How to Play Chords on an Anglo Saxon Lyre

Pick up your lyre (let's assume a 6-string in C for the sake of argument) and tune it to a standard diatonic major tuning: C-D-E-F-G-A., To form a C Major chord: use your left-hand fingertips to muffle the second, fourth, and sixth strings., To form...

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Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Pick up your lyre (let's assume a 6-string in C for the sake of argument) and tune it to a standard diatonic major tuning: C-D-E-F-G-A.

    (Chord formations for other tunings are given in the sections following)
  2. Step 2: To form a C Major chord: use your left-hand fingertips to muffle the second

    In tablature, this would be o-X-o-X-o-X, with the "o" representing an open string, and the "X" representing a blocked/muffled string (as you're looking at the face of the instrument).

    This leaves you with C, E, and G, which are the notes of a C major chord.

    Now just strum your right hand across all the strings, much like playing the guitar., Like this:
    X-o-X-o-X-o.

    This gives you the notes D-F-A, which form a Dm chord.
  3. Step 3: fourth

  4. Step 4: and sixth strings.

  5. Step 5: To form a D Minor chord: block the first

  6. Step 6: and fifth strings.

Detailed Guide

(Chord formations for other tunings are given in the sections following)

In tablature, this would be o-X-o-X-o-X, with the "o" representing an open string, and the "X" representing a blocked/muffled string (as you're looking at the face of the instrument).

This leaves you with C, E, and G, which are the notes of a C major chord.

Now just strum your right hand across all the strings, much like playing the guitar., Like this:
X-o-X-o-X-o.

This gives you the notes D-F-A, which form a Dm chord.

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Claire Nelson

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