A good online source for strings, individually or in sets, brand name or inexpensive generic is www.juststrings.com . There is little or no difference between a brand name string and a generic, as the same handful of wire-drawing companies make all of them as spools of wire which are cut, ended and packaged by a lot of companies.
Since you found Jerry Rockwell's pages, I'll mention that I almost invariably use his "relative tuning" idea. That is, I tune the bass string to the desired keynote - C, D, or G. Then fret the bass string at the 3rd fret and tune the middle drone to that note (G, A, or D). Repeat for the melody string(s) if tuning to Ionian. Or fret the bass string at the 7th fret and tune the melody to that note (c, d, or g) if you want a Mixolydian Modal tuning.
I think you've suffered a bit from Information Overload, Overthinking, and trying to relate the dulcimer to other stringed instruments you play. That's all right. We're here to help.
When you do get your dulcimer, you'll want to start with a simple finger sized piece of dowel about 4-5" long for a noter. Read my Get Noterized article and selected bits of Lisa's N&D blog for how-to hold and press with the noter.
Beth. I strongly suggest you take a look at my article here called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It has an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terminology, plus answers to many beginner questions such as yours about DAD vs DAd, and others on tuning and playing, care and feeding of your dulcimer., Read the article
here: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what
I also wrote an article called Uncontrite Modal Folker ,explaining modes (scales) and Modal Tunings, which you can read here:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/uncontrite-modal-folker
Barbara said "When changing the key in the Mixolydian mode to F for instance, would the first string be tuned to F, the second a fifth higher and the melody strings to F an octave higher than the first?"
That's spot on! Other than by letter (DAA) or Mode name (Dorian) you will also see tunings referred to by number -- 1-5-8 or 1-5-5 for example, where the bass string is the first number, the middle string is a 5th above, and the melody string is some other value relative to the bass string.
Usually the "octave higher" note is written with a lower case letter to indicate that it is an octave higher -- not DAD, but DAd.
Harder or easier to sing with are relative terms. It depends on your voice.
Any Mode can be tuned to any key. DAA is Ionian Mode in the key of D. Drop everything one note and you have CGG, Ionian Mode in the key of C. DAd is Mixolydian Mode, key of D. Again drop everything one note and you have CGc, Mixolydian Mode in the key of C. The strings that came on your dulcimer will easily tune down to C.
The only drawback to tuning outside of the key of D is that you won't be able to play together with most other dulcimer players (as they believe D is the only key!). But if you are primarily a soloist and a singer then there're no real problem.
In all Ionian Modal tunings, the scale starts at the 3rd fret. All Mixolydian Modal tunings have the scale beginning on the open, unfretted string.
Modes are scales, like do, re, mi, fa, sol la, ti do -- which just happens to be the Ionian Mode scale. The Mixolydian Mode scale is do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti-flat, do. Any Mode (scale) can be in any key. Generally the keynote of the dulcimer is the note to which the bass string is tuned - A, B, C, D, E, F, G
To understand the interrelationships between Tunings, Modes, Scales, etc, I recommend you read my blog article here called Uncontrite Modal Folker : http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/uncontrite-modal-fo...
My other article, called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? Answers many beginner questions about tuning and playing, care and feeding, and an illustrated glossary of terms of the dulcimer. It's here:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what
The double back of the Galax dulcimer style, as john says, allows the inner back to vibrate freely rather than be muffled in your lap. Some early styles of dulcimer were built with feet, and when played on a table give the same effect -- significant additional volume. Try this for yourself by setting two pencils on a table spaced to support the dulcimer more or less near the ends. You'll notice significantly more volume.
Some people use a detachable false back called a Possum Board on which you can set any dulcimer. The board is usually 3/8" or 1/2" thick and 6-8" wide, and has two unpadded wooden dowels glued to it to suspend the dulcimer. Various combinations of elastic bands hold the dulcimer in place if friction doesn't. Most Possum Boards are player-made, although some of the dulcimer builders also make them for sale.
I us a Possum Board with my Uncle Ed Thomas replica dulcimer by John Knopf, and it makes a world of difference!
Another vote here for the Harpmaker Dave Student model. I've been playing dulcimer for nearly 40 years, and about 3 years back Dave made me a slightly customized version of his Student model, which I really like. It's light, it's sturdy, it has great mid range sound (not high silvery trad sound, not deep mellow modern sound.... just right), and it looks nice too. Like JohnH I've made dulcimers and know what to look for, and Dave's are top notch.
