Appalachian Dulcimer

The term "dulcimer" covers a plethora of instruments.   Maybe not as large a plethora as the word
"horn," but nevertheless, a plethora!   The only version this museum has is the one pictured here.
These instruments fall into two categories: hammered & strummed. There is also a variety of shapes.

Two aspects of this might appear strange to a guitarist (or to anyone who has
looked at a guitar much). Rather than being gradually spaced farther apart, the
frets seem to be irregularly spaced. And the strings are also spaced strangely.

A guitarist can play all the half steps in the neck's range, because of its frets'
regular spacing; therefore, major and minor (and other) scales in any key are
possible. On the other hand, the spacing of a dulcimer's frets makes the notes
fit a diatonic scale, that is do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do, but nothing in between.

The spacing of the strings on this 4-string dulcimer exists because the two strings
that are close together are both melody strings, tuned to the same pitch, so that
their combined sound is stronger (a.k.a. louder) than the accompaniment strings.

It seems most players hold the intrument on their laps, but others use a table.

The left hand holds a noter, with which the melody string—or strings— are pressed.

The right hand holds a pick, sometimes made from a feather, and sometimes the thumb is used.

~ FURTHER READING ~

The above text deals with the Appalachian dulcimer, a.k.a. mountain
dulcimer. The instruments pictured in the method books differ from
our museum piece in that they are made the very popular sideways
hourglass shape. Hammered dulcimers tend to be trapezoid-shaped.

(A display concerning the psaltery, relative of the hammered
dulcimer, appears elsewhere in the Mechanisms exhibit hall.)