Introduction / Thomas D. Rossing -- Plucked strings / Thomas D. Rossing -- Guitars and lutes / Thomas D. Rossing and Graham Caldersmith -- Portuguese guitar / Octavio Inacio -- Banjo / James Rae -- Mandolin family instruments / David J. Cohen and Thomas D. Rossing -- Psalteries and zithers / Andres Peekna and Thomas D. Rossing -- Harpsichord and clavichord / Neville H. Fletcher and Carey Beebe -- Harp / Chris Waltham -- Burmese arched harp / Robert M. Williamson -- Plucked string instruments in Asia / Shigeru Yoshikawa -- Bowed strings / Thomas D. Rossing and Roger J. Hanson -- Violin / Joseph Curtin and Thomas D. Rossing -- Cello / Eric Bynum and Thomas D. Rossing -- Double bass / Anders Askenfelt -- Bows, strings, and bowing / Knut Guettler -- Viols and other historic bowed string instruments / Murray Campbell and Patsy Campbell -- The Hutchins-Schelleng violin octet after 50 years / George Bissinger -- Hammered strings / Thomas D. Rossing -- Some remarks on the acoustics of the piano / Nicholas Giordano -- Hammered dulcimer / David Peterson -- Electric guitar and violin / Colin Gough -- Virtual string synthesis / Nelson Lee and Julius O. Smith.