Editing Cittern (section)

=== Pre-modern citterns ===
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|image1 = Arxicistre.tif
|image2 = Cittern MET DP163302.jpg
|image3 = Sir Joshua Reynolds - Portrait of Mrs. Froude.jpg
|footer = From left to right, '''1''': Archicitter, Laurent, Louis-Sigismond, c. 1774–89; '''2''': [[Bell cittern]] by Joachim Tielke, c. 1865; '''3''': Painting by Sir [[Joshua Reynolds]] of Mrs. Froude playing an [[English guitar]] or cittern, 1762
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The cittern is one of the few metal-strung instruments known from the [[Renaissance music]] period. It generally has four courses of strings (single, pairs or threes depending on design or regional variation), one or more courses being usually tuned in octaves, though instruments with more or fewer courses were made. The cittern may have a range of only an octave between its lowest and highest strings and employs a [[Reentrant tuning|re-entrant tuning]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cittern.theaterofmusic.com/faq/index.html |title=The Renaissance Cittern Site: Frequently Asked Questions about the Renaissance Cittern |publisher=Cittern.theaterofmusic.com |date=2012-06-21 |access-date=2013-07-15}}</ref> &ndash; a tuning in which the string that is physically uppermost is not the lowest, as is also the case with the five-string [[banjo]] and most [[ukulele]]s for example. The tuning and narrow range allow the player a number of simple [[Chord (music)|chord]] shapes useful for both simple song accompaniment and dances, though much more complex music was also written for it.<ref name="oxford-companion">The Oxford Companion to Music - ''cittern''</ref> Its bright and cheerful timbre make it a valuable counterpoint to gut-strung instruments. The Spanish [[bandurria]], still used today, is a similar instrument.