Modify a Dulcimer

[dtmd]

I am looking at a dulcimer with wood peg tuners and no 6+ fret. If I decide to get it I am thinking of changing out the tuners for precision tuners and adding a 1+, 6+ and 8+. When you get a different dulcimer do you leave it as is or do you change it to suit how and what you want to play?

[folkfan]

I added a 6+ to my first instrument, and went from wooden pegs to guitar tuners on another. Neither instrument was of great historical importance, which for me would be the only reason not to modify an instrument so that I could play it. And all my 4 string instruments are played as 3 stringers. I don't take the extra peg off though.

[KenH]

I've left "well enough" alone, and lived with what I've gotten. I would consider swapping out Perfection geared violin looking pegs for wooden pegs though.

[waldensis]

In my opinion & experience, I would leave the fretboard alone. Think of all the great dulcimer players who have not used any "extra" frets: Robert Force, Al d'Ossche, Alan Freeman, etc. I have not added frets to any of my pure diatonic dulcimers and I don't think I will. However, unlike Al d'Ossche (see "Force on Four" on youtube) neither have I ripped the extra frets out of any of mine which have them. I'm not as adamant on wooden pegs, though. I wouldn't drill any holes in the head, but I'm not opposed to changing them out. In fact on one of mine (with a 6+) I'm planning on changing them out this week. For some reason, even tho' the pegs look good, they don't tune smoothly, as other ones I have. I will not change anything on my John D Tignor or my William Wylie, but I may change them on my early (mid '70s) Jim Good Mastertone. If it's by a historically important maker, please change nothing; if not, it could be ok.

Rob

[dtmd]

Two follow up questions. Everyone in our area plays in DAD. If I keep the dulcimer as is in DAA can I play in DAA and will that play well with those in DAD?

Or is there another tuning I can use that would play better with DAD even though the dulcimer does not have th 6+ fret? Don't quite get it but would DGD or DAC or something else work with those in DAD and if I tune to one of those can I use DAD tab?

Dennis

[folkfan]

Dennis, You can play in DAA using DAA tabbing with people who are playing DAd with DAd tabbing with one condition. The tune in DAd must not be in the true Mixolydian mode with a flatted seventh note. An example of this type of song is Old Joe Clark it needs that flatted note. If, however, you have a dulcimer with a 8+ fret and are in DAA, you can go ahead and play it. When playing in DAd most people are really using a note pattern that also fits in DAA, but they have done a subtract 3 on the DAA tab to get DAd. Here's Brother John in DAA:

3453,3453, 567,567,787653,787653,303,303 In Dad you deduct 3 and end up with
0120, 0120, 234,234,454320,454320, 0 0middle 0, 0 0middle 0. Since the D is at 0 in DAd and at 3 in DAA you are playing the same notes in either tuning.
So if you are handed tab in DAd but are tuned DAA, whip out a pencil and add 3 to your melody line, you'll be done in a minute and be ready to play the melody. Just remember that 6+ becomes 9. You'd need a 8+ if you had a tune tabbed DAd using a 6. Figuring out chords will come later.

Having a 6+ can come in handy even in with a tune that normally would fit into Ionian. I have a version of an old Scottish folk tune that call for a flatted B in the key of E. It goes from the natural B to a flatted B to a natural B all in the same measure. So it frets 7/6+/7. If I tried to tab it in DAd, I'd have 4/3+/4. I don't have a 3+ on my fret boards.

As for using other tunings, DAC is the Aeolian minor tuning and will sound very strange if you try playing DAD tab when tuned that way. DGD is a reverse Ionian in G not in D. You have a D drone and a G drone and play the melody on the D string starting at 3 which would be the G. GDD is the more traditional way of playing G Ionian, but it's easier to go from DAd down one note on the middle to G to get a quick key change. So you can't really use DAD tab and stay in the key of D using those two tunings and still play with DAd players.

[KenH]

Dennis;

Every time I've played with the Florida Sunshine group I've always been in DAA. You're just playing a few frets farther up the fretboard, as it were. As long as your bass string, and everyone else's, is tuned the same, you are playing in the same Key, which is what's important.

