EXs162 Hammered Dulcimer

The Hammered Dulcimer is the third instrument featured in the Bolder Sounds Hammered Dulcimer Trilogy. The Hammered Dulcimer was extensively used during the Middle Ages in England, France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. The dulcimer sampled for this library is a double course instrument. Meaning it uses 2 strings per note (much like a twelve string guitar). This instrument is what would be considered today to a standard Hammered Dulcimer in the folk music world today.

The instrument is referred to as hammered in reference to the small mallets (called hammers) that players use to strike the strings. This library features a dulcimer struck by wood as well as leather hammers. Also chromatically sampled is the drag ornament - the drag ornaments are created by one hammer bouncing repetitively on the string to be finally interrupted by the other hammer which plays a long accented note. This ornament is generally used leading into a downbeat. The bouncing portion of the note is just ahead of the beat acting as a pickup or anticipation into the down beat.

The standard 2 course Hammered Dulcimer has a light sparkling high end which is guaranteed to add an organic quality to your KRONOS tone palette.

Note: The order of the factory Programs is arranged differently among NAUTILUS, KRONOS2, KRONOS X and the original KRONOS. This affects sounds which reference the factory Programs. Please download the file which matches your product model.