Everyone loves music. Music is essential to the human spirit. There is not a group of people anywhere on Earth  that does not make some form of music, whether with instruments, drums, sticks, singing, or even just clapping their hands or stomping their feet. The steady rhythm of our hearts naturally instills in all of us a fondness for and a desire to create music.

 

Most people I know say they wish they could make music themselves, but feel they lack talent or skill, don't have the dexterity required for guitar, can't afford or don't have room for a piano, or are just plain tone deaf!

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What if there was an affordable, portable, stringed instrument that anyone could play, that's easy to learn, doesn't require complicated fingering positions for chords, and will not let you play a sour note?                                                                                                                                          

What if that instrument could be found on hundreds of contemporary recordings, from Kathy Mattea to Joni Mitchell to John Mellencamp to Aerosmith? From country to contemporary christian to soft rock to rock and even hard rock ? You have probably heard it played and not even realized it.

 

Some hi-tech electronic wonder, no doubt. Well, what if I told you that instrument was over 100 years old?

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That instrument is the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer.

Not to be confused with the larger Hammered Dulcimer (which is played with hammers like a string xylophone) the Mountain Dulcimer, sometimes called a Lap Dulcimer, is a simple three or four stringed instrument with a sound somewhere between a guitar and an autoharp.

 

The dulcimer sits on your lap while you strum the strings with a guitar pick (traditionally this was a goose quill!) and play the notes by sliding a noting stick along the melody strings.

 

No need to pick individual strings, no difficult figuring positions.

 

Every note played is a beautiful chord.

 

While probably derived from European folk instruments like the German Scheitholt, the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer is, like the banjo, an American original.

 

Built and played in the hills of the Appalachian Mountains, these simple folk instruments have a charm and beauty all their own.

 

Coming in many shapes and sizes, the traditional shape is the hourglass figure, approximately three feet long with a simple curved head often called a pixie shoe, because its shape reminds us of the curled up toe on the shoe of a pixie or elf. Traditional sound holes are in the shape of hearts, two at the top and two at the bottom of the soundboard.

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The great appeal for the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer lies in its simplicity of construction and playability. The Mountain Dulcimer is without a doubt the easiest stringed instrument to learn and play.

 

Contemporary players do make chords using their fingers and all strings, but the traditional method of playing entails playing the melody on the first string only, the other strings simply being drones. The drones play the same chord throughout the song, much like the drones on a bagpipe. This is what gives the dulcimer its unique sound. This range of possible playing styles makes it the ideal instrument for the beginner and accomplished musician alike.

 

Within minutes, a novice can be making beautiful chords just by gently strumming the strings while sliding the noting stick up and down the fretboard. Since the fretboard is set up as a simple diatonic scale (you know, the old do, re, me, fa, so, la, te, do), without all the half-steps (sharps and flats ) on a guitar, anywhere you place the noting stick on the fretboard makes a beautiful chord.

Once the instrument is tuned, you simply can't play a sour note!

 

Later, once you've mastered the basics, learn more intricate chords, strums, and even finger picking styles to play songs as beautiful as any that can be played on guitar.