Philomel (musical instrument) under the fingerboard rests against the table. Philomel also is another name for the nightingale, which perhaps is where the instrument gets its name. Philomel (musical instrument) Philomel (; or "Stahlgeige" ) is the name of a musical instrument similar to the violin, but having four steel, wire strings. It has been invented around Monaco di Baviera in the middle of the nineteenth century and has got some similarities with the Bowedmelodion also known as Streichmelodion The philomel has a body with incurvations similar to those of the guitar; therefore, without corner blocks, the outline of the upper lobe forms
Musical instrument classification Musical instrument classification Throughout history, various methods of musical instrument classification have been used. The most commonly used system divides instruments into string instruments, woodwind instruments, brass instruments and percussion instruments; however, other schemes have been devised. The oldest known scheme of classifying instruments is Chinese and dates from the 3rd millennium BC. It grouped instruments according to the materials they are made of. Instruments made of stone were in one group, those of wood in another, those of silk are in a third, and those of bamboo in a fourth, as recorded in the "Yo Chi" (record of ritual