Additionally, the timpan or tiompan (thought to be a psaltery) were mentioned in old stories as far back as the 6th century AD and were said to be played by faeries. The idea is to remove enough material to make the bridges come up to a point. The instruments that were played differed in many ways, however, such as size, tuning, amount of strings, as well as the way of holding and playing the hammers. The Budapest Gypsy Symphony Orchestra is a famous orchestra group made up of Hungarian Romani (Gypsy) musicians, including six cimbalom players. Hammered Dulcimers. The tetrachord markers found on the bridges of most hammered dulcimers in the English-speaking world were introduced by the American player and maker Sam Rizzetta in the 1960s. East Anglian dulcimers are known for their beautiful black paint with gold filigree decorations and movable individual chessman bridges. Strings are grouped together in courses, most commonly in pairs on modern instruments, and all the strings in a course are tuned to the same note. In the Western hemisphere, hammers are usually stiff, but in Asia, flexible hammers are often used. Musicians typically play this instrument with two light-weight beaters called hammers (mallets). Roma musicians gathered and played a somber elegy by his graveside, and this is how the group began. The notes extend from lower yakah (G) up to jawab jawab husayni (a) and is fully chromatic. Finish with a double edge hand saw and sand. But in the end it comes down to musician taste. It is played by striking the strings to the left of the bridges, except for the chromatic on the right. These will be spread out across three bridges a treble bridge, a bass bridge, and a super bass bridge. [citation needed]. Dukes, counts, countesses, priests, nuns, and cardinals were all lovers and players of this instrument. Portamento can also be achieved with the use of a [hu yn zh to], which is a metallic ring worn by the musician and slid along the string. The Lady Victoria line of Hammered dulcimers are now available in two size options! 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. Hammered dulcimers typically consist of strings stretched over a rectangular or trapezoidal resonant sound board. There are tenor, soprano, or requinto varieties. The treble strings, made of steel, are grouped in courses of four strings. It's an ideal size for many people - reasonably easy to carry and set up, but with a highly satisfying 3.5-octave chromatic range and 3.75-octave overall range. 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. Once the pin blocks are cut to the desired length, make cuts at the end of each pin block to create notches needed to accommodate the side rails. Start by marking 1 1/8 intervals along each bridge; these marks are where the strings will ultimately rest. But believe it or not, the hammered dulcimer is well known in certain pockets of the world. Many people even skip all of that and just play by ear! The Persian Santoor and Roosebeck Dulcimer are roughly equal in quality. Butterfly-shaped khim. Several traditional players have used hammers that differ substantially from those in common use today. There are a few stores around the country that carry our dulcimers, and we'd be happy to find out if there's a place near you where you could go and try them out. Mexico: The salterio of Mexico, or salterio Mexicano, is related to the psaltery of the 16th century. The hammer dulcimer diagram and dimensions are for such an instrument. The bridges are called dama, meaning chessmen in Arabic, because they look like pawns. The dancers add a bounce to their steps, and a little hop or stomp addition to traditional polka dancing. We're not pushy salespeople, and there's no question too silly to ask. These hammers have the ability to play up to four notes at the same time, due to each single hammer having two striking surfaces on it. Belarusian tsymbaly also tend to be without dampers because hands and fingers are used to dampen the strings instead. Roosebeck Double Strung Hammered Dulcimer Features: 10 treble and 9 bass courses Construction: Indian Rosewood String material: brass, steel Accessories included: One pair of two-sided dulcimer hammers have a leather pad on one side. . . Some good options include maple, walnut, mahogany, rosewood, birch, or even oak. The 22 and 30-note khims are very large and therefore heavy. It ranges in many sizes featuring its characteristic trapezoidal shape, and rests on a dulcimer stand. For folks who preferably like to play fast or with a band (contra dance music) should opt for instruments with less sustain. Frequently Asked Questions Unlike the American HD, are most of the other instruments tuned chromatically? Wound strings are wound to lengths that work for Dusty Strings dulcimers. Hammered dulcimer strings do break, and this is something you should be prepared for as a player. The heads of two sided hammers are usually oval or round. Required fields are marked *. Once the varnish has dried, lightly tap in the pins to the pin block with a hammer (a rubber mallet works best if available). You can find strings for your hammered dulcimer at most music stores or online. The instrument has a clever mechanism that allows the possibility to shorten the length of all sides so they sound a semitone higher. Each moveable brace is made using 3/8 wood slats. 