Secondary Backup Hammers

 

I play a hammered dulcimer and as the name suggests, it requires hammers to play.  These hammers come in all sizes, shapes and materials although most are carved from wood.  The length is standard (9 inches and a bit more), the end that hits the strings can be a simple, solid mallet shape like a “D” or a tear-drop shape with fancy carvings.  In the end though, one could use a couple of spoons to hit the strings and in an emergency.

Two, one in each hand and either together or sequentially, the player hits selected strings. Considering the size of the instrument, the number of notes and finding the blasted tune (I know it’s here somewhere!?!), playing one isn’t for the dilettante.

So I have my favorite set (fancy carved DS--Dusty Strings Instruments, wood on one side, leather on the other) a secondary set (similar shape, leather and felt--no carving but ugly), a tertiary set (simple round hole, wood and leather), and a quaternary set (one sided, felt).

I rarely use my favorites because I want to keep them for ‘good.’ Usually, I grab the least attractive of my hammers.  They have weird non-round heads, leather on one side, felt on the other, a heart is shaped out of the space in the middle. They are comfortable to hold, well balanced, nice recoil, nice sound but I find them ugly, even with the little carved heart, ugly.

The tertiary set is the simple oval pair, wood and leather on opposite striking surfaces, non-descript, neither beautiful or ugly.  Balance, tone and weight is okay, but like the middle sister, mostly ignored.  The quaternary set is my second oldest pair (one sided, felt) and was not a choice, was the only kind of hammers the store sold and I was desperate, having broken a hammer.

English is odd, hammers are sold by twos since one needs two to play, but we say a set of hammers, implies a set (more than one) hammers (plural) so shouldn’t you properly say either “a hammer set,” or “two hammers” but hammers are only sold in two’s (like shoes). No one ever says, said a set of shoes, maybe we should just say “I’ll take those.”

I avoid using my newest, and favorite because I don’t want them to end up like my very first (and favorite) pair.  After years of hammering away on the strings, the wooden side wore down and then I accidently broke them (# 1 rule in playing a hammer dulcimer, DON’T put your hammers in a jeans pocket and sit down…DON’T). I glued them back together, but the old hammers couldn’t take the pressure of hitting the strings and kept breaking along the old break.  So, I retired them, vowing never to let that happen to another pair of favorite hammers.

I play with my secondary, or tertiary hammers when I just can’t take the ugly, but beside me all the time are my faves, beautify made, well balanced, nice tone, watching me play with others.