The Bowed Psaltery

Whether bowed, plucked, or strummed, the psaltery's ethereal ringing tones are sure to delight and enchant. The bowed psaltery is a fun exploratory instrument, accessible to beginners and seasoned players alike... and you can even play without fingers!

The psaltery dates back to at least the 11th century in Europe, where it was commonly strummed or plucked until the early 16th century. Much like a harp or a piano, each string represents one note of the scale. The bowed psaltery is a form of triangular zither, where each string can be isolated for individual bowing. Similar to a piano, the "white key" diatonic strings are on one side and the "black key" strings with sharps and flats are on the other side. Much of the time, the bowed psaltery resembles a fiddle more closely than a piano in the way it is held and played.

The essential components of a modern psaltery include unstopped strings (attached to tuning pins and hitch pins), a bridge, a sound board and sound hole, a sound box, and a horsehair bow (read more here). One big difference between a psaltery and a fiddle is in the sustain. Because both involve pulling a string with a bow, the string resonates until stopped by a finger. On a fiddle, the strings are often dampened by fingers in running through a scale-like pattern, but a psaltery is all open-string all the time, allowing a note to ring out until bowed once more (or until the string eventually stops vibrating). This ringing quality is what defines the sound of the bowed psaltery.

The word psaltery seems to derive from Greek psalmos, meaning the song sung to a harp, and psallein, the act of playing a stringed instrument and "to worship with music". This word made its way into Church Latin and is related to the word "psalm" (religious songs) and "psaltery" (when psalms are sung from a psalter, or a book of songs). It's no accident that it became popular in churches, where the ethereal resonance of the instrument becomes even more beautiful in a high-ceiling stone cathedral setting (read more here).

HISTORY

References to the psaltery date back thousands of years, with one example being The Bible – "Praise the Lord with harp: sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings." (Psalm 33:2) Most documented sources are artworks, but a 14th century Berkeley manuscript was the first documented source of a psaltery's tuning chart, showing a distinction in natural notes and musica ficta (accidentals).

While the psaltery instrument dates back likely beyond documented history, the modern form is clearly an early 20th century adaptation. Following the Second World War, the two musical educators Edgar Stahmer (in Saarbrucken) and Walter Mittman (in Westphalia) both helped to popularize the now-conventional triangular bowed psaltery. It was designed to help establish good bowing technique in classroom settings.

PLAYING THE BOWED PSALTERY

Although some will play a bowed psaltery using chordal strumming (as with a violin zither), it is most often played with a curved horse-hair bow, which is designed to be held towards the center (at the balance point). The modern narrow triangular shape allows for better access of the strings for a bow, while older iterations of the psaltery were wider and more harp-like in its plucked earlier form, and strings were often paired in double or triple courses to strengthen the string when plucked.

When looking at this zither instrument, it's sometimes hard to imagine how it might be bowed ... but the trick is to bow from the sides rather than the center of the instrument. The low notes are the longer strings accessible from the tip of the triangle, and higher notes are found at the base of the instrument. To remember where the notes are, some psalteries have the note name written on the side, or dot-like markers to indicate to the player which note is where.

When bowing the strings, try to keep a smooth and level connection with the string while putting very minimal pressure on the bow itself, and then release to let the string ring out. Generally, it is wise to play in a different bowing direction for each note, and keep a steady rhythm that way. Keeping the bow level helps in changing direction and rocking between the left and the right side for chromatic runs of notes. You can angle the farthest strings towards the bowing hand for better reach, or play with the instrument on your lap.

When starting off, playing just the notes in the C major scale (or whichever "white key" scale the instrument is tuned to) is the simple way to get acquainted with the notes and the instrument. Once familiar with this starting scale, it can be fun to explore more melodies with the "black key" strings. A good place to start in learning to play is by figuring out familiar song melodies – that way you can also sing along!

Because each string is a separate note, there is actually no requirement of having fingers to play this instrument at all! While this means vibrato isn't really in the cards, it also does away with having to land your finger on the exact right place on a string (as you would with a violin). Because of this, the bow needs to jump to the next string after each note. To aid in faster playing, some people will make use of multiple bows, as well as staccato and glissando techniques.

A lot of the difference in tone comes down to choice of materials. Steel strings have a very clean and delicate sound, which can be good for faster playing. Wrapped strings are more cello-like in timbre, are sometimes paired with a more coarse-haired bow, and tend to sound at their best when played slow. Tuning can be done with a combination of digital tuner and tuning wrench, and as long as the instrument isn't changing environment often, and is kept at a reasonable humidity and temperature, it should hold a tune for a good while (read more on psaltery luthiery and upkeep here). They tend to be pretty stable compared to many other stringed instruments, and ready to pick up and play at a moment's notice!

Common advice for holding the psaltery involves propping the point of the instrument with the non-dominant hand, bracing it against the chest or crook of the elbow, and using the dominant hand to bow the instrument. The instrument can also be laid upon the lap, which is especially handy for the double-bowing playing style. Many styles abound, as it is possible to play either single notes at a time, or with a bow in each hand. Additional tones can be achieved by strumming, plucking, or striking the psaltery. But above all else, the most important thing is to have fun with it.

RELATED LINKS:

• An Introduction to the Bowed Psaltery with James Jones
• Demo of "King of the Fairies" with Psaltery & 2 Bows
• Care and Cleaning Tips
• Psaltery in duet with an Appalachian Dulcimer

Click to view our online collection of Bowed Psalteries and Accessories