I don't think it's a citera (Hungarian). Citeras always have a horse motif, especially old one's like this. I think it's Austrian. There are plenty of Austrian Alpine zithers (as opposed to concert) which have similar stepped drones.
Thanks for sharing! Sounds fantastic.
I’m very interested in early music. I know this sounds silly, but I feel somehow “wrong” playing it on my mountain dulcimer. I feel a bit of the “purist” vibe that I just should stick to noter and drone. I only ever play chords in my larger dulcimer group when absolutely forced upon me! They’re very accommodating otherwise and let me miter away while they struggle with complicated fingering, god bless them 😉
I know music and instruments are organic and ever evolving, and I needn’t put them in specific boxes. That being said, I’ll prob buy the psaltry from hobgoblin within the month!
I do understand the purist mentality though my experience and research have taught me that the "folk" never paid much attention to the view that there is a right and a wrong way to play. A lot of folks in the past did a lot of experimenting and ended up playing whatever they felt sounded best, although there were certainly strong traditions in style which only changed when someone well respected contradicted them.
I play Gaudete in D-A-D with a capo on the 4th fret, but you can get the melody with no problem by playing across the strings with a capo on the 1rst fret. The easiest way to play it in noter/drone is to tune C-G-D (D in the bass), but this requires that your dulcimer has a 1 1/2 fret (so now you've had to break tradition again). But you might want to try it as it sounds really nice. You can use a straightened out paper clip for the extra fret if you don't have one. Back in the stone age, before I had 6 1/2 and 1 1/2 frets I used to use a paper clip which I attached with rubber cement so I could come off easily.
In the scientific discipline of organology, the study of musical instruements, the dulcimer is by definition a "plucked box zither" and therefore, by definition, if the fretboard extends beyond the body of the instrument, it can no longer be considered a dulcimer and would therefore be a lute. That being said, in layman's parlance, many instruments which do not fit the organological definition are considered by many to still be dulcimers. Historically some dulcimers were played with a bow rather than plucked, although Ken Bloom's "bowed dulcimers" resemble a gamba more than a traditional dulcimer. Builders like Gary Gallier extend the fret board past the body which gives the instrument a more guitar like sound, but it plays exactly like a traditional dulcimer. Chromatic fretboards are way older than some folks seem to think, and do not affect whether the instrument is considered a dulcimer from an organological standpoint. Personally I think a picking stick goes too far and really can't be considered a dulcimer at all. The "dulcijo" or "banjamer" is a hybrid and also really must be considered a separate instrument since the resonating surface is no longer dependent on being a "box", but is now a membrane instrument like a banjo, rummelpot or a drum.
It's important to remember that any dulcimer sounds very different from a guitar, so the comparison of a chromatic dulcimer with a 3 string guitar is completely spurious. In my opinion, a dulcimer is far more versatile than a guitar in terms of varying tonal qualities. I've played both instruments for well over 60 years, and I can do far more with a chromatic dulcimer than with a guitar. On the other hand, the dulcimer is easier for a beginner to pick up than a guitar is.
Another important point is that many of the dulcimer like instruments from Europe are also chromatic and date from at least as early as the 15th century, so the precedent for a chromatic dulcimer is far older than any diatonic American instrument.
English Country Dance Tunes for Dulcimer, volume 1
If I get a Chromatic Dulcimer can I play it the same as a diatonic by just ignoring the extra frets?"
I am very pleased to report that I won the 2016 National Dulcimer Competition at Winfield. Second place went to Cassandra Damper and third went to Wendy Songe.
http://markgilston.com/
Thanks all,
Here are videos of the four tunes I played in the competition.
Mark Gilston
http://markgilston.com/
Drive the Cold Winter Away is in my book of English Country Dance Tunes for Dulcimer, Vol 1
Here I am playing it so you can hear the arrangement:
