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One of my early instruments having only a treble course
The Hammer Dulcimer is a member of the Zither family of instruments, described as instruments having strings stretched over a box type frame but without a keyboard. Other members of the Zither family are Psaltery, Auto-harp, Qanun(North Africa) and Koto (Japan).
Nomenclature
The name Dulcimer comes from Greek and Latin dulce-melos meaning sweet sound but is only used in English speaking countries. Interestingly in Greece the word Santuri (the instrument played by Zorba in the book ‘Zorba the Greek’) related to the Ancient Greek word psallo (to pluck) is used. In Iran the name is Santur and in India Santoor. Yang-ch’in (foreign string instrument) is used in China, while in Central Europe, Cimbalom and various derivatives are used. In Germany the instrument is named Hackbrett which is also the word for a butchers chopping boardis used, because of look of someone playing a dulcimer, chopping.
The world of Dulcimers
Dulcimer type instruments exist in many areas of the world and usually consist of a trapezoid box, whose strings, in courses (sets) of 2 to 6 are usually divided by a bridge. The bridge splits the strings into two portions which on some instruments are both playable. In this country the interval between the left and right portions of the strings passing over the treble is usually a fifth. In other countries they may be tuned anything between a semitone and an octave apart. Strings passing over the bass bridge are frequently only played on the left side. On some modern Dulcimers including these, the bass bridge has been moved closer to the left of the instrument, allowing the strings to the right of the bass bridge to be played, and perhaps more importantly when not being played to sound harmonious notes. Previously these strings had sounded quite high pitched random notes that were only useful for special effects! The lower pitched strings are thicker than the higher pitched ones. Professional makers aim to ensure that all the strings have, as close as possible, equal tension to make the instruments as tuning-stable as possible. In the past it was a real problem if the instruments went out of tune, there were no electronic tuners and frequently 3 or 4 strings per course, meaning that there could easily have been 96 strings to tune. Rather a daunting task, I think you’ll agree. Electronic tuners have made this task astonishingly easy.
The treble bridge is to the left of centre, the bass, rather further to the right. The lowest sounding strings are the longest which are those to the left of the bass bridge and closest to the player. Generally the higher pitched notes are those furthest away. The highest sounding strings are the strings to the right of the bass bridge and furthest away from the player. Strings pass over one bridge and under the other. The usual method of playing is to hit the strings with small wooden sticks. These are the hammers. A variety of different hammer techniques are used to produce chords, arpeggios, rolls and single notes. It is of coutse possable to produce interesting sounds by non traditional techniques such as brushing the instrument with things or plucking the strings with the fingers or a plectrum etc.
Because the name Dulcimer (sweet sound) could feasibly be applied to many musical instruments. Over time a certain confusion has arisen. A completely unrelated instrument played by strumming the strings has unfortunately also acquired the name Dulcimer. This instrument is a development of the French instrument Eppinett des Vosges and other similar instruments originally of Northern European origin. To avoid confusion this other instrument is usually given a prefix such as ‘Mountain’ or ‘Appalachian’.
Epinettes des vosges manufactured by Christophe Toussaint
One of my Appalachians, you can see the similarity.
History
The invention of the Dulcimer is usually attributed to the Ancient Persians whose empire included some areas now occupied by Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. Of course we cannot be very clear but it seems to have come from somewhere in that area. The earliest visual representation of a Dulcimer is in a 12th century manuscript made in Byzantium. The instrument was introduced into Western Europe in the 15th century. Because of the versatility of the instrument, it’s ease of adaptation to different musical scales, it’s portability, and the explosion of travel. it spread to many different cultures and became a very popular instrument throughout many areas of the world.
Metamorphosis
The Psaltery, an instrument designed for plucking had become the instrument upon which the Harpsichord was based. When the keys of the keyboard are depressed a mechanism automatically plucks the strings allowing very full chords, and contributing to the development of the keyboard layout. Unfortunatly, this method of note production did not allow for an expressive instrument like the Dulcimer. Of course composers and instrument makers did their best to overcome the lack of expression in the Harpschord but eventually the piano became the most important instrument in the history of music.
J F Schröter the inventor of the early piano was a friend of Pantaleon Hebenstreit who designed a large Dulcimer (and whose name Pantaleon was given to that particular instrument). Pantaleons instrument had very long, and wound, bass strings. The general effect of the size on the instrument coupled with the long strings must have produced a very full sounding instrument. greatest achievement was in designing a key mechanism that struck the strings like a Dulcimer and had a damping mechanism that prevented all the strings sound sympathetically. Schroter cited Pantaleon Hebenstreit as his influence for his Pianoforte Even the name Pianoforte (quiet, loud) shows what an effect the instrument had on music making, and expression, the ability to play loud and quiet must surely be one of the most important elements in music making.
The Piano became such a successful instrument that its forbear the Dulcimer became very much a forgotten instrument. In fact, in England today surprisingly few people are even aware of the instrument, despite the fact that the sound of the dulcimer is still around them; used frequently on television adverts and in background music for television plays and films. My ears are tuned to pick up the sound of dulcimer family, but I am constantly surprised at the frequency of use of Dulcimers when the general awareness of the instrument is so low.
Now
Certain areas of the world still retain the Dulcimer as a very popular instrument, in particular Iran where there are daily broadcasts of Santur Classical music. In India, the Santoor player Shiv Kumar Sharmer has altered the position of the instrument in Indian music where it was regarded as a Folk instrument. His method of playing allowed the instrument to be played in the classical style. He uses the instrument to play Ragas; where, in the tradition of Indian Classical music the instrument imitates the human voice.
In Indian pop music the instrument is used frequently alongside other modern sounds. The instrument has also been popular with film composers such as John Barry and Lalo Schrifrin for use in TV and Film music scores. I think my first experience of the Dulcimer was its use in John Barry’s theme tune to the 70’s TV drama The Persuaders. I have heard Dulcimer family sounds used by Rap and Hip-Hop musicians such as ‘Dr. Dre’ and ‘The Herbaliser’ and even pop diva Britney Spears. ‘Portishead’ the Trip-Hop band from Bristol had a huge hit with what was essentially a simple Dulcimer sample (originally composed by Lalo Schrifrin composer the original sound track to mission impossible) with their song ‘Ghosts’. Musician and Composer Geoff Smith recently received an award for his compositions for Dulcimer.
Hammers
The sticks used to play the instrument are refered to as Hammers and can vary a great deal:- the amount of bounce they have, how long they are, whether they have felt or leather on the bottom, how heavy they are etc. These factors effect the ability to hit the correct note, at the right time, in the right order and without hitting others. Dulcimer-family players of different countries use extraordinarily different types of hammers.