Art Robb asked:
 
Which do you feel is the appropriate name for the instrument?

2/8/97

Good subject for discussion!  What's in a name?

I've heard them called APPALACHIAN, MOUNTAIN, LAP and FRETTED dulcimers.
Terms like West Virginia's "hogfiddle" are a hoot but not common enough 
to be in the running for the instrument's name.  About 15 years ago I 
heard some good thoughts on the instrument's name, attributed to Sam 
Rizzetta, who is an excellent player/builder of these instruments as 
well as the hammered variety.  Sam suggested the term "FRETTED" because 
it is the most accurate generic term to describe it, and it makes sense 
to me.

Here were the reasons he preferred FRETTED over the others:

Appalachian--Hammered dulcimers are played in the Appalachians and used 
for music from that area.  Although we certainly know the instrument 
was used in the southern Appalachians, there is some doubts have been 
expressed about the accuracy of calling the instrument "Appalachian" 
because historians trace it to a development on the Pennsylvania Dutch 
scheitholt.  I don't know if I'd go along with that entirely; just 
reporting.  Some early "Appalachian" dulcimers came from places like 
Ohio.

Mountain--This seems to be the term we're using most right now.  Kinda 
easy to say.  But hammered dulcimers are played in the mountains, there 
were early "flatland" dulcimers, and they're played all over.

Lap--Hammered dulcimers are sometimes played in the lap.  The other 
variety are often played standing up, on stands, tables, etc.

Fretted--This seems to focus on the most easily recognized difference 
between the hammered and "fretted" variety, and cites the main 
difference in the way they are played.

Sincerely,
Lois, Cherokee, NC
(in the Mountains, in Appalachia, with my keyboard on my Lap) 

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I am told that the Library of Congress considers them to be "Appalachian 
Dulcimers". As far as I'm concerned, if the Feds say Appalachian, that's a
good enough reason for me to call them something else. I prefer Mountain. It
outgrew the Appalachians a long time ago. If it weren't for those people with their trapezoidal string-boxes and hammers we could just call them dulcimers. (Yeah, I know, they had the name first.)

Anon

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I always like Duckslammer or Hogfiddle.

  Melissa J