A plucked chordophone instrument called a psaltery. The Bowed Psaltery is a unique instrument with an ethereal sound. These are also tuned to the white notes in the key of D, as the Irish harp is. The number of … Some call it a zither or plucked psaltery but whatever you want to call it, it is widely popular and also widely copied. No fingerboards or frets are found on a psaltery. Other psalteries are usually plucked. Each Psaltery comes with extra wire, a tuning tool, a pick, a tuning chart and a "starter pack" of 11 songs which include: Additional music packs for the plucked psaltery are available in our online store as well! The first step was to apply finish to the interior and exterior of the body, except where the glue was to be applied.  Next, the rosette was glued back into the soundboard.  I used a small circle of parchment, about 1” in diameter larger than the rosette itself and with the center cut out at the same dimension as the inner diameter of the rosette, to mount the rosette back into the soundboard.  Once the rosette was mounted, I applied finish to the inside of the soundboard, except where glue would be placed.  Next, the soundboard was glued to the body.  Once the glue had dried, finish was applied to the outer surface of the soundboard. [C# C Am F Em A Dm G D E C#m] Chords for Lap Harp/Plucked Psaltery - Famous Blue Raincoat (Leonard Cohen) with capo transposer, play along with guitar, piano, ukulele & mandolin. There are markers embedded in the instrument for the Cs and for the Gs to help you find your way. Body of the instrument made of cherry, soundboard made of spruce, metal tuning pins, and nylgut strings (a synthetic simulator for natural gut strings). The lap harp is a very easy to play instrument also known as a plucked psaltery. During the Crusades, it was brought to Europe, where it became quite popular. Over the years we've expanded into bowed psalteries, mountain and hammered dulcimers and … Each psaltery comes with a tuning wrench, rosin, horse hair bow, removable note markings and booklet. It arrived in postage yesterday. Change ). The EMS plucked psaltery is a well made inexpensive instrument with a typical 'pigsnout' shape. This is important simply because if the instrument is not in tune with Read more about Strummer Psaltery[…] It was now time to assemble the pieces.  I used hide glue for the assembly as this is what would have been used in period.  The finish I have used is Tried and True Varnish Oil.  This is a combination of varnish and linseed oil that closely approximates the finishes used in period. Drill the 15 tuning pin holes vertically to a depth of 1-1/4 inch, using the 3/16” bit provided. Tuning 2. They are enjoyable to build and can be finished, as the name implies, in a weekend or two. This video shows how easy it is to play but also expands on playing techniques by… Call for availability. Strumming patterns 1. 1. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. It is an acoustic, handcrafted folk instrument which can be enjoyed by young students and senior citizens as well as everyone in between. Also known as a lap harp or zither, this trapezoidal shaped musical instrument provides its player with immediate rewards by producing a heavenly sound. Bowed Psaltery: Box zither; A 20th Century (probably) adaptation of the psaltery in a triangular shape allowing for bowing on alternate sides. Now, where the two lines meet at the tip is the first note. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The Tuning process 1. Simply follow the upward and downward lines and pluck the strings which lay directly over the notes below. This modern version is fully chromatic, and set up like a piano so it is easy to understand. £225.00 | / 3. 22 Saiten (3 complete octaves in diatonic tuning) Suggested tuning: C major, starting with G3 ("little g"), so that the top becomes G6 (or g'''). A fully dimensioned life-size drawing with templates and a set of photographs illustrate each stage.. Played either by resting on the lap or leaning against the chest and plucked either with fingers or with a quill. A plucked chordophone instrument called a psaltery.  Body of the instrument made of cherry, soundboard made of spruce, metal tuning pins, and nylgut strings (a synthetic simulator for natural gut strings).  The instrument will have fifteen strings. The instrument is tuned with zither pins and a tuning wrench. Our psalteries are built with staggered pin spacing and three different string gauges, giving each string a clear, clean sound. I drilled a series of holes along the top of the instrument, approximately ½” apart, for the tuning pins.  This allowed for a total of 15 strings.  I then drilled another series of fifteen holes, approximately 1” apart, in the face of the diagonal side for the hitch pins.  I used two pieces of walnut for the bridges.  