The Haunting Sounds Of The Bowed Psaltery

The Haunting Sounds Of The Bowed Psaltery

by Leanne Goff

The bowed psaltery makes a unique sound described by many as ethereal. It has a triangular shape and strings run down both sides. Natural tones are made on the one side and sharps and flats on the other. This instrument may look complicated because it has so many strings, but only one string is bowed at a time. It is usually cradled in the arm and the bow is drawn over a string to play a note and then moved on to another string to play another note.

Psalteries date back to medieval times and the earliest ones consisted of simple wooden boards and strings. Later versions consisted of a hollow box with a sound hole and metal strings. Strings were either plucked or struck and it was only some time later that bows began to be used.

The makers of these instruments today take great pride in their craft. They are always attempting to produce ones that not only create excellent sounds but are comfortable to play too. This requires a combination of good musical knowledge as well as woodworking skills.

The type of wood used affects the sounds made by the instrument. The sounding board needs to be made of a light wood like cedar that allows sound to be transmitted as effectively as possible. The wood used for the back and sides needs to create a solid frame without being too heavy. Solid woods like mahogany and oak are often used.

The way the hitch pins are spaced can make all the difference to the sounds produced. They need to be placed at exactly the correct distance from the bridge to allow the string to vibrate correctly. If they are placed incorrectly the sounds may be metallic or scratchy and the strings can break easily. The tuning pins are used to tighten or loosen the strings.

Each instrument is constructed with a sound hole and it is the size of this hole that determines the volume produced. The larger the hole, the louder the sound but it must not be too large as this makes sounds softer again. A sound hole is usually decorated with a motif like a butterfly, sheaf of wheat, hummingbird, dove or a Celtic knot.

An instrument should also be comfortable to play. There is no pleasure in playing an instrument that causes muscle strain. The frame has to sturdy and thick enough to accommodate all the pins used to hold the strings in place but it should still be as light in weight as possible.

A <A href="http://www.davespsaltery.com">bowed psaltery</A> may be sold on its own while another may be sold together with the accessories such as a bow, rosin for the bow, a tuning wrench and even an instruction manual. These instruments may be quite costly due to the time and care taken in their construction but the hauntingly beautiful sounds produced make them well worth the cost.



You can visit the website <a href="http://www.davespsaltery.com">www.davespsaltery.com</a> for more helpful information about The Haunting Sounds Of The Bowed Psaltery

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New Unique Article!

Title: The Haunting Sounds Of The Bowed Psaltery
Author: Leanne Goff
Email: nathanwebster335@live.com
Keywords: arts, entertainment, culture, society
Word Count: 492
Category: Movies
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