Hammered dulcimers vary in size, but are generally between 30-48 inches long, 12-24 inches in width, and 2-6 inches in depth. Iran: The santur itself originated in Persia or what is now known as Iran around 900 AD. The earliest mention of the instrument was 1447 in Zurich, Switzerland in the books of the town council: It happened that Ackli played (struck) the Hackbrett in the night, neither pleasing nor disturbing anyone.. The musician typically plays the instrument while seated. ), and you don't have to perform for anyone besides yourself if that's what makes you happy. We hope you have learned something new about the hammered dulcimer; either an interesting historical tidbit, or a new musical style that gives you the inspiration to pick up your hammers and play. The strings on the left bridge can be struck on both sides. Good protection for your dulcimer and also economical. The heads of two sided hammers are usually oval or round. The instrument came in three sizes: prima, alto, and bass. Color: Brown. Most people these days start out with 15/14s or 16/15s with the wider 1" string spacing which is better for beginners. Nowadays salterios are hung up in museums, cherished in private collections, and played by a select few professional musicians such as Franziska Fleischanderl. Our 45" loop end strings will not work for this continuous stringing style, but you might be able to use two loop-end strings in place of one continuous string. Solid wood construction, 3 fully chromatic octaves, a convenient size, a deep, rich tone, and an attractive price all come together in the PD40 piano dulcimer. Hammered dulcimers can range from 2.5 to 4 or more octaves, and are proportional to the size of the instrument. Each master has his own way of choosing the right spruce for their tsymbaly. If you're not sure which model you have, you can find it written on a sticker inside one of the sound holes. The larger one fits . The dulcimer builder featured in the video above chose to use 5 coats of TotalBoat Satin Marine Spar Varnish on all sides of the hammered dulcimer. We haven't decorated a dulcimer like this since around 1980, but we ended up with a small piece of bird's-eye, just big enough for a couple of hammered dulcimer sets, and decided to make something special! No zippers to break. When guessing, if you have any doubts about the structural integrity of your dulcimer, err on the side of thinner strings, as these will put less tension on the instrument. It has 100 strings and has been found in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir since ancient days. The hammers are made of flexible and lightweight bamboo and have rubber tips. Such instruments are often called "chromatic dulcimers" as opposed to the more traditional "diatonic dulcimers". Mahogany soundboards are also favored by hammered dulcimer builders. There are step by step instructions in our Hammered Dulcimer Owner's Guidebook, and you can download a PDF copy here if you no longer have the one that came with your dulcimer. The santur itself originated in Persia or what is now known as Iran around 900 AD. 15/14 is a good, all-around size for most dulcimer music as it covers a range of 3 octaves whereas any other dulcimer with a size lower than 15/14 for example 12/11, 10/9, etc. The dulcimer, in which the strings are beaten with small hammers, originated from the psaltery, in which the strings are plucked. Typically arranged chromatically with a range of just over four octaves. Marvelous, love the photos and videos as demonstrations, too! Billy Bennington (19001986), a player from Norfolk, England, used cane hammers bound with wool. Another hammer variety is the (shung yn qn zh), which means double-note yangqin hammers. In the usual construction, playing them on the left side gives a note a fifth higher than playing them on the right of the bridge. In Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, the name salterio was used to describe two kinds of zithers: the hammered dulcimer and the psaltery. There are usually 144 total strings, with up to five strings per course. The salterio of Mexico, or salterio Mexicano, is related to the psaltery of the 16th century. The next step is to make the bridges. The ensemble usually consists of three instruments including the tsymbaly, violin, sopilka (fipple flute), bubon (similar to a tambourine), or basolia (similar to cello). The Persian Santoor and Roosebeck Dulcimer are roughly equal in quality. The strings are only struck on one side of the bridge, similar to the Indian santoor. Photos, prices, and detailed descriptions for each of our dulcimer models, Beginner's guide to hammered dulcimers, general dulcimer info, & specifics about how we build them, Compare sound clips, prices and features of Dusty Strings hammered dulcimers, Custom options include dampers, abalone inlay & curly maple trim, Everything you need to outfit and service your hammered dulcimer (and some other fun stuff), Hammered dulcimer care & feeding, plus answers to common technical questions, Online ordering, string charts, & how to replace your strings, view our full line of hammered dulcimers here. This transposes one equally tempered scale to another. 