EMS Mt Dulcimer, 5 String, Hearts, Case

34", 5 strings, 19 frets, rosewood frame with an unfinished spruce soundboard, hour-glass shape, 4-heart shaped cutouts in soundboard. Includes pick and wooden slide and case. This dulcimer is crafted from an historic design by The Early Music Shop. Most early dulcimers had a strictly diatonic scale; that is, the frets were placed so as to produce a major scale (do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do) with no extra half steps. More recently, dulcimer players have found that the placement of an extra fret between the 6th and 7th fret allows two things. A major scale can be produced starting at another point (on the open string), and most songs containing accidental notes can he played. The 6 1/2 fret adds versatility. The disadvantage is that it takes a while to get used to the extra fret if you have been playing a dulcimer without it. This dulcimer has the 6 1/2 and the 13 1/2 frets.