Muzikkon Round Back Bowed Psaltery Alto Lacewood

Muzikkon Alto Bowed Psaltery Roundback Lacewood

Specifications:

• Roundback Design
• Right Handed Psaltery
• 30 Steel Strings
• Tuning Range F4 - Bb6
• Scale Length : 17.5”
• Lacewood body
• Spruce wood Soundboard
• Rosewood rosette
• Body/Bowl: 20.5"x1.5"X7.5"
• Strings at Bridge 5.5" width
• Comes with Psaltery bow & Tuning tool

The Bowed Psaltery is a beautiful sounding melody instrument producing a clear and ethereal sound. The psaltery is also a very easy to play. The psaltery bow is held in the dominate hand and only one string is played at a time, being bowed between the Hitch Pins. You may choose to play your psaltery with two bows, one in each hand. With that technique, each bow plays one side of the instrument.

Playing the Psaltery may seem daunting until you understand the placement of the notes. Look at the psaltery and you will see the Hitch Pins along one side are evenly spaced (like white keys on a piano). On the opposite side the Hitch Pins are arranged in groups of 3 and 2 with spaces between (like the black keys on a piano). Bowing the evenly spaced strings plays the natural notes. Sharps and flats are played by reaching the bow over to the opposite side of the instrument. A Right-Handed Psaltery has the natural notes on the right side, the Left-Handed Psaltery has the natural notes are on the left side.

The Bow must be rosined before it can play the strings. To rosin up the bow, rough up the surface of the new rosin, a key or nail file works will. Rosin the ends of the hairs first, in short fast strokes, then rosin the full length from end to end. Rotate the rosin cake under the hairs as you drag the bow across. This rotation will maintain a flat surface and prevent a deeply grooved rosin which can damage bow hairs. A properly rosined bow will have rosin powder evenly distributed throughout the hair. Never handle the hair of the bow with your hands. Oils from your skin will leave permanent slick spots that will inhibit retention of the rosin powder.

Broken or loose hairs are not uncommon and will not affect the playing characteristics of the bow. If a hair breaks do not to pluck it out. Carefully cut the hair, leaving a little bit at both ends.