Another thing i always try to do when putting a brand new string on-
I bring the string up to tune about 1 to 2 steps below the final note it will be at... then i leave it for an hour or so before bringing it up to the final note. This is especially good if you are changing or putting on all strings at once.
When i adjust the tuning on a string, I do two safety things-
1. I always turn my head so my face is turned away as much as possible.
2. And I hover my other hand over the fret board near the middle while I turn the peg. That last part would definitely keep the string length from whipping up at full length to reach my face. So, in rapid succession I pluck the string to hear it sound, then quickly hover that same hand closely over the middle of the fret board while turning the peg with left hand.
If you are tightening a string a long ways (as when just putting it on), you can even lay a little washcloth over the fretboard as you are getting the string 'in the ballpark'.
Richard, I am very paranoid when tuning a new instrument and I wear protective goggles when I do, but I have a lot of dulcimers with old strings and I am always worried that one will break while Im playing. Unfortunately goggles arent always an option, so I'm mostly trying to gauge what a worst case scenario would look like.
Robin, I could definitely imagine that it hurts. I personally take a mechanical pencil and scribble some graphite into the slots before putting the strings on, and this helps a lot with friction at the nut.
Jamie, that is good to hear, and I imagine that where it whips is somewhat erratic, so I hope that stays consistent for you. It's good to hear that nobody has an instance of being whipped in the face.
Thanks all
I spent some time this morning trying out your suggestions. They offer some new possibilities. I've been playing 4 equidistant strings for over a year. I wonder how much difference that makes regarding fingers and thumb.
I don't use tuning apps, I use clip-on tuners of various makes and models.
For a dulcimer, you want/need one with a CHROMATIC setting. Some have settings for guitar, fiddle, ukulele, etc. and in that case you need to be sure that you are using the C setting. It's usually a very small letter and easy to miss until you understand its importance.
That same thing applies with an app. I' not aware that Fender ever made dulcimers, and I wouldn't be surprised if their all only had guitar settings
Alex, I'll just address your first question here and also encourage you to join the Modern Chord Style Players Group here.
When he performs, Steven Seifert rarely uses his thumb. Aaron O'Rourke uses his more often, but still not a lot compared to the rest of us. But importantly, both of them teach chording using the thumb. And most of use all our fingers.
The reason Seifert and O'Rourke don't use their thumbs that much is that they use their ring finger (Seifert) or their pinky (O'Rourke) to barre across all the strings, allowing the other fingers to fret strings above the barre. So in DAd, whereas I play the 335 G chord with my middle, ring, and thumb, Aaron just forms a barre with his pinky at 3 and then uses his index finger on the 5.
One thing to keep in mind is that if you don't use your thumb, the dulcimer can sit straight across your lap, kind of perpendicular to your legs. But if you use your thumb, you will want to angle the head of the dulcimer out over your knee more. This is easy to demonstrate and harder to describe, but the basic idea is that you want a relaxed angle for you fretting hand. I often change how far out the dulcimer is angled depending on how much I use my thumb in a given song.
Personally, I think the best approach is to be flexible, making sure you are able to use all five fingers, and then choosing the fretting hand attack that best fits a given arrangement.
For the record, I played the guitar for decades before discovering the mountain dulcimer. I think of the right hand as playing the guitar and the left hand as playing the piano. Maybe that helps. 
Maybe not.
Thanks for your answers. My answers to yours:
1) I knew about Stephen Seifert. I wonder if he started on guitar, like me.
2) There's a whole literature about string instruments that says, contrary to what may seem like conventional wisdom, that the right hand does the harder work. I'm very left handed, but was never given the option of playing lefty. It's been limiting in some ways, but I can do some things with my left hand that righties would find challenging. Check my stuff out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music (or other streams) and see if you agree.
3) I'm passionate about alternate tunings, on 3 or 4 strings. I think I've found about 70 and they open up worlds of possibilities. But I have no interest in a chromatic dulcimer. (I have a guitar for that.)
4) Staff notation is probably not very useful for learning other people's repertoire, unless it's for vocal melodies. But I compose a lot and I've been reading staff notation forever, so I use it.
Thanks so much. Such a great community.
Welcome Alex, glad to have you here. I enjoyed the song you posted.
To answer your questions
1: There are some players I've seen that don't seem to use their thumb very much at all, unless it's to make a stretch while holding a chord shape. Stephen Siefert and Aaron O'rourke come to mind. It does look more comfortable on the wrist.
