A History of the Dulcimer

From Wikipedia, the free encylopedia.
The Appalachian dulcimer, is a fretted string instrument with three or four strings, although contemporary versions of the instrument can have as many as twelve strings and six courses. The body extends the length of the fingerboard and traditionally has an hourglass, teardrop, or elliptical shape. A courting dulcimer has two fretboards allowing two players to closely sit across from each other to perform duets, hence the name.

A traditional way to play the instrument is to lay it flat on the lap and pluck or strum the strings with one hand, while fretting with the other. In practice, a wide variety of playing styles are used.

The Appalachian dulcimer is widely used in the American Old-time music tradition. This instrument first appeared in the early 1800s in the southern Appalachian Mountains, and is thus also called a mountain dulcimer. The instrument was based on pre-existing similar European instruments, but acquired a distinctive American flavor. The instrument became used as a parlor instrument, as its sound volume is well-suited to small home gatherings.

The Appalachian dulcimer achieved a renaissance in the 1950s urban folk music revival in the United States of America through the work of Jean Ritchie, a Kentucky woman who performed Appalachian dulcimer works in New York City. In the 1960s, the American folk musician Richard Fariña (1936-1966) became the first to utilize an Applachian dulcimer in a less traditional way, pointing out its similarity in tone to some Asian instruments. Modern dulcimer enthusiasts run the gamut from traditional folk music through experimental forms, although traditional music perhaps predominates. Dulcimer festivals take place regularly in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, as the Appalachian dulcimer has achieved a following in a number of countries. Virtually every culture has an instrument based on the working idea of the Appalachian dulcimer.

Since Fariña, musicians who have used the dulcimer in contemporary settings include Joni Mitchell, Cyndi Lauper, Wendy Waldman, McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Page, and Peter Buck of the group R.E.M.