The nyckelharpa is a Swedish keyed fiddle. It has four
playing strings and twelve sympathetic strings. Each
sympathetic string is tuned to a different chromatic
note, making the instrument extremely resonant in every
key. Tangents attached to keys are pressed against the
playing strings to change the pitch. Traditionally, the
instrument is tuned C-G-C-A and has tangents on the top
three playing strings, with the bottom string functioning
as a drone. However, my nyckelharpa is tuned in fifths
(C-G-D-A) and all four strings are keyed. It has a range
of three and a half octaves, from C below middle C.