Dulcimer: Learning to Play and Technique Questions

Date: Wed, 5 Sep 2001 13:19:45 -0600
Subject: Re: Fwd: 6 1/2 or 6+ Fret Dulcimer FAQs
From: MrsLester

My husband just gave me a MacSpadden dulcimer - model M12CC. What does it
mean when music says the dulcimer must have a 6+ or 6 1/2 fret?

Also, I am all confused about this ionian, mixolydian and etc. "stuff". Is
this a way of stringing the dulcimer, differnet strings or a method of tuning?

I have ordered a couple of books but patience waiting for the mail is NOT one
of my virutes especially when it comes to a new "toy". Can you Help???

--

Sure...glad to assist.

The 6.5 fret is a chromatic fret...allowing a half-step point within the diatonic scale. Most all dulcimers have frets spaced out to cover the diatonic scale (major scale): between the 3-4 fret it would be a half-tone and between the 7-8 fret it would be another half-tone (or half-step)...now, with the addition of the 6.5 fret, you have an increased range to allow you to play notes that do not fall within the major scale.

Ionian and Mixolydian are names given to scales to further assist the player in separating which is which (based on the original Church modes, a medieval system of scales, and now falling into the Modality category for modern usage)...for instance, using the half-step process, both of these scales, the Ionian and Mixolydian, can be classified by where the half-step falls within the scale; this is much easier to call out than for instance calling out the half-steps. For instance is much easier to say follow the Mixolydian scale than to say: "use the 3-4 half step and the 6-7 half step.

All this applies to is the intervals of notes utilized in scalar fashion; it does not have anything to with stringing the dulcimer or tuning the dulcimer.

Hope this helps...

Mickey

Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 13:34:44 -0700
From: Noel Baebler
Subject: can a dulcimer be played like ukelele?

I have a 4-string dulcimer that I want to tune to that of a ukelele.

G-C-E-A

Do you think it'll be possible to get some uke sounds?

Thanks

Greetings,

keep in mind, a ukelele has a shorter scale...this means it can be tuned higher without too much tension on the string. The scale length of a dulcimer is quite a bit longer...I would say yes, you can tune the dulcimer to ukelele tuning, but you'll have adapt it two different ways:

1. On a 4-string dulcimer, you have one set of chorus strings, also called the melody strings, that are tuned in unison. If you tune your dulcimer to a ukelele tuning, you'll only be able to tune these to a unison not two separate notes. Therefore, you'll have to compromise the tuning to either G - C - E or C - E - A.

2. Since the scale length is so much longer on a dulcimer, you'll want to tune your notes one octave lower than the standard tuning for ukelele...otherwise, you'll either break the strings or put too much stress on the dulcimer neck.

Mickey

Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 17:41:25 -0600

Are there other dulcimer chords in the DAA tuning that only use two
fingers, like the A chord?
Thanks, Ernie M.

Sure, there's plenty of chords that can be achieve with two fingers in the DAA tuning...any chord that consists of the "D" or "A" notes withint the major triad, can be played with two fingers. There's plenty of books that do cover chord charts...and, if you stay tuned on our website, we should soon have dulcimer chords charts available in our lesson section. Mickey