mountain dulcimer
A fretted lap instrument from Appalachian home music.
Also called Appalachian dulcimer, lap dulcimer, fretted dulcimer.
Updated September 24, 2026
mountain dulcimer pronunciation
/MOUN-tn DULL-si-mer/
Meaning
A long, flat stringed box you set across your lap and play with a pick, fingers, or a noter stick. Also called an Appalachian dulcimer or lap dulcimer. It is quieter than a fiddle and suited to ballads and parlor tunes in the hollers. Do not mix it up with the hammered dulcimer, which you hit with little mallets.
How folks use it
- “Granny pulled out the mountain dulcimer after supper and played that old hymn again.”
- “He learned three chords on the mountain dulcimer before he ever touched a guitar.”
Origin and etymology
Took shape in Appalachia in the early 1800s. Scholars usually link it to northern European fretted zithers such as the German scheitholt, not to a British Isles original. One of the oldest labeled examples is from Virginia in 1832. Kentucky makers later popularized the hourglass body. Outside the mountains it stayed rare until the mid-1900s folk revival.
Frequently asked questions
Is it the same as a hammered dulcimer?
No. A mountain dulcimer sits on your lap and you fret the strings. A hammered dulcimer is a bigger trapezoid box you strike with hammers.