The Cutaway Dulcimer plays the same and sounds the same as a traditional mountain dulcimer. One side, however, is narrower which allows the dulcimer to be played in a "guitar position" in addition to the normal "lap position". Thus, the fingering is inverted from normal style. It is kind of a missing link between the traditional mountain dulcimer and our "stick style" Wildwood Dulcimer. The inverted fingerings are a little easier for guitar players but it still produces the rich, full sound of a mountain dulcimer. When you want to play in a traditional style, lay it flat and play it like any other mountain dulcimer. Many tunings will work, but we recommend the traditional DAD to makes it easy to pick up and play. The solid spruce soundboard features three "heart" openings. The back, sides, and fretboard, are rosewood. The fretboard has arches underneath allowing free space between the soundboard and the fretboard. The carved scroll peghead has geared 4:1 banjo style tuners. A pick and noter are included. Special Note: The strings put on the instruments in our workshop, while playable, are put through some rigorous testing. They should probably be replaced for improved playability, sound quality, and better tuning shortly after you receive the instrument. We recommend using Roosebeck branded strings.