The purpose of the Arkansas Dulcimer Society:
to further the culture, history,
education, enjoyment, and playing of the Mountain Dulcimer, Hammered
Dulcimer,
and other traditional instruments
The Appalachian dulcimer (or mountain dulcimer) is a fretted string
instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings.
It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States. The body
extends the length of the fingerboard, and its fretting is generally
diatonic.
Although the Appalachian dulcimer appeared in regions dominated
by Irish and Scottish settlement, the instrument has no known precedent
in Ireland or Scotland. However, several diatonic fretted zithers
exist in Continental Europe, which bear a strong similarity to the
dulcimer. Jean Ritchie (The Dulcimer Book, 1974) and others have speculated
that the Appalachian dulcimer is related to similar European instruments
like the langeleik, scheitholt, and epinette des Vosges.