The ukulele is typically played in a variety of keys, without changing tuning. The string to string relationship of both tunings is the same as standard guitar tuning, except for the high 4th string. I keep a low G on my tenor uke for more low notes, but if I want the high G, I can always borrow Mrs.Wanda's uke. It's nice having multiples in the house!
Paul
Robin, I'm glad you jumped in here- you have lots of solid practical knowledge in this particular subject! 
Hi Nigel,
Yep - that's know as C tuning for ukes (C6 actually). Smaller ukes, particularly during the early part of the 20th century, were tuned a tone higher A,D,F#,B (D6) and played in the key of D.
It would be great if they were in C...but they are GCEA tuned, not open....
By the way, the capo is great! Ta very muchly!
No - they can just tune up from C to the old 1930s D tuning
Nigel Caddick said:
Ha ha, thank you Robin LOL
I will have to get the other 22 ukuleleists to buy capo's then.....
Ha ha, thank you Robin LOL
I will have to get the other 22 ukuleleists to buy capo's then.....
Oh I just love these multi-confusing questions
Nigel - You can actually get away with murder on a dulcimer working out of D,A,d with or without a capo to assist, unless the folks you play with go somewhere really weird like A# minor 
You don't have to play full chords on the dulcimer - in fact many dulcimer 'chords' just contain two notes (0,0,0 for D or 3,3,3 for G are examples) so you can play in other keys with a bit of thought and simply miss out the notes you don't have and substitue a harmony note. For example:there's a C chord at 3,4,6 and an F chord (without an F) at 6,8,6 and a G chord at 3,3,5 and the relative minor (Am without the 3rd) at4,4,4. So you can strum along in the key of C adding the odd fill or partial melody from D,A,d.
You can also work melody over drones at a session(playing modal tunings) and the other instruments will fill in the chord changes while you hold the root and/or 5th of the primary key within your drones. This is my prefered method for sessions although it involves re-tuning. I also like to play on a short scale instrument tuned to highG,d,g - same chord shapes as D,A,d but with G as the home tuning as I feel this tuning tends to lift the instrumemt up over the top of the guitar (just personal preference).
With a standard set of string gauges and a bit of thought you can get pretty much into any key and scale (mode). And I would look at the dulcimer as an instrument of possibilities rather than restrictions 
Of course, if most of the tunes you play with friends are in the key of C then you can always get the guitarist to put a capo on a fret 2 so you can all play in the key of D 
Robin
Oops....yes you're right.....
I think I meant to say to capo it up the the 3rd when it's in D....which would give me G....I think.......gettingconfused.com...LOL
I think I'll get a D stick with a capo for D & G and another stick in C......that should cover it....
We don't play any in Em I don't think....oh...Hotel California...just the one then.
Actually, Nigel, capoing at the 3rd fret in CGcc tuning will give you F, not G. G would be the 4th fret since it's the 5th tone of the C major scale. Oh, and capoing on 2 will give you a nice E minor, too.
Rob
Again, many thanks for all the advice you've taken the time to give me. As most of our songs are in the key of C, I've decided to tune my MD down a note to CGcc and then capo at the 3rd to give me G. This should embrace 85% of all the songs we do, so I shall use my uke for the others
I am in the process of deciding on a stick dulcimer and in which of the 3 scales to buy it in, this question has now been answered and it'll be a D scale too....many thanks for the advice, a lovely website this is too!
Nigel, I just want to assure you that things will work out!
Sometimes it's even harder for a dulcimer beginner who already has some music experience and is used to playing in groups with various other instruments, in multi keys. It means you want/need to jump right in and play in various tunings and keys, rather than build slowly on simple skills first. People like yourself get frustrated because the diatonic dulcimer does not behave like the trusty guitar or uke- those darned missing frets! But don't worry (don't fret? lol) ... once you accept that the dulcimer is not a guitar or mandolin, and once you begin to catch onto uniquely dulcimerish solutions and the reasoning behind them, you be full speed ahead again! Believe me, it's not rocket science, and you are a smart man- take one step at a time and very soon the clouds will clear and smooth sailing for you.