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. The small ensemble including the smaller cimbalom (tambal mic) was favored by Roma musicians and originated from the klezmer style. Next, lay the moveable internal braces to the top of the instrument across the stationary lateral braces. Dusty Strings has been lovingly handcrafting hammered dulcimers in Seattle, WA since 1979. To order a particular string for your Dusty dulcimer, you'll need a string chart for your dulcimer model (available on this page under the String Charts tab), which you'll use to determine the diameter and material of the string you need. Think of it like a piano, where you might go 50 years or more with the same set of strings. 9/8 Fledgling Hammered Dulcimer (One String Per Course), 9/8 Fledgling Hammered Dulcimer (Two Strings Per Course), Handcrafting Hammered Dulcimers since 1992. The hammered dulcimer has two long bridges namely, a bass bridge near the right and a treble bridge on the left side. The 42 strings are brass, and have 14 notes (courses are in strings of threes). Rated 5.00 out of 5 based on 1 customer rating. That Standard Sizes are 15/14 or 16/15 which give you about 3 octaves of the keys of D and E. After the 16th century, trade developed between the Chinese and Europeans. The Zhinovich National Academic Folk Orchestra of Belarus, named after musician Joseph Iosifovich Zhinovich in 1930, is the oldest musical collective in the country today. There are tenor, soprano, or requinto varieties. With the wood you selected for your hammered dulcimer, begin by cutting the frame sides to length. We are united by our love for hammered dulcimer music! As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases from Amazon.com, Plywood vs. A good-sounding tsymbaly instrument is carefully crafted by its maker. However, if youre new to woodworking or dont have access to power tools, then it will likely take longer to complete the project. Hammered dulcimer is the type we make, and it is played by striking the strings with a pair of special mallets called hammers. When tuning, use a guitar pick instead of your fingers to pluck the strings. When choosing the type of wood for your hammered dulcimer, some consider different types of wood to offer different acoustic qualities. We don't use any pushy sales tactics, and would love to answer any questions you might have (or help you figure out what questions to ask). While anyone can build a hammered dulcimer from scratch, it does require some degree of precision to ensure good sound quality. The 14 is the number of string pairs passing over the bass (right) bridge. The instrument itself ranges about three octaves and courses of four strings. With the tip of a hobby knife or spade drill bit, mark holes through the paper through the top of the soundboard to indicate the general outline of the designs. Ethereal salterio music rang out in churches, theaters, and private palazzi. Most traditional American hammered dulcimers have the major keys of F, C, G and D easily available, which works well for a variety of musical styles like old-time, bluegrass, hymns, Celtic tunes, and even some pop music. The hackbrett comes in various sizes and shapes, including trapezoid, half-trapezoid, rectangle, and with and without soundhole decor. This is because there does not need to be a distinction from the Appalachian dulcimer (aka lap, plucked, or mountain dulcimer) as in the US. Are you drawn to bright, sparkly high notes or rich, deep bass notes, or both? Is Hammered Dulcimer hard to learn? For example, a 16/15 dulcimer has 16 courses of strings on the treble bridge and 15 courses on the bass bridge, which translates to about 3 octaves of overall range. 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. Repeat Step 6 using planks of the same high quality wood in this case, mahogany. This does not include the cost of workshop tools. A hammered dulcimer, like an autoharp, harp, or piano, requires a tuning wrench for tuning, since the dulcimer's strings are wound around tuning pins with square heads. Here the choice of wood is yours, but we suggest using mahogany if this option is available to you. With two pin blocks and two side rails constructed, the frame for your hammered dulcimer is complete. In a very basic sense, you can think of a small dulcimer as being similar to a piano with only the white keys. However, in general, you can expect to spend between $50 and $250 on materials for a standard hammered dulcimer. If youd like to hire Nicolette for content writing or copywriting work, contact her at: nicolettelady@protonmail.com, Cover image: File:Giovanni Battista DallOlio, Salterio in legno dorato e dipinto, 1764, Museo Civico di Modena, part.jpg by Archivio del Museo Civico di Modena is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Canada: The hammered dulcimer also spread throughout Canada with the early settlers. Alternatively, you can order wood from online suppliers or specialty stores. Schunda manufactured over 10,000 of his instrument and it soon became popular with the bourgeoisie and Romani (Gypsies) alike. Musicians often have several different sets of hammers to choose from, all with slightly varied tones. This helps mitigate any potential moisture-related problems down the road due to humidity. . Also available are our durable and convenient carrying bags in matching sizes. Color: Brown. Schundas model was built with four detachable legs due to its large size. You can play standing up or sitting down, depending on the height of the stand. 