5/03/2014

Find Bowed Psaltery For Sale

By Eloise Hewitt


Psalteries are popular once again. Well, these instruments are really ancient ones. The first documents are found more than two thousands years ago, and back then, they were plucked with fingers or with a plectrum, but they can also be bowed, why not. So, if you would like to try how it sounds, find yourself one really amazing bowed psaltery for sale and enjoy.

Plucking strings using fingers or a plectrum produces very pleasant, ringing tones that tingle in your ears. Bowed psaltery has different sound quality. It seams just like this sound float in the air, but it is quite difficult to describe it. You simply have to hear it. It has a sort of a medieval quality, and it is easy to find out why so many people appreciate it.

The great thing is that it is perfectly easy to play it. The technique is easy to understand, and simple melodies are easy to learn. Even if you cannot play other musical instruments, you will find it perfectly easy. Specialized shops offer all types of music sheets and all other stuff you might find useful, including how to books and manuals.

You have probably seen zithers and harps. Well, they look quite similar to psalteries, with strings that run the entire length. Although the first psalteries were made very long time ago, in the Middle East, they were brought to other parts of the world, in Europe and China, in the middle ages. They were quite popular, and played in all possible occasions.

At first, they were just rectangular wooden boxes, with gut strings on. Triangular shape soon became popular as well, but in Europe, they mostly preferred trapezoidal and wing shaped ones. Different parts of Europe have their own favorite shapes, and wing shaped psalteries were mostly played in Northern Europe. At first, some used two sticks to strike the strings, and some plucked them with fingers or a plectrum.

Of course, it's hard to find ones with gut strings today. They were replaced with steel strings. Steel strings make it more loud and the sound is brighter this way. Numerous well-known musical instruments are based on this ancient one, for example the hammer dulcimer. Recently, it became popular again, thanks to its wonderful sound.

Psalteries come in many different sizes and shapes. Different materials are used to make them even more attractive. For example, they are often made of precious woods, and sometimes are artistically decorated. They look very nice, but their sound is absolutely surprising. You have to hear it, by all means, and you will understand why it is so popular even today.

Well, you don't have to be interested in playing psalteries to buy one. It looks really interesting, and can be used as a decorative element as well. If it is made of precious wood and beautifully shaped, you can find a nice place in your living room to put it there. In any case, when you see one, you'll find it hard to resist.




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