Bowed Psaltery.

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:11 am

anniemcu wrote:I know the guy that makes them - this is a good little instrument, great sounding and made well.

I'm sure you're absolutely right about that, though I've already ordered one by a different maker. I'll probably not comment on it till after I've gotten it.

I'd never seen one of these, before: it's a bass bowed psaltery:

I was writing an article for Wikipedia on the subject of bowed psalteries when I decided I needed to replace my old splintered one, hence this thread.

missy · Post by **missy** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 7:18 am

ohhh- Walden, that bass looks interesting. You know me and my bass dulcimers, that may be something I need to look into!!!

anniemcu · Post by **anniemcu** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 10:17 am

Walden wrote:
anniemcu wrote:I know the guy that makes them - this is a good little instrument, great sounding and made well.
I'm sure you're absolutely right about that, though I've already ordered one by a different maker. I'll probably not comment on it till after I've gotten it.

I'd never seen one of these, before: it's a bass bowed psaltery:

I was writing an article for Wikipedia on the subject of bowed psalteries when I decided I needed to replace my old splintered one, hence this thread.

Oh my ... a Bass Psaltery ... ooooh ... I want one~... (whine)

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:05 pm

That's a neat looking Psaltery. I went to an Autoharp workshop a few months ago and the woman teaching the workshop was Karla Armstrong. After the workshop, she gave a concert and she has a Huge!!! Bowed Psaltery that has thee most awesome sound I have ever heard. It is made in California http://omegastrings.com/bp.htm "Byll" has one of the smaller ones. They are probably the very best Bowed Psaltery on the market, but, they cost a mint too!

Cheers,
Kathy

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 6:19 pm

Here's a bass bowed psaltery (in another design) being played:

I'd like to clarify that I'm not getting a bass psaltery, myself... I was barely able to afford a small one.

chattiekathy · Post by **chattiekathy** » Tue Oct 04, 2005 9:24 pm

Walden, that's a neat picture! I have never seen anyone play one from behind before! The one that is laying face up, would be the same as the people that play one on their lap, But I always thought that the larger ones were played facing the front of the Psaltery.

When Karla played hers, it was like watching her bows dancing because she alternated each note lifting the bow over the other one. I have been playing using 2 bows, but I play harmony notes simultaneously and my bows are moving in towards each other an then out and away from each other.

Cheers,
Kathy

Walden · Post by **Walden** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 1:28 am

talimirr743 · Post by **talimirr743** » Wed Oct 19, 2005 11:33 am

Try this site.

http://www.craggymtnmusic.com/bowed_psaltery.html

Flyingcursor · Post by **Flyingcursor** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:37 am

I got to try Chattie Kathy's bowed psaltry. It was fun but I sounded like Missy's description.

missy · Post by **missy** » Tue Oct 25, 2005 5:41 am

Flyingcursor wrote:I got to try Chattie Kathy's bowed psaltry. It was fun but I sounded like Missy's description.

hmmm - remind me to stay away from you if you have a triangle shaped instrument in your hands!!!

NancyF · Post by **NancyF** » Sun Dec 04, 2005 7:04 am

Hi Walden, there is a guy that comes to Winfield named Greg Schneeman that makes psalteries i think, or at least teaches and has videos and stuff. If I can find an email for him I can tell him you need an inexpensive one.

Also as to what they sound like, I call them um, the screaming arrowhead lol.

Nancyf

PsalteryPsue · Post by **PsalteryPsue** » Fri Oct 06, 2006 10:06 pm

Chck out http://www.ringingstrings.com/ - you will find sound clips of the Bowed Psaltery being played by the man who won the Contest at the Down Home Psaltery Festival this summer.

Ptarmigan · Post by **Ptarmigan** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 2:50 am

'Congratulations',

You can also hear the Bowed Psaltery being played with other instruments, on a couple of tracks at MySpace - "Mysts of Loughareema" & "Argan Mor":

http://www.myspace.com/ulstermandragora

talasiga · Post by **talasiga** » Sun Oct 08, 2006 9:57 pm

Walden wrote:.....

...........

(OT post)

Why do women with long hair playing a harp
always make me sigh with pleasant wistfulness?

Am I a pre-Raphaelite anachronistically sexist twit?
I would really like to pigeon hole my identity one day .......

ceadach · Post by **ceadach** » Sat Oct 21, 2006 2:03 pm

Am I a pre-Raphaelite anachronistically sexist twit?
I would really like to pigeon hole my identity one day .......

Tala, I sincerely doubt you're a twit. You're not alone here, if we can believe history this has been a trigger for male attraction for ages. See the truly fanatical following of Loreena McKennitt for example.

Possibly it's neurological overdose, beautiful music, talented attractive women??? I play harp and in my researches I keep coming across stuff like, " my heart aches for the long haired maiden with the harp" etc. especially in continental Europe. Louis the 16th was reported enchanted with young Antoinette in no samll part due to her highly polished harping. If he only knew what would become of it...

Interestingly, you don't find these same romantic connotations in the old Irish/Scots/Welsh histories, except in stories of Mermaids luring (and then sometimes eating) unsuspecting vicitms of either gender, with their harping. Maybe it was the brass strings??? Gaelic folklore was not for the weak of heart.

For them the harp had a decidedly professional association, as the harpers where in league with the poets, who were held with a combination of respect and awesome fear. Where in mainland Europe the harp was viewed as angelic instrument, the Gaels believed the harp fully capable of otherworldly powers.