OK. So changing your tuning to match the tablature is just "part of the deal" then? I was never quite sure. Anything I know or think I know I've picked up by reading, not by being taught or doing.
Now to find a tab for Frosty the Snowman! LOL! That's my grandson's favorite Christmas song right now...
Well sorry about that; I totally misunderstood your question.
If you just want to use tablature, then you tune to whatever tuning the tablature is for.
No tuning is better for singing than any other. Some keys might be easier to sing in than others, but that depends on the song and your voice. There is one song that I can only sing in G or A, so I play it in G or A when I sing. But another member of my dulcimer group likes to sing the same song in D, so when she does, I play it in D. And I do all that out of the same tuning (DAd), sometimes using a capo.
I will file this information away but I was more interested in just playing standard dulcimer tablatures (if that's the correct term) and singing along with the kids...
I've gathered quite a few of the tabs from Everything Dulcimer and really enjoy playing them - especially hymns and Christmas music.
Which tuning lends itself best to singing?
Hi @kb9jlo.
If you simply "want to strum and sing" then your question is not so much about tuning as it is determining what chords to play. Because the dulcimer is a diatonic instrument, every tuning will have some limitations in the sense that some chords may not be possible. For example, in either a DAA or DAd tuning, you will never be able to play an F chord since there is no F natural on the fretboard.
First, I would suggest finding a chord chart. On the Tablature page at Everything Dulcimer , you can find chord charts for DAA and DAd tunings. In whichever tuning you choose, I would start out learning the positions for the main major chords in the key of D: D, G, and A, as well as their relative minors: Bm, Em, and F#m. You will be able to accompany yourself singing most songs in the key of D with those chords.
Second, find the chords for a particular song you want to learn. There is tons of this stuff online because so many of us strum guitars. If you just Google "Frosty the Snowman chords" you will find several examples, including this one . But notice that the chords in that arrangement are not in the key of D; they are in the key of C. You might get lucky and occasionally find chords in the key of D, but you will want to learn how to transpose from one key to another.
Third, if you can count to 8 and know the alphabet from A to G, then you can transpose. Rather than explain all that here, let me offer you this transposition chart for the most common keys:
To use this chart, find the chord that is indicated on the lyrics sheet and locate the comparable chord in the key you want. For example, when the lyrics sheet for "Frosty" indicates a C, you play a D. When it indicates an F, you play a G. When it indicates an Am, you play a Bm. And so forth.
This system will work so long as you can sing in the key of D. Depending on where the melody lies, that will be possible for some tunes and impossible for others. If the melody is too high or low for you, you will have to find a key that works. When you do, you can use this same chart to find the right chords to play. With a dulcimer in DAd or DAA tuning, you can find the right chords to play for the keys of D, G, and A, but other keys will be harder. That is when your initial question about tuning comes into play. Instead of DAd or DAA, you might tune CGc or CGG. The same chord chart you used before will still work, but when you use the fingering for a D chord, you will be playing a C chord. The transposition chart above will again help you figure that out. Similarly, you could tune EAe or EAA and play in the key of E.
That should be enough to get you started. Tune in next week for a lesson on using the capo!
Thank you all for the responses. Sorry I was vague. I saw a dulcimer for sale, and it was in a sturdy wooden case with a fitted interior. The corners of the case had metal caps to protect them. The seller said there were no markings that he could find in or on the dulcimer as to who was the maker. That's mainly what I was trying to find out was who might have made it. I thought with no markings that the case might be a clue.
Bob, your case is gorgeous!
Oh, I'm looking for Frosty the Snowman as well...
I built my dulcimer and I play it every now and then. Not very active at all. But lately I've wanted to get back into it. I'm confused about the tuning. How to tune the strings for different purposes - not the mechanics of tuning.
What I'd really like to do with my two closest grandkids is strum and sing some Christmas songs with them. My granddaughter and I have sung Silent Night in German at Christmas Eve services a couple of times. I'd love to do that and play the dulcimer sometime (not necessarily this year).
Any suggestions? I just want to strum and sing - nothing fancy. My fingers don't pay any attention to my brain, that's especially the reason why I like the dulcimer.
I always find your videos so enjoyable and helpful Robin. You have such a practical way of solving playing problems and explaining them in a simple hands-on way. Please don't ever delete them- they help a whole lot of people! 
P.S. nice that Candy makes a little appearance in this one. 
Any members who would like to tell us a little something about themselves? We love to welcome new FOTMD family members, especially during the holiday season! 
Just for quick viewing to let you know what are false nuts/reverse capos. I can delete the videos later.
Don't worry. Take things easy and just go with the flow... A lot of things aren't really necessary, although they might be interesting to know. Spend time developing your style -- playing the way you want to play the songs you like.
This little guy has a special place for Christmas!
In another thread, @don-grundy , a new player, asked What is a capo? and What is a False Nut?
A Capo is a bar which is easily clamped over the top of the strings, to fret all the strings at a given location, forming a temporary nut. This not only changes the key of each string, but also the sequence of whole and half intervals (fret spacings) between the "new nut" and the bridge. Thus the sequence of notes you get is different. If you are in DAA and capo at the first fret, the open string are now EBB, which would seem to be E-Ionian Mode. But the sequence of fret spacings gives you the notes of Aeolian Mode, not Ionian Mode.
