Editing Hammered dulcimer

{{Short description|Percussion-stringed instrument}}
{{Infobox instrument
| name           = Hammered dulcimer
| names          = [[Cimbalom]]<br/>Dulcimer<br />Four-hammer dulcimer<br/>Hammer dulcimer<br />[[German language|de]]: Hackbrett<br/>[[Greek language|gr]]: Σαντούρι<br/>[[Italian language|it]]: Salterio<br/>[[Spanish language|es]]: Dulcémele<br/>[[Ukrainian language|uk]]: Tsymbaly<br/>[[Romanian language|ro]]: Țambal<br/>[[Czech language|cs]]: Cimbál<br/>[[Polish language|pl]]: Cymbały<br/>[[Persian language|fa]]: [[Santoor]], [[Santur]]<br/>[[French language|fr]]: Tympanon<br/>[[Chinese language|zh]]: [[Yangqin]]<br/>[[Korean language|ko]]: Yanggeum<br/> [[Khmer language|kh]]: ឃឹម [[Khim]]<br/> [[Vietnamese language|vi]]: Tam Thập Lục<br/> [[Thai language|th]]: ขิม Khim<br/>[[Tatar language|tt]]: чимбал çimbal
| image          = Hammered_dulcimer.JPG
| image_capt     = A musician playing a diatonic hammered dulcimer
| background     = string
| classification = [[Percussion instrument]] ([[chordophone]]), [[string instrument]]
| hornbostel_sachs = 314.122-4
| hornbostel_sachs_desc = Simple [[chordophone]] sounded by hammers
| developed      = Antiquity
| related        = [[Zither|Alpine zither]], [[Appalachian dulcimer]], [[autoharp]], [[board zither]], [[Zither|concert zither]], [[Psaltery]], [[Tambourine de Bearn]], [[Santur]]
| sound sample   = {{Listen|filename=Payvar-Dehlavi-Concertino for Santur.ogg|title=Concertino for Santur and Orchestra, by Faramarz Payvar and Hossein Dehlavi.|description=|format=[[Ogg]]}}
}}

The '''hammered dulcimer''' (also called the '''hammer dulcimer''') is a [[percussion]]-[[string instrument|stringed instrument]] which consists of [[String (music)|strings]] typically stretched over a [[trapezoid]]al resonant [[sound board (music)|sound board]]. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more traditional styles may sit cross-legged on the floor, or in a more modern style may stand or sit at a wooden support with legs. The player holds a small spoon-shaped [[mallet]] hammer in each hand to strike the strings. The [[Greco-Roman world|Graeco-Roman]] word ''dulcimer'' ("sweet song") derives from the [[Latin]] ''dulcis'' (sweet) and the Greek ''melos'' (song). The dulcimer, in which the strings are beaten with small hammers, originated from the [[psaltery]], in which the strings are plucked.<ref name=merr-web>{{cite web|title=Definition of DULCIMER|url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dulcimer?show=0&t=1343588430|publisher=Merriam-Webster, Incorporated|access-date=29 July 2012}}</ref>

<!-- NOTE TO EDITORS: The following Wikilinks to articles about entire *countries* are quite useless, and should be either removed, or replaced with Wikilinks to the corresponding *instruments* originating in these countries. -->
Hammered dulcimers and other similar instruments are traditionally played in Iraq, India, Iran, [[Southwest Asia]], China, Korea, and parts of [[Southeast Asia]], [[Central Europe]] (Hungary, Slovenia, Romania, Slovakia, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland [particularly [[Appenzell]]], Austria and [[Bavaria]]), the Balkans, [[Eastern Europe]] (Ukraine and Belarus), and [[Scandinavia]]. The instrument is also played in the United Kingdom (Wales, [[East Anglia]], [[Northumbria]]), and the [[United States]], where its traditional use in [[folk music]] saw a revival in the late 20th century.<ref>Groce, Nancy. ''The Hammered Dulcimer in America''. Washington, DC: Smithsonian, 1983, pp. 72-73.</ref>

== History ==
The [[santur]], a type of hammered dulcimer, originates from the [[Middle East]]. The earliest evidence comes from [[Assyria]]n and [[Babylonia]]n stone carvings dated to 669 BC, showing the instrument being played while hanging from the player's neck. This instrument was traded and travelled to different parts of the Middle East. Musicians modified the original design over the centuries, yielding a wide array of musical scales and tunings. The original santur was likely made with wood and stone and strung with goat intestines. The Babylonian santur was the ancestor of the [[harp]], [[yangqin]], [[harpsichord]], [[Qanun (instrument)|qanun]], [[cimbalom]] and hammered dulcimers.<ref name=Touma>{{cite book|last1=Touma|first1=Habib Hasan|title=The Music of the Arabs|date=1996|publisher=Amadeus Press|location=Portland, Oregon|isbn=0-931340-88-8}}</ref> 

In Western Europe, a hammered dulcimer first appears in textual and iconographic sources from the early 15th century.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gifford |first=Paul M. |title=The Hammered Dulcimer |date=2001-06-13 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-3943-4 |edition=First |location=Lanham, Md. London}}</ref> The hammered dulcimer was extensively used during the Middle Ages in England, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, and Spain. 

