The word dulcimer originally referred to a trapezoidal
zither similar to a
psaltery whose many strings are struck by handheld "hammers".[1] Variants of this instrument are found in many cultures, including:
In the
Appalachian region of the U.S. in the nineteenth century, hammered dulcimers were rare. There, the word dulcimer, which was familiar from the
King James Version of the
Bible, was used to refer to a three or four stringed fretted instrument, generally played on the lap by strumming.
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