Hammer Dulcimer

previous instrument

previous

next instrument

next

The Hammer Dulcimer is a stringed instrument that uses a shallow, wooden box to carry the sound. The instrument shown here is an English hammer dulcimer, although many different types of dulcimer exist. Dulcimers are usually portable and played horizontally. Their most common use is in folk and popular music.

Family
Strings
Pitch range
One to two octaves.
Material
Wooden soundbox, metal strings.
Size
Variable : this dulcimer is 32 in (81 cm) long.
Origins
The hammer dulcimer is well-documented since the 15th century in Europe. It was also, by this time, used in Eastern Europe, North Africa, Central Asia, India, Korea, and China.
Classification
Chordophone: an instrument that produces its sound by the vibration of strings.
And also...
The French philosopher, Diderot (1713-84), described a huge version of the hammer dulcimer as having been 8 ft (2.40 m) long.

picture of Hammer Dulcimer