I filed small grooves in the bridges to provide a place for the strings to seat themselves when under tension.  Finally, I added the strings to the instrument.  Once the instrument was roughly tuned, I trimmed off the excess string from the tuning pins, and then gave the instrument a final tuning. The EMS plucked psaltery … I had originally attempted to create a body for the psaltery out of the lathes of walnut that I had left over from a previous project, but I was not satisfied with the construction, so I decided to create the body by hollowing out a solid piece of wood.  I chose to use a piece of 2” thick piece of cherry.  Fruitwoods have always been a wood of choice for carving, turning, and other types of woodworking due to their dimensional stability and their generally tight grain patterns. It is an acoustic, handcrafted folk instrument which can be enjoyed by young students and senior citizens as well as everyone in between.  A small pilot hole was drilled in the center of each piece to be removed.  The blade of the frame saw was then threaded through the pilot hole and the piece was sawn free.  Once all the openings were cut out, I took some small jeweler’s files to clean up the sawn edges. $800. Oak Plucked Psaltery | Song of the Wood. Repeat this for the left side of the psaltery. Glue It Together and Level It Off. The sound created is hauntingly beautiful and indeed an instrument anyone can play. It arrived in postage yesterday. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The instrument will have fifteen strings. The Kantele even was perfectly in tune when I opened the box. Psalteries Psalteries are plucked stringed instruments made in many shapes, sizes and tunings. ". Tuning is same as the Ultimate. Olivia playing the Zither The instrument is also called a lap harp, cymbala, yerbonitsa, or plucked psaltery. Other psalteries are usually plucked. The shape of the instrument varies widely, from simple rectangles and triangles, to trapezoids, to the very popular “hog nose” variety. You are talented workers. Bowed Psaltery: Box zither; A 20th Century (probably) adaptation of the psaltery in a triangular shape allowing for bowing on alternate sides. 13th Century Plucked Psaltery. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. You can make the same Plucked Psaltery from scratch, following detailed step-by-step instructions through the construction process in a clear and concise manner. Generally, all psaltery strings are stretched laterally over a sounding board and play only one note per string. Look under "Books and Instructional Material. EMS Plucked Psaltery with Padded Case Early Music Shop. The mindset is in place that all psalteries must be in the triangle shape. This same design can also be tuned to D4 to D6 in yellow Brass wire to give a very different sound with a right jangly sound with rich harmonics. ( Log Out /  Connect these dots, making sure that the line is parallel to the side of the psaltery. History and Use. This video shows how easy it is to play but also expands on playing techniques by adding harmony and flourishes and re-tuning possibilties. The strings on the right side are the white keys on the piano, and the strings on the left side are the black Jan 10, 2014 - How to Tune a Lap Harp. The most critical thing to stay on top of is the tuning process. I happened to have a piece of instrument grade sitka spruce left over from a previous instrument project, and it was the perfect size for the soundboard.  One of the most prominent features of the soundboard is the rosette.  Sound holes and rosettes were constructed in several different ways.  It could be something as simple as a hole cut in the soundboard, an opening created by an intricate design of small cut or carved “piercings”, or an multi-layer construction of intricately cut parchment and carved or pierced wood.  I have chosen to do a pierced rosette.  The openings in the rosette are typically in a geometric pattern.  I worked on several different designs for the rosette. Psaltery: Without question, the Waynie Psaltery line of Compact models represents the most innovative change in the unique instrument since its inception. The instrument is held with the “point” downward or to the side.  Care must be taken to prevent the back of the instrument from touching the player’s body, as this will deaden the sound.  The strings are plucked with either the fingers, or with a plectrum.  