-40%
Psaltery Gusli Kaunel Kankles Zither Citera Salterio Tympanon Psalterium 7 Strng
$ 121.44
- Description
- Size Guide
Description
BE BRAVE - MAKE AN OFFERThe title is a hodge-podge, from all over the world and from various centuries, of the names of similar instruments to this one.
Condensed from REVOLVI DOT COM :
A plucked string instrument belonging to the south east
Baltic Box Zither
family known as the
Baltic psaltery.
Gusli
in Russia,
Kantele
in Finland,
Kannel
in Estonia,
Kanklės
in Lithuania,
Kokles
in Latvia,
Zither
in Germany,
Citera
in Czechia,
Salterio
in Italy,
Psalterium
and
Tympanon
in France, Spain and Portugal, and so on... Furthermore, the
Kanumn
has been found in Arabic countries, and the
Autoharp, Duclimer (hammered, strumed or plucked) or Psaltery
in the United States. It is also related to such ancient instruments as Chinese
Gu zheng
which has a thousand-year history, and its Japanese relative
Koto
. A stringed musical instrument called
Guslim
is listed as one of the
Me
in ancient Sumer.
Tuning is a matter of choice and method of play.
Some tune C-D-E-F-G-A-B or G-A-B-C-D-E-F (like a diatonic scale)
Some tune
F-C-G-D-A-E-B
(like the C major scale)
Some tune 1, 2, ♭3, 4, 5, ♭6, ♭7 (natural minor scale)
Some tune D-C-D-E-F-G-A
There has always been cross-over between the various terms, and it is only in the last 100 years that scholars have tried to distinguish between them, proposing that a 'psaltery' is plucked while a 'dulcimer' is hit, and that both belong to a generic 'zither' family (distinct from specific instruments called 'zither' by their players); but this usage is an abstraction and has no basis in the traditional use of these names: there are plenty of illustrations where psalteries are hit and traditions where dulcimers are plucked, the point is rather that a distinct type evolved from about 1500 in which the strings were placed in different planes, presumably to make it easier to distinguish between then when they are hit with a hammer, but after that they were still plucked in many playing traditions.
Enjoy !
ON SHIPPING - you might see that I have shipping set at 21 pounds. It is the same price to ship this at 21 pounds as it is to ship it at ONE pound from me to you (this is because of "Dimensional Shipping" on packages of this size where the minimum USPS charge is for 21 pounds, no matter how light the package might be. Listing this way allows me to pack this where it will take a very determined postal worker to damage the unit.