Frequently Asked Questions
Who Can Play The Bowed Psaltery? Anyone!
Children, families, the physically challenged, the elderly, anyone who's ever played an
instrument and anyone who never thought they could. If you enjoy music, you can quickly
master the bowed psaltery.
How can I learn to play? Since it's so
easy to play by ear most people are playing their first tune in a matter of minutes. Our instruction book and audio tape, (included with every
psaltery), are thorough and easy to follow. The best advice is to start with one or two
songs and practice them until you're satisfied. When they sound good you're ready to
progress to other songs.
What if I don't read music? If you can hum
it, you can play it. The music in our instruction book has letters for each note written
on it. Start with a song you're familiar with then match the letters on the notes with
those on the instrument. The letters tell you which note
to play, but your familiarity with the song tells you when the notes are long or short.
What type of music can I play on the bowed
psaltery? The psaltery is primarily a melody instrument and its unusually clear
sound lends itself to many styles of music. Our bowed psaltery has a two-and-one-half
octave, 30 note chromatic range. This simply means you have the range to play any song you
like, be it Folk, Mountain, Bluegrass, Celtic, Gospel, Kids,
Christmas or any other style.
What comes with a Unicorn Strings bowed psaltery? Included
with your psaltery is a bow, rosin, extra string, tuning wrench, note guides, instruction
book with 20 songs, and a 45 minute cassette with tunes on one side and tones for tuning
on the other - in other words, everything you need to get started and keep going. All of
it comes in an attractive corrugated carrying case.
What about tuning? Under normal conditions
our psalteries need tuning only once or twice a year. You can tune it yourself using our
simple instructions and tape or, if you'd prefer, a music store will usually tune it for a
nominal fee.
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