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It has piano strings, felts, a sustain pedal, hammers...


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Hungarians and Romanians are really some of the great virtuosos on Cimbalon in the world. This guy is good though (he looks like a gypsy Central European, these guys know how to make these instrument sing!
Be grateful for what you've got - a Nord, a laptop and two hands
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Yes, for all I know he's just an "average joe" cimbalon player! I'm intrigued enough to look into the repertoire and check out some of the masters. I remember this player mentioning he was Hungarian. He does get around on that thing! Too bad street players feel like they have to play to the tourist crowd - I have a feeling this guy might be capable of playing more serious works.
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Yes, amazing instrument! If you don't mind a slight correction, Reezekeys, the instrument is called the cimbalom (with an "m" at the end).

 

Here's a clip that will give you an idea of what's possible on the instrument. The true virtuosi are mind-boggling:

 

 

And if you've never seen Roby Lakatos and his group, check him out. He's a mind-blowing musician, from a long family dynasty. I chanced upon his group doing an outdoor concert in La Grand-Place - the famous central square in Brussels, many years ago, and have been a huge fan ever since. He's not so well-known in the US, but he's very well-known internationally, records for Deutsche Grammophon, etc. A true violin virtuoso, whose group plays an amazing blend of Gypsy music, classical and jazz. Not-to-be-missed!

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Thank you for turning me on to this - it's just incredible! That's some serious virtuosity. I'm a little embarassed - I've definitely heard the name of the instrument before but did not associate it with what I saw. Dulcimers were small things, or so I thought. And thanks for the correction - boy do I hate it when I make a mistake like that. I'll be editing my youtube post right away. And I'll be on the lookout for more from this group too - they're amazing!
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One of my longtime favorite instruments, since I saw an old Hungarian musicians play one on the street of Paris in 1978 or '79, accompanied only by his child son on a small handheld percussion instrument. It was so mesmerizing that I stayed for an hour listening to them - and later, despite being broke, I gave them a substantial part of the money I had in my pocket. A revealing musical experience. When I returned home, I tried to gather as much info as I could about Balkanic music traditions, and discovered this huge world of virtuoso players and improvisers, of which I knew nothing, except perhaps Bela Bartok's work. That discover is still in progress...
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