The Purpose Of The Groove
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
I got an email this morning with a question about our dulcimers. So to answer that question, we're going to be talking about nuts, and bridges, today. If you have an instrument we've made in the past 15 years or so, this will apply to your dulcimer. (And if you don't have a relatively modern Folkcraft or FolkRoots instrument, just remember today's discussion, and the information will apply to the next dulcimer I make for you.)
Quick refresher: the "nut" is the piece of material that sits at the very top of the fretboard, next to the head of your dulcimer. The nut sits in a slot, and is perpendicular to the fretboard. The nut is about 1/8 of an inch thick, 3/8 of an inch high, and is the exact same width as your fretboard. The nut serves the important job of setting the string spacing (side to side) and the string height.
The "bridge" is at the tail end of your dulcimer, between the strum hollow and the heel cap. The bridge is about the same size as the nut, and the bridge also controls the string height, and the string spacing.
Here's a photo with those two dulcimer parts:
So...
This morning's question was "What's the purpose of the slot/groove cut into the side of the bridge?" Here's what the customer saw on his dulcimer:
Look closely at the side of the nut in the photo above. See the groove (notch, slot, channel) cut into the side of the nut, just above the middle? Here's a different dulcimer showing a similar groove in a dulcimer's bridge:
The purpose of the groove is to identify the orientation of the nut and of the bridge. Nuts and bridges are not glued into place, they're held down in their slots by the pressure of the strings. When you change your strings (hopefully at least a few times a year!) the nuts and bridges of your dulcimers can fall out. Not a big deal, except that the orientation (which side of the bridge is on the player side of your dulcimer, which side of the bridge is on the audience side of your dulcimer) is critical. If it goes in backwards, then your dulcimer won't play nearly as well as if you put it into the correct orientation.
The groove always goes on the audience side of your dulcimer, by the way.
If you have a dulcimer with doubled melody strings (the old-school four-string setup!), then there won't be a groove in the nut or the bridge - the orientation is pretty obvious. But if your dulcimer is set up with three strings, which is 90% of what we make these days, then definitely check the orientation of your nut, and of your bridge.
MaxDAD dulcimers, with five strings, but no obvious "player side" or "audience side"? Look for the slot in the nut, and in the bridge.
Standard dulcimers with four equally spaced strings? Look for the groove.
So now you know. You can quit reading, if you like. But if you want to know why it all matters, then keep your brain turned on for just a couple more minutes!
Why It All Matters
Assume that your dulcimer has a 25-inch scale length (VSL). Twenty-five inches from where, to where? Nut to bridge should be 25 inches. On the nut, we start measuring from the fretboard side (not the head side) of the nut. When I make a nut for a dulcimer, I will put a little bit of an angle on the string slots. The angle makes the highest point of the slot end up on the fretboard side of the nut. That's where the string is free to vibrate.
If the nut is spun around 180 degrees, the high spot in the nut slots is on the head side of the nut. And your dulcimer now has a 25 1/8" VSL. But the frets are spaced perfectly for a 25" VSL, and your dulcimer cannot play in tune.
On the bridge, it's a bit more complicated, even. The bridge slots are angled in different directions. Some slots might be angled so that the high spot of the string is on the strum hollow side of the dulcimer, others might be angled so that the high spot of the string is on the heel cap side of your dulcimer.
Why On Earth Would We Do This?
Isn't a 25-inch VSL supposed to be exactly 25 inches? Yes, and it is. But I then make minute adjustments to your bridge, so that we have "compensated" for the strings themselves. The high-D string might play perfectly in tune at 24 15/16" total vibrating length, and the middle A-string might play perfectly in tune at 25 1/16" total vibrating length. Each string has a different diameter, and bends around your fingers, and your frets, differently than the other strings on your dulcimer.
When I set up a new instrument, I use an exceedingly accurate (and correspondingly expensive) mechanical tuner (pictured below). It has electronics inside, mostly for the user interface, but the actual tuning of the instrument? A stroboscope and a motor that spins a physical wheel. I remember my band director having one of these on a cart next to his office door, and we were expected to "tune" our instruments every day before band class. (For me, that would have been bassoon in concert season, tenor saxophone in marching season...)
This tuner is about a foot wide, and runs on AC power. It would not fit easily in my dulcimer case, so I use a battery-powered clip on tuner (from the same company) when I leave the workshop with one of my instruments.
