I think these are one of the coolest instruments ever invented... :)
It’s a stringed Xylophone.
I think easy to play. But super cool!
It’s used a lot in Celtic folk music…back in the 90’s there was a musician from Nova Scotia who had a lot of hammered dulcimer folk music on her CDs. I wish I could remember her name.
I met a local guy who has and plays 7 of them at concerts and open-mic nights. Lovely sound! His home-made carbon-fiber hammers were the coolest!