HD28 -- you may want to look at a couple of articles here that I've written:
I Just Got A Dulcimer Now What? has an illustrated glossary, plus answers to many beginner questions about tuning, playing care and feeding of your dulcimer: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what
Uncontrite Modal Folker is a discussion of Modes and modal music and how they apply to the dulcimer (differently than they do guitar): http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/uncontrite-modal-folker
FWIW -- most dulcimer players of my acquaintance do not play "accompaniment chords" in a jam or elsewhere. They are playing chord-melody style -- one chord per note of the complete melody, not just one chord per measure of music.
Thank you all for your reply's
I can now see that simply using a capo won't work, so it looks like buying at least one spare MD....and playing guitar or uke to the songs I can't use the dulcimer...
Many thanks, I now have food for thought...
Nige
Nigel, others have provided some good information here, and I hesitate to add to the mix. You know what they say about too many cooks . . .
The most common keys in old timey and bluegrass jams are C, D, G, and A.
With your dulcimer tuned DAd or DAA, you are obviously in the key of D. You can put your capo at the third fret and you will be in G. You can put the capo at the fourth fret and play in A. In both those cases, the fingering youhave already learned will work fine, but you will simply be in a different key.
For C, tune your dulcimer one note down to CGc of CGG. Once again, everything you already learned for DAd or DAA will work except that you will now be playing in C.
Paul is correct that you can tune DGD to play in the key of G, and many people do that for certain songs. But the fingering will be different from what you are used to.
As Carey and Strumelia have explained, since the dulcimer is diatonic, the capo is more compicated than it is on chromatic instruments such as the guitar. You cannot simply put it on the first or second frets to change keys as you will also be changing modes. There are uses for the capo at those keys, but the fingering you already know will not work.
However, if you want to play your diatonic dulcimer in multi-instrument jams, you should get used to tuning to CGc or CGG and using the capo at the third and fourth frets. Here is a Bing Futch video where he teaches the fiddle tune Hangman's Reel in D and then demonstrates how to play it in G and A using the capo. (And if you listen during the closing credits you will hear a "minor" version of the song which is the same fingering but the capo at the first fret.)
I find myself dropping the second string to G for songs in the key of G, That gives me a DGD tuning. The root is then on the middle string, rather than it's more common bass string location. Some call this a reverse tuning, for this reason. For songs in C, I usually tune to CGC, as Ken said above. If I lower my melody strings to G, they are a bit too loose for my liking. Very often I take a second instrument to jams to cover keys that are tricky with the string gauges I use. Most often, the second instrument is a guitar or banjo.
Paul
To add to the explanations already given- using a capo only to go into different keys:
I'm just a guitar player, very new to theMD, so I'm used to using a capo, to quickly change keys, without retuning.
question...if Nigel is tuned to CGCC for ease of playing simple 3 chord songs in C, couldn't he just place the capo on the 2nd fret to play in E,capo at 3rd fret to play in F, or capo4th fret to play in G ?
A guitar is chromatic- it has all the half steps and all the frets to play in any key by moving a capo around.
If Nigel tuned CGCC and then put his capo on the 4th fret to play in G as you say- he'd indeed be playing in G, but in the dorian mode- anything he played would sound plaintive and sort of minor/sad, because the 'missing' dulcimer frets would mean some notes would be minor of flat sounding and create a whole different sound than what you'd want.
So you can't just do like a guitar player does with a capo.
Here's a fun little exercise I did a while back that shows how the mood of a song changes completely when you go from playing it in its normal mode to playing the exact same song in the Dorian mode- and you'd be getting the same results if you put a capo on the 4th fret:
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2012/03/ghost-of-gray-goosego-tell-aunt-rhody.html
Yes... and no. I'm not one who plays with a capo. But I can see that if you capo at 2, from CGc you do get the strings tuned to EBe. But what you lose is the sequence of wide and narrow fret spacings that define the notes you'll get from that tuning. You no longer get do, re, mi, fa, sol, la... so you lose the scale.
Yep - to get up to F and G you need a different set of strings (especially the bass) than is used for C and D.
Thanks Ken, that's what I meant, tune the strings down to C. It looks like that if I want to play the majority of songs we do at the club I will need to buy that other MD and maybe even another one for the songs in G......
Don't de-tune to "the C chord" We call it tuning to Mixolydian Mode Key of C -- that would be CGc tuning. Basically tune every string down one note. DAd and CGc are what we call 1-5-8 tunings, and they all use the same tab. CGc, DAd, EBe, FCf and GDg are all 1-5-8 tunings. So if you have tab for one tuning/key you have the tab for all keys.