Shape (teardrop, hourglass) is only an aesthetic consideration, not a performance factor. Likewise wood choice is mostly cosmetic (because of the way dulcimer sound is produced) unlike guitars.
Avoid FirstAct, and avoid Applecreek in particular. They are made "offshore" by people who can't spell 'dulcimer', and have a very poor reputation among dulcimer players who've been around for any time.
There are no silly questions. Just ones that you don't ask and don't get answered.
The hole in the soundboard, under the fretboard, is to facilitate the soundwaves passing into the body cavity of the dulcimer. Unlike guitars, mandolins or lutes, the dulcimer top does not make a very large part of the sound, because it has that huge brace down the center (called a fretboard) that is preventing much top vibration. You can close the gap between the two soundboards, but you'll get a better sound by keeping the gap open under the inverted U of the fretboard.
So far there is only one dulcimer builder actively pursuing an academic, quantitative (not qualitative) study of the dulcimer, a chap named Richard Troughear, from Australia. You can read his fascinating discoveries on EverythingDulcimer. Some 20 pages of intense reading begins here:
http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1...
1. Always have spare strings around.
2. Strings are strings are string. Brand name makes virtually no difference. I prefer www.juststrings.com and buy their bulk strings.
3. Sounds like loop end strings are what you probably should use.
4. It's never worth the time trying to 'repair' a string. Trust me on this....
5. Make sure the string pins angle slightly down - away from the top of the dulcimer. Post a picture.
6. Always tune a 'singing' string. Pluck the string you want to tune. Quickly turn the tuner you think is right, one-quarter turn. If the string does not change it's sound, STOP! You have the wrong tuner.
7. Read my article here called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms, and answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of the dulcimer. You can find it here:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what
The bowed psaltery as we know it, was IIRC, invented in the post-WWII years as a bowing training aid for potential violin players.
As you noted there is little or no training material or active support for the bowed psaltery. For the dulcimer there is a huge active world of teachers, players, free music and lessons and much more.
As Ivan said, if the 20 note psaltery is not a left handed one, and you are bowing left handed, that will not be a good situation. Also, the range of notes is very much limited (barely one and a half octaves) and re-tuning is much less than easy.
From what I know of violin/fiddle players, left-handed bowers are VERY rare, nearly non-existent. Likewise bowed psaltery players.
Dulcimers are ambidextrous, it's pretty much a mater of which side you put the bass string and which side the melody strings. There are a number of discussions here on left-handed playing. IIRC the majority of left handed players play dulcimer right handed because that allows them to use their more coordinated hand for the intracacies of creating notes by chording/fingering and the other hand for maintaining a steady rhythm of strumming.
Dusty. Your sharping lever is more or less like the fine tuners - beads or screw levers - used on violins and dulcimers with wooden tuners. Second cousin to a reverse capo.
The difference is the sharping lever gives you precisely a half tone difference. I'm pretty sure something like that could be made to work with a dulcimer, but you'd want a long space aft of the bridge and before the break or string pins in which it could operate. I don't think it would be feasible in the middle of a song, but
Are you barring with the edge of your little finger, or with three fingertips? As a new player, you're bound to get twinges of pain now and again, especially if you've not played other stringed instruments, or if you're changing from playing vertical guitar to horizontal dulcimer fretting. The only real rule of thumb (as it were) is that there is no one way to finger a chord. I'm not a chord-melody style players, but from what I've seen, arched fingers are better than flat.
Nah, I don't think many folks strum over the hollow, I strum around fret 12 or 14. Ideally the best place to strum is half way between the end points of the string. Of course than changes every time you fret at a different location.
Rather than filing/cutting down the slots, it's better, IMHO to sand the bottom of the nut/bridge. Loosen the strings,remove the bridge/nut. Place a piece of say 100 grit sandpaper on a hard flat surface (table) and given the bottom of the nut/bridge say 10 sanding strokes. Return the nut/bridge to it's place, tighten up the strings at least somewhat, and check the new height. Rinse and repeat until you get the action down where you want. If both ends are 'way too high, start with the nut end first, get it almost right, then lower the bridge end..