==Strings and tuning==
[[File:HDulcimerScale.png|thumb|left|300px|Major scale pattern on a diatonic hammered dulcimer tuned in 5ths]]
[[File:Dulcimer.png|thumb|left|An early version of the hammered dulcimer accompanied by lute, tambourine and bagpipe]]
[[File:Hackbrett (photozou 168404790).jpg|thumb|left|The ''Salzburger hackbrett'', a chromatic version]]

A dulcimer usually has two [[bridge (instrument)|bridges]], a bass bridge near the right and a treble bridge on the left side. The bass bridge holds up bass strings, which are played to the left of the bridge. The treble strings can be played on either side of the treble bridge. In the usual construction, playing them on the left side gives a note a fifth higher than playing them on the right of the bridge.

The dulcimer comes in various sizes, identified by the number of strings that cross each of the bridges. A 15/14, for example, has 15 strings crossing the treble bridge and 14 crossing the bass bridge, and can span three [[octave]]s. The strings of a hammered dulcimer are usually found in pairs, two strings for each note (though some instruments have three or four strings per note). Each set of strings is tuned in [[unison]] and is called a [[Course (music)|course]]. As with a [[piano]], the purpose of using multiple strings per course is to make the instrument louder, although as the courses are rarely in perfect unison, a [[chorus effect]] usually results like a [[mandolin]]. A hammered dulcimer, like an [[autoharp]], [[harp]], or piano, requires a [[tuning wrench]] for tuning, since the dulcimer's strings are wound around tuning pins with square heads. (Ordinarily, 5&nbsp;mm "zither pins" are used, similar to, but smaller in diameter than piano tuning pins, which come in various sizes ranging upwards from "1/0" or 7&nbsp;mm.)

The strings of the hammered dulcimer are often tuned according to a [[circle of fifths]] pattern.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Rizzetta|first=Sam|title=Hammer Dulcimer: History and Playing|url=http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_Si/nmah/hdhist.htm|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Smithsonian|publisher=Smithsonian Institution|access-date=3 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Traditional or Fifth-Interval Tuning |url=https://manufacturing.dustystrings.com/hammered-dulcimers/about-hammered-dulcimers/strings-tuning-schemes |access-date=6 June 2022 |publisher=Dusty Strings}}</ref>   Typically, the lowest note (often a G or D) is struck at the lower right-hand of the instrument, just to the left of the right-hand (bass) bridge. As a player strikes the courses above in sequence, they ascend following a repeating sequence of two whole steps and a half step. With this tuning, a [[diatonic scale]] is broken into two [[tetrachord]]s, or groups of four notes. For example, on an instrument with D as the lowest note, the D [[major scale]] is played starting in the lower-right corner and ascending the bass bridge: D – E – F{{sharp}} – G. This is the lower tetrachord of the D major scale. At this point the player returns to the bottom of the instrument and shifts to the treble strings to the right of the treble bridge to play the higher tetrachord: A – B – C{{Music|#}} – D. The player can continue up the scale on the right side of the treble bridge with E – F{{sharp}} – G – A – B, but the next note will be C, not C{{sharp}}, so he or she must switch to the left side of the treble bridge (and closer to the player) to continue the D major scale. See the drawing on the left above, in which "DO" would correspond to D (see [[Movable do solfège]]).

The shift from the bass bridge to the treble bridge is required because the bass bridge's fourth string G is the start of the lower tetrachord of the G scale. The player could go on up a couple notes (G – A – B), but the next note will be a flatted seventh (C natural in this case), because this note is drawn from the G tetrachord. This D major scale with a flatted seventh is the [[mixolydian mode]] in D.

The same thing happens as the player goes up the treble bridge – after getting to [[Movable do solfège|La]] (B in this case), one has to go to the left of the treble bridge. Moving from the left side of the bass bridge to the right side of the treble bridge is analogous to moving from the right side of the treble bridge to the left side of the treble bridge.

