Sources and Methodology

This page explains how we research and verify the content published across Guntings String Guide.

What we rely on

Our instrument profiles and guide articles are researched using recognized academic and institutional references, including general music reference works such as Grove Music Online and The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments, the Oxford Companion to Music, and museum resources such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department of Musical Instruments and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Specific sources used for a given article or profile are listed at the end of that page.

How we handle variation and uncertainty

String instrument history and construction are not always settled, single facts. Tunings vary by regional tradition and sometimes by the specific piece being performed. Historical origin stories are sometimes contested or only partly documented. Where this is the case, we describe the variation directly, using language such as "commonly," "often," or "many sources describe," rather than flattening it into one definitive claim.

What this library is not

Guntings String Guide is an editorial and educational resource, not a peer-reviewed academic publication, an appraisal service, or a source for authenticating a specific physical instrument. For questions about a particular instrument you own, we recommend consulting a qualified luthier, appraiser, or academic specialist in that tradition.

Verification dates

Each instrument profile lists a date on which its content was last checked against our reference sources. Guide articles list their original publication date and, when updated, a revision date. See our Corrections page for how we handle updates after a fact changes or a reader flags an issue.