By the 19th century it had become a "fine" instrument, being played at concerts in Stockholm, and by the early 20th century it had become an archetypal instrument alongside the violin for Swedish folk music. While historically not too common of an instrument in Sweden, the violin outshining it in usage among spelmän (players of Swedish folk music), the nyckelharpa became a popular folk instrument in the Swedish province of Uppland during the 17th century, subsequently leading to its popularization and spread throughout Sweden the following centuries. Many of the early historical depictions of the instrument are found in Sweden, the earliest possibly depiction found on a relief located on a 14th century church portal. The origin of the instrument is unknown, but its historical foothold is much larger in Sweden than other countries. It is primarily played underarm, suspended from the shoulder using a sling, with the bow in the overhanging arm. Upon key-actuation, the tangent is pressed to meet the corresponding string, much like a fret, shortening its vibrating length to that point, changing the pitch of the string. The keys slide under the strings, with the tangents set perpendicularly to the keys, reaching above the strings. Stemming from Sweden, the nyckelharpa ( Swedish:, plural nyckelharpor), meaning "keyed fiddle" or "key harp" ( lit.), is a bowed chordophone, similar in appearance to a fiddle or violin, which employs key-actuated tangents along the neck to change the pitch during play, much like a hurdy-gurdy.
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