Bowhammer
Encyclopedia
In music
, a bowhammer is a device used when playing a cymbalum
to strike, pull across or pick the strings in order to make them vibrate and emit sound.
It consists of a ring, which holds the bowhammer on the finger, a shaped handle attached to the ring, and a 3 inch section of violin bow at the end. Bowhammers are typically worn in groups of eight, one on each finger except the thumb.
The tension on the bow allows the player to stroke the string or strike it. Additionally the string can be plucked it with the end of the bowhammer.
The bowhammer is a recent musical invention created by the musician Michael Masley
, who is the premiere user of this tool. The sound generated is significantly different from that generated by the traditional hammering of the cymbalom, that the artist considers the bowhammer cymbalom a specific instrument. The bowhammer may be usable on other string instruments, such as the guitar
or hammered dulcimer
, but no other uses have surfaced to date.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a bowhammer is a device used when playing a cymbalum
Cymbalum
The cimbalom is a concert hammered dulcimer: a type of chordophone composed of a large, trapezoidal box with metal strings stretched across its top...
to strike, pull across or pick the strings in order to make them vibrate and emit sound.
It consists of a ring, which holds the bowhammer on the finger, a shaped handle attached to the ring, and a 3 inch section of violin bow at the end. Bowhammers are typically worn in groups of eight, one on each finger except the thumb.
The tension on the bow allows the player to stroke the string or strike it. Additionally the string can be plucked it with the end of the bowhammer.
The bowhammer is a recent musical invention created by the musician Michael Masley
Michael Masley
Michael Masley is known for his musical work on the Hungarian cymbalom. His unique method of playing the instrument comes from his invention of the bowhammer, a cross between a fiddle bow and a dulcimer hammer, attached to the finger with a ring...
, who is the premiere user of this tool. The sound generated is significantly different from that generated by the traditional hammering of the cymbalom, that the artist considers the bowhammer cymbalom a specific instrument. The bowhammer may be usable on other string instruments, such as the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
or hammered dulcimer
Hammered dulcimer
The hammered dulcimer is a stringed musical instrument with the strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. Typically, the hammered dulcimer is set on a stand, at an angle, before the musician, who holds small mallet hammers in each hand to strike the strings...
, but no other uses have surfaced to date.