Kithara
The lyre was used as a teaching tool in schools, but the cithara was an instrument needing a great amount of skill. The cithara was played mainly with dances, epic recitations, rhapsodies, odes, and lyric songs. It was also played solo at receptions, banquets, national games, and trials of skill. Aristotle said that these stringed instruments were not for educational purposes but for pleasure only. It was played by strumming the strings with a stiff plectrum made of dried leather, held in the right hand with the elbow outstretched and handpalm bent inwards.