HUMDINGERS

These fingerings are rather hard to do and are little used-- at least we haven't found much use for them-- but they do come in handy when you are working with chords in other modes.

All these humdingers are selfexplanatory, so let's start with 5-A and 5-B, which are reversals.

--fretboard illustration of position 5-A ----

--fretboard illustration of position 5-B ----

Position 5-C resolves to position 5-D, and this chordal resolve is found at other places up the fretboard too . . . so look for this around the octave note.

--fretboard illustration of position 5-C ----

--fretboard illustration of position 5-D ----

Position 5-F indicates how to play thirds, very pleasant intervals. You might easily deaden the middle string with your middle finger, so be careful when you depress the second of the unisons. Note the arrow positions. In order to make this sound both cleanly and clearly, it is necessary to bend the unison strings slightly away from each other.

--fretboard illustration of position 5-F ----

We rarely use the little finger, but you might find it helpful. Here's an example of how you can use it while the middle and ring fingers hold down a diad and the index and little finger trade notes. Try lifting one finger and then the other.

--fretboard illustration of position 5-G ----

All these fingerings show how your fingers can work to your musical advantage if you exercise them by playing diads and chords. By no means have we covered all of the possible finger positions. However, we think we've given you enough material to work with so that you can go on from here. Once again, don't be afraid to experiment. Try combining these hand positions (as in the illustration above.) Learn the finger movements and the chords'll take care of themselves. It's not what you do-- it's what you hear. Learn to hear, and then learn to do!

If at some point you want to stop and analyze the notes of a particular chord or diad-- do it. You'll be able to figure the notes out if you know for sure what note your unisons are tuned to. If you have trouble, refer to the fretboard illustrations in Chapter Four. You might also want to purchase a book on music theory or work with a guitarist who can help you with working out chord progressions. In any event it's up to you from here on in.

If you have a lute dulcimer, your chords will be very full and robust. Perhaps you may not want to keep tuning to an "open chord" like the Mixolydian mode, so why not place your strings at other tone/note values that enable you to form full-tone chords?

If you want to tune to a D-major triad, tune your unisons to D as usual, your middle to A as usual, and your bass string to an F-sharp. This tuning satisfies our definition of a triad, and all we've done is modified the tuning a little.

The same technique can be used with other starting tones, so see what happens when you get into it

Invariably, your fingers will get sore and initially your hand will feel cramped from maintaining a steady pressure in unaccustomed finger positions. One way to exercise your fingers and hand is to learn the deaf-mute alphabet. Your hand will grow stronger from exercising the positions of this hand alphabet, which is explained in most dictionaries. Not only that, but most universities now accept it as a foreign language credit.

But there's nothing that beats practice for strengthening your hands and fingers. If you want to become proficient at playing chords on the dulcimer, you just have to keep on strumming-- and the rewards will be commensurate with your devotions.

---new section to add-- we can take the "named" chords out of the back of the WD Songbook and put them into this next section--
For those of you who are bitten by the bug of actually needing to hang definitive, modern names on ancient sounds, the following section provides a starting reference to being able to do so for some common chords.
--I believe this might be a good section to include how to read tablature and cross-reference it to song pages.... ???---