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Post by Dick Glasgow on Jan 13, 2009 1:27:06 GMT 1
Hello Sautreour & welcome to the Dulcimer Player's Forum.
We are all delighted that you are now a member and we look forward to your contributions to the discussions here.
Please tell us a little bit about yourself, your music & your Dulcimers.
Then, why not hop over to our Where are you? poll and click on your own area!
Cheers
'Ptarmigan'
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Sautreour
Dulci-Psaltery (0 - 10 Posts)
Posts: 2
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Post by Sautreour on Jan 13, 2009 10:16:08 GMT 1
Many thanks. I found this site while trying to find more about the chromatic dulcimer - "psalterion" on the CD sleeve - played in L'Arpeggiata. I hope to learn more here. I began playing maybe 15 years ago as a part of presenting Victorian history workshops in schools - a fellow English bagpiper had one and sold it to me. It's 1902, so a bit too new, but the style is right. "That one's G. You're a musician, work the rest out for yourself," he said. So I did. I was also given the advice not to cross the sticks over... other than that I probably have a very un-official technique! Then I got to enjoy the sound, and later bought a new one, because while I love the pub-piano quality of my Frederick Barley original, it doesn't like staying in tune, and I wanted to play alongside my wife's celtic harp. I hardly ever meet other dulcimer players, but those I do find my instruments confusing: Fred. Barley came to me re-conditioned, and while the treble bridge gives the usual fifths, the right hand side has the strings a 6th down, & that's how I've got used to it, so my new one is made the same. Just recently I've begun playing the new one increasingly alongside the harp, and I'd like to learn more. I'd also like to learn more about their use in history, so I'll probably ask questions you've all turned over dozens of times  Best wishes, Richard. |
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Post by Nikita on Jan 13, 2009 15:11:05 GMT 1
Welcome to this site !
Actually the "psalterion" used in the Arpeggiata cds is the "Salzburger chromatischer hackbrett". It's the type of hackbrett taught in Germany, in the conservatorium. it has no middle bridges : the strings sound their whole length, and it's tuned in full-tone scales on either side (starting with A "C" on one side, and a C#" on the other), which gives the chromatic scale, but a lesser range than the instrument with bridges dividing the strings in 2 notes. It's a bit strange to see it used with ancient and baroque music, since it was conceived in the 1930ties. Maybe the advantage is that you can temperate it to the temperament of the time...
hope that helps !
cheers
ps : if you want historical tips about the instrument, read Paul Gifford's marvelous book : "The hammered Dulcimer, a History" : it's the best documented book that is today on the instrument - and all the instrument of the HD tribe !
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