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A Hammered Dulcimer is a type of ancient musical instrument that is played with a stick type apparatus popularly known in this instance as a hammer. It is trapezoidal in shape and essentially has a sound board with strings that run parallel to it and a bridge at the centre that significantly gives each string its own specific note.
Some hammered dulcimers have two bridges and are more complex to master than the ones with only a single bridge. Although the dulcimer has a predominant place in Appalachian music it is not the same as the hammered dulcimer. The dulcimer used in Appalachian music is called a ‘fretted’, ‘lap’ or ‘mountain’ dulcimer. Additionally this type of dulcimer traces its origin back to some Scandinavian and German musical instruments.
The hammered dulcimer should also not be confused with a Psaltery or a Zither although they both are also typically stringed instruments over a soundboard. The hammered dulcimer receives its name from a Latin derivative of the term used for “sweet sound”. It is used mainly in classical or fusion music forms.
It is difficult to point out the exact origins of this dulcimer type as it has been found in many countries by one name or the other. However, most people believe it to be of European origin as it resonates to the early forms of the pianoforte, to a large extent more so in complex technical terms than in outward appearance. It is however a percussion stringed instrument at its very heart regardless of make, type or area of origin.
Hammered dulcimers are used largely to create soft and loud background notes. The strings on a hammered dulcimer need to be tuned regularly much like other instruments to obtain optimum quality results. The hammer on the other hand is more like a light mallet and is traditionally made from hard wood such as oak, maple, cherry, padauk or walnut. Modern hammered dulcimers come with metal or plastic hammers in keeping with the set. One side or generally the head of the hammer is covered with adhesive tape, fabric or leather to get a variation in sound.
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