Table of Contents
What kind of instrument is a dulcimer?
dulcimer, stringed musical instrument, a version of the psaltery in which the strings are beaten with small hammers rather than plucked.
What kind of music is played on a dulcimer?
Others play them with a bow like a violin. These techniques can produce different sounds. The mountain dulcimer’s range makes it a good instrument for many different types of music. You’ll hear it in folk, classical, jazz, blues, ragtime, Cajun, gospel, and rock and roll.
Is a dulcimer easy to play?
Dulcimers are the easiest stringed instrument for beginners to play, ideal for children and non-musicians who want to play tunes or accompany singing. Dulcimers are a relatively quiet instrument. Their sweet quiet sound is well-suited to personal relaxation or playing in a cozy environment.
How is a dulcimer played?
The traditional way to play the instrument is to lay it flat on the lap and pluck or strum the strings with the right hand, while fretting with the left. Alternatively, the dulcimer may also be placed on a wooden table, using the table as an extended resonator to boost volume.
Is the dulcimer a piano?
The piano dulcimer is a very versatile instrument, and is probably best-suited for players who are comfortable exploring on their own. It does not have the long history that the traditional fifth-interval dulcimer has, and is not widely taught.
Is dulcimer similar to guitar?
A mountain dulcimer looks like an elongated, skinny guitar. It has frets like a guitar, but only three or four strings. The strings are strummed while the instrument lays flat on the lap. Both instruments are considered traditional American instruments.
What is the dulcimer used for?
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.
Is the dulcimer an Irish instrument?
The mountain (or lap) dulcimer originated in the Appalachian mountains by the Scotch-Irish settlers and is considered to be a distinctly American instrument. The Irish dulcimer is distinctly different, almost lute-like, in tonal quality.
How much does a dulcimer cost?
Our dulcimers range from about $700 to about $4,500. To view, download or print a price list, click the links below. Prices can also be found on our harp and hammered dulcimer model and accessory pages.
Is dulcimer hard to learn?
The Dulcimer Is Easy to Play It is also not as hard to push the strings down as it is on a guitar. Simple songs can be played by fretting just the first string and strumming across the instrument. As you become more advanced, you can learn how to play with chords, which entails fretting more than one string at a time.
What key is a dulcimer in?
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.Modes and Tunings for the Mountain Dulcimer. Major Modes Minor Modes Ionian Dorian.
How do you make a simple dulcimer?
Step 1: Plywood Layout and Cutting Pieces for Body. Step 2: Glue Bottom Section of Body Together. Step 3: Cut Out Sound Holes and Finish Gluing Body. Step 4: Shape Fingerboard and Add Tuners, Nuts and Frets. Step 5: Attach Fingerboard to Body. Step 6: Strings and Finish Work.
Is a dulcimer a percussion instrument?
The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer, dulcimer, santouri, or tympanon) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The player holds a small spoon-shaped mallet hammer in each hand to strike the strings.
What is a dulcimer guitar?
Dulcimer Guitar IS a Stick Dulcimer! It is a stick dulcimer, so again, fretted in one key, so no wrong notes. The difference in this one versus a regular guitar is that the top two strings, this is four strings, are intended to be played together in unison.
What is the difference between a psaltery and dulcimer?
The difference between the two is how they are played. 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.
What instruments can Dolly Parton play?
Though unable to read sheet music, Parton can play many instruments, including: the dulcimer, autoharp, banjo, guitar, electric guitar, fiddle, piano, recorder, and the saxophone.
How many frets does a dulcimer have?
All charts show the exact locations (to the thousandth of an inch) for the nut, bridge, and thirty-six frets (21 whole-number frets, plus the “half-number” frets). Each dulcimer fret position is identified three ways: 1) inches to previous fret; 2) inches to nut; 3) inches to bridge.
What does word dulcimer mean?
1 : a stringed instrument of trapezoidal shape played with light hammers held in the hands. 2 or less commonly dulcimore \ ˈdəl-sə-ˌmȯr \ : an American folk instrument with three or four strings stretched over an elongate fretted sound box that is held on the lap and played by plucking or strumming.
