Monochord

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A monochord is an ancient musical and scientific laboratory instrument. It was used by Pythagoras about 550 BCE ^{[citation needed]}. The word "monochord" comes from the Greek and means literally "one string." In the monochord, a single string is stretched over a sound box. The string is fixed at both ends while a moveable bridge alters pitch.

The monochord can be used to illustrate the mathematical properties of musical pitch. For example, when a monochord's string is open it vibrates at a particular frequency and produces a pitch. When the length of the string is halved, and plucked, it produces a pitch an octave higher, the string vibrates at twice the frequency of the original (2:1). Half of this length will produce a pitch two octaves higher than the original--four times the frequency (4:1)--and so on.

Monopipe is a wind instrument which serves the same purpose as the monochord.