The qanún is a musical string instrument used in Middle-Eastern music. It consists of a trapezoidal sounding board, the right side of which is parallel to the bottom. The strings are stretched over a single bridge on the right of the instrument, with tuning pegs on the left. It is played by plucking the strings with two tortoise-shell picks, one in each hand, and usually has a range of three octaves. It is a descendant of an old Egyptian harp, and is related to the psaltery, dulcimer and zither. Begoña Olavide is a present day exponent of this instrument.
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