hammer dulcimer
Struck string instrument
A hammer dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument played by striking the strings with small wooden hammers.
The strings stretch across a trapezoidal soundboard, and the player hits them to produce bright, ringing tones.
Unlike the Appalachian dulcimer, which is plucked or strummed, the hammer dulcimer belongs to the same struck-string family as the piano.
Having one parallel pair
- soundboardTone-amplifying wooden surface
- bridgesStructures spanning obstacles
- tuning pegsString tension adjusters
- dampersThings that restrain intensity
frame · wooden · soundholes · walnut · spruce · cherry · maple · rosewood
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- ringingSustained resonant sound
- overtonesImplicit secondary meanings
- sustainKeep something going continuously
chiming · bell-like · ethereal · shimmering · bright · warm · metallic · sympathetic
Academic subjects or meal stages
- steelCarbon-hardened iron alloy
- bronzeCopper-tin alloy
- woundCoiled, or an injury
- tuningAdjusting pitch accuracy
tension · gauge · unison · diatonic · chromatic · restringing · breaking · stretching
Eastern U.S. mountain region
- old-timeOf a past era
- CelticOf Irish-Welsh descent
- bluegrassAcoustic Appalachian folk music
- contra danceFolk dance in lines
square dance · fiddle tunes · reels · jigs · ballads · traditional · mountain music · Americana
Headed striking tools
- strikingNoticeably impressive
- dampingDissipation of vibrational energy
- tappingRepeated light striking
- fingerpickingPlucking strings by hand
drone · arpeggios · rolls · tremolos · glissando · two-handed · crossing · chording
Plucked medieval string instrument
- zitherFlat stringed instrument, played horizontally
- pianoforteKeyboard with hammered strings
- harpsichordPlucked-string keyboard instrument
- chordophoneInstrument sounding via tensioned filaments
trapezoidal
Having one parallel pair
- soundboardTone-amplifying wooden surface
- bridgesStructures spanning obstacles
- tuning pegsString tension adjusters
dampers · frame · wooden · soundholes · walnut · spruce · cherry · maple · rosewood · hardwood
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- ringingSustained resonant sound
- overtonesImplicit secondary meanings
sustain · chiming · bell-like · ethereal · shimmering · bright · warm · metallic · sympathetic · reverberant
courses
Academic subjects or meal stages
tuning · tension · gauge · unison · diatonic · chromatic · restringing · breaking · stretching
Appalachian
Eastern U.S. mountain region
contra dance · square dance · fiddle tunes · reels · jigs · ballads · traditional · mountain music · Americana · hoedown
mallets
Headed striking tools
fingerpicking · drone · arpeggios · rolls · tremolos · glissando · two-handed · crossing · chording · vamping
psaltery
Plucked medieval string instrument
- zitherFlat stringed instrument, played horizontally
- pianoforteKeyboard with hammered strings
- harpsichordPlucked-string keyboard instrument
hammer dulcimerviolin
Bowed string instrument
cello · hurdy-gurdy · erhu · harp · lute
hammer dulcimertrumpet
Valved brass wind instrument
flute · clarinet · synthesizer · bagpipes · accordion