«The daxophone, invented by Hans Reichel, is a musical instrument of the friction idiophone category. In appearance it somewhat resembles a wooden ruler with one end hanging over the edge of a table (though daxophones are often carved in very elaborate shapes, the basic proportions of a ruler are kept). It is normally played by bowing the free end, but it can also be struck or plucked. The sound is amplified with a contact microphone. A wide range of voice-like timbres can be produced, depending on the shape of the instrument, the type of wood, where it is bowed, and where along its length it is stopped with a separate block of wood (fretted on one side) called the «dax.»