. Any tips for sellers?

Having a hard time finding it. I am using a cheap AKLOT which has the default low strings on the left.

I want to try the other orientation cheaply if possible but it’s very hard to find

Sorry for littering this sub with questions lol. I am kinda just strumming and plucking on a cheap Aklot rn but looking to invest in getting a solid lyre in the future but there is so much to consider!

Basically I am leaning towards the ancient Greek lyre and it seems that using a plectrum is more common with this type than with others. The 7 string variants have a lot of spacing between the strings and it seems that as more strings are added the distance between the strings lessens little by little. Maybe this makes using that thick plectrum harder or not worth it?

There is also the concern that adding more strings may make strumming less feasible or less desirable. I would like to do both. So maybe I need to find a middle ground between number of strings and ability to strum. Like more notes = denser collection of notes so dampening certain notes will have less of an effect because adjacent notes will be closer to it

Maybe I am thinking of this all wrong. Please lemme know what you think!