@hewalker, Is that perhaps the old Sarasponda, Sarasponda, Sarasponda, ret set set that I remember so fondly from 4-H days?  Do you have tab for that?  I would love to play it!  I'm currently obsessing 'Old Yeller Dog' & 'Ruffles', but love John Stinson #2.  Also currently learning John Stinson #1-didn't know it existed.

This Fleming dulcimer is wonderful! It is missing one mechanical tuning peg--the outer part you turn--but sounds beautiful as a four-string! Definitely glad I got it and thank you for the recommendation that gave me the little push, Jennifer! And guess what--no buzzing! Once I got the bridge set correctly (and the strings, which, holy smokes, I'm not sure what  previous owner was thinking. . .!!!) intonation is excellent and tone is warm even with mostly old strings! Sigh. So lovely!

Don, feel free to also join our Beginner's Group  ...and ask all the questions you like!   Your questions there and the answers you get will help other beginners as well!   

The search function is at the top of the page beside your name (looking glass icon) and everythingdulocimer.com has a listing of teachers for MO and KS.  By the way, we are not bothered by a lot of questions, we are here to answer any and all.

Don, you might want to bring your dulcimer with the 6.5 fret to any dulcimer club/jam you go to.  Many dulcimer clubs play mostly in chord/melody style rather than noter style, and play from DAd tab that uses the 6.5 fret a lot.  If you bring your backpacker you won't be stuck trying to adapt on the fly to what they are doing.

I'm not sure that there's more options, just different ones. DAA is probably more useful to noter drone players because of the 'extra' notes below the 'D' on the 3rd fret but there's a lot more written data available for DAd. I imagine everyone starts by playing ND [noter/drone] style at first, it feels natural, and easy to do. Many folks never change to the chord style. It's one of the advantages of taking up this instrument, being able to play how, and what, you want and like.

VSL = vibrating string length. You can get the gauge from the builder or use a micrometer or vernier calipers. The gauge is the measured reading, ie., .011 [typical for melody strings]. Your string are probably close to; .018, .012, .009, so you can probably go down to DAd but the strings may be a bit slack.

Yep, or you can play one string at a time [finger pick or flat pick with a pick]. These can be done in any tuning. 

VSL= vibrating string length.  (the part of the string that vibrates freely, i.e. between the nut and bridge)

Up til now, have you been playing any chords on your dulicmer by fretting all the strings?  Or have you only been fretting the melody string so far?

The answer to your question depends on two things- the tune and arrangement (or maybe the TAB) of the piece you want to play or follow along with, ..and also the style of playing you aim to play in.  These two things (rather than just the tuning) are more what determine how you'll be strumming/playing with your right hand.

Maybe. What is the VSL [distance between the nut and bridge] and what is the string gauge [thickness]. You can try loosening them to DAd. The strings may be too small [thin] which will allow the to be too loose or floppy.

This site can give you a starting point for your string gauges, they will be a bit on the light size.

http://www.strothers.com/string_choice.html

Changing to these different tunings is pretty easy. Starting with your present tuning of DAA:

1- to tune to DAdd, tighten the melody string(s) to the same note as the 7th fret on the bass string.

2- to tune to the other tunings, loosen the melody strings from DAdd to the note desired.

3- to tune to other tunings, such as CGc, etc, you usually loosen the strings [there are a few exceptions]. Keep in mind that the DAdd tuning tightens the strings to very close to their maximum strength, about 2-3 notes below breaking point. 

For reference; a standard MD, bass D is D3, A is A3, melody D is D4, and it is written as DAd(d). Bass dulcimers are tuned an octave lower, D2, A2, D3.

Usually when a dulcimer is 3 or 4 strings, it simply means there is a low Bass string, a medium Middle string, and either 1 or 2 identical Melody strings which are tuned the same and played close together as if they are 1 string.  (there are less commonly "4-string dulcimers" with equidistant strings, often used for fingerpicking, but I'm not referring to that)

So you can have a 3 string or a 4 string dulcimer (with 1 or a pair of melody strings)- that you can tune to different common dulcimer tunings such as DAd or DAA or DAC.  

I suspect the dulcimer club you'll be attending will most often be tuned to DAd, and it does not matter whether your melody string is single or is a pair.

Here's a little video I put together showing tuning back and forth between DAd, DAC, DAA, and DAG... perhaps you'll see that it's not something to fear too much:

https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/02/video-re-tuning-between-four-common.html

I'm sure you'll get lots of good responses to this question Don!

I can only answer for myself, but here an explanation of why, as a noter/drone style player, I tend to like playing in DAA:

https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/02/why-i-like-daa-tuning.html

But DAd is a great tuning as well!  With the addition of the 6.5 fret DAd becomes quite versatile.  And there is certainly more teaching material for beginners available in DAd, much of it in chord style playing methods.  Most dulcimer 'clubs' and workshop settings currently lean towards DAd tuning and chord/melody playing style.  It's convenient to have everyone starting out the same with the same tuning and books, etc.

But you can really do whatever you like!  

I think DAC is my second favorite tuning after DAA- it's in Aeolian mode which has got the 'lonesome' sound.

My first dulcimer is DAA. To have near me; I got a backpack dulcimer... the gentleman said let me tune this GDD...okay. I got a feather dulcimer for trips...the gentleman said you'll like this tuned GDG. Soooo, if DAA and DAD are primary, why was the novice steered to other tuning. They both sound terrific....although the feather is a stinker to keep tuned. Explanation?

when recording i always used an unwound base string .

That Fleming ad was from a different Fleming, though (who is also listed in the Directory of Contemporary etc.)!

Will do!

I'll let you know! Thanks for all of your help!

How lovely! And good to know that using a capo can make it playable, in the event that mine suffers from the same ailment as yours. I have plenty of dulcimers that need special accommodations to be played :), so perhaps this will be one more of those-- I will ask about the fret buzzing, but I don't think it will be productive since this person doesn't know dulcimers (that's the story, anyway!!).

HA Fleming is in the 

Directory of Contemporary American Musical Instrument Makers

but that doesn't guarantee playability ! ;)

The maker is HA Fleming, but I can't hear or play it before buying. It looks great. . .

Jennifer, Thank you for your prompt reply! If this is not too presumptuous to ask, would you say 100.00 was a fair price? That's the cost of the one I'm looking at, but can't play.

george,

(ones he personally built were signed by him carving/engraving his name on the back side of the dulcimer,)

Sam Carrell also, I just picked up a Carrell fiddleside dulcimer. He also signs his name on the back

jenniferc, 

I hope you enjoy your fiddleside dulcimer, I have my Sam Carrell '84 fiddleside tuned DAA (only using 4 strings, not the 5th string) and the tone is also so beautiful. 

You may like the lack of 'squeeking' as you slide up and down the fretboard.  I, and my family, do. 

I'm going to have to try an unwound string for the bass. Thanks to all for the unwound posts!