A psaltery (Greek: ψαλτήρι) (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.

A psaltery is a stringed musical instrument, appearing in many different forms and styles throughout history. On some psalteries the strings were plucked, on others they were struck, and still others they were bowed.

psaltery, (from Greek psaltērion: “harp”), musical instrument having plucked strings of gut, horsehair, or metal stretched across a flat soundboard, often trapezoidal but also rectangular, triangular, or wing-shaped. The strings are open, none being stopped to produce different notes.

The meaning of PSALTERY is an ancient musical instrument resembling the zither.

The term “psaltery” dates back to Greek times but the origin of the zither-type instrument familiar to us from countless medieval miniature paintings is obscure. Two medieval writers recommend silver strings for the psaltery, with bronze or brass and even gold mentioned as alternatives.

See Psaltery for more versions & Ancient Greek harps for earlier psalterion. Another complication in interpreting images involves the writers and artist from the past. [1] The artists and church in the 4th-5th centuries A.D. wrote about a triangular-shaped psalterium, holy to them because the 3 sides represented the Trinity. [1]

Sep 4, 2015 · If you search the internet for ‘psaltery’ it is almost impossible to fight your way past the plethora of words and videos for the bowed psaltery. This is a simple modern instrument, first patented in 1925 as the violin zither by the Clemens Neuber Company in Germany.

Jun 11, 2018 · psaltery (sôl´tərē, –trē), stringed musical instrument. It has a flat soundboard over which a variable number of strings are stretched. Its origin was in the Middle East [1], and it is referred to in the Bible.

The psaltery, once you begin to learn it, is very welcoming to musicians looking to experiment. It has a diverse range of sounds, many of which it shares with its cousins. Other instruments similar to the psaltery include the harp, the zither, the dulcimer, and the harpsichord.

Psalteries are members of the zither family, instruments having strings extended across an armless, neckless frame or holder; non-Western psalteries are thus sometimes referred to as zithers. The dulcimer is a psaltery that has strings that are …