2: I am right handed, and I've often felt like the left hand is doing harder work than the right on a dulcimer. It might be an advantage to play right handed if you're left handed.
3: I do. It can be a good source of inspiration. I usually stick to 1-5-8 tunings in various keys, but I've recently been playing more 4 string, which opens up a lot more opportunities.
4: I learned dulcimer with tab, since there is such a huge number of tabs available. Staff notation is a bit intimidating for me, especially when I change keys or modes. I only use it when I have to, like if I'm playing with others and they are using it.
Hi, Alex! Welcome to our happy little group of dulcimer fans. Detroit weather now is overcast and pleasantly cool. With occasional sprinkles.
So, to answer your Question #2, I have been a leftie all my life (physically, not politically), and have always played dulcimer "right-handed", or the usual way folks play it. I built a left-handed J. E. Thomas replica dulcimore for a guy, and found it to be an interesting experience. He seemed happy with it-- I've heard no complaints as of yet.
As to Questions #1, #3 and #4, No, no and no. Hope you have fun with our dulcimer gang!
Hi All,
I hope you're having a great weekend with better weather than here in MN.
I'm relatively new here. I'm completely self-taught on dulcimer. I've played for about ten years, after about fifty years of guitar and I'm a classically trained composer and music professor. Dulcimer has become my main instrument. My questions:
1) Because of my background in guitar, I mostly use all four left hand fingers and only occasionally my thumb. Anyone else out there use this technique?
2) Anyone else left handed, but play right handed? If so, do you think this affects your playing and if so how? (I play fingerstyle, but I think my technique is unorthodox.)
3) Does anyone else spend a lot of time exploring alternate tunings?
4) Does anyone else use/like staff notation?
Thanks so much,
I am glad you have a friend with whom to learn. That will be fun and beneficial. Best wishes.
I pretty much agree with Richard's advice. I have a one of Warren's dulcimers and have no problem with the original tuners (wood). If I were to replace the tuners I would try to find some that fit without any modification to the tapered holes. There might be some Wittner tuners that fit. I'd keep the original tuners so the next owner of the dulcimer can decide which she/he prefers. If you are looking at the dulcimer as an investment (hoping it will appreciate in value) I wouldn't change it or play it. I'd box it up and store it away. If on the other hand you bought it so that you can enjoy playing it, you should make the modifications needed to make it playable for you.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I don't use tuning apps, I use clip-on tuners of various makes and models.
For a dulcimer, you want/need one with a CHROMATIC setting. Some have settings for guitar, fiddle, ukulele, etc. and in that case you need to be sure that you are using the C setting. It's usually a very small letter and easy to miss until you understand its importance.
That same thing applies with an app. I' not aware that Fender ever made dulcimers, and I wouldn't be surprised if their all only had guitar settings
The choice is yours. If you think you may want to sell the dulcimer in the future, the buyer may or may not prefer wooden pegs.
On the other hand if you have trouble tuning the wooden pegs or just can't learn to tune the wooden pegs, you will have a hard time enjoying your dulcimer. If this is the case and you want to play the dulcimer until it (or you) wears out, by all means change out the wooden pegs for something you can enjoy messing with.
One consideration is the aging or injured hand or wrist that makes tuning wooden pegs even more of a challenge. I have several replicas of traditional style dulcimers but have mechanical Wittner tuners in those that look like ebony viola pegs. That has relieve my aggravating my wrist arthritis every time I need to tune or retune.
Most contemporary dulcimer players much prefer mechanical tuners. About the only folks using wooden tuning pegs are the traditionalists who play old time dulcimers or replicas with wooden pegs, staple frets and true diatonic fret spacing.
It is yours and after all you should do what you want with it.
I pretty much agree with Richard's advice. I have a one of Warren's dulcimers and have no problem with the original tuners (wood). If I were to replace the tuners I would try to find some that fit without any modification to the tapered holes. There might be some Wittner tuners that fit. I'd keep the original tuners so the next owner of the dulcimer can decide which she/he prefers. If you are looking at the dulcimer as an investment (hoping it will appreciate in value) I wouldn't change it or play it. I'd box it up and store it away. If on the other hand you bought it so that you can enjoy playing it, you should make the modifications needed to make it playable for you.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
The choice is yours. If you think you may want to sell the dulcimer in the future, the buyer may or may not prefer wooden pegs.
