Descended from the Northern European zithers, the dulcimer developed in the Appalachian mountains of the Eastern USA, where it was used in old time music. Its popularity has spread because of its delicate sound, and the ease with which it can be played. An ideal instrument for song accompaniment.

The Tenor Guitar became popular in the 1920s and 30s when banjo players found they needed to be able to play the guitar which was becoming much more popular in those decades. There is now a resurgence of interest in the 4 string guitar with uke and mandolin players taking it up too.

The Oud or Ud is the premier instrument of the Arab world, still played widely and is the ancestor of the Lute. The Cuatro and Tres are popular across Latin America. The Balalaika is a family of instruments, the soprano one here is the lead instrument. Bandurrias and Lauds are traditional in Spain, and roughly correspond to the Italian mandolin and mandola

We stock a small range of traditional Indian stringed instruments in all our shops. London and Bristol know the most about these if you want to call them..

Traditional Instruments from around the globe, These Atlas Chinese traditional instruments are normally in stock. The Pipa is one of the oldest dating back over 2000 years, The design has been influenced by the Oud. The Ruan is also a descendant of the Pipa and is used in both folk and classical music. The violin like Er Hu is used both solo and in groups, and the Gu Zheng or ancient zheng also dates back ro 200BC, when it had as few as five strings. Other types may be available to order, please ask.