|
"Honey, if I can do it, you can do it." That
was my first exposure to the hammered dulcimer! My husband
and I had taken our daughters to the Lincoln exhibits
at New Salem, Il, and I spent some time listening to
a woman playing the dulcimer in front of one of the
cabins. I was taken with the sound of the instrument,
and asked her how hard it was to learn. The day after
we returned, my name was on a waiting list for a teacher
at Music Folk! And the rest, as they say, is history.
My husband says it was one of the most expensive days
of his life!
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. There are 'dulcimer-like'
instruments depicted in early Medieval paintings, but
probably are psalteries which are similar to the dulcimer,
but without a center bridge.
The hammered dulcimer is known by various names around
the world: In China, it is the yang q'in; in India,
the santoor; in Eastern Europe, the cimbalom; and in
Germany, it is known as the hackbrett. The name 'dulcimer'
is derived from Latin, meaning "sweet sound."
The dulcimer is mentioned in the Bible in the book of
Daniel 3:5 "…the sound of the cornet, flute,
harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of
music…" The hammered dulcimer is a direct
ancestor of the piano. Some historians classify the
hammered dulcimer in the zither family, but the dulcimer
is a much older instrument. The zither is also plucked
rather than struck with hammers.
 |
|
|
The picture above illustrates a typical North American
hammered dulcimer. Strings are arranged in unison pairs
or triplets, called 'courses.' The strings crossing
the treble bridge run from pins in the left side pin
block across the treble bridge, and under the bass bridge,
to the pins in the right side pin block. The strings
crossing the bass bridge run from pins in the right
side pin block over the bass bridge, and under the treble
bridge, to pins set in the left side pin block. Configurations
of strings and pin settings do vary depending on the
builder of the instrument. Some instruments will have
additional short bridges on either side for more range,
or for the addition of some chromatic notes. This arrangement
allows for considerable range in a relatively small
space.
The hammered dulcimer is tuned in diatonic (do re mi)
scales in groups of four courses. The bridges are usually
marked with some type of contrasting colored marker
to indicate where these scales begin. The sheer number
of strings in such a small space can lead to visual
disorientation if a player focuses on the strings themselves
rather than the bridges- this is where the bridge markers
come in handy. The way the strings are tuned is that
notes directly across from each other on the bridge
are fifths, i.e., on the treble bridge, if a G is sounded,
crossing the bridge to the left and striking the strings
will produce a D. The instrument is played by striking
the strings with small mallets, or hammers. The hammers
are held loosely between the index finger and thumb.
When shopping for a hammered dulcimer, you might notice
that the size or range of the instrument is stated in
what looks like a fraction: "12/11" or "15/14."
This refers to first the number of courses crossing
the treble bridge, then the number of courses crossing
the bass bridge. There are many other configurations
of strings- additional bridges and strings can be added
to some instruments to give greater chromatic range,
and additional bass notes. The sound of the instrument
is affected by various things- the wood the soundboard
is made of will produce different tones. A spruce top
(Sitka spruce or Adirondack) tends to give a brighter
tone, while woods like mahogany or redwood tend to give
a more mellow tone with greater sustain. Some of the
woods used in hammered dulcimer construction are used
for appearance-rare or exotic woods are sometimes used
for the rails. Pin-block wood is chosen for strength-
woods like rock maple or laminated maple. The interior
bracing of the instrument will affect tone quality and
sustain. The use of different types of string will change
the tone- steel piano wire is used quite often, as are
brass and bronze. Wound brass strings are sometimes
used in the bass range.
The hammers used in the playing of the instrument also
vary widely. They are usually made of wood, but some
on the market are made of metal, or may have a dipped-plastic
coating. Some hammers are 'double-sided', meaning that
there are two surfaces available for striking the instrument,
and some have one striking surface. In the double-sided
hammers, one surface is usually covered with felt or
leather to provide a mellow, or muted, tone, while the
bare wood surface gives a brighter tone.
|
