Hammer Dulcimer History and Construction – Carole Bryan

“Honey, if I can do it, you can do it.” That was my first exposure to the hammered dulcimer! My husband and I had taken our daughters to the Lincoln exhibits at New Salem, Il, and I spent some time listening to a woman playing the dulcimer in front of one of the cabins. I was taken with the sound of the instrument, and asked her how hard it was to learn. The day after we returned, my name was on a waiting list for a teacher at Music Folk! And the rest, as they say, is history. My husband says it was one of the most expensive days of his life!

The hammered dulcimer is thought to have originated in Asia possibly as early as 800 B.C. (although this theory is disputed often), and perhaps traveled into Europe with the Crusaders. There are ‘dulcimer-like’ instruments depicted in early Medieval paintings, but probably are psalteries which are similar to the dulcimer, but without a center bridge.

The hammered dulcimer is known by various names around the world: In China, it is the yang q’in; in India, the santoor; in Eastern Europe, the cimbalom; and in Germany, it is known as the hackbrett. The name ‘dulcimer’ is derived from Latin, meaning “sweet sound.” The dulcimer is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Daniel 3:5 “…the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music…” The hammered dulcimer is a direct ancestor of the piano. Some historians classify the hammered dulcimer in the zither family, but the dulcimer is a much older instrument. The zither is also plucked rather than struck with hammers.

Diagram courtesy of Kitchen Musician

The picture above illustrates a typical North American hammered dulcimer. Strings are arranged in unison pairs or triplets, called ‘courses.’ The strings crossing the treble bridge run from pins in the left side pin block across the treble bridge, and under the bass bridge, to the pins in the right side pin block. The strings crossing the bass bridge run from pins in the right side pin block over the bass bridge, and under the treble bridge, to pins set in the left side pin block. Configurations of strings and pin settings do vary depending on the builder of the instrument. Some instruments will have additional short bridges on either side for more range, or for the addition of some chromatic notes. This arrangement allows for considerable range in a relatively small space.

The hammered dulcimer is tuned in diatonic (do re mi) scales in groups of four courses. The bridges are usually marked with some type of contrasting colored marker to indicate where these scales begin. The sheer number of strings in such a small space can lead to visual disorientation if a player focuses on the strings themselves rather than the bridges- this is where the bridge markers come in handy. The way the strings are tuned is that notes directly across from each other on the bridge are fifths, i.e., on the treble bridge, if a G is sounded, crossing the bridge to the left and striking the strings will produce a D. The instrument is played by striking the strings with small mallets, or hammers. The hammers are held loosely between the index finger and thumb.

When shopping for a hammered dulcimer, you might notice that the size or range of the instrument is stated in what looks like a fraction: “12/11” or “15/14.” This refers to first the number of courses crossing the treble bridge, then the number of courses crossing the bass bridge. There are many other configurations of strings- additional bridges and strings can be added to some instruments to give greater chromatic range, and additional bass notes. The sound of the instrument is affected by various things- the wood the soundboard is made of will produce different tones. A spruce top (Sitka spruce or Adirondack) tends to give a brighter tone, while woods like mahogany or redwood tend to give a more mellow tone with greater sustain. Some of the woods used in hammered dulcimer construction are used for appearance-rare or exotic woods are sometimes used for the rails. Pin-block wood is chosen for strength- woods like rock maple or laminated maple. The interior bracing of the instrument will affect tone quality and sustain. The use of different types of string will change the tone- steel piano wire is used quite often, as are brass and bronze. Wound brass strings are sometimes used in the bass range.

The hammers used in the playing of the instrument also vary widely. They are usually made of wood, but some on the market are made of metal, or may have a dipped-plastic coating. Some hammers are ‘double-sided’, meaning that there are two surfaces available for striking the instrument, and some have one striking surface. In the double-sided hammers, one surface is usually covered with felt or leather to provide a mellow, or muted, tone, while the bare wood surface gives a brighter tone.