A False Nut is usually used by Melody-Drone or Noter & Drone players. It is a small 'stick' placed under a string (usually the bass string) to create a new nut (and new note) for just that string. The sequence of fret intervals on all other strings remains the same. A False Nut on the bass string changes the Keynote of the instrument but not the Mode (sequence of notes played on the melody string). If you are in DAA and put a False Nut on the bass string at the 1st fret you go from DAA to EAA and are still playing in Ionian Mode.
That's another subject Don. I'll answer it in another post so we can keep subject separate and easier to find.
I build solid wood Dulcimer Cases, fully lined and hand-painted.
I have purely diatonic instruments and those with 6.5 frets and love 'em all! I retune plenty using a false nut (at fret 1 and fret 4) from my "home base" tuning of DAA and am happy to have those extra frets when I want them.
Are you looking for a case? A dulcimer by this builder? Or the combination of case and instrument?
Yep that is nominally DAA tab. I've not seen other tab or publications by Tom Arnold. Anyone else?? He must be assuming (somewhat erroneously) that everyone has a 6+ fret on their instrument.
Not seen other DAA tab with 6+ or other added frets either...
Don, Thanks for posting the pictures! I was just going by a tab book of hymns that I have. Yes, those particular hymns do have accidentals. Checked them out in my Baptist Hymnal 2008. If you look at Robin's video he demonstrates how to get those in between notes. On dulcimers that don't have a 6 1/2 fret that is what you'll have to do. It's not hard. If I can do it you can too. You have a nice long space between the 6 and the 7th fret. In between is where the 6 1/2 fret would be but you really don't need it. Just touch the string with your noter in between the 6 and 7th fret then touch then end of the noter onto the fret board. As I said if you go to about 13:18 on Robin's video that I posted he demonstrates how to do that. It would be worth your time to look at the whole video. I'm assuming you want to play noter/drone style.
I found Robin's video. If you like noter drone this is definitely worth watching and watching over and over again to get the techniques. Watch at about the 13:18 mark for getting those in between notes.
There are some hymns that have accidentals. Blessed Assurance is one example. I play that in DAA on my Prichard replica. The second line first measure there is a sharp (accidental) on the third note...above the word divine...note above di. I take my noter between the frets and hit the fret board while touch the string. It's kind of like bending the strings. So, on some hymns there are accidentals but you can get that in between note with the noter by placing it between the frets and touching the string with the noter touching the fret board. Robin Clark demonstrated that on his noter techniques video. Not sure if it is still on this site. As Robin said, to have a book of hymn tab that requires a 6 1/2 may be unusual. It may be tab for DAd. I usually use a hymnal and pick out some favorite hymns to play. I try to do it by reading the notes but sometimes I cheat and tab them out, LOL. I've had to transpose some but Rob Lackey helped me out on ones I've had trouble with.
Bill Berg of Mountain Made Dulcimers and Blue Lion both offer very substantial wooden cases similar to what you describe. I have seen a few others over the years but don't recall which who are still alive and/or making instruments and cases. The TKL cases out of Canada are very sturdy.
TKL Products Corp or http://www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/mountaindulcimer/mdcases.html for these cases.
That would be very unusual for DAA TAB. Are you sure it is not DAd TAB?
I use all those extra frets fairly regularly, in (DAA type) ionian tuning. I like to play lots of renaissance and medieval music, and those tunes seem to have many accidentals in them which call for those odd sharps and flats in the middle an otherwise major/normal tune.
I also used those extra frets a whole lot when playing minor sounding archaic oldtime fiddle tunes. I can't explain why, but I just needed them to get through the tunes.
Did you look in your browser's History to try to relocate the link where you had seen it?
I sometimes use the 6.5 (and 13.5) fret when playing in DAA tuning, but not often. I don't own any instruments with other extra frets. Mostly I find them useful when playing chord style in DAd tuning.
Is there a maker who traditionally sold his instruments in wooden cases with metal caps on the corners to protect from damage? I was searching around on this forum and other places on the Internet over the holiday weekend and saw this and can't find it now. Very curious. Thanks!
Another "Never".
Like Robin I prefer my fretboards unadulterated with extra frets. As he says, it's just cleaner, and I don't mind re-tuning a single string to change modes -- takes less than a minute usually. DAA, DAC, DAG, DAd just change the melody string to change the mode. I keep another dulcimer tuned Ccc for singing with as that keynote suits my voice much better. The Bagpipe tuning -- Ddd, Ccc etc. does for dulcimers without additional frets what the 6+ fret does for those who tune DAd -- it allows me to play at least two modes -- Ionian and Mixolydian, and 'cheat' Dorian and sometimes Aeolian using grace notes to work around missing incidentals.
Never Don, my personal preference is for a pure diatonic fret board with no extra frets at all. I find it much easier and cleaner when using a noter. The standard 6 1/2 and 13 1/2 frets are pretty nonsensical notes when playing in DAA. And re-tuning for other modes is pretty straightforward. I do sometimes use a 6 1/2 for Galax dulcimer playing from d,d,d,d and e,e,d,d
Ken , I very much appreciate your comments. All this amazing internet stuff, you in USA, & me in Australia, asking you questions!. Yesterday a friend dropped me off a couple of “black camphor” logs, so will start milling them up today, they are already dried. Then I can start making. I have already secured a redo drum pad and the rest of the hardware. I very much enjoy the building as well as the playing. Any chance of a photo of the one you built?
That's the kind I've built -- basically a wider, longer dulcimer body combined with a 6" tambourine that is free floating and perched on 3 or 4 stub legs to hold it at the correct height. The free floating bridge sets just aft of center on the drumhead.
Thanks for the reply Ken, I am about to start building one. You have swayed me toward the drum in a box model.
