A new endeavor for the winter and beyond.

[solo1]

Learning to play the hammered dulcimer.  I've been 'sucked in' by the sound during the last two months and looked into it.  Unlike the mountain dulcimer, it has many strings, They are 'hammered' instead of plucked.  It is a big trapezoid shape not like the hourglass shape of the mountain dulcimer.  I'm just learning about the diatonic scale and the HD doesn't have the scales in a straight line.

I've ordered one since I sold one of my firearms I had the extra dough to do it. I've already located a teacher in Ft. Wayne who can show me how to play it. I've tried it and using the light 'hammers' is easy, no plucking which is hard on my arthritic fingers, and no calluses to form even though it's a  stringed instrument, sorta like a piano but goes 'way back before the piano.

It adapts well to Appalachian folk music as noted here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jz7lPU7r8Q
Jul 9, 2009 - Uploaded by Steve and Ruth Smith
Ashokan Farewell - Steve and Ruth Smith - Hammered Dulcimer & Guitar ... This tune was recorded by North ...

[DDT (12)]

Maybe you and John can do a duet for us at InZane... Good luck...

DDT

P.S. Will you be wearing safety fingered gloves when using the hammer?

[solo1]

DDT, yep, I'll probably need a little luck as I'm not musically inclined like some.  If I have a good teacher I'll hope that you can indeed teach an old dog new tricks.

I have the Will, but I'll need the Way. 

[dreamaker]

How would you tune that instrument? How many strings are there?

[solo1]

On a 15/14 there are about 54 strings.  Each note has two strings, A 15/14 covers three octaves. A good electronic chromatic tuner and patience is required.  The two bridges are held in place only by the tension of the strings. Fortunately the one I ordered has a laminated sounding board, it stays in tune better than a solid wood since it isn't affected as much by temp and humidity.

[msb]

Learning to play the hammered dulcimer.  I've been 'sucked in' by the sound during the last two months and looked into it.  Unlike the mountain dulcimer, it has many strings, They are 'hammered' instead of plucked.  It is a big trapezoid shape not like the hourglass shape of the mountain dulcimer.  I'm just learning about the diatonic scale and the HD doesn't have the scales in a straight line.

I've ordered one since I sold one of my firearms I had the extra dough to do it. I've already located a teacher in Ft. Wayne who can show me how to play it. I've tried it and using the light 'hammers' is easy, no plucking which is hard on my arthritic fingers, and no calluses to form even though it's a  stringed instrument, sorta like a piano but goes 'way back before the piano.

It adapts well to Appalachian folk music as noted here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Jz7lPU7r8Q
Jul 9, 2009 - Uploaded by Steve and Ruth Smith
Ashokan Farewell - Steve and Ruth Smith - Hammered Dulcimer & Guitar ... This tune was recorded by North ...

Ashokan Farewell is probably the most beautiful tune I have ever heard...written by Jay Ungar. Watch and listen to him play on youtube (below link)...you can not only hear but see the feeling he has for this tune when playing with his family band on his fiddle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kZASM8OX7s

I have always been into mountain/bluegrass/roots music ...real music from real people about real life experiences. The dulcimer is a pretty cool intrument, and I'm sure you will find it very interesting and rewarding to learn to play...have fun 

[John Schmidt]

Wayne, you had me guessing on that one. For a minute I thought the "Hammered" term meant you had to be in that condition in order to play one.  Actually a very interesting and beautiful sounding  instrument, looking at some of the adjoining videos one can get a closer look at the string lay out.  Good luck on your new venture.  

[solo1]

msb, I agree!  I first heard it on the TV Civil War series and thought it was titled " Lorena".  It wasn't and it didn't date back to the Civil War either,
Then I started a search , found it played on the dulcimer and then the hammered dulcimer.  That got me looking at the HD and I visited the Folkcraft people and actually saw and used the hammers on a HD.   I was hooked.  However, I didn't buy then, 1200 bucks was way too much.

John, I too, visualized someone with nine sheets to the wind playing a dulcimer, and even visualized that and went beyond that to a severely battered but playable mountain dulcimer.  

The HD that I've ordered comes with case, playing stand, hammers, electronic tuning gadget, and a tuning wrench.  It's a 16/15.  that means that it has 16 courses  ( a course is two strings) for treble and 15 courses for the bass.  I'm not sure if it would fit in my Miata's trunk, we might have to forego DDT's suggestion about an Inzane duet, you on the guitar and me on the HD.  I doubt whether my playing will be worth much.
 

[baldo]

I was doing the tourist thing at Silver Dollar City in MO many years ago, and heard one for the first time. I was amazed at how beautiful it sounded and had to find out as much as I could. All the recordings I had were lost in a fire some years ago. Beautiful instrument....