When the strings are in place and tuned they will hold the side bridges and soundboard firmly against the ledges. The soundboard can be made of spruce, pine, or various other materials including plywood.

What is a hammered dulcimer made of?

Hammers are usually made of wood (most likely hardwoods such as maple, cherry, padauk, oak, walnut, or any other hardwood), but can also be made from any material, including metal and plastic.

What material is a dulcimer made of?

The body of the dulcimer is usually made of harder wood like cherry, black walnut, or mahogany. The tuning pegs are Brazilian rosewood, although old dulcimers have ebony, rosewood, metal, or crude wooden pegs.

When was the hammered dulcimer made?

The hammered dulcimer is thought to have originated in Asia possibly as early as 800 B.C. (although this theory is disputed often), and perhaps traveled into Europe with the Crusaders.

What is the difference between a dulcimer and a hammered dulcimer?

The hammered dulcimer is a multi-stringed trapezoidal instrument that is struck to produce music. ... The strings of the psaltery are plucked with the fingers, while dulcimer strings are struck with small mallets or hammers. Technically, both instruments are from the same family of instruments called board-zithers.

Hammered Dulcimers Basics

26 related questions found

Where is middle C on a hammered dulcimer?

Middle C is C4, and all the notes below Mid- dle C are marked with the number 3. The scale above Middle C is all marked #4 until you get to C above Middle C, which starts the next octave #5.

How hard is it to play the hammered dulcimer?

Absolutely! Hammered dulcimer is one of the most satisfying instruments to learn because it's easy to make a pleasant sound right from the beginning. You can start at any age, and you can have fun with it even if you don't know any music theory and have never played an instrument before.

How many strings does a hammered dulcimer have?

A dulcimer with 12 treble courses and 4 strings per course makes a good, all-round instrument. The hammer dulcimer diagram and dimensions are for such an instrument. If you want a simpler project, make the frame smaller to accommodate just 9 treble courses. There has been some fine playing on 9-course dulcimers.

Can you pluck a hammered dulcimer?

The plucked dulcimer relies on the shortening (fretting or stopping) of strings to produce many pitches with one or few strings. ... The true hammer dulcimer is a close relative to the psaltery, the chief difference being that the psaltery is usually plucked and the dulcimer is usually struck.

What is a chromatic hammered dulcimer?

14/13/8 Chickadee Chromatic Hammered Dulcimer. $425.00. The 14/13/8 Chickadee Chromatic is the fully chromatic version of the 13/12 Chickadee. It adds the third bridge on the left with the three missing notes at the bottom of the two main bridges added at the top of the third. A lot can be done with this little ...

What is the range of a hammered dulcimer?

This instrument is a mainstay in the music of the Hungarian gypsies and is used as a concert instrument. The cimbalom is equipped with a damper mechanism and has a range of four chromatic octaves. Most other dulcimers are tuned to a diatonic scale with ranges of two to three octaves.

Can be played by plucking and strumming?

Plucked instruments are played by plucking and strumming (or occasionally hitting) the strings. Sometimes this is done with a small piece of hard material called a plectrum, instead of with the fingers. The most common plucked string instruments are the different types of guitar.

Is Glockenspiel a percussion?

glockenspiel, (German: “set of bells”) (German: “set of bells”) percussion instrument, originally a set of graduated bells, later a set of tuned steel bars (i.e., a metallophone) struck with wood, ebonite, or, sometimes, metal hammers.

How do you pick a hammered dulcimer?

Choosing a hammered dulcimer of your own

1. size.
2. weight.
3. spacing between string courses (I think you can adapt to any spacing, really, though.)
4. pitch range, which can vary from 2 1/2 octaves to 5 1/2 octaves.
5. loudness.
6. stability (how well it will stay in tune)
7. whether it has extra chromatic notes.

Where are dulcimers made?

Kentucky is known for its delicate hourglass shaped three string instrument, and Tennessee is home to a large rectangular dulcimer that was known as a “music box”. West Virginia, with its early German settlers and isolated regions has the most widely variegated traditions.

What kind of strings does a dulcimer use?

D'Addario Dulcimer strings contain 3 plain steel strings and one nickelplated steel wound on steel string; designed and gauged to common scale. D'Addario, the world's largest manufacturer of musical instrument strings, is known as The Players Choice with a reputation for unsurpassed quality and consistency.

How is a dulcimer tuned?

There are two common tunings for mountain dulcimer, DAA and DAD. In DAA, the bass string is tuned to D with the middle and paired melody strings tuned to A. In DAD, the bass string is tuned to D with the middle string tuned to A. ... That is, the unusual pattern of frets on a mountain dulcimer renders a seven-tone scale.

Is a dulcimer a zither?

is that zither is a musical instrument consisting of a flat sounding box with numerous strings, placed on a horizontal surface, and played with a plectrum and fingertips; similar to a dulcimer in the norwegian harpeleik and swedish cittra versions, the instrument is considered a chorded zither and usually has 7 ( ...

Is dulcimer hard to learn?

You'll be happy to know that the Appalachian dulcimer is easy to use. It isn't a string masters only instrument, despite its complicated-looking design. Indeed, it's often regarded in the musical world as one of the easiest stringed instruments to learn. It's easier in some cases than even the guitar.

Where was the hammered dulcimer invented?

The hammered dulcimer probably originated in the Middle East about 900 A.D. and is related to the much older psaltery. It spread from there across North Africa and was brought into Europe by the Spanish Moors during the 12th century A.D.

How do you play Yangqin?

The sticks are held, one in each hand, and hit the strings alternately. In the orchestra, the yangqin often adds to the harmony by playing chords or arpeggios. As the yangqin is softer than other Chinese instruments, it is usually positioned at the front of the orchestra, in the row just in front of the conductor.

What does a clavichord look like?

It is usually rectangular in shape, and its case and lid were usually highly decorated, painted, and inlaid. The right, or treble, end contains the soundboard, the bridge, and the wrest, or tuning, pins.