How the psaltery makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the psaltery belongs to the board zithers: strings are stretched across a flat board or box – the family of the piano, harpsichord and hammered dulcimer.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Its timbre – the colour that lets you tell it apart from other instruments playing the same note – comes from the mix of overtones its body and resonator emphasise.
From Wikipedia
See Rotte (psaltery) for medieval harp psaltery & Ancient Greek harps for earlier psalterion
A psaltery (Ancient Greek: ψαλτήριον), or sawtry, an archaic form, is a fretboard-less box zither (a simple chordophone) and is considered the archetype of the zither and dulcimer. Plucked keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord were also inspired by it. Its resonance box is usually trapezoidal, rectangular or in the form of a "pig's head" and often richly decorated.
Other board zithers
Frequently asked questions
What does a psaltery sound like?
As one of the board zithers, its sound comes from the way strings are stretched across a flat board or box.
What type of instrument is the psaltery?
It is classified as board zithers (Hornbostel–Sachs 314.122).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q1044408 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Psaltery – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Didier Descouens – CC BY-SA 4.0