Traditional Appalachian Dulcimer Playing

You probably don't have to know this to play dulcimer in most settings today, but it wouldn't hurt to review it so you don't assume that the next person you see playing a dulcimer in the traditional manner is doing it "wrong."

When the Appalachian dulcimer first came to the public's attention (and, frankly, to mine, back in the 1960s):

• The dulcimer usually had three strings. If it had four strings, the two closest to your belly were tuned to the same note, to allow the melody to sound louder than the drone strings.

• Traditional players fretted only the string(s) that were closest to the belly, generally called the "melody string(s)." It was normal to use a small dowel, called a "noter" to push the string down. (In fact, some traditional dulcimers didn't even have frets under the other strings.)

• The other strings would be strummed only, providing a drone sound to accompany the melody that was being played. Frankly, it was the sound of the drone strings that attracted me to the instrument's sound in the first place. The middle string would typically be tuned a fourth or a fifth below the melody string(s). The string furthest from the player would typically be tuned an octave, or even an octave and a half below the melody string(s).

• Players would use the diatonic scale to play tunes in various folk "modes" (unusual scales) that are seldom used today. Retuning the instrument to support those modes was considered normal, even if you retuned between every song.

As an example, if the melody string is tuned to D, a traditional dulcimer gives you a major G scale. The scale goes down to D because so many traditional songs in G start on D. ("Amazing Grace," "'Tis the Gift," "Shennandoah," "Red River Valley," and hundreds of others.)

To play a song in G, you could tune the middle string to the G below the melody string and tune the other drone string to the D below that. (This is called DGD tuning). Of course, you could set your dulcimer up a note lower and play in CFC tuning. In that case the melody string(s) would play an F scale. Every dulcimer player from the "hills" had his or her own favorite tunings.

What if you wanted to play a song in a minor key? The G scale has two minor keys built in - E minor and A minor. The E minor scale begins on the second fret of the melody strings. You would leave the tuning of the melody string(s) alone. But you would typically drop the middle string to E or raise it to B and drop the other drone string to E.

Another minor key, sort of is A minor. If you tried to play an A minor scale on the melody string(s), you'd notice that at least one of the notes (F#) doesn't sound quite right. That's because you're playing in "Dorian" mode, using a scale that goes back to the Middle Ages. If you lived in Appalachia a century ago, chances are you knew or knew someone who knew songs in that mode. (Outsiders often say such modes contribute to a "haunting" melody.)

If you tuned your dulcimer to, say, DAD, and played in the key of D, you'd notice that you have a C where you'd expect a C#. No problem - you're in "Mixolydian" mode, using a scale that's still in common use today. (Folk songs like "Old Joe Clark" and "Shady Grove" were played in mixolydian mode up until about 1950. Some rock and pop songs still use that mode. One of my favorite Folk-era songs i Mixolydian mode is "If I were a Carpenter."

What's With All the Retuning? Modern dulcimer players tend to select one tuning and stick with it, even if they have to use devices called "capos" to play in other keys. But a century ago, nobody had access to digital tuners, and everyone who was serious about a musical instrument tuned by ear. Most guitar and banjo players of my generation can still do so. Watch an acoustic guitar player go to "drop D tuning" sometime.

A century ago, retuning your dulcimer to change keys or modes was as common as snapping a capo on or off a guitar, and folks could do it just as fast.

What Happened to Traditional Ducimer Playing Styles?

One perceived need was the ability to play in D, a popular Folk and Country key.

So extra frets were added to enable that playing.

Then, some players felt that it was a "waste" to just use the drone strings as, er, drones. So people started playing chords, fretting two or three strings at a time.

Since the late 1900s, most people who own and play Appalachian dulcimers play in the key of D more often than anything else, and most of them play chords.

Sadly, many modern players, unaware of the instrument's true past, consider traditional players "wrong" and traditional dulcimers (without the added frets) deficient.

I've even felt pressure to add frets to the traditional dulcimers I take to clinics at Folk festivals, etc, Mostly I want to avoid anyone I teach being "fret-shamed" if they show up at a dulcimer club or jam expecting to join in with a traditional instrument.

That said, I'm a Folk singer first and an instrumentalist second. If fretting only the melody string(s) on a traditional instrument suits the song I'm performing, I don't care how many people, ignorant of the instrument's history, think I'm doing it wrong.

Modern Appalachian Dulcimer Playing In spite of my personal feelings on the subject, I'd be doing potential dulcimer players a disservice if I only presented my favorite way to play the thing.

For an overview of the ways how most people play Appalachian dulcimer today, click here.

Other Resources

As we add articles and "vet" other resources that you may find helpful, we will be adding them here.

• Appalachian Dulcimer - History - Sorts out theories of the Appalachian Dulcimer's pre-20th-century evolution, and goes on to describe how the dulcimer and it's uses have changed since the Folk Revival helped bring it into public notice.

• Appalachian Dulcimer Buyer's Guide - describes features and materials you should consider looking for when shopping for a dulcimer.

  I have to warn you, though, we don't say much about where to get Appalachian dulcimers, as the best ones are all made in private shops that come and go. But there are tips about what to look for in your search.

More to Come

Stay tuned!

Whatever else you get out of our pages, I hope you come away with some great ideas for "sharing the joy."

And please stay in touch!

    - Paul Race

All material, illustrations, and content of this web site is copyrighted ? 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006,
2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 by Paul D. Race. All rights reserved.
Creek Dont' Rise(tm) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising
program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

For questions, comments, suggestions, trouble reports, etc. about this page or this site, please contact us.

Visit related pages and affiliated sites:
- Music -
- Trains and Hobbies -
- Christmas Memories and Collectibles -
- Family Activities and Crafts -