Apple Using the GarageBand Jam Pack: World Music Instruments - Manual (Page 19)

19
Strings
Stringed instruments are common to all musical cultures, and both bowed and plucked
strings can be found in nearly every corner of the globe. Variations of the two types of
plucked instruments, the lute (with a neck projecting from the body that holds the
strings) and the zither (with a large trapezoidal body across which the strings are
stretched) likely came into being as different cultures traveled and intermingled.
Examples include the oud, the lute, and the bouzouki (all lute-like instruments), and the
guzheng, santoor, and hammered dulcimer (all zithers).
Celtic Hammered Dulcimer
The gentle sounds of the hammered dulcimer are familiar to fans of Celtic music and
the folk music of the British Isles. The name comes from a Latin phrase meaning “sweet
sound.” Its origin is uncertain, but it has been widely used as a folk instrument
throughout Europe for more than six centuries. Recent decades have seen a revival of
interest in both the building and playing of the instrument.
The hammered dulcimer consists of a trapezoidal sounding board made of wood, with
the strings stretched across bridges mounted on the top. The player strikes the strings
with hammers held in both hands. Hammered dulcimers exist in a variety of sizes,
which are distinguished by the number of strings that cross each bridge.