12/11 is a common size for a small dulcimer, and it means there are 12 courses of strings on the treble bridge and 11 courses on the bass bridge. The following are a handful of key considerations: The hammered dulcimer products in review today are of three different and renowned brands. If you can't get the dulcimer in tune to begin with, it's possible there's a larger structural issue that should be investigated. Next, apply glue to the back of each internal brace, set into the notches, and press down onto the dulcimer back and let dry. The cimbalom, or concert cimbalom, is a descendant of the hackbrett. In order to make things easier, its a good idea to dedicate a specific area of your workshop to woodworking projects. Considering the cost of this model, this hammered dulcimer is a very good overall value. This helps mitigate any potential moisture-related problems down the road due to humidity. We no longer sell .020" steel wound strings and recommend replacing those with .022" steel wound instead. It is still played occasionally in live performances today. The whole pattern can be shifted up by three courses, so that instead of a D-major scale one would have a G-major scale, and so on. Belarusian tsymbaly also tend to be without dampers because hands and fingers are used to dampen the strings instead. Finish with a double edge hand saw and sand. $340.00 . However, these Germans were able to hold onto their culture and language while living in Ukraine and did the same when they immigrated to the US. Concert cimbalom. Check out this video about the Appenzeller hackbretts past and future: A version of the German hackbrett has ended up right here in our own backyard. Oops! Clamp in place and let dry. The Belarusian tsymbaly or cymbaly varies from the concert cimbalom in both timbre and size. However, some variations were called concert tsymbaly and had two pedals, and were slightly smaller than the concert cimbalom from Hungary. [3][4] Typically, the lowest note (often a G or D) is struck at the lower right-hand of the instrument, just to the left of the right-hand (bass) bridge. Although it had a distinctive name in each country, it was everywhere regarded as a kind of psalterium. The treble strings, made of steel, are grouped in courses of four strings. Hammered dulcimers all sound different, and the internet comes in very handy when you can't travel around and try a bunch of different brands in person. When building a hammered dulcimer, several pieces of equipment are recommended. The Appenzell hackbrett, or Appenzeller hackbrett, is the most well-known hackbrett today. Nylon strings are typically a bit easier to play and tend to produce a mellower sound than metal strings. We are doing our best! We believe the 16/15 Phoebe is the best sounding, most reliable, full size entry level hammered dulcimer on the market today. Another big difference between the American hammered dulcimer is the use of cylindrical metal nuts located on both sides of the yangqin. The Persian santur has a diatonic tuning, with tones that are designated into 12 modes, or dastgahs, which makes up the classical music of Persia called the Radif. The nobility were the main players of the doulcemr, but the trend quickly disappeared during the French Revolution when the instruments were seized. Shorter hammers are used compared to the cimbalom hammers, but not still not as short as those used by the tsymbaly players of Belarus. The strings for the right hand are made of either brass or copper, and the left-hand strings are steel. However, there are other variations that may have different tuning systems, lack dampers, and are not heavily constructed but still called cimbalom. It was then perceived that the psalterium (in which the strings were plucked) and the dulcimer (in which they were struck), when provided with keyboards would give rise to two distinct families of instruments, differing essentially in tone quality, in technique and in capabilities. The D45 is our mid-priced solid-wood model, the D550 offers a slightly richer tone and more bass notes, and the D670 is the "grand piano" of dulcimers, with the biggest sound and the largest range. Youve built your very own hammered dulcimer! Hammered dulcimers of non-European descent may have other tuning patterns, and builders of European-style dulcimers sometimes experiment with alternate tuning patterns. If youre looking for quality wood to build your dulcimer, there are a few different places you can go. Congratulations! Hammered dulcimers typically use light gauge strings, which can be either metal or nylon. However, if you have one of our larger models with wound strings or phosphor bronze strings in the lower register, you might consider changing just those strings every few years, as they can lose their tone and start to sound dull over time. The Graeco-Roman dulcimer ("sweet song") derives from the Latin dulcis (sweet) and the Greek melos (song). The head of the hammer can be left bare for a sharp attack sound, or can be covered with adhesive tape, leather, or fabric for a softer sound. Are you a musician or already know the dulcimer is for you? Wed love to talk with you! Dulcimer.