1. The most popular stringed instruments in Estonia are various types of kannel (zither), bowed harp, fiddle and psalmodikon. In the early 20th century also guitars and mandolins were spread. Põispill, a primitive stringed instrument has been used as a joke at festivities.

2. Kannel is the oldest known instrument in Estonia. It is believed to have been around for about two thousand years. Such an instrument is common to cultures of the Baltic Finns, the Balts and the northwestern Russians.Kannel falls into four types: small kannel modern kannel harmony kannel chromatickannel Kannel

3. Bowed harp reached Estonia probably through the Swedes who settled in the islands and coastal areas of Estonia in the 13th and 14th centuries. This instrument is rectangular or has a fiddle-like body, with a rectangular frame on top that hold 3 to 4 strings made of horsehair or sheep intestines. The instrument is placed on or between the knees and played with an arrow-shaped bow. The tuning is similar to fiddle. Hiiukannel has been revived and it is taught at traditional music instruction camps, at various schools and in college. Bowed harp (hiiukannel)

4. Violin reached Estonian towns in the 17th century. In the 18th century fiddle music spread also among peasants. In the 19th century fiddle began to replace bagpipe playing, because it was more suitable to accompany the more recent dances (quadrille, polka, schottische, gallop, polka mazurka, waltz, etc.). Violins were sometimes bought in town, but usually in earlier times fiddles were made at home. It was not an easy instrument to master and needed continuous practice. The general level was kept up by school and choir singing, as in the 19th and early 20th centuries singing was mainly taught with the help of violin. Schoolteachers got instruction also in violin playing. Folk fiddle players usually made their own instruments, and applied a popular performance style with improvisation and the use of open strings. The spread of fiddle music developed also playing in groups: two fiddles, fiddle and kannel, etc. Musicians could also sing by resting their instrument on the chest (instead of the more recent position under the chin). Today fiddle is one of the most popular instruments in traditional music. Traditional fiddle music is taught at traditional music instruction camps, at various schools and in college. Fiddle (viiul)

5. This is a relatively new instrument, dating from 1829 in Sweden, constructed on the basis of monochord and hummel. It has the shape of an overturned small trough, there is only one string with fingerboard and note marks underneath, and it is played with a bow. The instrument spread widely in Lutheran regions to accompany spiritual music, including also Estonian peasants. It was easy to make and was used to teach and accompany choral singing at home, and in smaller schools and church congregations who could not afford other instruments. Because of its primitive design, the instrument is mistakenly often considered rather ancient. Psalmodikon (moldpill or mollpill)

6. Bumbass (bladder-and-string) is a primitive stringed instrument that was used at wedding festivities as a joke. This is a single string instrument made of a stick (sometimes bow) with a cord or sheep intestine attached to it as the string. At the lower end under the string is placed an air-filled bladder with a bridge on it. It was used to provide rhythm to a music group. Bumbass (põispill)

7. Guitar (kitarr) and mandolin (mandoliin) spread among the folk in the early 20th century. They became popular first with spiritual, but also with sentimental secular music making. Their peak fell on the 1920s and 30s. Guitar continues to be popular also today. www.rahvamuusika.ee Guitar and mandolin