Bowed Psalteries
The Bowed Psaltery, handmade for ease of playing, easy on the pocketbook, big on sound and quality of workmanship and available in 3 sizes — Soprano, Alto and Baritone.
A frequently asked question is “What is the easiest instrument to play?” The answer is, the Bowed Psaltery. It looks complicated because it has so many strings, but you only bow one string at a time. Cradling the instrument in your arm, you draw the bow over a string, playing a note, and then move the bow to another string playing another note. Nothing could be easier.
The bowed psaltery has a chromatic scale with natural tones (do, re, me) on one side and the sharps and flats on the other. The sound created is hauntingly beautiful and indeed an instrument anyone can play.
Note: I highly recommend tuning this instrument with an electronic tuner.
New inventory can be found below from our partners at Ebay & Reverb! We curate the highest quality instruments and would love you to check them out. If you end up purchasing it helps us keep this website that is part of the heritage of Grayson County, VA alive!
Alto, Soprano, Baritone Bowed Psalteries for Sale
Past Sales
(SOLD) Soprano Bowed Psaltery / #1042
The soundboard of this psaltery is a beautiful piece of straight grained red MAHOGANY. The soundhole has a fleur di lis design. The back and sides are cherry which perfectly matches the top. (Price: $265)
(SOLD) Soprano Bowed Psaltery / #1029
The soundboard of this bowed psaltery is BUTTERNUT (white walnut) with a dove soundhole. The back and sides are wormy oak. The dozen worm holes are harmless and add character to the instrument. (Price: $265)
(SOLD) Soprano Bowed Psaltery / #1022
Straight grained brown WESTERN RED CEDAR is the sound board choice for this soprano bowed psaltery. The sound hole is wheat patterned. (Price: $265)