The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. The instrument is typically set at an angle on a stand in front of the musician, who holds a hammer in either hand with which to strike the strings (for the plucked Appalachian dulcimer, see Appalachian dulcimer). The hammered dulcimer comes in various sizes, identified by the number of strings that cross each of the bridges. A 15/14, for example, has two bridges and spans 3 octaves.
Versions of this instrument have been used throughout the world. In Eastern Europe a larger descendant of the hammered dulcimer called the cimbalom is played and has been used by a number of classical composers, including Zoltán Kodály and Igor Stravinsky, and more recently by Blue Man Group. The kim is a Thai hammered dulcimer. The Chinese yangqin is a type of hammered dulcimer that originated in Persia. The Santur and Santoor are found in the Middle East and India, respectively.
The instrument has seen somewhat of a revival in America in the American Folk music traditions. It is also still played in Wales, East Anglia, Northumbria, the Middle East, China and Thailand.
External links
