If it's 'NOT' a Dulcimer, then what is it?

[Ptarmigan]

Maybe you guys can help me out

I have a question

Everywhere I go on the Net I keep reading how a Hammered Dulcimer 'is' a Dulcimer, fine, but that a Mountain Dulcimer 'IS NOT' a Dulcimer

So if it's not a Dulcimer, what is it

Do you guys over there have another name for it, which is perhaps more ethnomusicalogically correct

Just curious

[missy]

ok - from latin - dulcimer means "sweet music"......

In chronology, the hammered dulcimer (cymbalom, santoor, and many other names - including cheese slicer....) is older, dating thousand(s) of years.

I've heard the mountain dulcimer referred to as:
mountain dulcimer
lap dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer (although those in the Ozarks say they came up with the idea)
hog fiddle
duckslammer (from a young child that misheard dulcimer)
.... and is a much younger instrument, probably going back to the early 1800's, although the "missing link" from the hummell or schlienholt (and I KNOW those aren't spelled correctly) hasn't been found yet.

Both are in the "zither" family, in that the strings go across the soundboard. And, for whatever reason, the two tend to show up at the same festivals to the point that a "dulcimer" festival is now organized around both kinds.

I call ours dulcimers (when I'm not referring to them by either voice range, like "the bass" or instrument name "like Gandalf"). If pressed, I'll add the mountain, lap, Appalchian, whatever. And describe what a hammered dulcimer is if I don't have mine with us.

[hyldemoer]

My experience is, if people are talking about dulcimers in Chicago they tend to always mention if its a hammered dulcimer or a mountain dulcimer.

[fearfaoin]

Everywhere I go on the Net I keep reading ... that a Mountain Dulcimer 'IS NOT' a Dulcimer

This is news to me. Can you post some examples of this slander?
EDIT... oops, I mean "libel"

[Ptarmigan]

Thanks Missy,

Looks like you are correct:

Dulcimer is the name given to two types of stringed musical instrument:
The Appalachian dulcimer, a fretted, plucked instrument which is also referred to as a mountain dulcimer or just a dulcimer, and
The Hammered dulcimer, which is a hammer-struck, trapezoid-shaped zither
The instruments are quite different, but are both members of the zither family of instruments.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dulcimer

Hey, two can play that name game

Names for the hammered dulcimer in different countries: Austria - Hackbrett, Brazil – Saltério, Cambodia – Khim, China – Yangqin, Germany – Hackbrett, Greece – Santouri, Hungary – Cimbalom, India – Santoor, Iran – Santur, Italy – Salterio, Korea - Yanggum
Laos – Khim, Mexico – Salterio, Netherlands – Hakkebord, Romania – Tambal, Spain – Salterio, Sweden - Hackbräda, Hammarharpa, Switzerland - Hackbrett, Hachbrattli, Thailand – Khim, United States - Hammered Dulcimer, Yiddish - Tsimbl

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hammered_Dulcimer

[Rick C.]

It's only a hammered dulcimer if it's played with real hammers.


Rick

[Celtic983]

or if the dulcimer is drunk

[Ptarmigan]

fearfaoin, I'll tell you, but you must promise that you won't shoot the messenger

Actually, the mountain dulcimer is not a true dulcimer at all according to the definition of the word, which is: a member of the zither family that is played with hammers.

http://www.thanksforthemusic.com/history/dulcimer.htm

The frets of the Appalachian dulcimer are arranged in a diatonic scale. So-called "chromatic dulcimers" are sometimes made, to permit play in any key without re-tuning, but some consider that, properly speaking, the resulting zither is not a dulcimer.

http://www.answers.com/topic/appalachian-dulcimer

“How the same word got applied to two different instruments is a matter of some speculation.”

http://www.asapnet.net/skrapc/dulcimer.html

The Appalachian Dulcimer, also known as the "mountain", "lap" or "fretted" dulcimer is a more modern instrument which was born in the Appalachian mountains. It appears to have ancestral ties to earlier German and Scandinavian instruments, and to the French epinette de Vosges. The most likely explanation for the application of the name "dulcimer" to the Appalachian dulcimer is that the name for the Appalachian instrument was taken from the Biblical reference to the hammered dulcimer in Daniel 3:5, King James Version.

runs away very quickly ........................................

[missy]

Ptarmigan - take a look (if you haven't) at

www.everythingdulcimer.com

"What" exactly is a dulcimer had been - ah - discussed quite a lot, just join and do a search. You'll get the expected answers similar to what you already have.

What I consider a dulcimer in general and a mountain dulcimer in particular? If, after just a bit of getting used to it, I can play it, it's a dulcimer. Take a look around our website (in my sig) and at the button linking to Sweet Woods Instruments.

Is a bass dulcimer a dulcimer?
Is a chromatic dulcimer a dulcimer?
Is the resonator dulcimer (better known as "the Dulcinator") a dulcimer?
How about the banjimer?
And I'm soon to get a bowed dulcimer, that will have NO frets, although it will have position markers. Is THAT a dulcimer?

If I can play them, they are dulcimers. I can't play a guitar, or mando, or banjo. I can (some better then others, I will admit) play all those dulcimer permiations.

Oh - and don't think you can't "hammer" on mountain dulcimers. There's a technique borrowed from fiddle players called "fiddle sticks" where you fret, but bounce a turned piece of wood on the strings instead of using a pick or fingers (or a quill).

[KornPiper]

I just joined with some coercion. Hello, all.

If you're in Michigan a dulcimer is probably played with hammers.
If you're in Ohio it a bit of a quesion; however, if you're in Kentucky anything more than four strings are used for spares.

A Korn E,

[hyldemoer]

If you're in Michigan a dulcimer is probably played with hammers.

Ah yes! In Michigan there is the Henry Ford connection. I hear Mr. Ford loved hammered dulcimers.

[KornPiper]

If you're in Michigan a dulcimer is probably played with hammers.

Ah yes! In Michigan there is the Henry Ford connection. I hear Mr. Ford loved hammered dulcimers.

I'm surprised that good ol' Henry never figured out a way to simplify the tuning of HD's.

[Wombat]

A mountain dulcimer by any other name would sound as sweet.

Seriously, who has the authority to say what is and what isn't a real dulcimer? Even if the mountain dulcimer were so-called because of some mistaken analogy, once enough people call it that, that's what it is.

[hyldemoer]

If you're in Michigan a dulcimer is probably played with hammers.

Ah yes! In Michigan there is the Henry Ford connection. I hear Mr. Ford loved hammered dulcimers.

I'm surprised that good ol' Henry never figured out a way to simplify the tuning of HD's.

I don't think he played them himself. He did a bit of financing performances of them (and fiddles) though.
The story I heard was he, Mrs. Ford and friends would ride around Michigan trying to find history.
http://www.hfmgv.org/

If they found "folk" musicians they liked, they'd hire them to do concerts back home.

[In The Woods]

I really like "duckslammer"! It conjures up all sorts of mental images of what you could do with it around the home place when you were bored with playing it and looking for a little excitement (not for the ducks, of course)...

Do you think we could agitate for this name to be used also?

With best regards,

Steve Mack