On the Institution of Music (De institutione musica)

...was attributed because of the slowness of motion and the gravity of the sound In ancient music theory, the "lowest" notes were often associated with slower vibrations or "heavier" sound.. Parhypate indeed is the second, as if placed and located next to the hypate. Licanos is the third, so-called because licanos is the name of the finger we call the "index." Among the Greeks, it is called licanon from the word for "licking" original: "a lingundo"; a common medieval etymology for the index finger, used for tasting. And because in singing, the index finger—which is the licanos—was found at that string which was the third from the hypate, for that reason it was called licanos. The fourth is called mese because it is always the middle among seven. The fifth is paramese, as if located next to the mese. But the seventh is called nete, as if neate, that is, the lowest original: "inferior"; though this string produced the highest pitch, it was physically the "lowest" or furthest string on the instrument.. Between this nete and paramese is the sixth, which is called paranete, as if located next to the nete. But since paramese is the third from the nete, it is also notably called trite, that is, the "third." This is the description:

His eighth string was added by Lycaon of Samos, and he fitted this middle string between the paramese (which is also called trite) and the paranete, so that it itself would be the third from the nete. Consequently, the paramese was the only one called by that name, as it was placed after the middle. It lost the name of trite, however, because the string located between it and the paranete was the third from the nete, and it rightfully took the name of trite trite simply means "third". Thus, the eight-stringed scale octocordum: an eight-stringed scale according to the addition of Lycaon is arranged in this way:

IN the two previous arrangements, therefore, are the heptachord and the octachord. The heptachord is called synemmenon, which means "conjoined." The octachord, however, is diezeugmenon, which means "disjoined." For in the heptachord there is one tetrachord tetrachord: a scale of four notes spanning a perfect fourth consisting of: hypate, parhypate, licanos, and mese. Another tetrachord consists of: mese, paramese, paranete, and nete. Because we count the mese twice original: "tertioe sedo numeramus"; it acts as the top of the first group and the bottom of the second, the two tetrachords are joined together through the mese.

In the octachord, however, since there are eight strings, the upper four—that is, hypate, parhypate, lycanos, and mese—complete one tetrachord. From this, a separate and complete one begins at the paramese, proceeds through the trite and paranete, and ends at the nete. This separation is called diezeuxis, which is the distance of a whole tone between the mese and paramese. Here, therefore, the mese retains its name only by tradition. It is no longer in the middle position, because in an octachord two strings are always found in the middle, but a single middle string cannot be found.

Prophastus Periotes, however, added one string to the lower part original: "graviorum partem"; the part of the scale with the lowest/gravest pitches to create a nine-stringed scale enneachordum: a nine-stringed scale. Because this is above the hypate, it is called hyperhypate. Previously, when the lyre had only eight strings, it was called hypatehypate...