On the other hand if you have trouble tuning the wooden pegs or just can't learn to tune the wooden pegs, you will have a hard time enjoying your dulcimer. If this is the case and you want to play the dulcimer until it (or you) wears out, by all means change out the wooden pegs for something you can enjoy messing with.
One consideration is the aging or injured hand or wrist that makes tuning wooden pegs even more of a challenge. I have several replicas of traditional style dulcimers but have mechanical Wittner tuners in those that look like ebony viola pegs. That has relieve my aggravating my wrist arthritis every time I need to tune or retune.
Most contemporary dulcimer players much prefer mechanical tuners. About the only folks using wooden tuning pegs are the traditionalists who play old time dulcimers or replicas with wooden pegs, staple frets and true diatonic fret spacing.
It is yours and after all you should do what you want with it.
Re strings breaking:in my experience they fly away from the musician's face when breaking while playing.Tuning up new strings I always shut my eyes tight in that last little bit to get them up to pitch.
Should I replace the wooden tuners on an older Warren May dulcimer with planetary tuners, or will this affect the collector value in the future?
Here's some background info. The Fender app looks like it's made for specific instruments, guitar and uke and one more and only displays the notes that pertain to those instruments. Dulcimers need a tuner that displays all of the notes, a chromatic tuner. I use gStrings [android]. It is quite accurate and has advanced features you can use as you learn more.
MD standard tuning, Bass- D3, Middle-A3, melody- A3 or d4.
What is the length of the dulcimer's scale? And what size string were you tuning to D (I assume D5 (293.66hz)? Were the strings visibly old (rusty or black). Is this a used or new instrument?
What is the length of the dulcimer's scale? And what size string were you tuning to D (I assume D5 (293.66hz)? Were the strings visibly old (rusty or black). Is this a used or new instrument?
Got my new Dulcimer today was built in 1992 supposedly has never been played. was tuning the first strings to D They vibrated sound low octave tried to tune them higher and the string broke was using an app from my phone. Not sure if the app was working correctly or just old strings.
I've been whipped by a string before-- it smarts.
I re-tune a lot and would, once in a great while, break a string. What I noticed, finally, is my string breaks occurred when I was tuning a string down. What was happening: the string would stick at the nut, so, when tuning down, the string was "pushing" against where the string was stuck in the nut, causing the break. Now, when I re-tune, I put downward pressure on the strings between the tuning pegs and the nut-- -- no breaks.
I've never had one break while playing. Wear safety glasses as a precaution.
Hey folks. I use pretty heavy gauge strings on my dulcimers and don't change them very often. So far, I haven't had a string break while playing, but I've always been kind of paranoid, since my face is directly above the strings. My fear is that the string will snap, whip up, and hit me in the eye faster than I can blink. I'm just hoping for some anecdotes about strings breaking while playing: if anyone has ever been hurt by one and where the strings tend to go when they do break.
Thanks,
Nate
I am a brass player as well. Played trumpet, French horn, and mellophone all throughout school and have recently got back into it. Here are my current instruments: a Bach TR-200 trumpet, Reynolds Contempora Pottag Model French horn, and Yamaha YMP-201 mellophone.
@terry-jaye The scale in the little video sounds pretty good to my ear. Happy strumming!
@jennifer-landry I'm glad you were able to acquire that pretty Bill Berg instrument-- enjoy!
Thanks for sharing your good news Jen. It's good to have you back and I hope you stay active. Let us know if you have any questions.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Hi everyone! I’ve actually been a member for years, and may have introduced myself years ago. But it’s been a long time since I played dulcimer as the one I had was, well, more of a wall decoration than a playable instrument. I’ve been looking for a better one for a long time that I could afford, and finally found one that arrived on my doorstep just a few hours ago. It’s a beautiful Bill Berg teardrop, that has the ability to have 5 strings but it was restored by John Keeton to have a conventional 4 string setup, with doubled melody strings and just the one bass string. You can see it in my profile pic. I’m so happy with this beautiful instrument. The action is gorgeous. I’ve only ever tried to play with a noter because of some hand health issues but the action on this is so nice and easy I may actually be able to learn some chords too! I’ll be around the forums, gleaning the wisdom of all of you more advanced players!
