The Hammered Dulcimer has a history dating back about 1500 years or more and was probably the result of someone whacking their zither with a stick. It's been known in one variant or another in most cultures, including the far east (santir). It reached it's highest form in Europe as the cymbalom which had multiple pedals for dampening and volume much like a piano. It is indeed one of the forerunners of the piano and in the US, as pianos became smaller and more affordable, the HD damn near disappeared. It is trapezoidial shaped with varying numbers of string courses and is referred to by that number (12/11--12 treble,11 bass). The treble strings are played on both sides of the bridge rail and are a 5th apart. The bass strings are played on only one side. They are mainly diatonic, but chromatic and semi-chromatic versions are also available. The strings are struck with small mallets of various shapes, lengths, and materials which changes the sound characteristics.

The Lap, Mountain, or Appalachian dulcimer is a long zither of generally 3 or 4 strings with diatonic fretting and played laid across the lap. The melody is played on the first string, often doubled, and the other strings are drones. Tuning can be various modals for different songs/effects. It is most probably a version of the French epinette and why it's called a dulcimer is anyone's guess.

There's tons more info, but that's the basics. Zap over to Elderly to see a picture of each. See you Peter......

catspaw