Hammered dulcimers have been around since the first century, introduced into Irish traditional music since at least the 1700’s. They are hollow wooden boxes with lots and lots of strings, which you hit with wooden hammers to produce the sound. And that of course, is the tricky part. 🙂 Being a lifelong piano player, I was drawn to this instrument the first time I saw it sitting in a music store about 15 years ago. I took my new stringed baby home, and thought, “no problem…I got this.” Wrong. It is amazingly difficult for me to manage to hit those little silvery, sometimes invisible in certain lights, strings with any measure of consistency. But that doesn’t stop me from trying. I still love my stringed baby and the sounds he makes. And to me, life is all the better for still having a challenge, something new to learn. Here’s a video of one of my musical heroes, Rich Mullins, playing his hammered dulcimer. Enjoy. Whatever your hands find to do today, do it the best you can, with a grateful heart that God has made you, that you are able to do things, and that it can bring Him glory. 🙂 Slainte, Lisa
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