Hi. I have just taken up the hammered dulcimer, the Anglo-American form, with diatonic G/C/D tuning. It seems like a Reasonable instrument. I’m enjoying it.
The Smithsonian Institution has a free book on the American history of the instrument, online, if anyone would like to read it.
The Hammered Dulcimer In America (PDF) by Nancy Groce, 1983.
Yup, and I think that Sam Rizzetta’s booklet he wrote for Smithsonian is out there somewhere too. Maybe Dan could get permission to add them here, or we could start a topic of links to materials available on line.
congrats on getting a cheese slicer…ah…I mean hammered dulcimer 
I can’t play it by reading music. I have to remember patterns to play it.
I built my first HD 5 years ago a small 12/11. Love it. I hope to build a larger instrument someday with an expanded bass range…Have fun… Bob.
Yeah, perhaps a more linear and chromatic form, like the German hackbrett or the so-called piano dulcimer would be better for someone interested in sight reading.
I’ve agreed to trade my present cheese slicer to Richard Ash for a new model, as this one is a Folkcraft from an era that’s not represented in his collection.
Here it is:
Hammer Dulcimer: History & Playing by Sam Rizzetta
Making A Hammer Dulcimer by Sam Rizzetta
Hi Walden,
You mentioned the word “linear” and “chromatic” almost at the same time and it caught my eye.
Down the road if you still find you have the need for more chromaticism in your life, I suggest check out instruments by James Jones of Bedford VA. http://www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/hammereddulcimer/hdpage.html
[Broken link fixed - Mod]
In addition to some very high quality diatonic H-Ds, James makes a “linear chromatic” dulcimer and calls it by the same name. His tuning scheme makes far more sense than similar chromatic dulcimers out there (hackbrett, santouri, “piano dulcimer”, etc.)- at least to those of us who play traditional fifth interval dulcimers like the one you have. Several well known pros play his instruments both in the traditional and chromatic formats. For that his prices are very reasonable in view of their quality.
I’ve only tried one such dulcimer myself and found it fairly easy to adapt to. The accidentals proved something of a liability in trad tunes I tried, as they hindered my ornamentation. But the instrument’s owner rattled off a couple classical pieces with minimal effort; one was a violin sonata by Bach, just the sort of music that would give me fits on my “normal” H-D. One imagines other genres of music that demand chromatic flexibility (Jazz, ragtime, East European trad) would work nicely on it at well.
Good luck with the new H-D in the meantime!
Best, CM
Dulcimer Players News is the definitive quarterly publication for hammered dulcimer players. Great CD with every issue, tons of good instruction and sheet music… Bob.
Thanks to the mod who fixed my broken link! 