Forum Activity for @dusty

Melanie, you deserve credit for trying to learn as much as you can about the dulcimer.  Kudos to you.  But you should also know that you don't have to know anything about modes or about hammer-ons or about chords to play music on the dulcimer. 

Don't even worry about tunings.  If you want to eventually play chord/melody and your dulcimer has a 6+ fret, then tune DAd.  Don't even think about other tunings until you are comfortable playing a half dozen songs or more.  If you want to play in a drone style, then tune DAA and don't think about other tunings for a while.

I just have two questions for you.  Can you tune your dulcimer?  Do you know how to read tablature.  If the answer to both of those questions is "yes," then send me a personal message and I'll give you tab that will teach you a few simple tunes in an easy, step-by-step manner.  It starts with one note per beat, only strumming out, and only fretting the melody string.  Then each version adds just one extra step until eventually you are playing a song with varied rhythm and chords.

If you don't know how to read tablature, let me know that, too. I can share something that will explain it.

I strongly recommend that you think less and play more.  I know it's not that simple, but my guess is that if you just start playing some of the information you've tried to learn now will eventually make sense.

"Do you hear what I hear" is "My dog has fleas" for the dulcimer!  Thanks for sharing that, @john-w-mckinstry.

@RoyB, when I first picked up the dulcimer, I found discussions about modal tunings to be confusing and maddening.  I had a reasonable (though certainly not expert) understanding of music theory but it made no sense to me.  And today, I usually leave discussions about modes to others. I only joined here because your initial question was about an open chord tuning and not really about modes per se.

Why do I find the concept of modal tuning so confusing?  A given tuning is only limited to a single mode if you 1) have no extra frets; and 2) only play the melody on the melody string.  And even then, many folks songs are based on pentatonic (5-note scales) rather than modes, so they still don't correspond to the mode that gives a tuning its name.

Similarly, I found the concept of "reverse" tunings to be wholly unnecessary and confusing.  But the logic is not complicated.  

In the traditional style of drone play, the drones must be the first and fifth notes of the scale. That is why when we tune to the key of D, our bass and middle strings are always D and A respectively, and when we retune, we only change the melody string.  Similarly, in the key of C, the drones must be C and G.

But what if you wanted to play in the key of G?  Your drones would be G and D.  On a standard dulcimer, it would be really hard to tune your bass string to G.  It would either be too floppy to make any noise or you'd break it tuning up.  But what if you switched the order of the drones?  You could easily keep your bass string tuned to D and tune your middle string down from A to G.  Then you tune your melody string to d (an octave above the bass) and instead of a normal GDD tuning, you have a "reversed" DGd tuning.

That's all it is.  A "reverse" tuning just means the drones are reversed.  It's that simple.

I think those tunings listed in the back of the book would be considered "reverse" ionian tunings, correct? CFCC, for example, is an Ionian tuning in the key of F.  What is reversed are the drones, with the 5th on the bass sting and the root on the middle string.

By the way, I just found that comment in the book and am still not sure what they mean by it.  Perhaps the idea is that the open strum in an ionian tuning does not include a "do" on the melody string. As someone who usually tunes to a 1-5-8 or mixolydian tuning, I can attest to how how nice it is to be able finish most songs by lifting up your fretting hand entirely and just resolving to an open strum.  The open strum in an ionian tuning sounds just fine as a chord but doesn't resolve the melody to the root or do the way our modern ears prefer.

I'm not sure what Force and d'Ossché intend with that comment, but both CGG (ionian) or CGc (mixolydian) tunings give us "partial" chords with the open strings.  Both have the root (do) and the fifth (sol) but not the third (mi).

In short, strumming your open CGG strings should sound just fine.

There was a really nice piece by Lindsay Zoladz in the NY Times on Joni's appearance at Newport, celebrating the bravery of an aging woman who recently suffered an aneurism and had to re-learn how to walk re-interpreting her music with a voice a couple of octaves below the voice that made her famous.

I don't think so, Robin.  I remember "A Case of You" and "Both Sides Now" and some instrumental Joni played on an electric guitar.  I don't think there was a dulcimer in any of that.

I saw another video of this set a day or two ago.  Brandi Carlisle does an amazing job singing Joni's songs.  I hope Joni understands the profound love so many of us have for her music.