I've also experimented lately with the Bagpipe tuning - Ddd which goes really well with the other D tuing, and the melody line tab would be the same as for DAd. For those of us without a 6+ fret, the Bagpipe tuning allows us to do what those with a 6+ fret do -- that is play both Ionian and Mixolydian tunes.

DAC or DAG are completely different Modes - that give a very eerie Minor sound. Good for some tunes, but not most jam tunes.

[dulciken]

As far as matching or mismatching tunings with other people you play with, the first question (as in most things dulcimer) is whether you plan to play chord melody or drone melody. If you are playing chord melody all that matters is can you play the notes you need, both the chord notes on the heavier strings and melody notes on the lighter string. If so you are good to go. Think about a guitar - its standard tuning in no way matches with a dulcimer. A guitar still works with a dulcimer because the guitarist can play all the notes they need. If that is true for however your dulcimer is tuned for whatever particular tune you want to play then you can play together.

Now with drone melody the story is a little different. If the other players all have DA drones then you need to in some sense match that. But it does not have to be exactly the same. You could have both drones tuned to D or both to A and that would work. Or you could have your drones tuned AD (not common on standard dulcimers but very common on baritone dulcimers), that would work too. For melocy string the answer is more like the previous paragraph: do you have the notes you need. It is possible to have different "modal" tunings work together, depending upon the tune. As has been discussed already, players using DAd on an instrument with a 6+ are ususally playing in the mode more often associated with a DAA tuning (Ionian) so DAd and DAA will go together just fine. But also many tunes, particularly old tunes, do not use all the notes - that is what is meant by pentatonic (uses 5 notes of the scale), hexatonic (uses 6 notes of the scale) and heptatonic (uses 7 notes of the scale). For a particular tune, as long as the notes that distinguish say an Ionian scale from an Aeolian scale are not used (B and C for the "key" of d), then you can play the tune either in DAA or DAc and it will not matter. They will sound fine together.

Finally, for either technique, many tunes only use the notes you don't have in a particular tuning rarely or only on short notes. In those cases, particularly when you are playing with a group that does have those notes in the tuning they are using, you can find alternatives or skip over the notes you don't have. So once again different "modal" tunings can find ways to work together.

[strumelia]

My advice in a nutshell:
I'd leave the diatonic wooden-peg dulcimer as it is (you might really enjoy exploring a dulcimer like that one day), and I'd buy an additional dulcimer with a 6.5 fret and geared tuners for playing in dulcimer club groups and playing chord style .
Dulcimers are inexpensive compared to other instruments. It's great to have a second dulcimer for playing in different styles or tunings!
Certainly if your diatonic dulcimer is historically important (do you know who made it or how old it is?- a photo would help here) then you would be greatly de-valueing it by making changes to it. In that case you should definitely leave it unchanged and just buy a modern dulcimer to suit your more modern playing style and your needs. If it's valuable historically you might even get enough money from selling it to buy several new dulcimers!

Strumelia
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/

[rendesvous1840]

Adding frets is not really a good idea unless you have some experience at fret work, and some tools. Hammering frets into a fret board that is already installed on the thin top of a dulcimer can result in cracks. You also need to match the dimensions of the fret wire that was originally used, or the new frets may be too high or low and either way can cause buzzing. If you wish to do this, you also need certain tools for measuring to .001" inch to place the frets accurately. Misplaced frets will never play in tune with the rest of the frets.
The different tunings are not a matter of personal choice or preference, they are ways to change the available notes for different modal scales. You can't play all songs in one tuning in the same key without changing the tuning. The best book I know of for explaining this is Bonny Carols "Dust Off That Dulcimer And Dance." It's not a new book, and there may be other newer ones that are also very good, I just haven't looked in 20 years. Ms. Carol explains modes and tunings in good clear terms. Some books I have don't explain the modes much at all.
Paul

[Ken Bloom]

I like having instruments that suit my playing style. Unless they have historical value, I have no problem modifying them to make the music easier and more accessible. The music is the thing. The instrument is a tool to achieve it. Just my 2p.

Ken Bloom
http://www.boweddulcimer.com

[dtmd]

Here is the instrument I was alluding too. It is a Warren May Dulcimer made in 1995. I have spoken to the store and they said there would be no problem to change out the tuners or to add the frets. They told me a lot of Warren May owners are doing that from that time period. They said it does not affect the value of the instrument.

Dennis