Dulcimers

The dulcimer – also known as the Appalachian dulcimer, "mountain dulcimer", "lap dulcimer", "fretted dulcimer", or "hog fiddle" – originates, as the name implies, in the Scottish-Irish immigrant communities of the Appalachian region of the United States. The instrument is usually played on the musician's lap, with one hand strumming the strings and the other fretting the chords or notes on the long fretboard. To increase the volume of the dulcimer, it can be played on a wooden table. Remarkably easy to play, the dulcimer produces a melodic, old-timey sound. They come in a wide variety of variations, with the number of st