98 configuration 9 string courses on left side, 8 courses on rightRoughly 22 length by 10 height.Excellent condition.Top and Back are Birch wood.Sound is bright and light. This extends from C to e on the Helmholtz pitch notation. In this article, we will take a deep dive into these instruments: the dulcimer, salterio, hackbrett, cimbalom, santur, yangqin, and khim. About the author:In her childhood, Nicolette Foss could be found underneath piles of sawdust in her fathers hammered dulcimer workshop. While you certainly dont need all of these tools to build your first hammered dulcimer, having these will make the job easier. Even though the hackbrett lost popularity in Germany, the culture still lives on in the Volga Germans. These folks capture the essence of the Old World in their local music scene. 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. There are 25 courses of 5 strings. The theme of the music is typically dance tunes, melodies, and improvisations played for weddings and social events. Where Did the Hammered Dulcimer Originate? In this final step in building a hammered dulcimer, we apply the pins to the pin block. Most people will look at you blankly, scratch their head and say, Hammered dulcimer, whats that?. This is our new soft side case made right here in our shop! spacing between string courses (I think you can adapt to any spacing, really, though.) Hammers are usually made of wood (most likely hardwoods such as maple, cherry, padauk, oak, walnut, or any other hardwood), but can also be made from any material, including metal and plastic. Below is an excellent video produced by master craftsman Aaron Wolff, who builds a 5 octave, 19/18/6 hammered dulcimer from scratch. In general (unless they are actually rusty), you don't need to change your plain steel strings at all. However, some variations were called concert tsymbaly and had two pedals, and were slightly smaller than the concert cimbalom from Hungary. Hungary: The concert cimbalom was a variation created by V. Jzsef Schunda in 1874 in Budapest. 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. Concert cimbalom: This is the same variation created by Schunda, and has replaced some of the smaller tsymbalys used in orchestras. The final step is to apply the strings and tune using a standard dulcimer tuning wrench. So if youre looking for a cheaper option, building your own dulcimer is definitely the way to go! Nylon strings are typically a bit easier to play and tend to produce a mellower sound than metal strings. It sound will satisfy the discrimination . A well-built, stable instrument can stay in tune for a few weeks in a constant environment, although changes to temperature and humidity will affect even the most stable hammered dulcimer! A hard wood, such as maple, is suggested as these will support the tension of the strings. The santur has Persian origins, but is a direct descendant of the qunan and earliest psalteries. At this point the player returns to the bottom of the instrument and shifts to the treble strings to the right of the treble bridge to play the higher tetrachord: A B C D. The player can continue up the scale on the right side of the treble bridge with E F G A B, but the next note will be C, not C, so he or she must switch to the left side of the treble bridge (and closer to the player) to continue the D major scale. Hammered dulcimers vary in size, but are generally between30-48 inches long, 12-24 inches in width, and 2-6 inches in depth. Apply adhesive to the top of each bridge and let dry. It makes certain styles like blues, jazz, classical and non-Western folk music easier to play. The cost of building a dulcimer varies depending on the type of wood you use and the tools you have access to. This shape is used on bigger khim instruments, and is built for notes; either 18, 22, or 30 notes total. Nowadays salterios are hung up in museums, cherished in private collections, and played by a select few professional musicians such as Franziska Fleischanderl. Questions? In an orchestra, the yangqins role is to play chords or arpeggios to add to the harmony. United Kingdom: If we trace the roots of the North American hammered dulcimer, we travel to the UK where its ancestors can still be found in Scotland, East Anglia, Birmingham, and London. The Persian Walnut Wood Santoor and Roosebeck Hammered Dulcimer both have 10/9 bridges for treble and bass course respectively, whereas the Sapelli Pioneer Hammered Dulcimer has 15/14 bridges for treble and bass course. She helped with odds and ends in the business, attended folk music festivals, and learned the importance of hard work. Beautiful Vintage Mid East MFG. Hammered dulcimers can range from 2.5 to 4 or more octaves, and are proportional to the size of the instrument. The Iraqi santur (or santour, santoor) is made of walnut, and has a total of 92 strings, either steel or bronze. Do the same for the other side. So if youre looking for a new hobby or want to try your hand at woodworking, building a hammered dulcimer is the perfect way to get started! Buy your Hammered Dulcimer today from a . Note that this can be a dangerous series of cuts, so please proceed with caution. The hammered dulcimer was extensively used during the Middle Ages in England, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. Student Model Hammer Dulcimers These instruments are a less expensive well-constructed alternative to my Custom Dulcimers. This song is about the sadness of a woman. Are you on a budget or are brand new to playing music? Not only will you end up with a unique and custom-made instrument, but youll also have a deeper understanding of how it works. Back then you may have heard it called a whamadiddle or lumberjacks piano. More on that later! What is a hammered dulcimer anyway? Good protection for your dulcimer and also economical. Hammered dulcimers can also be chromatic, which allows for a longer range in the higher registers. There is quite a lot of variation in how hammered dulcimers are designed, built, and tuned, which means that, unlike guitars, there isn't a generic string set that will work on any dulcimer. Save up to 20% when you buy more. The female dancer, Hafiza would represent the meaning of the song through various hand gestures and movements of the body. Add to Cart. It is possible it arrived through the Silk Road from the Middle East. Your email address will not be published. Clamp and let dry. Cimbalom. Instrument: Dulcimer. The East Tirol hackbrett, or Osttiroler hackbrett, is also a diatonic tuning but is smaller than the Styrian. The lower number refers to the number of string pairs passing over the bass (right) bridge. The following are a handful of key considerations: The hammered dulcimer products in review today are of three different and renowned brands. Start by laying a long ruler over the frame and mark where the notches will be made. Building a dulcimer is definitely not an easy task, but its also not as difficult as some people might think. Local lumberyards and home improvement stores usually carry a variety of woods, but the selection may be limited. The santur may have traveled its way over to China the many years it has been around. Most traditional American hammered dulcimers have the major keys of F, C, G and D easily available, which works well for a variety of musical styles like old-time, bluegrass, hymns, Celtic tunes, and even some pop music. The cane hammers are bent and bound with wool. This instrument is played not only in Iraq, but also in Syria, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Greece (the Aegean coasts), and Azerbaijan. If you notice the strings becoming tarnished, you can usually clean them with a string wiping or polishing cloth. Before the concert cimbalom was developed, the folk instrument had been played on a barrel or a table. Another will look for spruce with slower growth and will not grow higher than 15 meters and more than 20 cm thick. The hackbrett comes in various sizes and shapes, including trapezoid, half-trapezoid, rectangle, and with and without soundhole decor. Iran: The santur itself originated in Persia or what is now known as Iran around 900 AD. Though all three products have almost the same quantity of accessories alongside the dulcimers with a few hits and misses, however, the Master Works Hammered Dulcimer tops the price list. A dulcimer player may have come on one of these ships to play for the locals. Congratulations! Now, with the frame pieces completed (two notched pin blocks and two rails), internal braces and back fabricated, it is now time to assemble and glue. With this tuning, a diatonic scale is broken into two tetrachords, or groups of four notes. The tsymbaly is called the instrumental voice of Belarus. This means you can play in all keys or even chromatically! Hammered dulcimers provide a beautiful, calming sound and these are great choices to get started. The lowest note is (La2 or A2) on the left side of the bass bridge. The player could go on up a couple notes (G A B), but the next note will be a flatted seventh (C natural in this case), because this note is drawn from the G tetrachord. The group was formed in 1984 when the Primas (first violin and leader) Sndor Jrka died. Like the Romanian cimbalom or Greek santouri, there may be specialized mini bridges. This is the classical style of the concert instrument. When deciding on a