More Adventures In Alternate Dulcimer Tunings
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
Last week I wrote a bit about alternate tunings, and had a huge variety of responses. I'll try to clarify things a bit in this week's newsletter, and give a few suggestions for string gauges.
Question 1 (from several of you): "How can you change a dulcimer from DAD to CGC, and have it still sound the same? The notes are no longer right!"
Answer 1 (from my sleep-addled brain): Think of each note as a number. We'll use the notes in this example as the 8 notes in a D Major scale:
D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# - D
On a DAD-tuned mountain dulcimer, this will be the following notes on your (D) melody string:
D - Open
E - Fret 1
F# - Fret 2
G - Fret 3
A - Fret 4
B - Fret 5
C# - Fret 6.5
D - Fret 7
You'll note that I'm skipping frets 1.5 and 6. Play these frets in order: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.5, 7, you have the opening line of the song "Do, Re, Mi" from "The Sound Of Music." Play these notes in reverse order: 7, 6.5, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0 and you have the song "Joy To The World" (the traditional Christmas tune, not the Three Dog Night song).
Now the experiment
Tune that D-string to something else. Anything at all. Go up to an E, go down to a C, or a B Flat. Play the same frets again. Just the one string that you retuned. Try the same two melodies - "Do Re Mi" and "Joy To The World." It's the exact same song, just starting either higher or lower. This will work with absolutely any note.
Why? Well, what matters is not the actual note, but the relationship between each note. How far apart one note is from the next, that's what really matters.
How does this affect playing our dulcimer in tunings other than DAD? So long as you tune each string down, or up, the same number of notes, the relationship between each string stays the same.
If we start with DAD tuning (that's where most dulcimers live, day in and day out), and tune each string down one whole step, the relationship between each string stays exactly the same. The bass string D tuned down one step is a C. The middle string A tuned down one step is a G. And the melody string D tuned down one step is a C. Changing your dulcimer from DAD to CGC? All three strings moved the exact same amount (one whole "step"), so the relationship between each string stayed the same.
So now, anything you played in DAD will sound nearly identical to anything you play now, but in CGC. You'll instantly be playing in C, instead of in D. But your fingerings and fret numbers don't change, not at all, not in the least little bit. This is an awesome tool for you to use when you're playing by yourself.
You can, without changing your strings, generally go up one full step (D-A-D to E-B-E) or down one full step (D-A-D to C-G-C) or even two full steps (D-A-D to B♭-F-B♭).
Caveats:
1) Changing tuning like this means that it is difficult to play with dulcimer players who don't change tunings with you. If you're in CGC, and the rest of your group is in DAD, prepare yourself for some really dirty looks from the people on either side of you. It won't sound good. When you're playing alone, though, any tuning you want is fair game!
2) Tuning up one pitch (D-A-D to E-B-E) will work on practically anyone's instruments with the maker's recommended string gauges. Your Folkcraft and FolkRoots dulcimers won't have any issues at all going from DAD to EBE. Going up two full steps (D-A-D to F#-C#-F#)? Risky. You might well break a string.
3) Tuning down one full step (D-A-D to C-G-C)? Dulcimers sound great in CGC. I'll definitely recommend trying this at home. I covered some of the benefits of tuning down to C-G-C in last week's newsletter. Your strings will be a little bit more slack, but they'll still generate a great tone. No worries about them breaking, since you're loosening the strings.
4) Tuning down two full steps (D-A-D to B♭-F-B♭). Warm and mellow tone, but you're giving up a bit of tone and a lot of volume. Why is that? Because the strings have gotten so loose that they're starting to feel like overcooked pasta. Floppy, mushy, very little structure. I will often perform in B Flat, F, B Flat, but I'm playing very, very gently, and using a pickup on my dulcimer. I perform in this tuning (two steps down from the normal DAD) when my voice is shot, and I have trouble getting the higher notes in the songs I'm trying to sing.
String gauges, and some recommendations for you to try:
D-A-D
We ship nearly all of our FolkRoots Dulcimers and Folkcraft Instruments in DAD, with these strings: .012 (high D), .015 (middle A), and .024RW (low D). Some players like heavier strings (Bing Futch and Dave Haas), some players like lighter strings (Carol Walker). There are benefits to heavier strings, and for lighter strings, so .012 .015 .024 is a "middle of the road compromise" set that works pretty well for most everyone. My personal instruments have our standard string gauges.
C-G-C (tuning down one full step)
I would recommend sticking with the standard .012 .015 .024RW strings. These gauges work well for CGC, and you can tune up to DAD whenever you want to play with a DAD group of players.
B♭-F-B♭
If you're going to spend a lot of time in this tuning, I'll recommend slightly heavier strings. Try a .014 (melody), .022BW (middle), and .030BW (bass) set. B♭ F B♭ is very nearly a baritone dulcimer, and these heavier strings will give you a warm, rich tone, with just enough string tension to have good sustain and (hopefully) no fret buzz.
