Dulcitar
Appearance
The dulcitar is a variant of the Appalachian dulcimer, which retains the dulcimer's diatonic fret layout yet features a long neck that is intended to be played upright in the guitar style rather than flat across the lap. Luthier Homer Ledford coined the word dulcitar as a portmanteau of dulcimer and guitar, building his first model of the instrument around 1971.[1] One of Ledford's dulcitars was accepted into the permanent collection of the Smithsonian Institution, as well as displayed in a traveling exhibit on American craftsmanship.[2]
The term "dulcitar" was trademarked by Ledford in 1976 (#73075051), and other luthiers have developed conceptually similar instruments under other names such as "strumstick"[3] and "pickin' stick".[4]
See also
References
- ^ Alvey, R. Gerald. Dulcimer Maker: the craft of Homer Ledford. University Press of Kentucky, 2003. ISBN 978-0-8131-9051-8. Pg 48-50
- ^ Frets. GPI Publications. 1987-01-01. p. 46.
- ^ Rodgers, J.P. (2003). The Complete Singer-songwriter: A Troubadour's Guide to Writing, Performing, Recording & Business. Backbeat Books. p. 32. ISBN 9780879307691. Retrieved 2015-08-27.
- ^ Ressler, J. (2010). Pickin' Stick: Building a Stringed Instrument. Schiffer Publishing, Limited. ISBN 9780764335716. Retrieved 2015-08-27.