My teacher just gave me a hammered dulcimer today! I've been fiddling around with it, but if anyone could provide me with a basic idea of which strings are which, etc.
I have no idea what I'm talking about, but on my dulcimer there are 34 sets of strings. Can anyone help?
-mark
Whoops! Forgot to do my own research first. Under the little maple leaf it says "Dusty Strings" in cool scripty letters. The model numer is "D500". Does that help a bit more?
I do not play hammered dulcimer, but I do know that Dusty Strings is a great shop in Seattle that specializes in the production of dulcimers and harps. They are very helpful and a great resource for classes, teachers, and assorted materials for many kinds of instruments. Visit their website to see all the great things they offer: www.dustystrings.com
Go to this web site http://members.aol.com/kitchiegal/
Click on "The Hammered Dulcimer". From there there is another page which gives you string layout for a couple of dulcimer systems. The chances are high that you have a fifth bass bridge rather than an octave bass. You should be able to tell even if it's pretty badly out of tune though.
Re: Resources for the beginning Hammered Dulcimerist
Maggie Sansone and Karen Ashbrook are noted hammered dulcimer players who specialize in celtic music and techniques on the hammered dulcimer and on a label that features some fine recordings that highlight the instrument in a beautiful blend with other traditional instruments.S ome of their recordings are submitted at this site: A Traveler's Dream, Celtic Cafe with lots of good tunes and they also have music tune books. see www.maggiesmusic.com for more details and lots of resources.
I know nothing about hammered dulcimers but as I've been searching for info about the mountain dulcimer, I've stept upon a few web resources for the HD as well. Here are two of them:
"The kitchen musician" ( http://members.aol.com/kitchiegal/index.html ) with basic info about anatomy, tuning, history of the HD plus much more.
Everything Dulcimer ( http://www.everythingdulcimer.com ) , a web forum for all kinds of dulcimer. It has articles, faq, tabs, tutorials and includes a discussion group.
Good luck with your new instrument!
Start with the Dusty Strings website: http://www.dustystrings.com/index.shtml
You can look up the tuning chart for the D500 there. And if you are ever in Seattle, their Acoustic Music Shop in Fremont is a wonderful place to visit.
You may want to invest in some sort of beginner book to get you started -- something that covers the basics of how to hold the hammers, and the logic of the note layout. (It's a nonlinear piano, so it may seem a bit odd at first, but it really does make sense once you understand the layout.) There are lots of beginner books: Sara Johnson, Linda Lowe Thompson, Lucille Reilly are just a few authors. Look under "hammered dulcimers" at Elderly Instruments; they carry lots of HD books.
A live teacher is great if you can find one. Try asking around locally, or search on the web. The "Everything Dulcimer" site has a place for teacher listings, but it is pretty sparse for HD at this point in time.
Sara and Maynard Johnson's "The Kitchen Musician" website is, in my opinion, the greatest all-around hammered dulcimer site. (http://members.aol.com/kitchiegal/index.html , as listed in previous posts) It contains lots of tunes, history, links, and I love the humor.
There is a video from a performance at the Millenium Stage of the Kennedy Center featuring Karen Ashbrook. The tunes seem to be from the Celtic Cafe album mentioned in another post. Not strictly Irish.
There are several other interesting programs at the Kennedy Center. The best thing is simply to take the time to go through them month by month. I find their search engine won't come up with stuff that I know is there. There's Lunasa, Robin Bullock, Aly Bain and Ale Moller (Oct 16th. I just watched that one a few days ago). There's also some old time music which interests me.
Ok... the Dusty Strings site was a LOT of help, gave all the specs for my dulcimer (the D500). Now... I play with a Chamber-Celtic music group (We play a mix of classical, chamber, and Irish tunes), so would it be wise to tune the dulcimer to G Maj to play with the instruments more easily? (Fiddles, guitar, viola, clarinets, flute, whistle). The G# thing just ain't working for me.
Just messing around with it I picked up Drowsy Maggie pretty quickly, the tuning fascinates me (one side of the bridge is a fifth up from the other... cool)
Anyways thanks for your help!
-Mark
Do you mean change one specific note (G5 at the top of the treble bridge) to G or are you talking about retuning the whole instrument? You shouldn't retune the whole thing, at least not without checking with Dusty Strings. Tuning that one note down a half step won't hurt but you will change the corresponding D6 to Db.
I'm pretty sure you meant just the G# at the top right of the treble bridge, because the main part of the dulcimer is great for playing in the usual Irish keys (i.e., anything with one or two sharps). G major is one of the most convenient keys to play on a hammered dulcimer.
My dulcimer (which is not a Dusty Strings) is made with a "broken" treble bridge: the bridge for the top two courses is separate from the rest of the treble bridge, and is offset slightly so that the interval across the bridge is not the usual fifth. That allows the notes on the right side to supply missing chromatics (G# and Bb) instead of simply repeating notes (G and A) that are available on the left side of the bridge, 4 courses down. If desired, this small bridge can be shifted to make a fifth interval, losing the chromatics but gaining an extra position in which the high G and A can be played. I'm not sure if yours is built like this: the picture on the Dusty Strings site didn't look like the bridges were separated, but if not, I don't know how they'd get the interval right.