The whole pattern can be shifted up by three courses, so that instead of a D-major scale one would have a G-major scale, and so on. This transposes one [[equally tempered]] scale to another. Shifting down three courses transposes the D-major scale to A-major, but of course the first Do-Re-Mi would be shifted off the instrument.

This tuning results in most, but not all, notes of the [[chromatic scale]] being available. To fill in the gaps, many modern dulcimer builders include extra short bridges at the top and bottom of the soundboard, where extra strings are tuned to some or all of the missing pitches. Such instruments are often called "chromatic dulcimers" as opposed to the more traditional "diatonic dulcimers".

The tetrachord markers found on the bridges of most hammered dulcimers in the [[English-speaking world]] were introduced by the American player and maker [[Sam Rizzetta]] in the 1960s.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|last=Rizzetta|first=Sam|title=Luthier Spotlight Sam Rizzetta and Music, Dulcimer Sessions|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Smithsonian|publisher=Mel Bay}}</ref>

In the [[Alps]] there are also chromatic dulcimers with crossed strings, which are in a whole tone distance in every row. This chromatic ''Salzburger hackbrett'' was developed in the mid 1930s from the diatonic hammered dulcimer by Tobi Reizer and his son along with Franz Peyer and Heinrich Bandzauner. In the postwar period it was one of the instruments taught in state-sponsored music schools.<ref>Gifford, Paul M., ''The Hammered Dulcimer: A History'', Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press, 2001. Page 81.</ref>

Hammered dulcimers of non-European descent may have other tuning patterns, and builders of European-style dulcimers sometimes experiment with alternate tuning patterns.

==Hammers==
The instrument is referred to as "hammered" in reference to the small [[Percussion mallet|mallets]] (referred to as ''hammers'') that players use to strike the strings. Hammers are usually made of wood (most likely [[hardwood]]s such as maple, cherry, padauk, oak, walnut, or any other hardwood), but can also be made from any material, including metal and plastic. In the Western hemisphere, hammers are usually stiff, but in Asia, flexible hammers are often used. The head of the hammer can be left bare for a sharp [[attack (music)|attack]] sound, or can be covered with adhesive tape, leather, or fabric for a softer sound. Two-sided hammers are also available. The heads of two sided hammers are usually oval or round. Most of the time, one side is left as bare wood while the other side may be covered in leather or a softer material such as [[felt|piano felt]].{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Several traditional players have used hammers that differ substantially from those in common use today. [[Paul Van Arsdale]] (1920–2018), a player from upstate [[New York (state)|New York]], used flexible hammers made from [[hacksaw]] blades, with leather-covered wooden blocks attached to the ends (these were modeled after the hammers used by his grandfather, Jesse Martin). The Irish player [[John Rea (musician)|John Rea]] (1915–1983) used hammers made of thick steel wire, which he made himself from old bicycle [[spoke]]s wrapped with wool. [[Billy Bennington]] (1900–1986), a player from [[Norfolk, England]], used [[Caning (furniture)|cane]] hammers bound with wool.

The piano, like the dulcimer, uses a hammering action to strike the strings.[[File:Th. Steinweg Nachf. Braunschweig.jpg|thumb|A piano hammering action]]

== Variants and adaptations ==
[[File:Oprekelj - uglaševanje.jpg|thumb|Tuning of a hammered dulcimer (southeastern Slovenia)]]
Versions of the hammered dulcimer, each of which has its own distinct manner of construction and playing style, are used throughout the world:
[[File:Filippino Lippi, Carafa Chapel, Assumption 05.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Angel playing a dulcimer and pipe.<ref name=Grove>{{cite encyclopedia |editor-last= Sadie |editor-first=Stanley |entry= Trombone|encyclopedia= The New Grove Dictionary of Musical Instruments |year=1984 |volume= 3 |page= 631|quote= [caption on painting] Angels with trombone, dulcimer and pipe; detail from the fresco 'The Assumption of the Virgin' (late 15th century) by Filippino Lippi in the church of S. Maria sopra Minerva...Rome}}</ref> in a fresco at [[Santa Maria sopra Minerva]].]]

