Hammered Dulcimer

The hammered dulcimer is a stringed percussion instrument with strings stretched over a trapezoidal resonating soundboard. The hammered dulcimer is placed in front of the player, who may sit cross-legged on the floor in more traditional ways or stand or sit at wooden support with legs in more modern styles. It can produce a wide range of tones, from a music-box sound to a strong and percussive piano-like sound that can make any band stand out.

Due to its Latin and Greek origins, dulcimer's name translates to "sweet tune." The Appalachian Dulcimer's name was chosen because of the biblical connotations. As far as we know, Appalachian dulcimers have been around for over 200 years, with Bibles mentioning hammered dulcimers. The genuine hammer dulcimer is a close relative of the psaltery, with the main distinction being that the dulcimer is generally pounded rather than plucked. Early variations were quite basic, with only a few strings passing across bridges on the sides. The dulcimer's origins are unquestionably in the Near East. Similar instruments have been produced and performed for approximately 5000 years. Early names for these instruments were santir and Psanterim, likely derived from the Greek Psalterion.

Hammered Dulcimer History

In Greece, the dulcimer is known as the Santouri; in India, it is known as the Santur. The instrument moved east and west from the Near East. Arabs brought it to Spain, representing a dulcimer-like instrument on a church relief dated 1184 A.D. It was much later that it was introduced to the Orient. The yang Ch'in, or foreign zither, is the Chinese name for it. Its use in China is said to have started around the turn of the century. Korean folklore claims a relationship with the hammer dulcimer as early as 1725. Dulcimers were standard domestic and concert instruments in the United States during the 18th and 19th centuries. They were undoubtedly first brought to the colonies from England, where they were used in the street music of the time.

How Does The Hammered Dulcimer Work

A dulcimer contains a bass bridge on the right side and a treble bridge on the left. Bass strings are played to the left of the bridge, and the bass bridge backs them up. Both sides of the treble bridge can be used to play the treble strings. Playing them on the left side of the bridge produces a fifth higher note than playing on the right side. The hammered dulcimer's strings are frequently tuned in a circle of fifths pattern. The lowest note (usually a G or D) is played on the instrument's lower right-hand side, close to the left of the right-hand (bass) bridge. A player ascends in a repeated pattern of two whole steps and a half step as they strike the courses above in order. This tuning breaks a diatonic scale into two tetrachords or groups of four notes.

The instrument is called "hammered" because of the small mallets (referred to as hammers) that players use to strike the strings. Hammers are usually made of wood (most likely hardwoods such as maple, cherry, padauk, oak, walnut, or other hardwood). It can also be made from any other material, including metal and plastic. Hammers are usually held between the thumb and forefinger or between the forefinger and the long finger on each hand. The performer would hold them lightly but firmly so that they bounce quickly on the strings.