Oh......
Our main key is C.......should I de-tune to the C chord? Then at least most of our songs will be covered....
No dumb questions, Nige; just ones we haven't answered yet.
Yes - if' you're tuned in DAd, you are playing in the key of D.
A capo is only of limited help in changing key, as others will jump in here and explain.
One simple answer to your second question is "you can't" - play through tunes in different key without re-tuning that is....
Unlike the guitar or mandolin, the dulcimer does not have all the notes available all the time. One Key at a time.
Can I ask a dumb question?
My MD is tuned DAdd so all of the tunes I will be playing on it will be in D, yes? I also want to buy a stick dulcimer which will have similar tuning....I have bought a capo for the MD but haven't used it yet. My question is this:
Our club has a songbook with 50 standard songs in, I would say 60% of the songs start off in C, 30% in G and the remaining 10% in all sorts of keys, F or E maybe.
How would I play through all these songs without having to re tune the MD?
Thanks for your time...
Nige
You can't go wrong with a dulcimer from Dave "Harpmaker" Lynch, who hangs out here occasionally.
http://sweetwoodsinstruments.com/dulcimers.php
His Hourglass runs $325 and is offered in half a dozen top woods and nearly as many body woods to get just the look you want. Dave is a great builder whose instruments have a warm and deep sound. Even his Student Model, for $125, although not an hourglass shape, has a better sound than instruments costing much more. He's easy to work with too, to make you just the instrument you want. Why settle for a second or fifth hand mass-produced instrument, when you can have one made just the way you want?
If you're looking for good value then take a careful look at what you can find on the second hand market.
Something by a good maker that hasn't suffered damage will be the equal of anything you can buy new.
Second hand McSpaddens are a fairly safe bet, they tick most peoples boxes and have a good reputation for servicability.
john
Love the Traditional Music site! Looks like lots of possibilities there. Thanks!
Ken Hulme said:
Barbara - this site won't give you tab, but it does give lyrics and sound files so you can learn by ear. Arguably the best ballad site on the Internet: www.contemplator.com
Here's another that's good for ballad and other music, lyrics and more:
Barbara - this site won't give you tab, but it does give lyrics and sound files so you can learn by ear. Arguably the best ballad site on the Internet: www.contemplator.com
Here's another that's good for ballad and other music, lyrics and more:
Thanks for the tips. I am really excited about trying some favorite songs, altho I like the folk tunes too. I really enjoy the ballads most.
Rich said:
I too like some other songs. Hal Leonard has a host of EASY Fake Books with many songs from Beatles, songs of the 40s or 50s, Christmas and so on. They are allin the key of C and you have to be able to read notes, which just takes a little practice. Be sure you look at the EASY Fake Books. They are 20 dollars and each has over 100 songs. Rich Jonas
Thanks for the help. I printed out Battle of New Orleans and can't wait to try it. I'll also check out your article.
Ken Hulme said:
SMN = Standard Musical Notation -- sheet music with lines and blobs with/out tails. Not Tabulature. I worked the tune out myself, but have never sat down and actually tabbed it out. I learn songs by ear rather than from Tab or SMN - after I can sing/hum/whistle a tune I can pick it out. As I pick out the tune I generally write down the fret numbers and create a tab for the song. But All I ever really keep is the first few measures as a memory aid.
A lot os shet music can be found on line, free. Also some dulcimer tab. You just have to google the tune name with 'dulcimer tab' included.
Have you read my beginner's article here called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It's here:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcim...
Battle of New Orleans dulcimer tab (DAA tuning) is here:
SMN = Standard Musical Notation -- sheet music with lines and blobs with/out tails. Not Tabulature. I worked the tune out myself, but have never sat down and actually tabbed it out. I learn songs by ear rather than from Tab or SMN - after I can sing/hum/whistle a tune I can pick it out. As I pick out the tune I generally write down the fret numbers and create a tab for the song. But All I ever really keep is the first few measures as a memory aid.
A lot os shet music can be found on line, free. Also some dulcimer tab. You just have to google the tune name with 'dulcimer tab' included.
