Description
This listing is for two plectrums (plus one more as a gift), a type of ancient pick that the ancient Greeks used to play the lyre, the kithara, or other string instruments by plucking or strumming.
The first one (the one in the middle of the photo) is flat, constructed mostly of wood with a tip made from animal bone and crafted by our master luthiers’ skillful hands. It is ideal for producing clear notes, adding discreetly that ancient-like buzzing sound to your lyre playing.
The second plectrum is ideal for intermediate to advanced lyre players, as it will help you produce harmonics and hroes easier! It is handcrafted from wood, with a 3-dimensional round geometry. This type of plectrum was probably crafted for professional lyre and kithara players during Classical Greece.
Last, we include in the package a third plectrum (as a gift) entirely made of wood. It was the most common type of plectrum used in ancient Greece. If you are a proud owner of a LUTHIEROS lyre, you already have this type of plectrum, as it was included in the initial package.
All three plectrums come with a leather strings attached to them, so you can secure them on your ancient lyre or kithara.
Michael Levy, one of the most well-known ancient lyre players around the world, recently got his ancient plectrum by LUTHIEROS and commented in public:
“The extra mass of the plectrum (compared with my not-so authentic guitar pick) enables much better sounding ‘string stopping’ techniques at the bridge (using the plectrum as a fret at the top of the string to raise its pitch by either a semitone or microtone).
The extra mass of the bone plectrum enables it to be used as a fret at the top of the strings to create accidentals and microtones, or for really cool effects like sliding the plectrum along the length of a vibrating string to create portamento! Surprisingly, effects like a Simsimiyya style tremolo work even better with this plectrum than on a modern guitar pick, which I used on my other lyres. Block and strum technique with this plectrum provides extra volume than a guitar pick, but it is a little more difficult to rapidly change the direction of the strumming pattern with the lack of flexibility in the authentic bone plectrum.
The best thing about these authentic bone plectrums in the leather cord, attaching the plectrum to the lyre at all times – what a clever idea of the ancients… it is literally impossible to ever lose the plectrum!”
