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Bowed Psaltery
Background

This instrument is one of the easiest bowed instruments to play, and its eerie, icy bowed pslatery with bowmagical tone is very enchanting, for me it conjures up the time time between autumn and winter,  the first frosts, of Christmas and the new year.

Origins
This Chromatic version of this Instrument date backs to the 20th century where it was first developed as an easier violin like instrument for children to play in schools.  Plans were available in the 1960s from people like Edgar Stahmer in Germany and his friend in England Ronald Roberts who published a book for making musical instruments.  In the 1980's and 90's Zachary Taylor made and played and publicized these instruments by making the plans available in  magazines and in his book "Making early instruments"  The early Music shop in Bradford has also played a big part in the UK by selling instrument and bow kits.

Click here for the Yahoo Bowed Psaltery Forum group for players and makers alike.

I make these instrument in a variety of domestic timbers,  maple, walnut, cherry with Spruce or cedar tops  from £300 including a case and bow


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close up bowed psaltery




















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