Have you read my beginner's article here called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It's here:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what
Battle of New Orleans dulcimer tab (DAA tuning) is here:
http://sniff.numachi.com/lookup.cgi?ds1=A&ds2=A&ds3=D&ti=BATNEWOR&tt=BATNEWOR&tab=d
Thanks for your input. I always loved "The Wreck . . ." used to sing it to my son who was born the same year the ship went down. I think seeing the anniversary in the news made me wonder if I could play it. Sorry, "SMN?" Think kindergarden here, I am really a beginner. Did you purchase the music or tab it yourself? Do you have a source where I might find some of these songs? I can read enough music to convert the sheet music, I took a (very brief) class and we learned how. "The Ballad of New Orleans" is another song I like -- seems like it would lend itself to being played on the dulcimer. Thanks again. I will post my progress on this front.
"Newer"songs are often still under copyright, and you probably won't find dulcimer tab for them, as paying the rights fees to publish them can be costly. You can tab such songs out from 'sheet music' for your personal use, if you can read SMN. Interesting that you mention Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, as Nov 10th was the anniversary of her sinking. I play it in Dorian Modal tuning - DAG or CGF
For starters, I would avoid music written for any of the Bb instruments. This would include Trumpet, trombone and tuba, and maybe a few more.
Music for any C instrument will work, which is a lot of leeway. Guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle/violin, piano/keyboard, and I think all the woodwinds are C instruments. In some cases you may need to shift up or down an octave to reach the lowest or highest notes in the sheet. For instance, a guitar in standard tuning can play notes almost an octave below the dulcimer tuned to DAD. To play these sheets, you may have to shift everything up an octave on the dulcimer. Not really a problem. The fiddle may have more high notes, and less low notes than the dulcimer. You may find some songs require you to play an octave below the fiddle. Mandolin has the same tuning as fiddle, and the same range. This is really not an issue, you can adjust the octave. Music for the 5 string banjo may be closest to the normal range of a DAD or DAA dulcimer, but the 2nd, 3rd & 4th strings of a guitar are right there as well.
Finding dulcimer books is easy, if you are close to a festival, or a store that sells dulcimers. If not, try online. There are several places doing online/phone sales. Prussia Valley Dulcimers ,in Waverly, Ohio; Elderly Music in Lansing Michigan; and Amazon.com all carry dulcimer books. Also, the major music publishers have web sites you can check for music. Hal Leonard and Mel Bay are probably the two biggest in the US, I'm not sure who covers other countries. Looking for specific types of music can be tricky, though. Many books are written as instruction books, teaching how to play. They usually contain older folk songs, as most of these are in the public domain, meaning the author/publisher can use them without paying royalties. With modern songs,royalties must be paid. There are books focusing on some modern songs, but you pretty much have to see the table of contents to decide which books you want to buy. There are books on swing, blues, classical, rock, and probably more. A festival is a good place to look for books, as vendors will bring a lot of books on a lot of musical styles. And will probably know what is available that they haven't got on hand.
Also, maybe FIRST, try the tablature section at Everything Dulcimer. You may be able to download or print some of the songs you are looking for. http://everythingdulcimer.com/index.php Again, copyright and royalty issues may make modern songs harder to find.Tablature is in some ways better for a dulcimer player, as we sometimes require different tunings. You can learn where all the notes are, but once we change the tuning, the notes move. And some notes are lost and gained with each tuning change.
Paul
Try any dulcimer sales store for the books. If they don't have what you want they may be able to point you in the right direction [Mel Bay is a music book publisher]. The folks in the 'Rockin' in the free world' group may also have some suggestions. As far as the second question, try a search here for translation or transposing. You can use any sheet music but you are going to have a big learning curve. The easiest way is to get a music notation such as TablEdit or Finale, etc., and enter the notation as shown in the sheet music and follow the program's directions to transpose it to the key you are going to use. You could also pick it out by ear but that may prove to have somedifficultiesalso. If you're planning on singing the melody and chording, you may find the chords/words [only?] online.
Really a beginner here. I have some favorite songs I would like to be able to play. I've bought a couple of beginner books that have some of the old time songs, which is fine, but there are some newer songs I'd like to learn. Is there anyplace I can find newer music for the dulcimer? Also, if I can find sheet music to translate myself, should I be looking for a certain kind of arrangement like stringed instruments, or is any sheet music for the song okay? I like "story" songs such as "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitgerald," and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" Thanks for your help.
