The Mountain Dulcimer and the Lap Steel

[Alan Brookes]

I've mentioned several times the similarity between the Mountain Dulcimer and the Lap Steel.
[1] Both are played from above.
[2] Both use a tone bar (called a noter)
[3] Both are rested on the knees.

I've been building Board Zithers (of which the Mountain Dulcimer is an example) and Lap Steels since the early 60s, and some of the instruments could be called either.

There are many people who believe that the Hawaiian Guitar originated from board zithers brought over from Europe or the Indies, and I'm one of them.



This is a Hummel, which I built about 20 years ago.



This is an Acoustic-Electric Hummel which I built about the same time. One of the problems of all board zithers is that they have a diatonic fingerboard, which means you can only play them in one or two keys. I came up with the idea of interchangeable fingerboards. By removing the fingerboard and clipping in a different one you could change modes. I created fingerboards in each of the modes, plus a chromatic one with all the frets, which you could use to play in any key.

But I also built a fingerboard with NO FRETS WHATSOVER. With this fingerboard in place you played with a tone bar.

Here's the same instrument with the fingerboard unclipped and set to the side. At this stage it doesn't just play like a lap steel, it IS a Lap Steel.

[Tamara James]

I've mentioned several times the similarity between the Mountain Dulcimer and the Lap Steel.
[1] Both are played from above.
[2] Both use a tone bar (called a noter)
[3] Both are rested on the knees.

You build beautiful instruments, But mountain dulcimer and lap steel are worlds apart.

A mountain dulcimer can also be fretted with the fingers. The majority of folks play that way. I use a noter at times, but the Cord-melody method is more common, at least in the circles I am a part of. A noter only plays the melody string with the other 2 strings droneing, like bagpipes. It only moves on the one string. The lap steel bars use all the strings or more common several at a time. Mountain Dulcimers are diatonic, lap steels are cromatic. Lots of difference there. Mountain dulcimers use 3 strings, unless you use the double melody, which is just two unison melody strings. Lap steels have 6 or 8 strings.

A bass guitar and a six string are held the same,even have roughly the same shape, but they are as different as night and day in their function. An E9 neck and a C6 neck appear the same just looking at them, but I never head anyone play E9 on the C6 neck.

I would like to understand in detail why the lap steel and the Mt. dulcimer are alike because I would like to know why I can play my Mt. Dulcimer and not the lap steel. If what you say is true, I should be having an easier time converting over, instead of wanting to smash them both with a sledge hammer.

[Alan Brookes]

I myself never play with a noter. I pick all the board zithers with finger picks.

When you compare two instruments the number of strings is not that relevant. A lute, for instance, is still a lute whether it has anything from six to twelve double courses. A lap steel has any number of strings, and so does a board zither. The Mountain Dulcimer is not always three or four strings. They come in all shapes and sizes. Also, somewhere in the 19th century the strings got reversed from other Hummels. I suspect it was from copying a left-handed instrument.

The Mountain Dulcimer is usually diatonically fretted, but not always, and if you play it with a tone bar the fretting is no longer relevant.

If an instrument becomes warped and has a bad action, the only way to play it is with a tone bar or a bottleneck or suchlike. This has caused people from time of antiquity to stop strings with a tone bar. I often wonder whether bottleneck style originated from cheap guitars which couldn't be fingered normally. There are many instruments from the Orient and Middle East which are usually played with tone bars, and they are usually from the board zither family.

[Alan Brookes]

I'm surprised that this topic raised so little discussion.

[Mike Anderson]

I'll chime in Alan - no pun intended. The Appalachian dulcimer was my first instrument (age 14) and I love it. Yours are very nice examples indeed. Mine was built by a fellow from Quebec who'd relocated to my hometown (Edmonton Alberta) in the early 70s named Adrien Bachand - I'm surprised I remember his name, the old memory cells are still functioning it seems.

His had f-holes and an arched back, really something and sure wish I still had mine. I think I paid the princely sum of $135, earned working the summer in a pizza restaurant.

All that aside, I think that although there might have been some exposure of board zithers to Hawaiians via Scandinavian immigrants for example, that the origins seem pretty clear: it was Spanish guitars played with steels first, and all the rest, including body design changes that may superficially resemble board zithers, later.

But we all have the right to our own personal Dreamtime, however we might imagine it.

UPDATE - located Adrien, amazingly, now living in Victoria BC and still making dulcimers as a sideline. Thanks for the inspiring topic!

[Jon Flynn]

Interesting post! About two weeks ago, I was playing my Fender Champ with our Chicago/Delta blues band. During a break, someone in the audience approached with a puzzled look and asked if I was playing a dulcimer!

Living in a place where the steel guitar is a very rare sight, I'm always entertained by (and appreciative of) the questions and comments the steel guitar generates from audience members. That one was the most interesting yet!