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    Appalachian Dulcimer

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    Michael Cotten
    The Appalachian dulcimer originated in the early 19th century among Scottish and Irish immigrants in Appalachia. It is a fretted string instrument typically made of wood with a small, shallow body. It is played by strumming or plucking the strings over the fretboard resting on the player's lap. Though its exact origins are unknown, it filled the need for a simple instrument that settlers in Appalachia could construct by hand from local materials. In the 1960s, Jean Ritchie helped revive interest in the dulcimer through her folk music performances. While traditionally used for ballads and hymns, the dulcimer today is employed in various musical genres and

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    Appalachian Dulcimer

    Uploaded by

    Michael Cotten
    1K views16 pages
    The Appalachian dulcimer originated in the early 19th century among Scottish and Irish immigrants in Appalachia. It is a fretted string instrument typically made of wood with a small, shallow body. It is played by strumming or plucking the strings over the fretboard resting on the player's lap. Though its exact origins are unknown, it filled the need for a simple instrument that settlers in Appalachia could construct by hand from local materials. In the 1960s, Jean Ritchie helped revive interest in the dulcimer through her folk music performances. While traditionally used for ballads and hymns, the dulcimer today is employed in various musical genres and

    Original Description:

    This a power point presentation on the Appalachian Dulcimer, done for an Ethnomusicology class.

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    The Appalachian dulcimer originated in the early 19th century among Scottish and Irish immigrants in Appalachia. It is a fretted string instrument typically made of wood with a small, shallow body. It is played by strumming or plucking the strings over the fretboard resting on the player's lap. Though its exact origins are unknown, it filled the need for a simple instrument that settlers in Appalachia could construct by hand from local materials. In the 1960s, Jean Ritchie helped revive interest in the dulcimer through her folk music performances. While traditionally used for ballads and hymns, the dulcimer today is employed in various musical genres and

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    1K views16 pages

    Appalachian Dulcimer

    Uploaded by

    Michael Cotten
    The Appalachian dulcimer originated in the early 19th century among Scottish and Irish immigrants in Appalachia. It is a fretted string instrument typically made of wood with a small, shallow body. It is played by strumming or plucking the strings over the fretboard resting on the player's lap. Though its exact origins are unknown, it filled the need for a simple instrument that settlers in Appalachia could construct by hand from local materials. In the 1960s, Jean Ritchie helped revive interest in the dulcimer through her folk music performances. While traditionally used for ballads and hymns, the dulcimer today is employed in various musical genres and

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 16
    At a glance
    Powered by AI
    The key takeaways are that the Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument traditionally made of wood that is played by plucking or strumming the strings while held in the lap. Its sound is produced by air vibrating inside the body and can be changed by the size and depth of the body.

    The sound of an Appalachian dulcimer is produced by air vibrating inside the body of the instrument. The sound can be changed by the size and depth of the body - a deeper, larger body will produce a louder, lower sound while a more shallow, smaller body will produce a quieter, higher sound.

    Common parts of an Appalachian dulcimer include a wooden soundbox, strings of varying lengths (typically 25-30 inches), a fretboard/fingerboard made of wood where the strings are pressed to change pitch, and standard shapes include hourglass and teardrop designs.

    Appalachian

    Dulcimer

    Trevor Bowling
    Zach Buskill
    Michael Cotten
    Krystal Thomas

    Construction
    Usually made out of wood
    Sound is produced is by air vibrating inside the body of this
    instrument
    Sound is changed with size and depth of the body.
    Deep, Large = Louder, Lower
    Shallow, Small = Quiet, Higher

    Sound holes are considered ornamental and elaborate. Shape


    does not manipulate sound, however, length can make a note
    more responsive
    Enhance sound radiation in lower octave by air resonance
    Comparable to F holes on violins

    Fingerboard/Fretboard
    Long piece of wood that strings run down
    Pressing strings down causes changes in pitch
    Laid on lap and plucked like a guitar

    Usually arranged in a Diatonic Scale


    7 distinct pitches

    Standard Sized Dulcimers


    Strings 25-30 inches
    Soundbox 6-8 inches wide; 2 inches deep

    Shapes
    Hourglass
    Teardrop

    Many parts are comparable to main


    stream Western Classical string
    instruments

    Origins

    First Appearance
    The Appalachian dulcimer first appeared in the
    early 19th century among Scotch-Irish immigrant
    in Appalachia. There has never been a version of
    the dulcimer found in Ireland or Scotland so
    many factors of its origin are speculated.

    Several diatonic fretted zithers exist in


    Continental Europe that have a strong similarity
    to the dulcimer.

    Charles Maxson, an Appalachian instrument


    maker, speculated that settlers were unable
    to make the more complex violin because of
    lack of tools and time. This in turn helped
    lead to the building of the dulcimer, which
    has less dramatic curves and design.

    Factors that help this theory is that the


    Dulcimer is tuned in a 5th, just like the
    Violin.
    The design of traditional Dulcimers varies
    from very simple to the more complex
    design that resembles a violin

    Extra-musical Associations
    Typically, the dulcimer is associated with
    smaller, social ensemble settings (i.e.
    string bands, "jam sessions")

    The Dulcimer is too quiet to be an


    instrument that can be heard over a band
    in a performance setting, such as a dance.

    Revival
    Jean Ritchie's utilization of the dulcimer in the
    1960s helped "revitalize" the popularity of the
    instrument.
    A common misconception encompassing the
    instrument is that mountain people simply use
    it for tragic Scottish and English ballads.While
    the instrument is used to reminisce on British
    balladry and hymnody, it is used in many
    other musical contexts.

    The instrument has its own set of repertoire (Hal


    Leonard even has a method book devoted to it).
    Some of the traditional repertoire includes:
    dance tunes
    party songs
    show tunes
    Gospel
    Blues
    Commercial hillbilly music (common in 20th
    century).
    With the rise of popularity in folk music and string
    bands (such as artists like Mumford and Sons),
    the instrument possesses roles in modern
    ensembles.

    Some stories exist from the earlier 20th century that


    pertain to how couples would use it to get alone
    time.

    Apparently, younger couples would usually have to


    stay under adult supervision when together.
    However, if the chaperone heard the dulcimer being
    played, the couple could achieve alone time (the
    chaperone would assume nothing was happening
    since the instrument was being played).

    In 2001, the instrument was designated as


    the official musical instrument of
    Kentucky.

    List of Sources

    historythrougharts.org
    statesymbolusa.org
    Grove Music Online
    Ritchie, Jean. The Dulcimer Book. Music Sales America, 1992.
    Bailey, John. Making an Appalachian Dulcimer. English Folk Dance & Song Society, 1966
    http://www.knoxnews.com/news/local-news/dulcimer-makers-goal-a-clear-ringing-voice
    http://songofthewood.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/product_full/IMG_6528.JPG
    http://www.cabincreekmusic.com/MountainDulcimers.html
    http://www.songofthewood.com/product/mountain-dulcimer/walnut-creekhummingbird-mountain-dulcimer
    http://dulcimerlessonvideos.com/
    http://www.art-robb.co.uk/dulc.html
    http://myorch.org/Violin
    http://fineartamerica.com/featured/goffriller-violin-f-hole-corner-sam-hymas.html
    http://fogsmoviereviews.com/2011/10/02/movies-that-everyone-should-see-2001-aspace-odyssey/

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