Some Useful Charts

This section is designed for quick reference. It's a consolidation of essential information explained in previous sections on tuning, along with graphic information useful for dealing with strings, tuning ranges, modal schemes, and chromatic relationships.

A Refresher on Tuning

To facilitate tuning into the various modes, always consider the bass string as being capable of any "note value" when played open; that is, without being depressed to a fret. As you count up the scale from the open "note value", each fret assumes a value of its own, according to its position on the fretboard.

Diatonic Fretboard with Tuning Notation Values

Most often that bass string's "value" (note) will be around the pitch of a C or D. Remember that the open note (no strings depressed to the fretboard) is a "zero" fret. The subsequent notes will correspond to the numbered frets. This is also important when you begin to read dulcimer tablature.

Tune the bass to a workable pitch-- some note that sounds good to you and is not watery or weak sounding. On the other hand, you shouldn't tune it inordinately tight. The middle and unison strings are then tuned off the bass by fretting the bass string at the appropriate numbered intervals along the fretboard.

The only tones you have to recognize are when a note is the same as the one being tuned to and, in some cases, the octave relationship (eight tones below or above the starting tone). All relationships are figured from the bass string. If in doubt, review the chapter on tuning and use the sound buttons to help you begin to hear the relationships.

Quick Tuning Guide

Tune the bass first; play the bass string on the indicated fret and tune the middle and treble strings (voiced open) to the same pitch. Remember to allow for the tone differences caused by the bass being a thicker, wound string.

Eventually you'll be able to recognize fifth and fourth intervals and be able to both hear and feel the "pulse" of a correctly tuned string relationship. When in tune, these strings "beat" together in a regular and clearly discernible manner.

STRING TONE TOLERANCES AND TUNING GUIDES

Used together, the next several charts will enable you to customize the sound of your dulcimer. If your instrument is shorter or longer than the twenty-four inch string length used to compute these tonal ranges, you'll have to experiment.

Keep in mind that for lengths over twenty-four inches, a lighter gauge than the one listed will be needed to bring you up to the desired pitch. The pitches listed after a given gauge tell you between what frequencies the strings will resonate with the maximum tone.

Range and Tuning Guide

ENHARMONIC TRANSPOSITIONS

Given any starting keytone, this next chart will tell you what whole-tone chromatic notes you have in any modal scale. Read across, left to right, this chart transposes the designated mode written on the fretboard at the top into any keytone.

For instance, run your finger down from the space marked Dorian. Each one of the boxes you cross could be a different starting tone than the original keytone of the Dorian mode, which is D, as indicated on the Modal Base Scale section running across the chart.

If you want to know what notes the Dorian mode will have if you used B as the keytone, run your finger down five boxes under the column marked Dorian until you come to the box labeled "B". Then, reading left to right continuously, your notes will be "B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A, B" (Note that when you come to the end of the line on the right, you continue on the far left of that line.)

In today's music, an F-sharp (for example) is generally considered the same as a G flat, although this is not strictly true; however, there are few musicians who can actually tell otherwise. (For the sake of even-tempered scales, these sharp/flat tones have come to be synonymous in modern music systems and are known as enharmonic notes.)

Sharps and flats are never read together in the same scale. Keep in mind that if you are transposing a flatted scale, you will be flatting the next "letter note" above the one that appears as "sharp" in the chart.

Another thing this chart does is tell you the sharps or flats in each chromatic scale or key. Starting from any point and reading up and down, the appropriate sharps and flats are revealed.

Remember that the major scale evolved to duplicate the tones of the lonian mode, whose fixed scheme is:

1 - 1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1/2

Since the major scales are mirror images of the lonian's scheme, count the lonian's scheme to determine the elements of any major scale. For example, say you want to know where the sharps are in the key of E. At any place on the chart find an E and read up or down, counting off the intervals

1 - 1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1/2

Remember not to count the initial E as your first whole (- 1 -) tone. Following this procedure, you will see that the key of E consists of the notes E - F# - G# - A - B - C# - D# - E.

In other words, the key of E has four sharps, and they appear on the second, third, sixth, and seventh tones of the scale.

This same "logic" applies if you are trying to locate the keytones and other notes in today's (modern) minor scales which are mirror images of the Aeolian's fixed scheme

Minor scales can be figured by following the Aeolian's fixed scheme of:

1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1

To determine what would be the notes in a modern, G-minor scale, you would locate the Aeolian position on the chart, read down until you see the starting tone of G. Beginning there and moving across the chart to the right you will read the notes: G - A - A# - C - D# - E - F. Remember to start reading from the Aeolian's position-- not from the Mixolydian's.

This takes care of being able to understand what chromaticists think constitutes the major and minor scales, and you are adapting to them. But what if one of these musicians wants to know what the actual, or transposed notes are for one of the other, traditional modes?

Say you both wanted to play in a Dorian Mode, transposed to the keytone of A. Same procedure. Find Dorian on the chart, read down until you cross the keytone of A. Next, reading across to the right, the notes for the Dorian's traditional scale (transposed in this case to the key of A) would be: A - B - C - D - E - F#- G

BOOKS AND RECORDS

There are a number of books published on playing (and building) the dulcimer. We're not going to list them but we want you to know that they are out there. Recordings of many styles and traditions are also widely proliferated.

A lot has changed in the twenty-five years since we first brought out the book version of this website. At that time the dulcimer was experiencing a renaissance due to the interest and activities of a wide number of people.

Now, these many years later, it appears that the dulcimer is again undergoing a renewed surge of interest. Indeed, if you are reading these words, you are one of the people who is helping it to happen. Look around, there is a lot of material to learn from, but remember-- don't neglect yourself.

You are always your own best teacher.