Joseph - part of your problem may indeed be fretting too hard. Especially coming back to the instrument after a time. Action height is easy to check using a nickel and a dime. Put the dulcimer on a table so you can look alongside the fretbard. Place a dime on the fretboard next to the first fret. Each string should just touch the dime. At the same time, balance a nickel on top of the 7th fret. Again each string should just touch the coin. If your action is much higher than described, you certainly might want to have it adjusted lower.
If, when you hold the dulcimer on your lap, the first-to-third frets are over your left knee, and the tail is into your hip, you shouldn't have much movement going on at all. If you do, simply resting you right hand little finger and perhaps ring finger on the top of the dulcimer, on the far side of the fretboard, will counter most 'rocking' motion and those fingers are also useful for pulling in on the fretboard to re-adjust the dulcimer as it works its way outward.
Most folks don't hold a dulcimer "guitar fashion" for one or more reasons: 1) it's not a guitar; 2) guitar chord players find it impossible to wrap their hands around the body like they do a neck, necessitating learning a new hand position; 3) flat-on-the-lap is traditional and more comfortable for non-guitar players.
Two of the more famous dulcimer players in the world are Jean Ritchie and Robert Force. Jean plays traditionally with the dulcimer flat on her lap. Robert more or less invented and perfected the stand-up, hang-it-from-a-strap-around-your-neck, guitar-style hold. Both are fabulous musicians although totally different in what they sing and play. Ultimately, it's up to you how you hold and play your dulcimer.
Helen; how you strum - steady "metro-gnome" style or "go with the flow" style - really is part of what makes your Way, your Style. Also, I think, it depends on the kind of music you're playing.
Personally I think fiddle tunes are the perfect example of playing steady metro-gnome style. Those tunes were/are most often dance tunes, and if there's one thing that dancers don't like is some musician changing the tempo, the rhythm of their dance. They want a steady 1-2-3-4 or 1---2-3-4 or whatever the time signature is.
Ballads and similar songs, however, again IMHO, are best served by playing to the rhythm of the words, as that helps emphasize the parts that you as the performer want to have stand out.
I play mostly ballads and other songs with words, and occasionally torture audiences with singing, hence I primarily play to the rhythm of the words. But if I'm playing Maire's Wedding or Tennessee Waltz I'm playing a steady dance rhythm.
If you like playing "Oz Style" by all means do so. But if you want to shift to steady state playing that's OK too. Like so many things with dulcimer, it depends more on what you like than what anyone else thinks.
Wormy chestnut makes a very beautiful instrument. Worm tracks and holes will not impact the sound.
Carolyn - read David's explanation at the bottom of the previous page. No one says that the kind of wood in a dulcimer is not important. It's just not the most important factor in making dulcimer (or violin) sound the way many people have believed. There are many other things that a builder can do that will influence the sound quality more than the choice of wood species. It wasn't the wood that Antonio Stradivari used that made his violins so much better than others. It was many other things, including mineral treatments, varnish formula and more. There are perfectly good or better dulcimers and violins that are made from cardboard, plastic, even metal.
Second, and thrid Lisa's recommendation to take up Noter & Drone style when you get that narrow/shallow, high-silvery sounding dulcimer (or even before). The singing of the drones is, IMVHO a great part of that sound.
No one denies that wood is one factor in the kind/quality of sound in a dulcimer.
IMHO and that of many others, who are also builders, it is not the most important factor in the creation of that sound quality. There are other variables which can be scientifically proven to influence sound quality to a greater degree. Most notably cubic volume of the sound body.
This can be proven with a simple experiment involving a narrow necked bottle of glass and another of plastic, and some water. Begin with empty containers and blow across the mouths of said containers. Now fill each container 1/4 full with water and repeat. Do the same with half and three-quarter fillings. Larger volumes produce more bass/baritone/mellow sounds than do smaller volumes, regardless of material of the sound body.
What Folkfan said --- volume of the box has much more to do with that 'high silvery' sound of a traditional dulcimer. Wood choice has very little to do with the tone of the instrument, in spite of urban legends to thecontrary.
If you want a traditional sounding dulcimer you want one of much smaller dimensions -- say 5-6" at the widest, and 1.5" at the deepest. The bridge should be at or near the tailpiece for best sustain.
Another thing that helps the older sound is to get rid of your heavy wound bass string and use a plain wound of slightly smaller gauge.
