Table of Contents
How do you make a dulcimer?
Step 1: Plywood Layout and Cutting Pieces for Body. Step 2: Glue Bottom Section of Body Together. Step 3: Cut Out Sound Holes and Finish Gluing Body. Step 4: Shape Fingerboard and Add Tuners, Nuts and Frets. Step 5: Attach Fingerboard to Body. Step 6: Strings and Finish Work.
What is the best wood for a dulcimer?
Western red cedar is the most widely used of the cedars for dulcimer soundboards. The wood is softer and lighter than spruce but is less affected by changes in humidity. The sound properties of western red cedar are notable for very clear highs, excellent balance throughout the tonal range and a warm tone.
How long does it take to build a dulcimer?
The peghead is carved from a single block of walnut, and is one of the main structural elements of the instrument, and its carving is a major commitment of time and materials, requiring about seven hours to complete.
How far apart are dulcimer strings?
On a typical dulcimer string gauges range between about 0.026 in. and 0.010 in.
How many frets does a dulcimer have?
All charts show the exact locations (to the thousandth of an inch) for the nut, bridge, and thirty-six frets (21 whole-number frets, plus the “half-number” frets). Each dulcimer fret position is identified three ways: 1) inches to previous fret; 2) inches to nut; 3) inches to bridge.
How much does a mountain dulcimer cost?
As a quick overview, our harps range in price from under $1,000 up to around $7,000. Our dulcimers range from about $700 to about $4,500. To view, download or print a price list, click the links below.
How do I choose a mountain dulcimer?
Finding and buying a mountain dulcimer is a matter of looking and listening carefully: ask around, listen to various players. Look for a solid wood instrument; ask about its finish, request geared tuners, check its action, and sight down the top of the fingerboard to make sure its dead flat.
What is a ginger dulcimer?
McSpadden Ginger Models are smaller dulcimers with a 23 3/16″ fretboard that can provide a high (Key of G) clear voice similar to that of a mandolin. On request they can be set up in the Key of D to be used as a smaller standard dulcimer for players who have difficulty reaching positions on a standard size fretboard.
Is the mountain dulcimer easy to learn?
The Dulcimer Is Easy to Play It is also not as hard to push the strings down as it is on a guitar. Simple songs can be played by fretting just the first string and strumming across the instrument. As you become more advanced, you can learn how to play with chords, which entails fretting more than one string at a time.
How many strings does a mountain dulcimer have?
Number of strings: Dulcimers may have as few as two or as many as 12 strings (in up to six courses). Up to the 1960s most mountain dulcimers had three strings. The most popular variant today is four strings in three courses, with doubled melody strings.
What is a hammered dulcimer made of?
Hammers are usually made of wood (most likely hardwoods such as maple, cherry, padauk, oak, walnut, or any other hardwood), but can also be made from any material, including metal and plastic. In the Western hemisphere, hammers are usually stiff, but in Asia, flexible hammers are often used.
How high should dulcimer strings be?
Once the strings are installed, check their height above the frets to make sure they will be easy to play. The ideal string height would be about 1/16″ above the first fret (nearest the PEGHEAD) and 1/8″ above the 17th fret (nearest the strum hollow).
What are the 4 strings on a dulcimer?
A four-string dulcimer has one bass string, one middle string, and two melody strings. A five-string dulcimer has two bass strings, one middle string, and two melody strings. When there is a set of strings (two bass strings or two melody strings), all strings in that set should be tuned in the same manner.
Can you use guitar strings on a dulcimer?
If you need stainless steel or wound strings and you’re not near a “dulcimer string” source, you might be able to use a guitar or octave mandolin string of the same or smaller gauge if it’s long enough. Guitar strings will have a small ball in the loop that will need to be removed first.
What key is a dulcimer in?
There are two common tunings for mountain dulcimer, DAA and DAD. In DAA, the bass string is tuned to D with the middle and paired melody strings tuned to A. In DAD, the bass string is tuned to D with the middle string tuned to A.Modes and Tunings for the Mountain Dulcimer. Major Modes Minor Modes Ionian Dorian.
What is the rule of 18?
The rule is sometimes called the “rule of 18”. Basically, the position of the next fret, is the scale length, minus the displacement of the previous fret, divided by 18. It was close enough, and is still pretty close. Although the accepted number today is 17.817.
How do you calculate fret spacing?
If you divide any scale length by the constant 17.817, you will get the distance from the front edge of the nut to the first fret. Here is one example: a scale length of 25.5″ (650mm) divided by 17.817 gives 1.4312173″ (36.482011mm), which can be rounded down to 1.431″ (36.48mm).
What makes a good dulcimer?
The fingerboard should be very hard since it takes a lot of wear and tear. Also it should be moisture-resistant if possible. So mahogany and rosewood are popular choices. But, again, if you see a walnut or cherry dulcimer and the fingerboard is also walnut or cherry, that doesn’t mean you should reject it out of hand.
