Mid-sized Scheitholt

[@Strumelia]

That's got a real 'old world zitter' sound. Very nice, Jack!

[@PhilUSAFRet]

Gorgeous instrument.

[@marvinthemaniac7698]

It sounds just like a mountain dulcimer!

[@ulricus1]

Sorry - Jack, this is not a Scheitholt but a Hummel. The Praetirius-Scheitholt from 1619 just has 4 strings - like a Dulcimer. The many drone strings gave the name Hummel because of the humming like a bumble-bee. The first mention of a Hummel is from 1508. The oldest Hummel in Germany is from (round about) 1630 - in an aristocrat mannorhouse. So it was just by chance that Praetorius got a Scheitholt and not a Hummel for his description of a "Lumpeninstrument" (instrument for riff-raff) My book "The Story of the Hummel" is still available (in english).

[@deeneebeeni2078]

+Wilfried Ulrich Or an epinette des Vosges, which. I think might have more drone strings.

[@wilhelmseleorningcniht9410]

it is in fact a Scheitholt. Or to be more technically accurate a revived old Pennsylvania zither with modern mountain dulcimer influences. However, in English that kind of instrument is typically called a Scheitholt. More appropriately, Scheitholt would actually be Scheitholz and refer to zithers related to this used in the Alps, but for whatever reason the word's been loaned into English to primarily refer to old Pennsylvania zithers, and thus that is the correct use of the word, which checks out with this video's use of it. Hummel, Scheitholz, these are all just regional variations of one singular instrument, the Zither, which as nonstandardized folk instruments could widely vary in such things as number of strings. Hummel is primarily used in Sweden and northern Germany, which is not the region the Pennsylvania Dutch primarily came from, and thus not where they brought this instrument from. The Pa Dutch do not happen to have a specific regional name for this instrument beyond "Zidder" the dialect form of Zither, but sadly as that term in English's been taken already to refer to concert and chord zithers which evolved from these instruments it cannot be used, thus Scheitholt.

[@pgsykes1951]

what is your tuning for this instrument? 1-5-8? I'm interested in know what ALL the strings are tuned?

[@appflutes]

The tuning is DAdd for the fretted strings, and the same arrangement for the lower, open strings.

[@deeneebeeni2078]

+Paul Sykes I play appalachian dulcimer and use a number of modal tunings (ionian, dorian, mixolydian, aeolian). The others (lydian, phrygian, locrian) I pretty much never use. This site explains it pretty well. www.bearmeadow.com/smi/modes.htm

[@m34nb34n]

are those non fretboard string a form of sympathetic string?

[@appflutes]

adam lewis the open strings are considered drones because they are not fretted. They can be plucked, or strummed, and can contribute sound even when left untouched, similar to the strings on a harp. They can be any desired gauge, and tuned to suit the player. Since my design was meant to appeal to dulcimer players, the fretboard, and fretted strings, follow what is widely considered to be a standard dulcimer setup; .012 melody, .14 middle, and .024 bass, tuned DAdd.

[@deeneebeeni2078]

I'm a dulcimer player. I didn't know anyone was making them these days. Do you use the modal tunings same as dulcimer? It looks like you've added the 6-1/2 fret. The poster below thinks it's a Hummel & not a Scheitholt. Comment?

[@appflutes]

+DeeNeebeeni Hello all, and thanks for the comments. Dulcimers are my main instrument. I build what I call "scheitholts" because of my German ancestry. I also consider Wilfried Ulrich to be the authority, and master craftsman, so will agree with his definition of the scheitholt and hummel. The distinction between scheitholt, hummel, and zither appears to vary by country, and the term scheitholt became popular in the United States as displayed in the Dulcimer exhibit at The Blue Ridge Institute and Museum, Ferrum College, Virginia. www.blueridgeinstitute.org. jack

[@appflutes]

+DeeNeebeeni The instrument I build called the "scheitholt" uses the same 28" VSL as my Dulcimers, including the 6 1/2 and 13 1/2 frets.