Psalmodikon - "an instrument for the mediocre musician"

Several YouTube clips from Sweden, including Psalmodikon Études no. 1 and 2, by Vidar Lundbaeck ... No. 1, below, as played by the group "Psalmodikonisterna" in Hallaryd, Smalandia, Sweden



In his notes on Étude no. 2, below, Lundbaeck says, "My psalmodikon is homemade and the model is "invented" by pastor Dillner around 1820. The melodystring is made of sheepguts, also hommade. The fingerboard have numbers from 1-8. and the music is written by numbers. I have 7 resonating strings in order to make more sound. They say this is an instrument for the mediocre musician. :=)"



Other links:

Psalmodikonisterna - in Hallaryd, Sweden ...

PSALMODIKONISTERNA - Verksamheten startade med en bygg och spelkurs i Göteryd 9 - 11 mars 2007. Vi började bygga på fredagen kl 17, byggde klart och övade på lördagen och spelade i Högmässan på söndagen kl 11 !!
Ett härligt gäng med tummen på rätt ställe deltog i en helgkurs under ledning av Rodney Sjöberg från Trollhättan, ordförande i Nordiska Psalmodikonförbundet och en av Sveriges främsta psalmodikonbyggare.

Also a blurb on Musikfamiljen Lundbäcks Program page - under Vidar Lundbäcks soloprogram -

"Den ljusa dag framgången är"
om psalmsång genom tiderna. Vi följer bl.a. SvPs 501 från 1695 års koralbok fram till 1987, inklusive en folklig koralvariant från södra Småland. Publiken deltar aktivt genom att pröva på att sjunga psalmer från olika tidsepoker, i några fall ackompanjerat av psalmodikon.

With pix of Lundbäck playing seated at a table. Vidar and Ingegerd Lundbeck reported on their group in Hallyard in the Spring 2009 issue of Nordic-American Psalmodikonforbundet.

Kultuurilaegas (Culture Chest), a website on Estonian folk culture, has this ...

Psalmodikon
Psalmodikon (in Estonian moldpill ‘trough instrument') is a relatively new instrument, dating from 1829 in Sweden, constructed on the basis of monochord and hummel. It has the shape of an overturned small trough, there is only one string with fingerboard and note marks underneath, and it is played with a bow. The instrument spread widely in Lutheran regions to accompany spiritual music, including also Estonian peasants. It was easy to make and was used to teach and accompany choral singing at home, and in smaller schools and church congregations who could not afford other instruments. Because of its primitive design, the instrument is mistakenly often considered rather ancient.