A Lesson In Alternate Tunings
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
I had a customer in the showroom today, a DAA player. She was singing with her dulcimer, and was having difficulty hitting the "high" notes on some songs. For an alto, vocally, getting up to the high D (fret 7 on a DAD tuned instrument, fret 10 on her DAA tuned dulcimer) was just outside her comfortable range.
Practically Possible Solutions
There were several possible solutions, but they all had various levels of practicality. I could have prescribed a few years of private voice instruction, in the hopes that her usable range could be expanded. But that might not have worked, and wouldn't have done anything at all for her "right now."
Maybe a consultation with a surgeon, to tighten up her vocal cords? Probably doable, but definitely not a recommended practice!
How about rewriting some of the tunes? Sure, Richard, let's just change the melody line for a traditional tune that everyone knows. Even if the revision is tasteful and sounds great, it'll still be "wrong" because it won't be the same song.
Change The Dulcimer?
So here's what we came up with for this player: Change the dulcimer. Instead of tuning DAD or DAA (which usually means we're going to play in the key of D), we change the tuning of her instrument. This is a legit, tried-and-true technique. When I perform in a concert at a festival, the concert usually follows a couple (or three) days of classes. My voice is pretty strained and worn by the time the Saturday night concert rolls around. So I will usually tune my (DAD) dulcimer down a step, or even two steps. I might play in CGC, with each string lowered one full step (D down to C, A down to G, and D down to C). Or I might even play in B flat, F, B flat, with each string lowered two full steps (D down to B flat, A down to F, and D down to B flat).
The lower-pitched strings are in the same relationship with each other, so as long as I'm playing solo, it works out just fine. What I learned on DAD plays exactly the same when I'm in CGC, or in B Flat F B flat.
My dulcimer club here in Indiana plays in CGC every week. The strings are a little looser (easier on the fingers) and the lower pitch is a little more mellow, and is easier for those of us that don't sing enough to keep our voices in tip-top condition.
Back to the customer I had in the showroom today. Since she's a DAA player, we tried CGG (DAA tuned down a full step) first, and we almost got to the perfect range for her voice. Then we tried a baritone dulcimer tuned AEE, but it was a bit too low for her to sing the lowest notes in the song. So then we tried B flat, F, F (the DAD equivalent would be B flat, F, B flat) on her dulcimer, and it worked perfectly for her voice.
I put together a string set for her instrument that would give a good tone with those notes, and we were good to go!
How To Safely Retune Your Dulcimer
So, is this something you can do at home? Absolutely. My general rule of thumb for retuning a dulcimer is "you can go up one full step, or you can go down two full steps." The majority of you play in DAD, so I'll use DAD as my example:
DAD up one step is EBE. The notes will all be one step higher. The strings will be a bit tighter, but they'll still be playable. And you will be unlikely to break a string, even though they're at a higher tension.
DAD down one step is CGC. I play in CGC 99 percent of the time. I like it. You'll give up a bit of power, and a bit of projection. But the instrument will be more mellow, and a little easier to play.
DAD down two steps is B flat, F, B flat. Even warmer in tone, even less projection/power. But ideal if your voice is shot from teaching classes for two days. But... the strings are starting to get pretty floppy. You might be getting some fret buzz - the metallic sound you get when the strings hit the frets as they oscillate.
If you try to go lower than B flat, F, B flat, your strings will be so loose that they'll wobble like overcooked spaghetti noodles. You probably won't like the tone you get.
So, up one step, or down two. You probably won't break a string with +1 or -2, but it's possible. Next time you're due for a string change, and you're about to replace your strings anyway, experiment with these alternate tunings. See how they work on your instrument, and how they fit your vocal range. Worst case, you'll learn something, but you'll hate the alternate tunings. Best case, you have a brand new favorite!
Double Your Options
To give yourself even more room to experiment with alternate tunings - a double neck dulcimer might be just what you need! It can be set up with TWO different tunings. You could tune DAD on one fretboard, and CGG on the other. (Or whatever two tunings you want - within recommended tuning guidelines, of course!)
The beautiful instrument - mahogany body with a spruce top - pictured above is actually ON SALE now. It has the 1.5 fret on one fretboard, but not on the other fretboard. I would (personally) go with DAD (or CGC) on the fretboard that includes the 1.5 fret, and would go with DAA (or CGG) on the fretboard without the 1.5 fret.
Wow, that's a lot of writing, but how to safely explore alternate tunings is an important thing for dulcimer players to understand.
Try it - tune to something other than DAD - and see what you think!
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend!
Richard Ash - luthier-whose-dulcimer-club-is-playing-for-a-classic-car-show-tomorrow-and-sure-hopes-they're-not-revving-their-engines-all-day
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: BUTCH WHEASLER
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Butch: I've been playing for about 15 years now, after hearing one at a festival.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Butch: I had a couple starters before I bought this cherry custom from Gary Sager of Prussia Valley Dulcimer about 10 years ago.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Butch: I play with whomever will have me. I play frequently at our booth at a local flea market where we sell my woodworking and art.
Folkcraft: What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
Butch: My other hobby is woodworking. When I got to...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF BUTCH'S STORY AND ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE BUTCH & YOU!
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM MORE OF YOU!
No new Folkcraft Player to feature this week, but we are delighted to re-feature Butch Wheasler. How've you been, Butch? What have you been building lately?
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1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
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This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
While we have alternate tunings on our mind, Mandy will show you how to learn a song the traditional way - with no tabs. And you'll need a noter! The song is "Shady Grove," the tuning is DAC. Have fun with it! Just click on the image below to listen & learn.
We have a slew (that's a fancy luthier word for "bunch") of videos for you to watch on our YouTube channel. Click here to see the full list. Be sure to comment on a video, and subscribe to the channel - either action helps us a LOT with YouTube's suggestion algorithms.
MOUNTAIN DULCIMER ARRANGEMENTS
From Both Sides of the Atlantic
by Neal Hellman
Mountain dulcimer arrangements, straight from the mind of the one-and-only Neal Hellman, to your fingertips. (If only it was that easy!)
This book has 35 amazing arrangements! Far more than the usual melody-line-only versions of these tunes you usually find. They're full and rich, but not terribly complicated. Neal has taken the time to notate all of the hammer-ons, pull-offs, pitch bends, and the other nuances that make for a great arrangement. (85 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SOME OF THE SONGS INCLUDED:
Allemande • Bravery, Courage And Fearless Men • Bridget Cruise • Concertina Reel • Death Of Queen Jane (The) • Fiddlin' Bagpipes • Girl I Left Behind Me (The) • Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier • Kingdom Come • Loch Lavan Castle • Merrily Kiss The Quaker's Wife • Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore • Rain And Snow • Silly Bill • Tripping Up The Stairs • Voi Ch'amate Lo Criatore • When Adam Was Created • The Pythagorean Monochord