size, our advice is always to go for as much range as your budget allows (taking into account any space or weight limitations, of course). We ran into too much inconsistency in the wire's strength, and have switched to using .022" PB in its place. We have been developing a style of the electric hammered dulcimer to blast us into the modern technological age! There are usually 144 total strings, with up to five strings per course. We do know that along with the harp and pipes, the hammered dulcimer (teadchlar in Irish) was popular in Ireland in the 17th century. In addition to the above tools, you will need the following materials (in addition to the wood you selected for construction of the actual instrument): If this is your first hammered dulcimer project, we recommend watching a video on how to build a hammered dulcimer to provide background. Italy: The salterios of the 18th century in countries like Italy and Spain were played by the upper-class aristocracy for composed sinfonia or sonatas. ( 1 customer review) $ 574.00. When selecting wood for your dulcimer, its important to choose a hardwood that is both durable and tonally resonant. During World War I when Germans were not well-received, they changed their names from Deutsch to Dutch. To start, carefully cut each internal brace to length and make the appropriate angled cuts to fit into each notch. The 15 is the number of pairs of strings passing over the treble (center) bridge. A more recent example of its use is by the Blue Man Group. This can be as simple as putting down a few sheets of plywood on the floor or setting up a small workbench in a corner of the room. Paul Van Arsdale (19202018), a player from upstate New York, used flexible hammers made from hacksaw blades, with leather-covered wooden blocks attached to the ends (these were modeled after the hammers used by his grandfather, Jesse Martin). There's no guarantee any of our string sets will be the right thing for your instrument, but it can be easier to experiment if you have a place to start. https://web.archive.org/web/20110717071302/http://www.new-renaissance.net/dulcimer, Pete Rushefsky, "Jewish Strings: An Introduction to the Klezmer Tsimbl" (Related to the Hammered Dulcimer), Smithsonian Institution booklet on hammered dulcimer history and playing, Smithsonian Institution booklet on making a hammered dulcimer (by Sam Rizzetta), Hammered dulcimers from polish collections (, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hammered_dulcimer&oldid=1128881641, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the 1911 Encyclopdia Britannica, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2019, Articles with MusicBrainz instrument identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Tibet - rgyud-mang (, literally "many strings"), This page was last edited on 22 December 2022, at 12:59. 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. Today the yangqin is sometimes referred to as the Chinese piano because it plays an integral role in accompanying string and wood instruments. As it turns out, there are many people playing the obscure hammered dulcimer all over the world! Classical composers like Zoltn Kodly, Igor Stravinsky, and Pierre Boulez have all used this instrument in their music. The smaller size dulcimer has 12 and 11 . Start by drilling a hole into the soundboard, and then use a small blade (a coping saw blade works well) and chisel to finishing carving out the clef designs. (More details on these differences can be found on our Dulcimer Finder page.) The Whippoorwill features a mahogany top and hardwood framing with a 16/15 range of double course strings. Apply graphite to one edge of the plank and rub that edge against the edge of the other plank. Less volume and depth than a full sized Dulcimer.Comes with soft case, hammers, tuning wrench, extra string.Welcome to come by and play it if interested.httpseasyplayinstr 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 East Anglian dulcimer, a descendant of the Italian salterio, is simply called dulcimer. If youre familiar with basic woodworking techniques and have access to the right tools, then you should be able to build a simple hammered dulcimer as a weekend project. A smaller instrument will have 12 or 13 on the Treble (left) bridge and 11 0r 12 on the Bass (right) bridge. The next step is to make the bridges. Dulcimer.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Tuning Tips Vietnam: n tam thp lc (lit. However, playing them on the left side gives a note, a fifth higher than playing them on the right of the bridge. If you take all the strings off at once, you will have the benefit of being able to thoroughly clean the dulcimer, but your bridges will also move around and it will be more work to re-position them so that you can get the dulcimer back in tune. I call this the baritone dulcimer. Spruce is a popular choice of wood for soundboards, as it is strong and produces a loud, bright tone. We are doing our best! Floofa at the English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
2022-11-07