Harp vs. Lyre — What's the Difference?

The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, including standing or sitting and in orchestras or concerts.

A stringed instrument like a small U-shaped harp with strings fixed to a crossbar, used especially in ancient Greece. Modern instruments of this type are found mainly in East Africa.

A musical instrument consisting of a frame supporting a graduated series of parallel strings, played by plucking with the fingers. The modern orchestral harp has an upright frame, with pedals which enable the strings to be retuned to different keys.

A stringed instrument of the harp family having two curved arms connected at the upper end by a crossbar, used to accompany a singer or reciter of poetry, especially in ancient Greece.

Another term for harmonica

An ancient stringed musical instrument (a yoke lute chordophone) of Greek origin, consisting of two arms extending from a body to a crossbar (a yoke), and strings, parallel to the soundboard, connecting the body to the yoke.

A marine mollusc which has a large vertically ribbed shell with a wide aperture, found chiefly in the Indo-Pacific.

Any instrument of the same musicological classification; any yoke lute.

Talk or write persistently and tediously on (a particular topic)

A lyre-shaped sheet music holder that attaches to a wind instrument when a music stand is impractical.

Play on a harp

(obsolete) A composer of lyric poetry.

An instrument having an upright triangular frame consisting of a pillar, a curved neck, and a hollow back containing the sounding board, with usually 46 or 47 strings of graded lengths that are played by plucking with the fingers.

(rare) to play the lyre

Any of various ancient and modern instruments of similar or U-shaped design.

A stringed instrument of music; a kind of harp much used by the ancients, as an accompaniment to poetry.

(Informal)A harmonica.

One of the constellations; Lyra. See Lyra.

Something, such as a pair of vertical supports for a lampshade, that resembles a harp.

A harp used by ancient Greeks for accompaniment

To play a harp.

(musical instrument) A musical instrument consisting of a body and a curved neck, strung with strings of varying length that are stroked or plucked with the fingers and are vertical to the soundboard when viewed from the end of the body

Any instrument of the same musicological type.

(colloquial) A harmonica.

(Scotland) A grain sieve.

To repeatedly mention a subject.

(transitive) To play on (a harp or similar instrument).

(transitive) To play (a tune) on the harp.

To develop or give expression to by skill and art; to sound forth as from a harp; to hit upon.

A musical instrument consisting of a triangular frame furnished with strings and sometimes with pedals, held upright, and played with the fingers.

A constellation; Lyra, or the Lyre.

A grain sieve.

To play on the harp.

To dwell on or recur to a subject tediously or monotonously in speaking or in writing; to refer to something repeatedly or continually; - usually with on or upon.

To play on, as a harp; to play (a tune) on the harp; to develop or give expression to by skill and art; to sound forth as from a harp; to hit upon.

A chordophone that has a triangular frame consisting of a sounding board and a pillar and a curved neck; the strings stretched between the neck and the soundbox are plucked with the fingers

A pair of curved vertical supports for a lampshade

A small rectangular free-reed instrument having a row of free reeds set back in air holes and played by blowing into the desired hole

Come back to;

Play the harp;