Is this a yangqin?

[wglmb]

Here's a video of me playing the instrument in question: uk.youtube.com/watch?v=qSdZ-dXmfQY
Hopefully you'll be able to see it clearly. Unfortunately I don't have access to a digital camera at the moment.

The thing is, it seems sort of like a yangqin, and sort of like a santur...

Yangqin-like:
-- Bamboo hammers
-- The person who sold it to me said it was a yangqin (though they were no expert)
-- It says on it that it's made in China
-- The tuning pegs are pointing up

Santur-like:
-- Lots of individual bridges (YQs have longs ones, I think)

So is it a yangqin, a santur, or something I've never heard of before?

Any help would be appreciated

[Nikita]

hi !
seen your video : your instrument doesn't look like a "usual" yang quin. your hammers do, though... it might be the thai version or the vietnamese one, but it's just a guess.... If you surf on this forum, you might find your instruments' origin.BTW, it's not a santur either..., at least it doens't look like one...
is it man-crafted - I mean not industrial-made? then it could be made from scrap... but it sounds nice !

[wglmb]

hmmm... not sure if it's factory-made or not. It says "Skylark Brand, Made in the People's Republic of China" on it, which sounds more like it's factory-made, I guess.
I've looked around the forum a bit at various photos & haven't yet seen an instrument the same

[Dick Glasgow]

Have you seen this one:

Chinese Dulcimer

It's on this site:

Pamela's Music

Not quite the same, I know, but if you change the bridges ................

[wglmb]

Yes, there are similarities... though still quite different!

However, I think I've found out what it is by a lot of Google-research...
It is a yangqin! This kind is harder to find a photo of because professionals don't tend to use them. I'm not sure which is the case but it's either a "basic" yangqin (for beginners etc) or a more old-fashioned yangqin (before they added more notes & decided to make the bridges more fixed in relation to each other).

So there we go... I'm fairly sure that's the answer!
Thanks for trying to help guys

[jenny4dulc]

Just seen that it's not a western dulcimer, so you need to think about how you want it tuned. A professional dulcimer maker might be able to give you more guidance - Martyn Banks of Oakwood Instruments in Leed is probably your best bet. Jenny

[jenny4dulc]

I've now had a look at your video. The English chessman bridge dulcimers were usually in East Anglia and there's a player in Suffolk called Reg Reeder who can do modifications and repairs. He set up a dulcimer of mine with chessman bridges for me and put it into E.Anglian tuning. You's have to go and see him though as he's quite elderly. He could be contacted via the East Anglian Trad Music Trust - email: [e-mail]
Jenny

[wglmb]

Thanks, I also got your PM you sent to Ptarmigan, & just replied to that If that guy can't help then I'll see if I can trek down to this one at some point.