Roosebeck European Mountain Dulcimer 5-String Scheitholt-Style
This European Mountain Dulcimer is, a folksy instrument in the zither family, also known as a Scheitholt. The German immigrants of the mid-1700's brought the Scheitholt to Pennsylvania and other parts of Colonial America.
This dulcimer has 5 strings; two strings run over the frets and are noted, while the other three strings are drones. The frame is sheesham and the soundboard is birch. There are two sound-holes on the front and one on the back. It is played like the American Mountain Dulcimer.
Traditionally, mountain dulcimers had three, equally spaced, strings: a melody string, a middle string, and a bass string. Later developments created a 4-string dulcimer by changing the string spacing and doubling the melody string. Doubling the melody string created greater volume to the melody line. Contemporary dulcimers, such as ours, include extra notches on the nut to allow more personalized string patterns. The inside doubled melody string can be removed completely to revert to the traditional 3-string set-up. Or the Inside melody string and the middle string can both be moved over one notch to create an equal spacing between all four strings. Find the set-up that works best for you.
It includes a pick and noter.
Measures 34" long x 5" wide and 2" high (863.6 x 127 x 50.8 mm).
Suggested tuning:
D4 Melody pair
A3 Drone pair
D3 Drone single
Item Length: 34
Item Width: 4.75
Item Height: 2