E-B-E (tuning up one full step)
If you're going to spend much time there, I'll suggest you go a bit lighter on the strings. Your DAD set will definitely be playable, but the strings will be hard to push down to the frets, and your fingers will appreciate a lighter string set. Try .010 (melody), .013 (middle), and .020BW (bass). With these lighter strings, EBE tuning will be easy on the fingers, and you can (with the lighter strings) experiment with a F# C# F# tuning with very little risk of breaking a string!
There are string gauge calculators that take a lot of factors into account - the scale length (distance from nut to bridge), the string gauge, the string's material (steel, brass, bronze), and other factors. As you experiment with strings and tunings, use your fingers to get something that feels good to you, and use your ears to get a good tone quality with a good loudness balance across the three strings of your instrument.
If a string is hard to play, try a lighter gauge. If a string is too loud compared to the other strings, either make it lighter, or the others heavier. If a string hits the frets when you're playing? It's too light - a heavier string will reduce fret buzz. If a string is too soft? Try a heavier string.
Folkcraft keeps pretty much every possible string in the shop. If you want a few tips for single strings (for your experimenting), try searching for the gauge you want (.018, .022, .034, etc.) followed by the end you want (ball or loop) followed by how many you want (either "single" or "twelve"). A sample search would look like ".018 ball single" or ".022 loop twelve".
Wow, that's a lot. And I know I skipped a lot of details. If you have a PhD in music theory, please don't correct the fine points of this email. I know I left out a lot of fine points, and even some not-so-fine points. This article was meant as a practical guide to retuning, not a treatise on the subtle details of music transposition.
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great, music-filled weekend!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-has-over-100-varieties-of-strings-at-his-workbench-and-on-the-Folkcraft.com-website
P.S. From your newsletter editor. I like to tune my dulcimer up or down just a 1/2 step sometimes. Example: Up from D-A-D to E♭-B♭-E♭. Just transposing a song by a 1/2 step can make a song more comfortable to sing, and it has also put me in the correct tuning to play along with my friend's clarinet. Like Richard says, Experiment!
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: DOROTHY MINER
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Dorothy: I’m a relative newbie to playing the dulcimer. I’ve only been playing for about five years, but I’ve been fascinated by the dulcimer (and other folk instruments) forever. I took up playing the dulcimer when a friend played hers at my church and she convinced me that I could learn. She got me started and I’ve been playing ever since.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Dorothy: My first dulcimer was a relatively inexpensive Roosebeck that I bought online. It was a good learner instrument and it got me hooked. I told myself that if I was still playing it in a year I would get a quality dulcimer. A year later I did just that - I bought a FolkRoots all-cherry dulcimer that I love. It’s simple in design, but elegant in its simplicity and it feels great in my hands. I’ll be getting my new custom-made Folkcraft dulcimer in a few months.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Dorothy: My favorite place to play my dulcimer is in my “do stuff” room that is set up for art projects and music. My favorite audience consists of my three dogs, one of whom is deaf. The two younger ones curl up by my feet as I play. The deaf one checks in periodically. I also play with a local group in Lima, Ohio: the “Dulcimer Divas.” We meet weekly and...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF DOROTHY'S STORY AND ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE DOROTHY & 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 Dorothy Miner. How was your summer, Dorothy? Are you still playing with the Dulcimer Divas?
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep The Family Growing?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Send an email to: newsletter@folkcraft.com
2) With the answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to receiving your submission & featuring you in our newsletter real soon!
1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
2. When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
3. Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
4. What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
WE'RE OFFERING A $25 FOLKCRAFT GIFT CARD TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE FOUR EASY QUESTIONS LISTED ABOVE, AND SENDS IN A PHOTO (OF YOU WITH YOUR FOLKCRAFT DULCIMER). IT'S REALLY SO EASY TO DO!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week is for the beginners - and also for more intermediate players still trying to wrap their mind around all this re-tuning business. Mandy will show you our D-scale notes on the melody line and on our bass and middle strings. Learn what frets are what notes and get familiar with this. You will use it a lot. Have fun! 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.
BAKER'S DOZEN #12
Jam Tunes and Beyond
by Shelley Stevens
For the more advanced player who's bored with simpler arrangements, this intermediate-level book of arrangements is just what the "Jam Doctor" ordered! With classics like "Mississippi Sawyer" and "June Apple," plus a few tunes that are probably new to you, you'll have a ton of fun playing Shelley's arrangements.
Each song includes both standard notation and dulcimer tablature. (20 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS IN THIS VOLUME:
The Ashgrove
Billy In The Low Ground
The Boatman's Dance
The Eighth Of January (AKA The Battle Of New Orleans)
June Apple
Mississippi Sawyer
Over The Waterfall
Ragtime Annie
Soldier's Joy (Includes Both Standard and Alternate Versions)
Suzanna Gal
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Wildwood Flower
Yellow Rose (Includes Both Standard and Alternate Versions)