So anyway, using this amazing piece of 1930's technology, I can make minute edits to each string's individual VSL (vibrating length) by adjusting the string slots in the bridge. You get an instrument that plays in tune on every note of the fretboard. But if you rotate the bridge, so that the groove is in the player side of the bridge, then all bets are off. All three strings will be just a little bit "off," and you'll wonder why your dulcimer doesn't sound quite as sweet when you play a chord.
So there you go - a long-winded explanation of "Why is there a groove in the side of my bridge?" Now you know.
Thanks for reading, Y'all - Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Richard Ash - luthier-who-really-enjoys-the-physics-of-waves-the-sound-kind-more-than-the-ocean-kind-even-though-they're-almost-the-same-thing
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: BETH HALL
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Beth: I am a newbie. Started playing in February 2024.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Beth: I picked it up from Richard at the Evart Funfest this July.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Beth: I play at home, indoors, outdoors, and once in a while I gather the confidence to play with the Ortonville (MI) Jam Group. And my good friend Anne (a fellow newbie also afflicted with DAD syndrome) and I spent a couple days at her cabin in Oscoda (MI) just playing our dulcimers. Her husband commented we had our own mini Woodstock!
Folkcraft: What other hobbies or interests do you have besides playing dulcimer?
Beth: I have enjoyed playing the ukulele for about six years and joined a group, The Sweet Beats, and we play concerts in parks, libraries, retirement communities… whoever wants to enjoy our music! They invited me to play the dulcimer because...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF BETH'S STORY AND READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE BETH & YOU
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE WANT TO INTERVIEW YOU!!
No new player to add to our online dulcimer community today, but we are glad to be able to re-feature Beth Hall, fellow Michigander, and a uker, too. How've you been, Beth? Still playing dulcimer with your ukulele group? I (Toya) often played dulcimer with my ukulele group, too - so much fun!
There's still plenty of room for more of you, folks! Maybe we could feature you and your Folkcraft dulcimer(s) next week?
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!
WE JUST LOVE HEARING FROM Y'ALL!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week is an intro to the baritone dulcimer - and how to play it with standard dulcimers - in two ways. Have fun! 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.
You may have noticed today's focus on the baritone dulcimer, which also has nuts and bridges, but much thicker strings than a standard instrument. In addition to Mandy's intro lesson, we also have a couple of baritone books to recommend to you. The first book is full of arrangements and ideas for playing your baritone - in harmony - with other standard DAD-tuned dulcimers. The second book offers duets, and the option to tune your baritone to either ADA or AEA. Both books will help you learn how to play your baritone with other dulcimers and expand your playing beyond solo work. (Just click on either cover to download.)
BARITONE DULCIMER JAM BOOK
by Tom McConnell
Do you have a baritone mountain dulcimer, and love its tone quality for solo play, but wish you could use it when you play with a group? This amazing book will give you tips and tricks for playing your AEA-tuned baritone dulcimer with a DAD-tuned standard dulcimer. There are plenty of songs (popular jam tunes) to get you started, plus all the know-how you'll need to make your own arrangements. You'll really appreciate the thought and creativity that went into this book once you start working through it, and applying your new skills to playing the baritone mountain dulcimer!
Every song in this book is included in DAD (for standard dulcimer) and AEA versions (for baritone dulcimer). The two versions are pretty standard arrangements, and will work in most any jam. (90 pages)
BARITONE AND SOPRANO DUETS
by Shelley Stevens
Become a master of the mountain dulcimer with Shelley Stevens' "Baritone And Soprano Duets For Mountain Dulcimer." Benefit from Shelley's vast expertise as a teacher, instructor, and performer while exploring the unique sounds of both ADA and AEA baritone tunings. Enhance your skills and repertoire with this amazing resource.
This songbook includes 26 duets arranged for DAD standard dulcimer, and either ADA or AEA-tuned baritone dulcimer. The book includes both standard notation and dulcimer tablature. (42 pages)
These books are published by Fingers Of Steel, and are made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
Angelina Baker
Black Mountain Rag
Cucharin's Cross
Goin' To Boston
Hangman's Reel
Johnson Boys
Liza Jane
Mississippi Sawyer
Over The Waterfall
Red Wing
Sandy River Belle
Shady Grove
Soldier's Joy
Southwind
Spotted Pony
Waterbound
Whiskey Before Breakfast
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
The Sunny South
Yellow Rose
The Girl I Left Behind Me
Love Somebody
The Southwind
Cock Of The North
Oh Music
Love Is Little
John Ryan’s Polka
Butcher Boy
Knoxville Girl
Morning Has Broken
Planxty Fanny Power
Amazing Grace
Abide With Me
Banks Of The Ohio
Shenandoah