Oddly enough, there is no instrument in Scotch or Irish history that is similar to the dulcimer. The instrument is still part of the culture in Appalachia and when traveling through the region, travelers will sometimes come across hand-made instruments being sold at a roadside stand. The mountain dulcimer gained popularity as a folk instrument in America in the 18th century among the Scotch and Irish immigrants who settled the isolated hills and valleys of the Appalachian region. ‘dulce’ whose variants among Romance languages include ‘dulce’ (SP), ‘dolce’ (IT) and ‘dulcet’ (EN) all meaning ‘sweet’ and clearly alluding to the instrument’s unique timbre.
One immediately notices the root of the instrument’s name i.e. This article will focus on the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer whose many names include the lap dulcimer, the plucked dulcimer, the fretted dulcimer, the mountain zither and even the hog fiddle! It is an instrument whose elegant visual beauty is matched by its pure, crystalline timbre whose modest volume of sound is best suited for use in small group singing or solo entertaining. The mountain dulcimer is to be distinguished from its cousin, the hammered dulcimer, whose construction and playing technique are considerably more technically challenging and, therefore, not as closely associated with elemental music-making possibilities. It is hard to find a folk instrument whose development is completely American but the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer is the closest thing we have to an instrument born and raised here an all-American folk instrument. As people came to this country and settled here, they brought the musical tradition of their native land with them. The musical history of America very much mirrors the population of the country it is filled with immigrants. Steven Calantropio, President The Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer is the closest thing we have to an instrument born and raised here an all-American folk instrument.