Be prepared to be captivated by the haunting sound of the Bowed Psaltery. This easy-to-play instrument produces a sound that is all out of proportion to its size. The closely placed strings pick up sympathetic vibrations from the played string to produce an ethereal sound that has to be heard to be believed.
While the exact origin and development of the Bowed Psaltery is a matter of some debate, it seems to have developed from a medieval instrument called the Bowed Harp. Ease of playing, in addition to the sound, is a real attraction to this instrument. It is tuned like a piano with a string for each note. The whole notes (like the white keys on the piano) are on the right side, while the half notes (piano black keys) are on the left. Playing the psaltery, therefore, is like playing a piano with one finger, EXCEPT that, instead of a finger, you use a bow and draw the bow across the string. There are a total of 24 strings that provide a range of two octaves. The strings are steel and are all the same diameter (.010).
A large variety of woods (from Ash to Zebrawood, Bubinga and Cocobolo to Rosewood and Sapele are used to make the tops and backs.
The frames are made of hardwoods, generally Walnut,Maple or Cherry. Cross-sectioned walnut shells and Celtic Knots made from a variety of materials are available for sound holes and inlays of various materials including mother of pearl, abalone shell, reconstructed stone, ivory (both elephant -legal- and wooly mammoth), various exotic woods, and other materials are also available.
Each psaltery comes with a horse-hair bow, tuning tool, rosin, extra string, locator strips for playing and tuning, instruction/song booklet, instruction video or DVD, and a carrying case. All of the psalteries are made with the same quality. Difference in price among the various psalteries reflects the rarity and expense of the woods as well as time and materials involved with the hand-crafting process.
