When we were selling my Grandmother's house, my father told me that he had traded a baseball glove for a mandolin , but had never been able to get it in tune. He said it was in the basement somewhere. I searched the basement, but all I found was a weird looking instrument with a bunch of strings heading in different directions and overlappin each other. I showed it to my dad and he said,"Yeah, that's it." I had no idea what it was, but it said Hawaiian Arts Violoin Co. inside the sound hole. I wrote away to the address and their reply told me that I had found a Ukelin. This is a bowed psaltry with four chords that can be strummed, to accompany the bowed melody, with the hand that doesn't hold the bow. It's one of those instruments, like guitar zithers and tremoloas, that were invented and produced, but never really caught on. I've heard one played once on A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION, but have never seen one played. Check out www.fretless zithers.com