Thursday, 17 October 2013

Playing Bowed Psaltery As A Learner

By Megan Landry


Learning to play bowed psaltery can be a worthy experience. This is a musical instrument that has been in existence since the ancient days and it has a slight resemblance to the violin in the way it is played but in appearance, they differ slightly since this one is in a shape of isosceles triangle. It is played using a bow.

It has a wooden body with a number of strings running on it to the side which has a large base. These are the strings which are stroked using the bow to produce sound. One of the most amazing thing about this instrument is the quality of sound produced. The only drawback is that only a single key can be played at a time.

As a learner, the first step is to know how to hold it comfortably as it is suppose to be. Here, the tip faces away from the body while the base comes to rest on the tummy. The left arm provides support by holding the area beneath the tip while the right one gets hold of the bow. This is the one used to cause movements of the bow across the strings and produce a sound. Playing is always done in a sitting posture with legs crossed.

Once a person is comfortable, production of melody is a stage that follows. Here, the bow is moved across the strings within the spaces in between the pins from left to right. The movement should be maintained in these spaces and the striking should be consistent. Later on, this learner will be taught on how to use two bows at the same time.

Another thing an individual needs to know is that of tuning. Although this is not a regular thing, the leaner has to know how to do it in case the device goes out of tune. Provision of a tuning wrench assists in this. The reflective idea of tuning is that of care extended towards the instrument. What the student needs to constantly do is tweaking in a vigilant manner that will not shatter the strings.

All these ideas can be taught in a classroom or online module. The later seems to be quite valuable since the lessons are posted by different experts of this instrument. Where one has not grasped an idea, rewinding or even accessing those of a different person is a true reality for them.

Tutors of this instrument are available for those who wish to have one. They only caution one has to exercise is that of ensuring the instructor is well experienced and has adequate knowledge about this instrument to share with the student. When it comes to selection, the right process needs to be done to land the best.

Once someone knows how to play the bowed psaltery, he or she will not stop playing. This is due to the reason of it being exceptional in sound quality. New learners are encouraged to practice as many times as possible so as to perfect and get new ideas on their own.




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