Tunings you like to use on your dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
5kwkdw3:
So for a thread with a life of it's own and to keep up with the OP, I have a question to those who are more familiar with the different tunings: On an tuning where there might just be one string changed (I've seen some that I thought looked familiar, but the last string was changed to a C for instance in an otherwise key of D or G, or maybe A?), What exactly does that do for a player? Is it that one additional song can be played or chords achieved (I saw mention of greensleves being played courtesy of a alternate tuning) by tuning down or up that one string? Or did I miss something and players are playing off of the very same tab, but now with a detuned string or sharpened one and the differing sounds that are produced? Much like playing a song in G major but with the strings tuned in such a way as to allow a Bb to show up and make it sound in a minor key? Is the later one a viable reason?
You can think about tunings changing in 4 ways - to shift the key, to shift the mode, to shift the timbre, to change the playability.
Many of the tunings folks have mentioned in this thread are simply a shift of key from another tuning. In these instances all 3 strings are retuned by the same amount from the start point (from DAd to CGc for example) and the same TAB/fingering can be used to play a tune - the only difference being that you will now be playing in a different key.
Some of the tunings mentioned so far in this thread only re-tune the melody string from a start point (from DAd to DAC for example). This is a shift in mode, and now you will need different TAB and different fingering to play tunes - also, you will have changed some of the scale notes available to you. For example DAC allows us to shift the notes available from the D major scale (DAd) to the D minor scale (DAC) on the melody string. Noter drone style players are the ones who tend to retune just the melody string most often to change mode. Chord melody players can achieve a similar modal change using a capo - for example DAd (D major) with a capo at the 1st fret becomes an E minor tuning.
Some of the tunings mentioned in this thread are for the purpose of shifting the timbre of the instrument. For example I use A,E,G, which is a very slack stringed low tuning to play some of ID Stampers tunes in order to get the string rattle and noter zip found on his recordings. Or I may tune up to D# to get the attack that Jean Ritchie achieved on some of her recordings. Many folks do find that certain tunings give their dulcimers quite a different tonal flavour, so rather than changing key or mode or inversion for the sake of singing pitch or to play with other instruments they will make the change because it achieves the 'sound' they are after on that particular dulcimer. (Note: an inversion refers to switching the middle and bass string notes - often called a reverse tuning).
A few of the tunings mentioned in this thread have the purpose of changing the playability of instrument. Marc (above) has mentioned some 1-3-5 tunings he uses. These types of tunings will require very different chord shapes, and some will only work with certain playing styles (such as fingerstyle or flatpicking) that avoid some strings at certain points in a tune. The advantage of some of these tunings however is that accidental notes (those not usually found on a particular scale) become available and so enable some classical or jazz or pop tunes to be played that are not possible in DAd or other more usual tunings.
So there are a number of reasons why folks may choose to re-tune their dulcimer. Some of these new tunings may effect the key, the mode, the timbre or the playability, or any combination of these factors. And there are also a good number of expert players who will work with just one tuning. And finally, understanding tunings doesn't make you a good player but it can help you create the music that you want to play.
<--- YOU!
I like to practice outdoors, and since I've mostly been practicing the rudiments, I am serenaded by the cicada bugs and I see a lot of fireflies.
