Allow me to familiarize you with my music and instrument.  I’m a professional musician that specializes in historical performance on period instruments.  My choice is the bass viola da gamba, a beautiful instrument that is about the size of the cello but with six/seven strings and frets (much like a lute or guitar).  It is usually played with a bow but can also be played with the fingers.  An extremely versatile instrument, there are many sounds that can be achieved with various forms of attack.

I dedicate myself to playing “early music,” the viola’s historical time period.  The gamba existed during the Renaissance and Baroque epochs in music, lasting roughly 300 years (1500~1800).  It was played in all the main courts of Europe for the most influential monarchies of the time (Elizabeth I, Louis XIV, Frederick the Great, etc.).  Nevertheless, I also play world music (Arabic, Celtic, Fado, Flamenco, etc.) on the gamba and usually mix it into a performance.  The main intent being to make this instrument a living part of the 21st century and not merely an historical relic.