How the dulcitone makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the dulcitone belongs to the struck idiophones: the body is struck directly – bells, gongs, xylophones and cymbals.
More broadly it is one of the idiophones, where the solid body of the instrument itself vibrates, without strings or a stretched membrane.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
A dulcitone is a keyboard instrument in which sound is produced by a range of tuning forks, which vibrate when struck by felt-covered hammers activated by the keyboard.
The instrument was designed by Thomas Machell of Glasgow in the 1860s, at the same time as Victor Mustel's organologically synonymous typophone, and manufactured by the firm of Thomas Machell & Sons during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Other struck idiophones
Frequently asked questions
What does a dulcitone sound like?
As one of the struck idiophones, its sound comes from the way the body is struck directly.
What type of instrument is the dulcitone?
It is classified as struck idiophones (Hornbostel–Sachs 111.212-8).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1264755 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Dulcitone – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by FKHeath – CC BY-SA 4.0