Patent ID: 6483016
Filing Date: 2002-11-19
Classification: G10D

Abstract:
A hammered dulcimer, to have strings hammered with a set of hammers when played to produce high, low and mid tones within a range, said hammered dulcimer comprising:a two non-parallel side rails, each of said side rails having a portion constituting a string block; a plurality of string terminators carried by each of said string blocks; a front brace extending between and connected to the front of each of said side rails; a rear brace extending between and connected to the rear of each of said side rails; said rear brace and said front brace being parallel to each other, and together with said side rails forming a trapezoidal shaped frame; a top connected to and covering the top of said frame; a bottom connected to and covering the bottom of said frame; a plurality of sets of strings, each of said strings having opposite terminal ends connected respectively to ones of said terminators of said string blocks, with said sets of strings being of different length for providing corresponding different tones when hammered; a bridge loosely on said top and contactingly under said sets of strings; and at least a group of said sets of strings having each string extending continuously in only a single direction, from one of said terminators that is a string tension adjusting terminator at one of said two non-parallel side rails to said bridge, across said bridge, and from said bridge to another of said terminators that is a string tension adjusting terminator at the other of said two non-parallel side rails; whereby said each string is tension adjustable for its length from one of said two non-parallel side rails to said bridge, and independently tension adjustable from said bridge to the other of said two non-parallel side rails, for independently fine tuning said each string on opposite sides of said bridge.