You *DO* have that G5 already, on the left side of the treble bridge. I've found that on a few tunes, I have to modify my hammering patterns to hit the G5 on the left, and it would be more convenient to have one on the right, but I've learned to live with it. Several tunes in Amajor are played regularly at the local session, and that high G# is important in the melody. I also like the version of Saint Anne's Reel that uses that high G#. I wouldn't willingly give up my high G# or Bb now! I'm not familiar with chamber music, but you may find that you need more chromatic notes when playing non-ITM music.
My advice is: keep it tuned in the standard way and get comfortable with using the G5 you have on the left side of the treble bridge. In a few months, if you still have no need for a high G#, consider retuning, by moving the bridge if it's built that way. Then you won't lose your D6 and E6 on the left side, and you may really want those notes.
Shoot, I'm not going to give you much better advice than what's here already. www.dulcimers.com isn't the type of website that will give you a lot of instruction. It's the type of site that will keep you going when things get a bit stale. I've had the privilege of playing with some great players in Michigan and adding to my collection of recorded tapes. I'll keep a tape player leaning up against my dulcimer stand at most sessions. If there's any chance of jamming with some HD players it's another thing you'll want to do. Some of the better players around the east end of the U.S. are Mark Wade, Dan Gilvary, Rick Thum, Ken Kolodner, Carole Koenig and Lucille Reilly to name a few. Google them to find out if any are going to put on workshops in your area. If you get near Michigan the third week of July also check out Evart Music Festival. Last year there were over 200 dulcimer related workshops.
The dulcimer, more than other instruments is a beast of patterns. You might try Brian Boru for a start then Joy to the world.
Good luck dude. Information overload is very possible here.
Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
My teacher just gave me a hammered dulcimer today! I've been fiddling around with it, but if anyone could provide me with a basic idea of which strings are which, etc.
I have no idea what I'm talking about, but on my dulcimer there are 34 sets of strings. Can anyone help?
-mark
# Posted on November 2nd 2002 by no longer exists
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Whoops! Forgot to do my own research first. Under the little maple leaf it says "Dusty Strings" in cool scripty letters. The model numer is "D500". Does that help a bit more?
# Posted on November 2nd 2002 by no longer exists
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
I do not play hammered dulcimer, but I do know that Dusty Strings is a great shop in Seattle that specializes in the production of dulcimers and harps. They are very helpful and a great resource for classes, teachers, and assorted materials for many kinds of instruments. Visit their website to see all the great things they offer: www.dustystrings.com
# Posted on November 2nd 2002 by SFKiwi
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Go to this web site http://members.aol.com/kitchiegal/
Click on "The Hammered Dulcimer". From there there is another page which gives you string layout for a couple of dulcimer systems. The chances are high that you have a fifth bass bridge rather than an octave bass. You should be able to tell even if it's pretty badly out of tune though.
Steve
# Posted on November 3rd 2002 by SteveKendall
Re: Resources for the beginning Hammered Dulcimerist
Maggie Sansone and Karen Ashbrook are noted hammered dulcimer players who specialize in celtic music and techniques on the hammered dulcimer and on a label that features some fine recordings that highlight the instrument in a beautiful blend with other traditional instruments.S ome of their recordings are submitted at this site: A Traveler's Dream, Celtic Cafe with lots of good tunes and they also have music tune books. see www.maggiesmusic.com for more details and lots of resources.
# Posted on November 3rd 2002 by tilythehon
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
I know nothing about hammered dulcimers but as I've been searching for info about the mountain dulcimer, I've stept upon a few web resources for the HD as well. Here are two of them:
"The kitchen musician" ( http://members.aol.com/kitchiegal/index.html ) with basic info about anatomy, tuning, history of the HD plus much more.
Everything Dulcimer ( http://www.everythingdulcimer.com ) , a web forum for all kinds of dulcimer. It has articles, faq, tabs, tutorials and includes a discussion group.
Good luck with your new instrument!
# Posted on November 3rd 2002 by lars
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Start with the Dusty Strings website: http://www.dustystrings.com/index.shtml
You can look up the tuning chart for the D500 there. And if you are ever in Seattle, their Acoustic Music Shop in Fremont is a wonderful place to visit.
You may want to invest in some sort of beginner book to get you started -- something that covers the basics of how to hold the hammers, and the logic of the note layout. (It's a nonlinear piano, so it may seem a bit odd at first, but it really does make sense once you understand the layout.) There are lots of beginner books: Sara Johnson, Linda Lowe Thompson, Lucille Reilly are just a few authors. Look under "hammered dulcimers" at Elderly Instruments; they carry lots of HD books.
A live teacher is great if you can find one. Try asking around locally, or search on the web. The "Everything Dulcimer" site has a place for teacher listings, but it is pretty sparse for HD at this point in time.
