| Name | Image | Tradition | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cimbalom |  | Hungary | The cimbalom (most common spelling), cymbalom, cymbalum, ţambal, tsymbaly, tsimbl, santouri, or santur is a type of hammered dulcimer found mainly in Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Greece, Poland and Iran. The small cimbalom usually is carried by the musician, using a strap around the player's neck and leaning one edge of the instrument against the player's waist. The cimbalom is played by striking two beaters against the strings. In Hungary, the larger, concert cimbalom, comparable in pitch range (and weight) to a small piano, was first developed by József Schunda in the 1870s. It stands on four legs, has forty-eight strings which are stretched over a large sounding board and sounded with small beaters. |
| Dàn Tam Thập Lục |  | Vietnam | The đàn tam thập lục (also called tam thập lục, literally "36" in Vietnamese) is a Vietnamese hammered dulcimer with 36 metal strings. It is used in various genres of traditional music and drama, as well as in modernized traditional music. |
| Hammered Dulcimer |  | United States | The hammered dulcimer (also known as the hammer dulcimer or four hammer dulcimer) is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. The instrument is typically set at an angle on a stand in front of the musician, who holds a small mallet, called a hammer in each hand with which to strike the strings. The word dulcimer comes from the Latin dulcis or "sweet" and the Greek melos, meaning "song". The origin of the instrument is uncertain, but tradition holds that it was invented in Iran roughly 2000 years ago, where it is called a Santur. The image shows an reenactor playing a hammered dulcimer, New Salem, Illinois, 2006. |
| Khim |  | Thailand | The khim is a hammered dulcimer from Thailand and Cambodia. It is made of wood and trapezoidal in shape, with numerous brass strings. It is played with two flexible bamboo sticks and is used as both a solo and ensemble instrument. It was introduced to Thailand and Cambodia from China, where a similar (though usually larger) instrument is called yangqin. |
| Qalun |  | China | Qalun is a hammered dulcimer played by the Uyghurs of southern Xinjiang of China. The player plucks qalun with a bone pick held in the left hand, while the right hand pressing on the string with a bronze key (gustap) to produce quarter tones and ornaments. |
| Santoor |  | India | The santoor is a trapezoid-shaped hammered dulcimer often made of walnut, with seventy strings. The special-shaped mallets (mezrab) are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers. A typical santoor has two sets of bridges, providing a range of three octaves. The santoor is derived from the Persian santur, and related to similar instruments in Iraq, Pakistan, India, Armenia, Turkey, and other parts of Asia. It is related to the shata-tantri veena of earlier times. The Kashmiri santoor is more rectangular and can have more strings than the original Persian counterpart, which generally has 72 strings. The santoor as used in Kashmiri classical music is played with a pair of curved mallets made of walnut wood and the resultant melodies are similar to the music of the harp, harpsichord or piano. |
| Santur |  | Iran | The santur (سنتور – also santūr, santour, santoor) is a hammered dulcimer of Iran. It is a trapezoid-shaped box often made of walnut, with 72 strings. The name means one hundred strings in Persian. The special-shaped mallets (mezrab) are lightweight and are held between the index and middle fingers. A typical santur has two sets of bridges, providing a range of approximately three octaves. Many instruments around the world at least in part derive from the santur. Similar forms of the santur have been present in neighboring cultures like Armenia, Turkey, and Iraq for centuries. The Indian santoor is thicker, more rectangular, and can have more strings. Its corresponding mallets are also held differently. The Chinese yangqin may have originated from the Persian santur. The image shows a part of a painting dated 1669 at Hasht-Behesht palace Isfahan, Iran. |
| Tsymbaly |  | Ukraine | The tsymbaly (Ukrainian: цимбали) is the Ukrainian version of the hammered dulcimer. It is a chordophone made up of a trapezoidal box with metal (steel of bronze) strings strung across it. The tsymbaly is played by striking two beaters against the strings. The strings are strung in groups of 3-5, which are tuned in unison. The bass strings may have 1 or 2 wrapped strings tuned in union. |
| Yangqin |  | China | The trapezoidal yangqin (Chinese: 揚琴) is a Chinese hammered dulcimer originally from the Middle East. It is also known by the name "santur" or "cymbalom." The Thai and Cambodian khim are nearly identical in their construction, having been introduced to those nations by southern Chinese musicians. The yangqin was traditionally fitted with bronze strings, which gave the instrument a soft timbre. The modern yangqin can have as many as five courses of bridges and may be arranged chromatically. Traditional instruments, with three or more courses of bridges, are also still widely in use. The instrument's strings are struck with two lightweight bamboo beaters (also known as hammers) with rubber tips. The yangqin is used both as a solo instrument and in ensembles. The image shows a yangqin played by a member of the Nakhi (Naxi) Orchestra, China. |
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