Psaltery

What is it?

A most exquisite instrument with a hauntingly beautiful sound, the Bowed Psaltery is extremely easy to learn. Played by drawing a bow across the strings, music types range from Bluegrass and Folk to Hymns and Classical with everything in between. Wonderful as a solo, duet with piano or guitar, or in an ensemble complete with recorders and lute! It even sounds great with a harmonica!

The Bowed Psaltery is an ancient instrument, mentioned biblically.
It's true origin unknown ...speculation has the Irish adding a bow to it about the same time St. Francis got the Stigmata (1224). Making what must have been a challenging instrument turn into a delightful ease!

People most often ask how I play the middle strings with the bow...

Well, first you should know that the bow is drawn on the edge of the psaltery between the silver pins at a perpendicular angle... The middle strings are actually the longest strings on the psaltery and attached to the very top peg... so the middle strings would be the lowest sound (because the longer the string, the lower the note... and vice versa!). You would draw the bow between the two top silver pegs on either side...depending if you want a natural note or a sharp! All the natural notes are on one side and all the sharps and flats on the other.

That's part of what makes this instrument so easy to learn and play. If you have any musical inclination...that includes humming and whistling... then you can very easily learn to play a Bowed Psaltery! Perfecting your technique is as simple as dragging the bow across the string for as long as you sing or hum the note to yourself. And the Bowed Psaltery can be made for Left-Handed people or all those other kinds...

My particular psalteries have 32 strings which equals about two and a half octaves... That'll play just about any song you can think of. Of course, I'm not a connoisseur of Rap or Punk... but all the lovely old romantic tunes and melancholy songs from ancient times to present are absolutely exquisite on a psaltery.

I play Early Music (from the 1100's and up), Classical, Celtic, Modern, Church Hymns, Christmas and other Seasonal songs, and even some Elvis Presley (Love Me Tender), Willie Nelson (Blue Eyes Cryin in the Rain), and Beatle's tunes (Michelle). You'd be amazed at how hauntingly beautiful this instrument sounds.

I have two of them because so many people want to pick one up and
dicker with it while I'm talking about them...
it's just easier to show them how to play if I have one
and they have my other!

Incidentally, you should know that the music you're hearing is NOT a psaltery... it's just a pretty midi that I found and actually learned to play ON my psaltery. You can't imagine how beautiful this song is on a Bowed Psaltery!
The picture below is a collection of bowed psalteries from a bunch of my friends on the Yahoo Bowed Psaltery Chat Room... a great place for musical support.

Check it out if you're a Psalt player!

www.bowedpsaltery@yahoogroups.com

And obviously, Bowed Psalteries come in all shapes and sizes.

My friends at Unicorn Strings Music Company make what I consider one of the highest quality instruments in their field. There are lots of places to buy Bowed Psalteries on the web but psalteries come in a huge variety of sizes (with a varied number of strings)
and they come in as many kinds of wood.

You should know that a cheap wood will affect the sound of your psaltery... as will the sound hole. It's like anything in life... you get what you pay for.

Gene & Jessica Jaeger at Unicorn Strings Music Company take the time to order specific choice woods to hand-make each instrument and refine it to a glorious piece of musical art that will last many lifetimes with a little care and attention. I can honestly refer you to them because I've been a happy customer of theirs for many years and I believe in their product. (And my stamp of approval doesn't come easily!)

Two of my instruments were made by Gene & Jessica of Unicorn Strings Music Company, located in Brooker, Florida (www.unicornstrings.com)

One is finished in a natural color and the other a black lacquer. Both psalteries are constructed of several kinds of wood...the choice dependant on the placement of the wood. The wood sides of the psaltery are different than the back side and front.

Both psalteries come with hand-carved sound holes...one with a fitted rosette. Unicorn Strings offer a choice of styles and other hand-made instruments as well.

Don't miss seeing their site! And tellem Honey sentcha!

Then go visit Rick Long at www.ringingstrings.com .

I found Rick's site and had to check out his work for myself. We arranged to meet outside of Ashville, NC and I was totally smitten! Rick makes a most exquisite Bowed Psaltery. But I was after his Baritone Psalt that has a resounding sustain on each string that lends itself to a painfully sweet harmonious accompaniment. Rick has a video with a sound clip of his Baritone Bowed Psaltery... Don't miss seeing and hearing it.

I am now the proud owner of one of Rick's Baritone Bowed Psalteries (see below). But I had to ask him to 'customize' it for me... I wanted more strings than he usually puts on one and I wanted a left-handed psalt! No problem for this great luthier. He not only made my psalt to spec, but added a couple extra strings for fun and custom-made a longer bow for me as well. I can't properly express the joy I have over owning this instrument.