Instruments from North America

Appalachian Dulcimer

What is the official state instrument of Kentucky? One might guess the banjo for its indelible connection to bluegrass music. In fact, it is actually the Appalachian dulcimer, whose ringing, rhythmic pulse is one of the more distinctive sounds of American folk music. Unlike its namesake the hammered dulcimer (which resembles the inside of a piano squeezed into the shape of a trapezoid), the Appalachian dulcimer is a three- to five-stringed instrument played by strumming. Because of its soft volume, the instrument is usually played solo or accompanied by voice, though modern versions with pick-ups can amplify the instrument for performance in an ensemble.

The sound of the lap, or mountain, dulcimer, as it is also known, somewhat resembles a bagpipe, because of the drone strings on the instrument. With these strings ringing along side a fleet melody, the dulcimer creates a chorus of soft and subtle vibrations. Renewed interest in the 1960s helped the Appalachian dulcimer become a standard instrument in the American folk repertoire. For music educators, it is the perfect stepping stone from autoharp to more complicated strummed instruments such as guitar, mandolin, or banjo.

History

For many years, the origin of the Appalachian dulcimer lay hidden in the hollows of the instrument’s mountain home. Without a written record to verify its history, most people assumed the instrument was either a true American original or it came to the United States via the English settlers whose culture dominated much of the region.

As more people took an interest in the instrument, researchers discovered dulcimers in several areas: Kentucky, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Virginia. Those from Kentucky, West Virginia, and North Carolina generally have an hourglass shape with heart-shaped sound holes while those from Virginia are shaped like a teardrop. The other distinction lies in the “strum hollow,” a sunken notch below the strum area that is not found in the Virginia type.

These variations suggest a common ancestor. Musicologists have come to realize that the scheitholt fits the description. Common to Germany, the scheitholt arrived in the United States in the first half of the 1700s when German settlers moved to the Virginia mountains. Many of these settlers made their way to eastern Pennsylvania, a region today known by some as “Pennsylvania Dutch (Deutsch) Country.” Like the Appalachian dulcimer, the scheitholt is tuned diatonically, a dead giveaway of the shared heritage, since this design feature is rare in stringed instruments. In fact, the fret pattern of most scheitholten is identical to today’s dulcimers.

Playing Technique

As one of its names suggests, the lap dulcimer rests on top of a seated player’s thighs. Generally, the left hand is used for “fretting,” or stopping the strings at different intervals along the raised fret board to produce different pitches. To produce the melody, a player presses down on the highest string which lies closest to the stomach. Styles vary from player to player, but the thumb and the first two or three fingers are used to fret the first string. The fret board of the dulcimer is raised, so that pressing the strings is comparatively easy compared with the guitar or other stringed instruments.

Generally, the remaining strings are allowed to ring and produce the distinctive drone sound. Experienced players may press the other strings to create harmony or full chords. With a pick held between the thumb and index finger, the right hand strums across all the strings above the strum hollow in rhythm with the melody, occasionally adding extra strums in between longer melody notes. There is no correct strum direction, though most players strum away from their bodies on the beat.

Though different tunings exist, most Appalachian dulcimers are tuned either D-A-D or D-A-A, when looking down on the instrument from left to right. The melody string on many dulcimers is doubled to increase its volume. Unlike nearly all other fretted stringed instruments, the frets of most dulcimers are arranged to produce a diatonic scale.

Repertoire

The repertoire of the Appalachian dulcimer is constantly growing and expanding to include new styles. To increase its versatility, many dulcimer makers have created chromatic dulcimers, thus giving them the ability to play in a new realm of styles, such as jazz, rock, and blues.

The classic repertoire of the instrument, though, revolves around the old folk and fiddle tunes of Appalachia, including songs such as “Old Joe Clark” and “Shady Grove.”

In the 1950s and 1960s, the Appalachian dulcimer underwent a revival coinciding with the American folk revival. Folk singers such as Jean Ritchie and Joni Mitchell learned to play the Appalachian dulcimer and performed with the instrument all over the world. Some traditional players begrudged these new folk musicians, but in fact these new musicians and their contemporaries have helped preserve the instrument and have helped to keep its style of music from dying out. In part because of their efforts and the efforts of other folk musicians, the instrument’s popularity has grown so that today it is found in every state and in many countries around the world.