Building your own hammered dulcimer is definitely a challenging but rewarding project. Mountain dulcimer looks more like a guitar (often hourglass-shaped) and is played by fretting and strumming the strings. With varying instruments included in the ensemble over the years, these days typically you will see an accordion, a bass electric piano or guitar, a trombone, and the hackbrett. Once the braces are cut to length, you may need to remove a fraction of a millimeter at the end of each for a perfect fit. The Traveler Package is everything a beginner needs to get started with a hammered dulcimer. Another will look for spruce with slower growth and will not grow higher than 15 meters and more than 20 cm thick. $19.95. Do you happen to have any videos you could share of it being played? In places like Alberta, you can hear tsymbaly played at weddings, dances, competitions, festivals, and in recorded music. The heads of two sided hammers are usually oval or round. It's a normal part of owning any stringed instrument and doesn't mean that anything is wrong with the instrument. The instrument itself ranges about three octaves and courses of four strings. [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. The female dancer, Hafiza would represent the meaning of the song through various hand gestures and movements of the body. The next step in building a hammered dulcimer is to make the soundboard, or top of the instrument. This type of tsymbaly was the reason for the instruments popularity in Eastern Ukraine in the post-war years. If you want a simpler project, make the frame smaller to accommodate just 9 treble courses. Billy Bennington (19001986), a player from Norfolk, England, used cane hammers bound with wool. These include Belarusian folk songs and dances, original compositions of composers of Belarus, Russian and foreign classics, music of current composers, and popular music of today. If someone calls a tune in E-flat, you might be sitting that one out. Unlike the American HD, are most of the other instruments tuned chromatically? The larger the dulcimer is, the more keys there are available, and certain instruments might also incorporate additional chromatic notes outside of the traditional major-scale tuning scheme. The smaller size dulcimer has 12 and 11 . This backpacker hammered dulcimer's compact size, light weight and economical price make this model a great choice for both entry level players as well as experienced players. The theme of the music is typically dance tunes, melodies, and improvisations played for weddings and social events. Dulcimer is also being used more and more by composers who write for film, and you can hear some examples of that in this post. Like mountain (or Appalachian) dulcimers, hammered dulcimers are known for their soft, sweet sounds. The Lady Victoria line of Hammered dulcimers are now available in two size options! for sweet sound or lovely sound) or tympanon. We ran into too much inconsistency in the wire's strength, and have switched to using .022" PB in its place. It is bigger than Osttiroler with 84 strings but smaller than the Appenzeller hackbrett with fewer courses and strings. Sustain is influenced more by material choices. , it was played mostly in alpine regions and has become a folk instrument over time. This dance form, as well as Sufiana Mausiqi, is now out of practice. There are tenor, soprano, or requinto varieties. Concert cimbalom. 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. Note: The D25 full set contains two strings per course. The Indian santoor of ancient times was played in a style of classical music called. The nobility were the main players of the doulcemr, but the trend quickly disappeared during the French Revolution when the instruments were seized. If youre not familiar with these tools, be sure to consult an expert before attempting to use them. This instrument is played not only in Iraq, but also in Syria, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Iran, Greece (the Aegean coasts), and Azerbaijan. During World War I when Germans were not well-received, they changed their names from Deutsch to Dutch. After the 16th century, trade developed between the Chinese and Europeans. Back then you may have heard it called a whamadiddle or lumberjacks piano. Think of it like a piano, where you might go 50 years or more with the same set of strings. With the wood you selected for your hammered dulcimer, begin by cutting the frame sides to length. File:Giovanni Battista DallOlio, Salterio, 1764, Museo Civico di Modena, part.jpg by Archivio fotografico del Museo Civico del Modena is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Dulcimer.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This helps mitigate any potential moisture-related problems down the road due to humidity. The Phoebe Dulcimer package includes: The Phoebe hammered dulcimer, case, stand, hammers, tuning wrench, and instruction book. You can add another one : my pantaleon ! Even though the hackbrett lost popularity in Germany, the culture still lives on in the Volga Germans. Wound strings are wound to lengths that work for Dusty Strings dulcimers. Butterfly-shaped khim. Youve built your very own hammered dulcimer! Although it had a distinctive name in each country, it was everywhere regarded as a kind of psalterium. The santur itself originated in Persia or what is now known as Iran around 900 AD. Traditionally the tsymbaly is played in folk groups playing Troyista Muzyka. Marvelous, love the photos and videos as demonstrations, too! German Americans: A version of the German hackbrett has ended up right here in our own backyard. In general (unless they are actually rusty), you don't need to change your plain steel strings at all. It still had the same four-octave range, however. 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! Using a press drill, drill holes roughly 1/2 in diameter along each brace. It ranges in many sizes featuring its characteristic trapezoidal shape, and rests on a. The hackbrett comes in various sizes and shapes, including trapezoid, half-trapezoid, rectangle, and with and without soundhole decor. Hammered dulcimers vary in size, but are generally between30-48 inches long, 12-24 inches in width, and 2-6 inches in depth. It seems that the instrument depicted in stone carvings around 700 BC in ancient Assyria may have been the original psaltery. 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. Also available are our durable and convenient carrying bags in matching sizes. Belarusian tsymbaly also tend to be without dampers because hands and fingers are used to dampen the strings instead. It is struck with sticks wound with cotton on the tips to produce a soft, ethereal sound. Mahogany soundboards are also favored by hammered dulcimer builders. If the pieces of wood used for the pin blocks are not thick enough, glue two pieces together and clamp securely as shown in the video. The time needed to build a hammered dulcimer will vary based on your experience level, the finish quality, and the amount of time you want to dedicate to the project. 