Sara and Maynard Johnson's "The Kitchen Musician" website is, in my opinion, the greatest all-around hammered dulcimer site. (http://members.aol.com/kitchiegal/index.html , as listed in previous posts) It contains lots of tunes, history, links, and I love the humor.
For Irish music on hammered dulcimer, some of the "big" names are:
Karen Ashbrook: http://www.karenashbrook.com/
David James: http://www.tiompanalley.com/
Cliff Moses: http://www.tiompanalley.com/
Good luck; have fun; and here's your warning:
Hammered dulcimer is VERY, VERY addicting.
Sarah
# Posted on November 4th 2002 by x
Correction
Cliff Moses: http://www.cliffmoses.com/Default.asp
Sorry; I had a cut-and-past error in the above post!
# Posted on November 4th 2002 by x
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
There is a video from a performance at the Millenium Stage of the Kennedy Center featuring Karen Ashbrook. The tunes seem to be from the Celtic Cafe album mentioned in another post. Not strictly Irish.
http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/millennium/search_results.cfm
There are several other interesting programs at the Kennedy Center. The best thing is simply to take the time to go through them month by month. I find their search engine won't come up with stuff that I know is there. There's Lunasa, Robin Bullock, Aly Bain and Ale Moller (Oct 16th. I just watched that one a few days ago). There's also some old time music which interests me.
Steve
# Posted on November 5th 2002 by SteveKendall
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Ok... the Dusty Strings site was a LOT of help, gave all the specs for my dulcimer (the D500). Now... I play with a Chamber-Celtic music group (We play a mix of classical, chamber, and Irish tunes), so would it be wise to tune the dulcimer to G Maj to play with the instruments more easily? (Fiddles, guitar, viola, clarinets, flute, whistle). The G# thing just ain't working for me.
Just messing around with it I picked up Drowsy Maggie pretty quickly, the tuning fascinates me (one side of the bridge is a fifth up from the other... cool)
Anyways thanks for your help!
-Mark
# Posted on November 6th 2002 by no longer exists
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Do you mean change one specific note (G5 at the top of the treble bridge) to G or are you talking about retuning the whole instrument? You shouldn't retune the whole thing, at least not without checking with Dusty Strings. Tuning that one note down a half step won't hurt but you will change the corresponding D6 to Db.
Steve
# Posted on November 6th 2002 by SteveKendall
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
I'm pretty sure you meant just the G# at the top right of the treble bridge, because the main part of the dulcimer is great for playing in the usual Irish keys (i.e., anything with one or two sharps). G major is one of the most convenient keys to play on a hammered dulcimer.
My dulcimer (which is not a Dusty Strings) is made with a "broken" treble bridge: the bridge for the top two courses is separate from the rest of the treble bridge, and is offset slightly so that the interval across the bridge is not the usual fifth. That allows the notes on the right side to supply missing chromatics (G# and Bb) instead of simply repeating notes (G and A) that are available on the left side of the bridge, 4 courses down. If desired, this small bridge can be shifted to make a fifth interval, losing the chromatics but gaining an extra position in which the high G and A can be played. I'm not sure if yours is built like this: the picture on the Dusty Strings site didn't look like the bridges were separated, but if not, I don't know how they'd get the interval right.
You *DO* have that G5 already, on the left side of the treble bridge. I've found that on a few tunes, I have to modify my hammering patterns to hit the G5 on the left, and it would be more convenient to have one on the right, but I've learned to live with it. Several tunes in Amajor are played regularly at the local session, and that high G# is important in the melody. I also like the version of Saint Anne's Reel that uses that high G#. I wouldn't willingly give up my high G# or Bb now! I'm not familiar with chamber music, but you may find that you need more chromatic notes when playing non-ITM music.
My advice is: keep it tuned in the standard way and get comfortable with using the G5 you have on the left side of the treble bridge. In a few months, if you still have no need for a high G#, consider retuning, by moving the bridge if it's built that way. Then you won't lose your D6 and E6 on the left side, and you may really want those notes.
Sarah
# Posted on November 8th 2002 by x
Re: Resources for the beginning Dulcimerist
Shoot, I'm not going to give you much better advice than what's here already. www.dulcimers.com isn't the type of website that will give you a lot of instruction. It's the type of site that will keep you going when things get a bit stale. I've had the privilege of playing with some great players in Michigan and adding to my collection of recorded tapes. I'll keep a tape player leaning up against my dulcimer stand at most sessions. If there's any chance of jamming with some HD players it's another thing you'll want to do. Some of the better players around the east end of the U.S. are Mark Wade, Dan Gilvary, Rick Thum, Ken Kolodner, Carole Koenig and Lucille Reilly to name a few. Google them to find out if any are going to put on workshops in your area. If you get near Michigan the third week of July also check out Evart Music Festival. Last year there were over 200 dulcimer related workshops.
The dulcimer, more than other instruments is a beast of patterns. You might try Brian Boru for a start then Joy to the world.
Good luck dude. Information overload is very possible here.
Jim
# Posted on November 17th 2002 by jrathbun