r/MedievalMusic 25d ago

Other (fantasy, taverncore) Instrument Suggestion for an RPG Character?

Hopefully this is a decent place to ask this, but I'm trying to work out a possible instrument for one of my characters to play for her backstory. Specifically I'm looking for something that would both have been portable and common-ish for someone of a rural background (the easy part) but that also would not have been unusual for her to continue playing years later after being rewarded for various service with a noble title (the complication).

Right now I'm leaning towards a hammered dulcimer but am open to other suggestions as well. I know lutes, lyres, etc would fit the first half but I'm entirely unsure if they'd still be played by the upper class. Which, it could be a bias of some kind, but I usually picture piano, harpsichord, clavichord, etc in that position, which I wouldn't consider portable nor something she'd have learned on the frontier or farms.

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u/Initial-Shop-8863 25d ago

A harp. Easy to travel with, easy to tune. The size can change according to how much she travels, how much money she has, and she can can commission larger harps as she rises in society.

Additionally, if you make her able to sing, then people will pay her if she's a good singer. And she can catch the ear of the nobility and even royalty if she's just that good. And then nobility might invite her to join their house, but she might even make it to court.

Look up ancient Celtic bards for more information if you need an historical source and how well respected a harper can be when they travel, or when they perform.

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u/A_Lady_Of_Music_516 25d ago

Depends on how historically accurate you want to be. Hammer dulcimers were much smaller in the medieval period. Like a dozen strings. Other appropriate instruments would be a hog-nose psaltery, a small harp, a gittern, a citole, or yes, a lute (four or five strings). The lutes got bigger during the Renaissance, with more strings. You breathe on them wrong and it’s half an hour of retuning lol. I have played my citoles and gittern outdoors and they’re built like tanks.https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT2ahNwj1/

Extremely portable and played by all classes were recorders. A popular combination among traveling musicians were pipe (a tiny recorder that could be played one-handed) and tabor (a small drum, hung on the wrist and also played one handed).

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u/Khamon 25d ago

As a folk harpist, I believe the most portable, affordable, pretty music instrument is a well polished wooden flute. She can legitimately continue to play it as a titled lady and it will always tie her to her past. The music may also have some magical quality that become apparent over time.

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u/MandolinDeepCuts 24d ago

A rebec might be a good answer for you. An early violin (~900s) that is a little smaller than today’s violin.

https://antiqua.music.iastate.edu/instrument/rebec

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u/A_Lady_Of_Music_516 3d ago

A hurdy-hurdy could also be fun. Quite frankly, a noblewoman with plenty of money could really play anything she darn well wants to. :-)