At the in-person dulcimer gathering I host each month I begin with a free beginner's lesson.  Before I mention tunings or modes or extra frets or anything, I put a dulcimer on the newbies lap, have them strum across the strings in a slow and steady rhythm, and then ask them to follow my left hand as I play some basic melodies on the melody string.  Within 5 minutes they are playing music. Hot Cross Buns.  Mary Had a Little Lamb.  Bile Dem Cabbage Down.  Go Tell Aunt Rhody.  Only after they experience the joy of playing a few songs do I teach the parts of the dulcimer, how to hold the instrument, the reasons for different tunings, and so forth.

A lot of us want to understand what we are doing musically, but sometimes we forget to just put the instrument on our lap and play something. If it sounds good, do it again. If it doesn't, try something else until you find something that does sound good.  Getting started can be as simple as that.

Steven, there are several different ways you might approach this. 

You seem to be looking for a single book.  Yes, there are several good beginner instructional books out there, but they tend to teach a particular style of dulcimer, and I would think a true beginner should be exposed to different styles so you can better choose which one is right for you.  Wally has already mentioned Jean Ritchie's The Dulcimer Book.  For an introduction to a different style of dulcimer, I would recommend Joyce Ochs's First Lessons Dulcimer (Mel Bay, 2002).  Even brand new it only costs $10.  I have a copy I would send to you for the costs of postage, but you can probably get it faster and almost as inexpensively through Amazon.

Ken has suggested you seek out personal instruction, either through a dulcimer group or online lessons.  If you are a true beginner and need help just tuning your instrument, you probably want someone in person. But if you can tune your instrument and know basically to keep the string side up, then you might look into Zoom lessons.  A lot of instructors teach online very successfully.  Just ask someone whose style of play inspires you.

Another possibility is through an online subscription service.  There are two options I know of: Stephen Seifert's Mountain Dulcimer A to Z and Steve Eulberg's Dulcimer Crossing.  In both cases you pay a monthly fee and have access to a wide array of instructional materials.  It will take some effort on your part to poke around the sites to find the right material for your interests and your playing ability, but both of those online resources will have a lot for you both now and as you progress in your playing.

And finally: dulcimer festivals!  Some are in person and some are virtual through Zoom.  All of them have beginner classes, and usually those beginner classes are smaller than the intermediate classes so that you get the personalized attention you need.  In the tradition of shameless promotion, let me mention the Redwood Dulcimer Day which is online in just a few weeks and has a beginner string that includes lessons by Don Pedi and Aubrey Atwater.  But there are other festivals out there where you can get the instruction you need and also meet other dulcimer players.

Janis, there are a few variables to think about. One is the wood.  Is there anything special about it?  Anything figured or curly or spalted is probably worth a bit more.  Is there an internal pickup?  That's probably worth $75 or $100 alone.  Is a case included?  Both dulcimer bags and cases have gone up in price a lot recently, and even a used hardshell case is probably worth $100.

I have to admit that I have a Bill Taylor dulcimer and I've considered selling it a few times. I even posted an ad here for it, but I have always changed my mind, thinking the dulcimer is worth more to me than the price I would get.  On the other hand, if you're interested in a 12-string guitar, I might have something for you . . .

@RoyB, I would encourage you to think of noter/drone play not as a beginner "stage" in your dulcimer playing but as a unique style that may be relatively easy to learn at first but still requires years of practice to master.  You might consider embracing that style and planning on developing your noter technique over time.

On the other hand, if you want to play more modern styles of music on your dulcimer, you might be able to despite your arthritis.  With five fingers and only three strings, there are multiple ways of fingering chords and playing melodies across those strings.  I have a private student who has pretty bad arthritis in 1-2 fingers of her fretting hand, and we find ways to work around that limitation, either by finding alternative fingerings or sometimes revising arrangements.

And I should add that there are some great dulcimer players who don't use their pinky at all.

My advice is to concentrate on learning the instrument and playing the music you like.  Unless your arthritis gets much, much worse, there will be work-arounds for any obstacles you encounter.

Curtis, I see you are in the San Diego area.  If you haven't already done so, you might consider contacting the Southern California Dulcimer Heritage Society .  They hold a big annual event in the fall, and you might be able to showcase some of your instruments there.  @Leo-Kretzner is a member here and is intimately involved in that group.  He might have some advice for you as well.

"Yummy"  says your nepenthes gaya. 

I use a combination string turner/wire cutter made by D'Addario.  I actually have a few of them and keep them in instrument cases.  They make changing strings super easy.