Plectrums can be any thin, rigid item such as a quill feather, or a thin rod of wood or metal with one end flattened. ( Log Out /  Each tune has a music sheet accompanied by a link to a basic audio clip so that you can follow along. Discontinued 2018 Produced from 1994 to 2018 2018 Pricing: Kit – $125 Finished – $199 Kit Assembly Instructions Set of Strings Range C4 to C6 Solid hardwood frame Laminated birch ply top and back 28″ tall, 10″ deep Weight: 2.5 pounds Hognose Accessories (gig bag, songsheets, strings, etc) still available here. The EMS plucked psaltery is a well made inexpensive instrument with a typical 'pigsnout' shape. Also known as a lap harp or zither, this trapezoidal shaped musical instrument provides its … All other models still available. I then began cutting out the openings in the rosette. Included with your psaltery are a 17" long maple horsehair bow, a tuning wrench, rosin, extra strings, and an Owner's Manual. Measure in exactly 1/4″ from the right edge of the psaltery at several points along the length of the instrument. This allows the instrument to have many playing combinations. The Oak plucked psaltery is similar to the Birch plucked psaltery (our economy model), except for the laminated Oak top. Bessaraboff, Nicholas.  Ancient European Musical Instruments.  Boston, MA:  Harvard University Press for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, 1941, The Oxford Cantigas de Santa Maria Database – http://csm.mml.ox.ac.uk/?p=intro. The 'Weekender' Psaltery kit builds into a soprano bowed psaltery, wire strung, with a fully chromatic range of 2 octaves f' - f'''. It is of good quality, the one I bought. How to Tune a TK O'Brien's Lap Harp Keep your TK O'Brien Lap Harp sounding it's best by tuning it correctly. There are numerous medieval … Continue reading Hognose Psaltery Put masking tape on the drill bit to mark the proper depth (1-1/4”), and hold your drill as steadily as you can, so all 15 holes are clean and straight. This instrument has a range of 2 full octaves in the key of G.  It can be purchased with or without a case. Description. It's also a favorite of experienced music students and musicians. We offer with each Hammered Psaltery a pair of lightweight hammers, gooseneck tuning wrench, pick, a 4" peg that attaches to the back for angled positioning, and a set of 12 song sheets, including: Amazing Grace, Shenandoah, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, Morning Has Broken, Sound of Silence, What Child is This, Oh Susanna, Michael Row the Boat Ashore, Wildwood Flower, Auld Lang Syne, You are … The basic form of a psaltery is a hollow box covered with a soundboard.  The soundboard typically has one or more sound holes or carved rosettes to allow for sound to resonate from the chamber, and can have other ornamentation such as inlay work.  The strings are stretched parallel to the soundboard, as mentioned above.  The tuning pins are typically mounted in one end of the instrument, parallel with the strings.  There is a bar on the face of the soundboard to raise the strings above it.  Hitch pins are mounted at the opposite end, and again a bar is placed to raise the strings above the soundboard. You simply slip the sheet music under the strings of the zither, pluck the strings in the order shown on the sheet music, and enjoy immediate success playing music! I cut the cherry to the same size and shape as my soundboard, and then started the process of hollowing out.  This process involves drilling out a series of holes almost completely through the piece, throughout the entire area to be hollowed out.  Then a mallet and chisel are used to remove the rest of the wood. They’re so easy to play from your very first try! This simple teaching method designed for a 15 string, two octave lap harp or plucked psaltery will allow you to learn the basic melodies and chords to ten popular folk tunes that I have arranged. Regular Ultimate is $500. Svein Gustav Hoff on Wing-shaped psaltery for children Thank you for instrument. With Fluorocarbon strings you get a tuning in G4 to G6 with a harp like quality to the sound with easy playability with fingertips or nails. The final step in the assembly process was drilling out the holes for the tuning pins and hitch pins, and then stringing the instrument.  There is some evidence for the use of metal pins in period psalteries, so I obtained a set of modern metal pins specifically for use in psalteries and zithers (a similar stringed instrument).  For strings I have used a product called nylgut.  This is a modern nylon string that approximates the properties of gut strings, but is much more durable and impervious to weather conditions. Home. Plucked instruments have been around for many centuries, going back to harps and lyres of the Sumerians, Egyptians, and Greeks.   A psaltery is an instrument referred to as a plucked chordophone.  Plucked chordophones are broken down into two main categories – those with a neck and those without a neck.  Each of these categories is then further broken down into two subsets – those with strings parallel to the soundboard (such as the psaltery I am constructing) and those with strings perpendicular to the soundboard, such as harps.  This particular form of instrument first appeared in Europe around the 11th Century, and was based on the qanun, an Islamic instrument.

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