The hammered dulcimer is a stringed instrument that is based upon a sound box that is shaped as a trapezoid. The musician sits or stands in front of the instrument, which lies upon a stand at an inclined angle. The principle way to play the instrument is to hammer the strings with two lightweight hammers, hence the moniker hammered dulcimer.

The name dulcimer is Graeco-Roman in origin, meaning sweet song. The instrument is a classical instrument, having been around for thousands of years. There are variations of the instrument all over the world, having seen play in Europe, Asia, and other areas. The instrument has seen a revival of play in modern days, with a variety of play techniques being utilized.

The strings of a hammered dulcimer are alternately strung across two bridges. The number of strings is variable and is a measure of the dulcimer. For example, a 14/15 dulcimer has 14 strings on left and 15 on the right. The strings are typically tuned diatonically, following a circle of fifths. This will result in a most of a chromatic scale being implemented. Modern players may add additional strings with a small bridge in order to implement the missing notes.

The hammer of the hammered dulcimer is used to strike the strings in order to create the sound. These are traditionally made from wood, but can be made of any material. Typically, there is a pad or soft covering at the end of the mallet where it strikes the string to produce a smoother, softer sound. The traditional shape of the mallet is a tear drop shape at the end of a handle. Western dulcimer hammers are typically stiff, while eastern are usually flexible, enabling a rapid double or triple strike depending upon the striking gesture.

Several hammered dulcimer players have developed their own technique for striking the strings, as well as differing hammers and string setups. Many musicians have used items such as hacksaw blades, steel wire, and other items, each giving their own characteristics to the sound of the dulcimer as it was being played. The traditional striking technique involves holding a mallet in each hand with a bit of balance going on between the thumb and first finger. Just by shifting the fingers slightly, the hammer will swing over its length. Striking involves a combination of finger and lower arm motion to enable the strike and rapid recover for the next strike. Based upon finger tension and motion, the hammer may vibrate, enable very rapid strikes of strings.

More recently developed is a four hammer technique, where the first two hammers are griped between thumb and first finger, and the second two are gripped between the second and third fingers. This enable much more rapid play for a given hand speed, as well as being able to chord four notes instead of two.

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2009-01-30 05:45:41. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Related Posts

• Fiddling Instruments: A Primer pt 2 ... Continued from pt. 1 The Zhuihu, also known as the Zhuiqin is an instrument that is descended from a Chinese lute known as the Sanxian, and the strings of this instrument are stopped by pressing them down on a flat fingerboard on its neck. The Kokyu is a four......
• Introduction to the Koto A Koto is a stringed instrument that originally came from China and then moved into Japan during the 7th and 8th centuries. The Japanese Koto appears as a large instrument that is approximately 6 feet in length, and it consists of a hollow body that is made from kiri, or......
• Introduction to Stringed Instruments, pt 1 Stringed instruments are musical instruments that produce sound when strings on the instrument are excited or vibrated. Stringed instruments are also regarded as chordophones when following the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification. Some of the most well known and most common stringed instruments in this family as the cello,......
• A Look at the Harp A harp is a type of stringed instrument. The harp's plane of strings is positioned in a perpendicular fashion to the sound board, unlike most other instruments where the sound board and the strings are affixed in a parallel fashion. As many other non percussion based instruments, the harp is......
• Hammered and Lap Dulcimer Instruments The Hammered Dulcimer What the dulcimer is, is a stringed instrument that has perceived to be an ancestor to the modern piano. It possesses a number of courses of between two and five strings for each note, and they are stretched across a shallow trapezoid shaped box that is made......

Related Websites

• The Decline and Potential Rise of the Bass Saxophone Bass instruments are typically the largest of instruments, and the bass saxophone is not exception. This sometimes forgotten instrument can be awkward to move about, and it suffers from little love in the music department in terms of songs and pieces written for the instrument. It is frequently replaced by......
• Are Drums a Good Match for You? Some people know when they're still kids that they want to learn to play the drums.  Others seem to end up playing drums in the school band because they're just not interested in any of the other instruments. Some of them look so difficult with all those shiny keys and......
• Golf Swing Instruction: The Fundamentals of Approach Shots? Golf swing instruction is the best way of understanding the fundamentals of approach shots. The golf swing instruction manuals help in knowing the kind of approach shot you should try, or the way in which you should hit the ball. Perhaps you want to swing like John Daly? If you......
• Tennis Racquet String Considerations Just as important as your racquet itself is the tennis racquet strings that you use. Unfortunately, it is all too common for people to spend too little time researching what types of tennis racquet strings they should be using. Many players who are just getting into the game of tennis......
• The Double Bass - Then and Now In the modern orchestra, there are a number of stringed instruments that cover a variety of sounds. Highs and lows, the entire spectrum of sound audible to the human can be accessed with stringed instruments. At the lowest end of the spectrum, the double bass, or upright bass, can access......

Online Stores

• Wind Harp & Dulcimer String Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Galax Harp & Dulcimer String Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Mountain Capo Harp & Dulcimer String Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Cripple Creek Harp & Dulcimer String Acoustic Musical Instruments
• Fretboard Harp & Dulcimer String Acoustic Musical Instruments

If you liked this article, vote for it on del.icio.us and stumbleupon.



Categories:

Acoustic Musical Instruments, dulcimer, Instrument History