D'Addario PLanet Waves Pro Winder

@kristinrichmond, you've received good advice so far.  The first thing to figure out is if your daughter wants to play lefty.  Have her play a little right-handed for a spell and then flip the dulcimer around and have her play left-handed.  See which way she feels most comfortable.  Some lefties play right-handed with no problem. Both hands are involved, after all.  But others find that the strumming or picking hand should be the strong hand.

If it turns out your daughter does want to play lefty, then you can just reverse the bass and melody strings, although as Noah and Ken explain, the melody string might buzz a little bit. There are some ways to "MacGyver" that issue short of getting a new nut and bridge, so if that's an issue chime in here again.

I wouldn't bother putting on a new nut and bridge until you determine that your daughter really wants to play lefty, that the strings are buzzing or the intonation is off, and that she is going to stick with it for a while. And if that's the case, perhaps her grandfather will buy her an instrument build for lefties and you won't have to lift a finger!

By the way, that old man smiley is an exact portrait of @sam, isn't it?

I've been eyeing that Clingon pickup for a while, but I am skeptical about one thing.  Watch the installation videos.  You have to get a magnet on the inside of the soundboard in the exact spot where you will put the pickup.  That might be really hard on dulcimers (or any instrument) with small soundholes.

A .024 wound bass string for a dulcimer of that scale length will not be a problem. You could probably even go to .026, but most people (other than myself) wouldn't do that.

As a general rule, I think hollow fretboards are preferred.  Since there is less wood against the soundboard, the sounboard is able to vibrate more freely, creating more volume.  And although it may not be of interest to noter players, hollow fretboards are also more responsive to your fingers, so left-hand techniques such as hammer-ons, pull-offs, and slides are easier to perform, or rather are easier to perform without a significant loss of volume.

That looks like a beautiful instrument.  Congratulations!

Tull Glazener sells tab for his arrangement of that tune as an instructional CD with tab .  It's a really nice arrangement, too.

Congrats on your new baby! The two Ron Gibson dulcimers that I've played were both really fine instruments.

And Mike Casey's book is probably the most comprehensive dulcimer technique manual around.

Enjoy!

It's a great question, @melvoid, as you can see from the thoughtful responses.  I only moved it because the "Site Questions" Forum is for questions about how to use this site, and this discussion will be more easily found in the future if we group it with questions about dulcimers.

When I first started playing the dulcimer I only played on my office chair since I could vary the height considerably, lowering it enough to get a nice flat lap. I also used to lower the arms to kind of lock the dulcimer in place.  But I realized that I needed a solution that would enable me to play elsewhere, so I put strap buttons on and immediately found I had more control over the dulcimer and did not rely on a flat lap as much.

A cheap suggestion would be an ironing board.  They can be adjusted to any height.

By the way, I moved this discussion to the "General Mountain Dulcimer" category since the "How Do I" Forum is specific to questions about how this site functions.

Most dulcimers made nowadays have notches in the bridge and nut so that you can string them with four equidistant strings or with three courses and a double melody.  You can switch back and forth and don't have to choose!

There is a group here devoted to playing with four equidistant strings .  You might consider joining that group and perusing the discussions to see the variety of ways people tune with four strings.

Having met both Kevin and Howard at the Redwood Dulcimer Day, I can say they are both kind, friendly folk.  Howard is always tickled to meet someone who plays one of the old Capritaurus dulcimers.  (Of course, he likes new orders, too!)

Jost, in theory you could tune any guitar like this, but I am using a guitar specifically made to be a baritone.  It has extra heavy strings and extra bracing and a strong truss rod to be able to handle the extra tension.  I would be wary of just stringing any old guitar like this.  Without that extra bracing, you might do some damage.  I am certainly no expert on instrument design, however.  The strings mine came with range from .016 to .070.  They are pretty big and give my fingers a workout.  

Yes, a baritone is tuned a 4th or 5th lower than a standard guitar.  So the low 6th string of a standard guitar is the same note as the 5th string of a baritone.  A standard guitar is tuned (from low to high) E-A-D-G-B-E whereas a baritone is tuned B-E-A-D-F#-B.

It's basically the same difference as that between a standard and baritone dulcimer.

Just got a baritone guitar!  Does anyone else play a baritone guitar?  What styles of music or specific songs seem to work well?

Lorilee,

I'm no expert on autism, but if you think math might be the key to getting your granddaughter interested in music, there are lots of places to find it.

