Soniccouture Nyckelharpas

SCANDINAVIAN KEYED STRINGS

Familiar yet somehow different, the sound of the Nyckelharpa walks a delicate line. Dating from the middle ages, Nyckelharpa translates as ‘keyed fiddle’ in Swedish.

The pitch of the notes is altered by pressing a wooden key, which frets the string. There are also 12 sympathetic strings, added in the mid 1700s, possibly inspired by the viola d’amore. They serve to add resonance, volume and a general zing to the sound.

This product features two different harpas: the standard viola pitch instruments, and an 'octavharpa', a cello tuned model.

Instrument Anatomy

Recreating such a traditional, natural instrument requires a forensic approach.

Each element is recorded, every tiny detail captured - and then reconstructed in Kontakt.

Simple characteristics can become creative features once you have control - noises, resonances, plucks.

Take our video tour to learn more about the pieces that make up the whole.

Preset Library & Sound Design

The detailed, multi-element control available in Nyckelharpas makes it an extremely flexible sound design tool.

Completely natural, organic sound all the way through to abstract evolving drone-scapes.

With noise control, sympathetic resonance, ensemble mode, filters, modulation and effects to experiment with, new hybrid soundscapes are a few tweaks away.