Early versions of the Kanonaki appear around Asia even before the Greek Classical period. During the Middle Ages it was known by the name of Psaltirio, and it is often referenced in manuscripts and church frescoes during the Byzantine and post-Byzantine era. The Kanonaki or Psaltirio consists of trapezoid-shaped box, over which the strings (which are made of animal intestines or – nowadays – synthetic material) are stretched lengthways. One or more holes are cut into the soundboard (the wooden surface below the strings), and often decorated. The bridges (mandalakia or mandalia) are on the left hand side; moving them up or down raises or lowers the pitch by a quarter of a tone. Each note may have from one to five or six bridges. The instrument possibly owes its name to the musical Rule (Kanonas) of Pythagoras. Musicians rest the Kanonaki on their knees, and play the strings using two picks, known as “nychia” (nails), which are attached to metal thimbles and worn on the tips of the index fingers. Modern “nychia”, which are made of plastic, are artificial extensions of the musician’s actual nails, and used to pluck the strings. Each note is produced by three strings, all tuned to the same tone. The notes are in sequence (from high to low), and tuned to the diatonic scale. The Kanonaki can play all intervals and tone subdivisions, which makes it a very useful instrument for learning Byzantine Music. These days, the Kanonaki is mostly used to perform tunes and songs from the musical tradition of Thrace, Constantinople and Asia Minor. Among the most well known contemporary musicians are N. Stefanidis, P. Tampouris, P. Dimitrakopoulos, M. Koutsaggelidis, M. Karpathios, and many others.