Chris Hushak's Talharpa Parts

Chris Hushak of Sterling VA created this Viking Talharpa 3-string instrument from C. B. Gitty Parts! The Talharpa (translated to "Pine Harp") comes from Northern Europe and was traditionally made from a single block of hollowed-out wood. 

Hushak changed the concept by building a rectangle frame around a Gitty Acoustic Box Kit. 

Hushak says, "I have always wanted one of these things, but they cost way too much... The instrument's deep guttural sounds go perfectly when played sitting around a raging fire. Since I can't sing, occasional grunting along with the notes works well! I'm learning to find the notes like on a fretless instrument."

Hushak's instrument is played with a violin bow and has no fretboard. You simply place your fingers on the strings to fret the notes. After searching through Google, we learned that there are different scale lengths to these instruments, from a 13" soprano, 17" alto and a full scale 19". Being a folk instrument, the number of strings can vary between two and four.