The first _kithara_ was supposed to have been an instrument of four strings that could be tuned in any of these different ways, with the half-step either between the first and second strings, or between the second and third, or between the third and fourth. Two instruments tuned differently formed the complete scale, but it did not take long to add strings to their lyres and kitharas so that they could play an entire scale on one instrument. The little Greek boy was taught in school to tune the scale according to the fourth string of his lyre, which was the _home tone_ or what we should call _tonic_. Our tonic falls on the first degree of the scale, but in the _primary modes_ of the Greeks, the tonic fell on the fourth degree, and was called the _final_. When the final was on pitch all the other strings had to be tuned to it. These tetrachords are supposed to have been perfected by Terpander, in the six hundreds before Christ. His melodies were called _nomes_ and were supposed to have had a fine moral effect on the Spartan youth in giving him spirit and courage. The Greeks thought that all music and that every one of their modes had a special effect on conduct and character. After the Messenian war, Sparta was in such a state of upheaval that the Delphian oracle was consulted. The answer was: “When Terpander’s Cithar shall sound Contention in Sparta shall cease.” So the Spartans called upon Terpander to help them, and through the power of his song all was peace again. Terpander collected Asiatic, Egyptian, Æolian and Bœotian melodies all of which are unfortunately lost; he invented a new notation and enlarged the kithara from four strings to seven. Arion, Alcæus and the great poetess Sappho were his pupils, and Sappho is often shown in statues with a six stringed kithara. Most of these poet singers were called “lyric poets” because they sang to the accompaniment of the lyre. PYTHAGORAS The Greeks were the first to write down their music, or to make a musical notation whereby the singers and players knew what tones to use. Their system was their alphabet with certain alterations. They had names describing each tone not unlike our use of the word _tonic_ for the first degree of the scale, and _dominant_ for the fifth and so on. Of course they did not have the _staff_ and _treble_ and _bass clefs_ as we have, but they were groping for some way of recording music in those far away days.