HOW TO MAKE AND PLAY A HAMMERED DULCIMER

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3/4" X 15" X 31-1/2" bottom panel

(2) 1-3/4" X 3-3/4" X 15" pin blocks

(2) 3/4" X 1-3/4" X 24" frames (front and back)

(2) 3/4" X 1-3/4" X I I" side bridge braces

3/4" X 1-3/4" X 12" treble bridge brace

3/4" X 1-3/4" X 5" bass bridge brace

1/4" X 15" X 31-1/2" soundboard (top)

(2) 1/2" X 3/4" X 13-1/2" side bridges

(14) 1/2" X 3/4" X 1-1/8" bridges (10 treble and 4 bass)

(14) metal bridge caps (coat-hanger wire)

(2) side bridge caps (coat-hanger wire)

(14) No. 8 X I" roundhead screw hitch pins

(28) 0.198" diameter X 1-5/8" tuning pins (zither-type)

No. 6 (0.016" diameter) plain music wire

No.. 8 (0.020" diameter) plain music wire

No. 10 (0.024" diameter) plain music wire

some glue (Elmer's Carpenter's Glue or Franklin's Tite Bond are good) various grades of sandpaper (from coarse to superfine) some paint or varnish

Tools: A hand—and coping saw, an electric drill with 9/64" and 3/16" bits, bar and C-clamps, an awl, and a sharp knife.

Playing Accessories: A pair of hammers (see Fig. 6), a tuning wrench, and a pitch pipe.

STEP-BY-STEP CONSTRUCTION

To begin, round off the top edges of the inside treble and bass bridge braces to limit their contact with the soundboard. Next , glue the pin blocks, outside frames, and all four inside braces to the bottom panel (see Fig. 1). During this step, it's best to leave the bottom piece slightly oversized, and then trim it to fit after the adhesive has dried. Be sure that all of the joints are flush and square. Use clamps to hold the components in place while the glue is setting, or assemble the parts with screws to provide strong clamping action. When the interior is complete, finish it with paint or varnish, except for the top edges of the frames, braces, and pin blocks (to which the soundboard will be glued).

With that done, cut out the soundholes and glue the soundboard in place at all points, including the rounded top surfaces of the treble and bass bridge braces (see Fig. 2). Next, after measuring and aligning them carefully, glue the side pieces to the soundboard. Then, when the adhesive has dried, go on to sandpaper and paint or varnish the entire instrument.

At this point, you'll need to bring the tuning and hitch-pin patterns (see Fig. 3) up to size, and transfer them to each pin block area by simply piercing the dots with an awl. You can then drill the tuning-pin holes with a 3/16" bit, and install the tuning pins by gently driving (not screwing) them into their holes. Be sure to leave 1/4" of space between the string hole in the pin and the soundboard, to allow room for the winding of the strings (see Fig. 4). Now, drill the 9/64" holes for the hitch pins, and install those components at an outward angle of about 30°.

To string your dulcimer, you'll need No. 10 music wire for the four bass courses, No. 8 for the lower five treble courses, and No. 6 for the upper five (highest-pitched) treble courses. (A course of strings is a group of two or more tuned in unison.) When installing the wires, allow enough slack to wind two or three full turns around each tuning pin. The last turn should be fairly close to the base of the pin. A method of installing one long string to make up the required pair for each separate string course is shown in Fig. 5.

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