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. There has been some fine playing on 9-course dulcimers. A 15/14, for example, has 15 strings crossing the treble bridge and 14 crossing the bass bridge, and can span three octaves. The evolution of the psalterium resulted in the harpsichord; that of the dulcimer produced the pianoforte.[7]. But believe it or not, the hammered dulcimer is well known in certain pockets of the world. Make this space by moving the rail back and forth over a table saw 3/8 in height, removing material little by little. The Salzburg hackbrett, or Salzburger hackbrett, has chromatic tuning and 128 strings. Ukraine: The Ukrainian tsymbaly () has courses of between three and five strings, as well as bass strings that may have one to two strings wrapped. This song is about the sadness of a woman. Today the yangqin is sometimes referred to as the Chinese piano because it plays an integral role in accompanying string and wood instruments. The small ensemble including the smaller cimbalom (tambal mic) was favored by Roma musicians and originated from the klezmer style. Like the Romanian cimbalom or Greek santouri, there may be specialized mini bridges. This orchestra laid the foundation for the reconstruction of the national folklore instrument, the tsymbaly. Both hammers are lacewood with rosewood trim inclusive of a tuning tool and drawstring bag. This then possibly led to the evolution of the Persian santur as well as other versions in the Middle East. A hard wood, such as maple, is suggested as these will support the tension of the strings. Along with the Iraqi spike fiddle called the joza, the santur is used in the classical Maqam al-iraqi musical tradition. Start by taping a piece of tracing paper to the top of the soundboard and indicate the location of each of the pins. The instrument is referred to as "hammered" in reference to the small mallets (referred to as hammers) that players use to strike the strings. This allows you to play music that modulates or is full of accidentals, and is more like having both the black and white keys on a piano. With the wood you selected for your hammered dulcimer, begin by cutting the frame sides to length. Dukes, counts, countesses, priests, nuns, and cardinals were all lovers and players of this instrument. So if youre looking for a cheaper option, building your own dulcimer is definitely the way to go! Next, cut a plastic dowel into small pieces to fit to the top of each bridge. The player holds a small spoon-shaped mallet hammer in each hand to strike the strings. A more recent example of its use is by the Blue Man Group. The Mexican salterio is placed in the lap and plucked with plectrums (metal picks attached to the index finger on each hand). The instrument is fully chromatic with up to five bridges and can have up to eight strings per course. Canada: The hammered dulcimer also spread throughout Canada with the early settlers. Your email address will not be published. When tuning, use a guitar pick instead of your fingers to pluck the strings. Photos, prices, and detailed descriptions for each of our dulcimer models, Beginner's guide to hammered dulcimers, general dulcimer info, & specifics about how we build them, Compare sound clips, prices and features of Dusty Strings hammered dulcimers, Custom options include dampers, abalone inlay & curly maple trim, Everything you need to outfit and service your hammered dulcimer (and some other fun stuff), Hammered dulcimer care & feeding, plus answers to common technical questions, Online ordering, string charts, & how to replace your strings. The number of strings in a course was increased from four to eight to compete with the sound of the more recent addition of violins in bands. More recently, there was a rise in popularity due to a Thai novel Khu Kam (later a TV series and movie), where the main character played the khim, and more notably the classical Thai song Nang Kruan. Clamp and let dry. Next, set the table saw at a 10-12 degree angle and carefully guide each bridge along the table saw. Teach A Tune You can see that 23 pairs of strings (minimum) means that there are at least 46 tightly-wound metal wires being stretched between the two ends of the thing. Classical composers like Zoltn Kodly, Igor Stravinsky, and Pierre Boulez have all used this instrument in their music. The hackbrett, a struck string instrument, was an evolution of the string drum and doulcemr in Germanic countries. 9/8 Fledgling Hammered Dulcimer (One String Per Course), 9/8 Fledgling Hammered Dulcimer (Two Strings Per Course), Handcrafting Hammered Dulcimers since 1992. uraids, CC BY-SA 4.0
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