Jen Landry, Gardner MA
Enjoy your new to you dulcimer. Like John, over the years I've built several McSpadden kits; always for others. I'm glad to you found an instrument you like because it means you will play it often. If you need any other help let us know.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Good going! We're happy that you got a nice dulcimer at a nice price. To me it sounds like you bought a McSpadden dulcimer kit that was assembled by Bob Thomason.
McSpadden makes great kits. I've assembled several over the years, and in fact i have one now that I assembled, but swapped out the walnut top it came with for a custom buckeye one that looks like birch or spruce. Looks and sounds great.
Thank you, everyone! Checking out the dulcimer went well and I ended up taking it home. It turned out to not be a McSpadden – looks like the maker is Bob Thomason out of Georgia and the case is a McSpadden – but it's still a lovely instrument that plays well and it was a fine price. Playing it has gone well so far, too – nice rich sound.
Scroll to the bottom of this page on Terry McCafferty's website for a little information:
https://www.mccaffertydulcimers.com/frequently-asked-questions
Scroll to the bottom of this page on Terry McCafferty's website for a little information:
https://www.mccaffertydulcimers.com/frequently-asked-questions
Rule # 2 Play it some more....
If YOU like the way it looks, if YOU like the way it sounds, it means more than ANY makers mark or vintage. A dulcimer that you like is infinitely more likely to be played and not put in the closet.
Of course if this is a hour glass, you'll need to get a teardrop too. And perhaps one with/without the extra frets, and one for....
DAS is real.
I am looking at a Barringer # 58 like new condition any input on his work and possible value?
Rule #1 for purchasing a dulcimer: If possible, PLAY IT.
Dulcimers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and you need one which fits YOU. Even if you can barely play, putting it on your lap will help you decide whether it fits you.
Don't worry if you can't put it in proper tune, if one string will play you can get a pretty good sense of the tone which the body shape and size provides, and you can check for things like buzzing. Fingering each fret in order can be used to check for a warped stick or high frets. If your ear is decent, you can use Fret 7 (the octave) to roughly check fretting, nut, and bridge problems.
Generally any McSpadden, or other big name instrument, made within the past 20 years is likely to be OK if there is no visible damage, although a good look at tuners, etc. is good advice.
There are no really good price guides for used instruments except eBay and Reverb asking prices. If you can't play it, always check shipping charges, etc. since these are sometimes more than the instrument price.
Don't worry if you don't understand all this, but see if you and the instrument are a comfortable and pleasing match. You should be looking for a "lifetime companion," not a "trophy spouse." You may need more than one date, don't rush it.
My friend Richard has given you some solid advice. Check the tuning pegs as well, for smooth turning. And listen for any buzzing sounds as you play it. Hopefully there won't be any, but if so, they can be fixed pretty easily. Sounds like you found a treasure!
Thanks for asking. We are here to help each other.
Congrats. That may be a good find. Ask if kept in smoke free home. Also if stored in the main part of the house, not a basement, attic, garage, shed or rental storage unit. Check the date of manufacture. There should be a label in the melody side lower sound hole. Check that all joints are tight without any showing signs of separation. The overall finish and appearance will tell how much it may have been used. and how well it has been cared for. I saw one once labeled "as new" that had marks on the lower bout which looked like a cat had used it for a scratching post. Check the strings for rust/oxidation. They can be changed easily enough.
Regarding price: look at the McSpadden website and see what a new dulcimer sells for similar to what you are looking at. My personal standard is not to pay more than about 40-50% of the new price if the sellers dulcimer is in great shape.
If you have a dulcimer friend to go with you, sometimes 2 sets of eyes are better than one set. If you have questions about this particular dulcimer, the folks at McSpadden have always been very helpful when I have called them.They will need the info from the label (take a picture of it through the sound hole).
Personally over my time with the dulcimer, I have been fortunate enough to purchase 2 McSpadden dulcimers and one Warren May dulcimer which had been purchased but never played. Sometimes those things happen.
I am sure you will get some further responses as well. Best wishes on your find.
Hi friends, I'm looking for a Blue Lion teardrop dulcimer. It's one of the few models of BL that I don't have. :-) I travel a lot and would love to bring along a BL (usually I bring a McSpadden Ginger - but my heart belongs to BL - what can I say). I don't need a beauty - in fact something well-loved would be wonderful (but no odors/smoking/nicotine - I'm allergic!). If you have a teardrop Blue Lion that you aren't playing and want to re-home (I'll take excellent care of it), and reasonably priced, please let me know. Thanks in advance! PS I live in San Diego
