The cymbalom is a Hungarian hammer dulcimer, which is traditionally played with two wooden "hammers" which resemble curved chopsticks. Michael Masley plays the Cymbalom with his own invention, a system of eight "bowhammers" and thumbpicks, allowing him to pluck, bow, or strike the strings in any combination, and resulting in a sound wholly his own.

His off-center approach has also been applied to a host of other uncommon instruments, (zither, ukelin, PanTimbreen, etc.) Masley has released his own CD's, and has been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, as well as being a member of the quintet Cloud Chamber, which also features bass legend Michael Manring as a member. Masley has also been featured as a performer on many other artists CD's of varying musical styles.

A small cymbalom was also later produced in Ukraine during the 1950's that came with attachable legs and dampers but could be carried more easily than a concert instrument. These instruments were produced by the Chernihiv factory which produced many types of folk instruments.

Click here to hear a sample of Michael Masley on the Cymbalom

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