Right hand strumming is all a matter of fractions.  Does your daughter already know about note duration?  If we start with a tune in 4/4 time, then a whole note gets one strum to last the whole measure, but we can cut that in half and get half notes, so you strum twice in that measure, we can cut each half note in half and get quarter notes and strum four times in a measure, we can cut those quarter notes in half and get eighth notes, in which case we strum eight times in a measure, and so forth.  And we can mix and match those strums, with the understanding that all those fractions have to add up to 1 for each measure.

The left hand is all about math, too, but at least on the dulcimer we don't work with fractions but integers.  If your granddaughter is going to be playing other instruments--likely if her elective is band--then I would stress not the numbers of the frets but the intervals between notes.  So the root or tonic is the 1st, the next note of the scale is the 2nd, the next note is the 3rd, and so forth until you get to the octave, the 8th note.

I would have her start by playing in a drone style (she can use her fingers rather than a noter, I would think) and show her a simple melody, noting the intervals involved.  You might even make a game of it, playing the first notes of a song and asking her to figure out what the interval is.  Twinkle Twinkle begins with a 5th.  Here Comes the Bride begins with a fourth.  My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean begins with a 6th.  Show her those intervals on the fretboard and see if that piques her interest.

Having said all that, you might also just put the dulcimer on her lap, show her a simple melody, and see what she does on her own.  Some children with autism have the ability to very quickly learn pretty complicated pieces of music, and it might be that the mathematical patterns of music are more easily understood by people with autism than they are by the rest of us supposedly "normal" people.  I think if you are attentive to your granddaughter, you might find she takes quickly to music without you having to point out the math behind it.

It is perfectly possible to play fingerstyle on a twelve string.  Leadbelly did it.  So did Leo Kottke.  Check this out.

The real problem with 12 strings was expressed by Pete Seeger: You spend half your life tuning your guitar and the other half playing out-of-tune.

I would transpose to Bm. Then your chords would be Bm, D, and A.  You'd be all set in either DAd or DAA.  No need for a capo.

6+ is exactly right, @melvoid.  We use the + for extra frets so that someone with a true diatonic fretboard and someone with extra frets can still refer to frets using the same numbers.

Just noticed this post, @jost.  How's the 12-string been treating you?  I have a 12-string guitar made in Canada by Seagull that I bought several years ago, just before I discovered the dulcimer.  It's fun to play something with such a full sound, isn't it?

Well the bluegrass version is a lot faster, certainly, than @jessica-comeau's version, and fiddle players generally play a lot more notes than do dulcimer players, but those two versions sound like the same tune to me.  The underlying chord progression and basic melody seem the same.

I often find it hard to arrange tunes for the dulcimer based on fiddle versions of tunes.  They just play so many notes that the basic melody is often hidden in an overgrown forest of chromatic notes.

There are tons of dulcimer versions of this tune on YouTube.  I would watch about a dozen of them and then you'll get a feel for what parts of the song are essential and what parts are up to individual interpretation.

One thing is clear, though: you will want to tune to DAC or use a capo at 1 to get the minor tone of this one.

Welcome to FOTMD, @canadian-dulcimer-boy, and congratulations on your find.  The best dulcimer journeys begin with a unique discovery like yours.

It was so fun to wake up here on the west coast and find so many people had already been posting such good music on the first ever IADD. Thanks @robin-thompson, @ariane, @gordon-hardy, and @slate-creek-dulcimers, for sharing good tunes on our favorite instrument.

My online dulcimer club met today. We were over 20, and several mentioned that they had already posted something for IADD. We played 5 songs together: Green Grow the Lilacs, Harlequein Air, Marche Nuptiale, Rickett's Hornpipe, and Southwind. 

And separately I also posted a cover of a Lucinda Williams tune: Lake Charles .

Here's a screen shot one of the participants sent me:

Hey Carolyn, the standard for fret numbers with a capo on a dulcimer is that all the frets retain their original number except for the one with the capo.  So if you capo at 1, that capo-ed fret is referred to as 0, but the next one up is 2 and then 3.  If you capo at 4, that fourth fret becomes 0 and the next one up is 5 and then 6.

This is different than guitars and banjos, which causes a lot of confusion. At least it did for me when I first started on the dulcimer.

It's so cool that this is taking off.  Tull Glazener will be posting as well and just sent out an email with @steve-c's poster and offering tab for an original composition, available only on IADD!

@Strumelia, don't you mean Suzette should tune to DAC?  Your link mentions "aeolian," after all.