(Copyright 2001 by Randy “Ardie” Davis. Excerpt from Chapter 14 in “A Dulcimer Builder’s Do-It-Yourself Guidebook.” Contains helpful information about stringing a 15/14 hammered dulcimer, the two-fifths ratio, etc. For more information, please visit http://www.hamiltonardie.com/DIYBookPage.htm.)
Required Materials:
·
Appropriate Gauge Wire
Suggested Tools:
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Needle-Nose Wire Cutters
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Tuning Handle
·
(Looping Machine)
Someone once said (perhaps it was me) that stringing a hammered dulcimer is a #@$% bloody sport that ought to be left to those who feel no pain and are not easily frustrated. In fact, before stringing a hammered dulcimer yourself, you ought to seriously consider finding someone you dislike intensely and hiring him or her to do it. That way you would get two things you want: a bit of sadistic revenge on your enemy and a strung instrument.
The reasons stringing a hammered dulcimer is so challenging are several.
First, you must determine the exact gauge of wire to use for each course, no easy task because so much depends on the measurements of the instrument, the angle of the bass bridge as well as its position, the skill of the stringer and personal taste. For example, two different instrument makers that I know of use the following wire gauges for the treble bridge |C through high |G on their 15/14 models:
Maker No. 1
Note Wire Gauge
D|G 7-6-7
C|F 7-6-7
B|E 7-6-7
A|D 8-7-8
G|C 8-7-8
Maker No. 2
Note Wire Gauge
D|G 5-5-5
C|F 5-5-5
B|E 6-6-6
A|D 6-6-6
G|C 6-6-6
While the stringing scheme for Maker No. 1 will not work on the ardie's handcrafted Performance 15/14 Hammered Dulcimer, the scheme for Maker No. 2 will. However, I like less sustain in my instrument than the second stringing scheme allows, so I do not use it. Instead, I’ve adapted a stringing scheme that works well on my 15/14 and which goes like this:
ardie's handcrafted
Note Wire
Gauge
D|G 6-5-6
C|F 7-6-7
B|E 7-6-7
A|D 8-7-8
G|C 8-7-8
The reasons that Maker No. 1’s stringing scheme doesn’t work for me are simple: the thicker gauges either break or the loops come undone under the high tension of my design. In the end you go with what works.
Maker's
Note Check out Appendix F for string gauges and lengths!
Obtaining high-quality piano wire of gauges 5-11 (those I use) is no easy matter either. Just try getting it at your local hardware store. Luckily a great piano supply company like Schaff Piano Supply Co. (www.schaffpiano.com) caters to instrument builders like us, and carries the right gauges in the right quantities (½ lb rolls) at the right prices. By the way, ½ lb of No. 7 wire means 568 feet of wire; so do not get carried away if you’re just going to build one dulcimer.
You can find pre-cut, pre-looped lengths at certain dulcimer supply companies like those listed in Appendix A. Unless you plan on going into the business, spend the money on pre-looped string and avoid the hassle of twisting the loops yourself.
To loop your own wire and string your dulcimer, you will need the following tools and supplies:
Besides the tensile strength of the wire itself, the next most important thing about the wire is the loop that goes around the hitch pin. If you do not get this exactly right, you will never get the higher tension wires to tune. You also have to consider how many coils you want to take for each loop. If you take too many coils then you will weaken the loop or the loop will cut into the side bridge when the wire is tightened. If you take too few, the loop will un-twist.
On average I have about ½” of coil for each loop.
The looping machine comes with instructions on how to use it and create perfect loops and coils.
Now is the time to place the Treble and Bass Bridges on top of the soundboard. Remember that the Treble Bridge is on the left and has 14 holes, and the Bass Bridge is on the right side of the soundboard and has 13 holes.
The placement of the Treble Bridge is critical: it must be placed using the two-fifths ratio. Placing the Bass Bridge is less critical, though I put it at a one-fifth ratio.
The two-fifths ratio is taken from the inside edge of side
bridge to the inside edge of side bridge. Follow the explanation and example
below carefully.
The side bridges are typically placed ¼” from the side edges of the pin blocks. Assuming the side bridge is ½” wide, the inside edge of the side bridges would therefore be ¾” from the edges of the pin blocks.
Again assuming that the full distance between Short Rail pin block ends is 20.125”, the actual distance between Short Rail marks (A) would be about 18.75”. If the full distance between the Long Rail pin block ends is 40”, the actual distance between Long Rail marks (B) would be 38.5.” The two-fifths ratios would therefore be calculated against 18.75” and 38.5”.
Soundboard (Not to Scale) 18.75 38.5 Side bridge 40” 20.125”
Two-Fifths Ratio = Width / 5 * 2
You would calculate the placement of the Treble bridge as follows:
38.5”/5 = 7.7” * 2 = 15.4”
18.75”/5 = 3.75” * 2 = 7.5”
The Treble Bridge would be placed, therefore, 15.4” from the inside edge of the left side bridge at the Long Rail, and 7.5” from the inside edge of the side bridge at the Short Rail.
Soundboard Treble Bridge 7.7 3.75 15.4 7.5
The Bass Bridge would be placed according to the following one-fifth ratio:
38.5”/5 = 7.7”
18.75”/5 = 3.75”
Using these ratios, the Treble Bridge should be directly over the Treble support bridge underneath the soundboard. Check to make sure it is. If the Treble Bridge is not over the Treble Bridge Support, you will have to move the bridge support, not the Treble Bridge.
Then make sure the Bass Bridge is positioned directly between the two Bass support bridges, splitting the difference. Since Bass Bridge positioning is not as critical as it is for the Treble Bridge, you can actually position the Bass Bridge over the gap between the two Bass bridge supports and that will be fine.
Treble Bridge Bass Bridge Treble Bridge support Bass Bridge supports
You can make minor positioning adjustments after the first top and bottom wires are strung. String the top and bottom wires for each bridge first in order to hold the bridges in place while you complete the stringing.
Someone estimated that the wires on a hammered dulcimer create over 3 tons of tension on the instrument. In fact, if a single wire is not installed correctly, over time it can actually bend the hitch pin or tuning pin to which it is attached. Follow these simple steps and you should be ok.
Wrong! Right!
Treble Wires: Working right to left, run the treble wires through the Bass Bridge, over the Treble Bridge, and through the left side bridge
Bass Wires: Working left to right, run the bass wires through the Treble Bridge, over the Bass Bridge, and over the right side bridge.
See the illustrations below.
|
Bass String |
|
Treble String |
Treble String Bass String
|
Bass String |
|
Treble String |
|
Maker’s
Hint When do I insert the 1/8” Delrin Rod? I do it after stringing the low G#, the middle G and the high G. I measure the Delrin Rod against the top edge of the Treble Bridge and cut it to the same length. I then insert it under the wires before I tighten them. |
Refer to the pictures on the following page to see how the strings lie in reference to the Treble and Bass Bridges.