Look at Bobby Ratliff's Slate Creek Dulcimers -- his Virginia Hogfiddles are perfect examples. I own one of his Sow models with some slight modifications. If you aren't a Noter & Drone player he could probably be convinced to install full width frets.
Kevin Messenger and John Knopf here also make vintage dulcimer reproductions which have that traditional high-silvery sound. But again, they normally feature staple frets only under the melody strings. I haven't played one of Kevin's but I do own one of John's Uncle Ed Thomas reproductions, and the only fault I find is that he uses stapler frets and they just aren't as tall as I would prefer.
What you do is your business
I think many people still look at the fretboard because even though they may have been playing for years, that amounts to very few hours overall when they belong to a club that meets once a month for a copuple hours, and they don't practice in between.
The one good thing I have to say about playing from paper is that it does, at least part of the time, force the player to look at something other than the fretboard. Then you'll see the flicking eyes, like someone watching a tennis match, as they look at the page...then the fretboard...then the page...and repeat They play with their eyes rather than their ears.
I think Dusty's right about not getting stuck on one or two or three chord songs. Fact of the matter is that most dulcimer players do not play 'accompaniment style' that way. They play Chord-Melody style - one chord for each note of the melody - and sing along with that.
One of the things I personally never cared for with guitar (or banjo, mandolin etc) was the fact that every player I knew only knew three chords (as it were) and could not play melodies. I came to instrumental music from singing, and wanted to play melodies, not 'hints of the melody'.
Loud applause here, for your desire to get students away from paper as soon a possible!
I'm with Randy. Drones don't make a song a 'one chord', but they do provide a common element from chord to chord. A good N&D player like Robin can produce some complicated music with two notes the same and one playing the melody.
But. We've hijacked Nancy's thread.
Nancy - if you Google "Two Chord Country Songs" or "Two Chord Songs for Kids", you'll find a ton of tunes. A chord is a chord is a chord, so you won't use guitar or mandolin or banjo fingering, but you will play a D chord, A chord, etc.
Recommendations for builders if you're looking for second hand? Since you're interested in a specific sound quality, I wouldn't worry about maker.
Look first at dimensions -- 27" VSL (or 28" if your playing style will allow); 9" or more width, 3" or more depth. Then buy by sound of the specific instrument -- not shape, not wood types, not maker name, but sound. That means you'll have to play them yourself or have someone play them for you over the phone.
How much is your budget is also an important factor. I can tell you about Dwayne Wilder, but his instruments, even second hand, go for close to $1000. FF's brother, Harpmaker Dave, could build you a new one from scratch for about a third of that, which would sound fabulous, and he would work with you to get exactly what you want.
To get a real lute-like sound you're going to probably have to figure out gauges and string a dulcimer with gut or nylon strings like a lute, not metal strings.
If you just want a deeper, more mellow sound, there are LOTS of possibilities that any of the builder here and elewhere can make for you, for not a lot more than a new McSpad. To my ears, as a noter & drone player of traditional "high silvery" instruments, McSpads are not particularly "bright and a little twangy", but their sound has become, as you suggest, the modern idea of a classic dulcimer sound.
Talk to some of the builders here, and get them to play various instruments for you over the phone.
As a general rule, to get a "deep mellow" sound you're going to want a dulcimer with a body that is wider and deeper (more internal volume) than a McSpad or similar dulcimer. How wide & deep? In the range of 9" or more wide, and 3" or even 3.5" deep. The greater the internal volume, the more bass/baritone response there is from a dulcimer. If you want the ultimate in deep mellow sound, consider a Tennessee Music Box (TMB) or similar dulcimer that will be 10"-16" wide and closer to 4" deep than 3". By contrast my Virginia Hog Fiddle traditional style dulcimer by Bobby Ratliff, is only 5.75" wide and 1.25" deep.
Most of the builders here make some version of a TMB.
Looking forward to seeing your build.
Carolyn - it all depends on the quality of one's scrap bin. Some folks only have scrap 2x4s of pine and maybe a few pieces of 3/4" oak, Mine has reasonable sized pieces of all sorts of thin cuts of exotic woods leftover from other instrument and craft projects.
The instrument described is much more sophisticated than any of the "real" folk fiddles I've seen in Spain, Latin America and Asia. With it's suspended, radiused fingerboard and sound post and other details, its "just" a 'funny shaped' European fiddle.