{{div col|colwidth=35em}}
* Afghanistan – [[santur]]
* Austria – [[:de:Hackbrett|Hackbrett]]
* Bangladesh – [[santoor]]
* Belarus – [[:be:цымбалы|tsymbaly/цымбал]]
* Belgium – hakkebord
* Brazil – [[saltério]]
* Cambodia – [[khim]]
* Canada – hammered dulcimer
* China – [[yangqin]] ([[wikt:扬琴|扬琴]], formerly [[wikt:洋琴|洋琴]])
* Croatian – cimbal, cimbale, cimbule
* Czech Republic – [[Cimbalom|cimbál]]
* Denmark – [[hakkebræt]]
* France – tympanon
* Germany – [[:de:Zymbal|Zymbal]], Hackbrett
* Greece – [[:el:Σαντούρι|Σαντούρι]]
* Hungary – [[cimbalom]]
* India – [[santoor]]
* Iran – [[santur]]
* Iraq – [[santur]]
* Ireland – [[tiompan]]
* Israel – [[דולצימר פטישים]]
* Italy – [[salterio]]
* Japan – darushimaa ([[wikt:ダルシマー|ダルシマー]])
* Korea – [[yanggeum]] ([[wikt:양금|양금]])
* Laos – [[khim]]
* Latgalia (Latvia) – cymbala
* Latvia – cimbole
* Lithuania – [[cimbalai]], [[cimbolai]]
* Mexico – [[salterio]]
* Mongolia – [[yoochin]] ([[wikt:ёочин|ёочин]] or [[wikt:ёчин|ёчин]])
* Netherlands – [[hakkebord]]
* Norway – [[hakkebrett]]
* Pakistan – [[santoor]]
* Poland – cymbały
* Portugal – [[saltério]]
* Romania – [[Cimbalom|ţambal]]
* Russia – [[wikt:цимбалы|цимбалы]], dultsimer ([[wikt:дульцимер|дульцимер]])
* Serbia – цимбал (tsimbal)
* Slovakia – [[Cimbalom|cimbal]]
* Slovenia – cimbale, oprekelj
* Spain (and Spanish-speaking countries) – [[salterio]], dulcémele
* Sweden – [[hackbräde]], [[hammarharpa]]
* Switzerland – Hackbrett
* Thailand – [[khim]]
* Turkey – [[santur]]
* Tibet - rgyud-mang or yangzi
(རྒྱུད་མང་, literally "many strings")
* Ukraine – [[tsymbaly]] ([[wikt:цимбали|цимбали]])
* United Kingdom – hammered dulcimer
* United States – hammered dulcimer
* Uzbekistan – chang
* Vietnam – [[đàn tam thập lục]] (lit. "36 strings")
* Yiddish – [[tsimbl]]
{{div col end}}

== See also ==
* [[List of hammered dulcimer players]]
* [[Santoor]] – India
* [[Santur#From around the world|Santur§Santurs from around the world]]
* [[Yangqin]] – China
* [[Santouri]] – Greece

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Gifford, Paul M. (2001), ''The Hammered Dulcimer: A History'', The Scarecrow Press, Inc. {{ISBN|0-8108-3943-1}}. A comprehensive history of the hammered dulcimer and its variants.
* Kettlewell, David (1976), ''The Dulcimer'', PhD thesis. History and playing traditions around the world; web-version at https://web.archive.org/web/20110717071302/http://www.new-renaissance.net/dulcimer.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Hammered dulcimers}}
*[http://nay-nava.blogfa.com/post-2.aspx Santur] on ''Nay-Nava'', the encyclopedia of Persian music instruments
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091227133639/http://www.tsimbl.com/ Pete Rushefsky, "Jewish Strings: An Introduction to the Klezmer Tsimbl" (Related to the Hammered Dulcimer)] (archive from 27 December 2009).
*[http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/hdhist.htm Smithsonian Institution booklet on hammered dulcimer history and playing]
*[http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/hdmake.htm Smithsonian Institution booklet on making a hammered dulcimer (by Sam Rizzetta)]
*[http://ludowe.instrumenty.edu.pl/en/instruments-/categories/category/319 Hammered dulcimers from polish collections (''Polish folk musical instruments'')]
*[http://www.eastangliandulcimers.org.uk East Anglian Dulcimers](ongoing historic research by John & Katie Howson about dulcimer players and makers from Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex, UK.)
{{Zithers}}
{{Polish musical instruments}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hammered Dulcimer}}
[[Category:Hammered box zithers]]
[[Category:Austrian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Early musical instruments]]
[[Category:English musical instruments]]
[[Category:German musical instruments]]
[[Category:Celtic musical instruments]]
[[Category:Hungarian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Polish musical instruments]]
[[Category:Romanian musical instruments]]
[[Category:Arabic musical instruments]]
[[Category:American musical instruments]]
[[Category:Welsh musical instruments]]
[[Category:Ukrainian musical instruments]]

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