Part one of term paper
The dulcimer is a member of the string family. It is further categorized into the Psaltrey family, a group of instruments that are comprised of strings stretched across a frame and played by plucking or drumming. The only difference, in fact, between the dulcimer and the psaltrey is the fact that one is plucked and the other is drummed. Th ...

Part two of term paper
... without the aid of a key are usually in the unusual shape of a trapezoid. Early descriptions of this instrument, dating back to the Middle Ages, describe the instrument as a rectangular box with strings stretched over two bridges. Both the single and the double bridged dulcimers are common in traditional Irish music. It is played by striking the strings with padded wooden hammer. It is commonly believed that the dulcimer came to Europe from the East sometime in the fifteenth century. This ...