*9 6 



EXTRACT OF A LETTER 



cannot miflead you ; though they may pofnbly fugged 

 a ufeful hint, as half errors often do. 



The Been is a fretted inflrument of the guittar kind. 

 The finger-board is 2 1 jths inches long. A little beyond 

 each end of the finger-board are two large gourds, and 

 beyond thefe are the pegs and tail-piece which hold the 

 wires. The whole length of the inftrument is three 

 feet (even inches. The firil gourd is fixed at ten inches 

 from the top, and the fecond is about two feet 1 1~. 

 The gourds are very large, about fourteen inches dia- 

 meter, and have a round piece cut out of the bottom, 

 about five inches diameter. The finger-board is about 

 two inches wide. The wires are feven in number, and 

 confift of two fteel ones, very clofe together, in the 

 right fide; four brafs ones on the finger-board ; and 

 one brafs one on the left fide. They are tuned in the 

 following manner. 





H 



- re -C 



? -? s 



"> u ° 



3 tci 



O g 

 O **" 

 S3 -o 



o e 



o o 



o 2 v 



S - _S 



— C 



c 6 o 



O o 



oC 2 



CO 3 CO .^ 



ro w« re ^O 



ft ■!■ ;>? f p'-.i r ■■' .hi. 



a r s T 



a 

 u v 



The great Angularity of this inflrument is the height 

 of the frets ; that nearer! the nut is one inch j, and that 

 at the other extremity about |-ths of an inch, and the 

 decreafe is pretty gradual. By this means the finger 

 never touches the finger-board itfelf. The frets are 

 fixed on with wax by the performer himfelf, which he 

 does intirely by ear. This was afferted by Pear Cawn, 

 the brother of Jcewiin Shah, who was ill at the time : 



but 