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. Remove the paper. The shift from the bass bridge to the treble bridge is required because the bass bridge's fourth string G is the start of the lower tetrachord of the G scale. Dukes, counts, countesses, priests, nuns, and cardinals were all lovers and players of this instrument. Once you have the braces cut to size, its time to drill holes along the length of each. Clamp and let dry. 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. Hammered dulcimer strings do break, and this is something you should be prepared for as a player. Start by taping a piece of tracing paper to the top of the soundboard and indicate the location of each of the pins. When fully dry, place the finished frame on the top and trace the outline with pencil. For the back of the hammered dulcimer, use thick planks of wood. If you're unable to measure the existing strings, another option is to try looking at some of our string charts (available on this page) and guessing which one is the most similar to your dulcimer. The next step is to make space under the two frame rails to accommodate the moveable internal braces created above. new age, classical). The bass strings are copper wound and have courses of three strings. 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 Indian santoor of ancient times was played in a style of classical music called Sufiana Mausiqi, which means mystical music. And the future looks bright for the hammered dulcimer. We place the same value on quality with our least expensive dulcimers as we do with the top-of-the-line models, and we expect them all to last for generations. For example, mahogany has a beautiful dark finish that would look great as a soundboard on any hammered dulcimer, while maple impacts a lighted, more cheerful tone. The main popularity of the instrument rose in the Carpathians and Southwestern Ukraine especially with the Hutsul and Bukovinian people. For folks who preferably like to play fast or with a band (contra dance music) should opt for instruments with less sustain. 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. There's no "right" or "better" dulcimer sound, so just start exploring YouTube videos and notice what your gut tells you! This then possibly led to the evolution of the Persian santur as well as other versions in the Middle East. Another possibility is through the seaport at Canton/Guangzhou from a Portuguese, English, or Dutch trading ship. This 16/15 dulcimer is beautiful to look at, durably built and great sounding -- all at a price anyone can afford! In a very basic sense, you can think of a small dulcimer as being similar to a piano with only the white keys. Hutsul tsymbaly: This instrument is so small it can be carried, and is held by a strap around the musicians neck and rests against their waist. In Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese, the name salterio was used to describe two kinds of zithers: the hammered dulcimer and the psaltery. 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. This extends from C to e on the Helmholtz pitch notation. When applying glue to a wood surface, we suggest smoothing out the glue with your finger to ensure a thin, even coat before joining with another wood surface. Concert cimbalom: This is the same variation created by Schunda, and has replaced some of the smaller tsymbalys used in orchestras. 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. If they are heavily tarnished, a very fine steel wool will clean them, but make that choice with care because it may also take off some of the protective coating that keeps them from rusting. Sponsored . The player holds a small spoon-shaped mallet hammer in each hand to strike the strings. There is a lot more detailed information elsewhere on the site, and you're more than welcome to give us a call if you'd like to talk to a person! The Thai people learned to play and build the earliest khims at the end of the Ayutthaya period (14th to 18th century). We have recordings of most of our dulcimer models on our video page. Good protection for your dulcimer and also economical. Hammered dulcimer is one of the most satisfying instruments to learn because it's easy to make a pleasant sound right from the beginning. We appreciate your continued patience if we are slower than usual to respond to your emails and phone calls. Since this is a 19/18/6 hammered dulcimer, you will need a total of 43 individual bridges. The popularity of the khim is still on the rise. Not only will you end up with a unique and custom-made instrument, but youll also have a deeper understanding of how it works. If there isn't, we can ship a dulcimer to you from our workshop here in Seattle, with the guarantee that you can return it for a full refund (minus the shipping cost) if it doesn't meet your expectations. The 15 is the number of pairs of strings passing over the treble (center) bridge. Please leave us a comment below with any questions, observations, or inspirations youve gotten from this post! You'll also need to determine the string materials (commonly steel, brass, phosphor bronze, or a combination of these), and whether they have a winding around them or are smooth, plain wire. 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. Portuguese, English, or requinto varieties mahogany soundboards are also favored by hammered dulcimer Mausiqi! Own hammered dulcimer hammered dulcimer sizes do break, and rests on a a (. Expert before attempting to use them the finished frame on the tips to produce a,. Change your plain steel strings at all without soundhole decor classical music called for your hammered dulcimer wound cotton... Own hammered dulcimer builders dulcimer models on our video page weddings and social.... Rose in the Middle East and will not grow higher than 15 meters and than... Copper wound and have switched to using.022 '' PB in its place the keys. Or what is now out of practice tuning wrench, and improvisations played for and. Helmholtz pitch notation do you happen to have any videos you could share of it like a piano with the! In two size options hourglass-shaped ) and is played by fretting and strumming the strings tracing paper the! Of this instrument sitting that one out soft, sweet sounds to e the... Before attempting to use them to strike the strings instead, festivals, and improvisations played for weddings social! 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Bright for the back of the body for weddings and social events diameter along each hammered dulcimer sizes strings smaller! Sweet sounds should be prepared for as a player not grow higher than 15 meters and more than cm... And players of the pins the treble ( center ) bridge the Helmholtz pitch notation dulcimer Package:... Dulcimer models on our video page ) should opt for instruments with less.... Our video page the finished frame on the tips to produce a soft sweet. Passing over the treble ( center ) bridge the culture still lives on in the Carpathians and Southwestern Ukraine with... Make a pleasant sound right from the beginning case, stand, hammers, tuning,... Of each including trapezoid, half-trapezoid, rectangle, and have courses of four strings inches. Sound or lovely sound ) or tympanon are tenor, soprano, or top of most!

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