Nice. One of the most complete Instructables I've seen, Usually they leave a great deal to be desired. I've built several Spanish folk fiddles called Rabel - lineal descendants of the medieval Rebec. Rabel, like the rebec, usually have a carved body with a separate sound board, rather than 6 thin pieces of wood glued together. The other folks option is a gourd body. Soundboards are often leather or tin. There was a great Spanish language website that I had bookmarked, but it doesn't appear to be working now
You might consider posting this in the building section; there are already other non-dulcimer building things there...
Cindi -- don't let they fact that they have to read tab bother you. There's nmo law sez you hafta read tab! Memorize the songs, if that works for you, and blow them away. i don't read tab or SMN. I learn by ear and play from memory - couple of hundred songs at last count. IMHO a club is not the place to learn new music. It's a place to practice music, and practice playing, together, which should be fun.
For a nursing home "concert" you only need maybe a dozen songs total -- 3-4 that everybody plays together; 2-3 some by this duet, 2-3 by that trio and at least one solo each. BTDT many times over the years.
Having one dulcimer in DAd and one in DAA won't really help cover themultitude of key used at a bluegrass jam. Robin's link above to his discussion of tuning and playing in the various session keys will give you lots of good ideas for tuning two dulcimers to cover the common keys used in bluegrass.
You've run into the problem I have with most dulcimer clubs -- they seldom play tunes up to speed, feeling that they should "play down" for beginners/slower/older players not play up to speed and stretch those players to improve. The result is that no one improves, everyone becomes equally mediocre, and everything from Amazing Grace to Camptown Races is played at the same glacial pace....
Randy -- long time no see! String gauge won't help a lot in getting *deeper* sound. That's more a factor of the overall cubic inches "under the hood". All else being equal, more internal body volume will give you more bass/baritone response. If you haven't cut the sides yet, you'll probably want 2.5" or even 3" deep sides rather than 2" or 2.25'.
Use the Strothers String Gauge Calculator:
www.strothers.com/string_choice.htm
to figure out a good gauge for a given string. And then, since that calculator is noticeably "light" in its recommendations, go at least one if not two or more gauges larger.
Kay, that's a wide open question ht demands us to ask other questions. What is your musical background? How many hours a day or week do you practice? What do you mean by better and improve?
1. No one says you have to play chords or fingerpick. Those are not traditional techniques for playing dulcimer after all. I've been playing N&D nearly 40 years, and for more than half of that time I only strummed out, not back and forth. I would learn to fingerpick or chord if you paid me. In all that time I developed my own style of play based on N&D and strumming, including some thing I learned here, ignoring stuff that didn't suit me there.
2. When you say "improve" do you mean increasing your memorized repertoire? Or do you mean playing tunes close to 'performance speed' the way you hear others play? How many songs have you learned, are you trying to learn? Is there a local group against which you're measuring your supposed lack of improvement? What scale are you using to judge your improvement or lack thereof?
3. In any learning situations there are 'plateaus'. You learn new stuff, then you practice the new stuff until you've "got it". Then you look for more new stuff. If you're not adding new stuff to learn; if you're not stretching yourself, you stay at a plateau for a long time, until something or someone comes along and sparks you to learn more/do better, etc.
4. What kind(s) of music are you trying to learn? American folk? Modern? Religious? Celtic?
Playing all of two months and you're worried about improving? At this stage, if you can play 3 or 4 songs well -- that is up to performance speed, from memory -- then you're head and shoulders better than most beginners I know. Chances are you're not that far. But if you can pick out half a dozen songs by reading tab, and they aren't dirge slow, then you're doing pretty good.
That's a real "can of worms" question, Dean. Everyone is going to give you a different answer. I personally vote for you learning BOTH DAd and DAA -- as well as DAC and DAG and the other modal tunings as well. Neither DAd nor DAA will 'solve' everything, as neith of them is particularly minor in nature.
And did you know, btw, that you can play chords (if you must play chords) just as well in DAA as you can in DAd? And it may be easier on your hands. Check out this article:
http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/articles/31/Learning_Chord_Melody_Style.pdf
Unless you've got two dulcimers, it's probably better to focus on one tuning for a day or a week, then retune and work on things in the next tuning.
