Hammered Dulcimer Tuning

by Randy "Ardie" Davis

Besides learning new tunes, tuning the hammer dulcimer is the most challenging part of owning and playing the instrument. The more strings you have per course, and the more courses you have, the longer it takes. Many people ask, "How can I tune my hammered dulcimer in less time?"

That's a perfectly good question, and one that can be answered in more than one way.

As you gain more experience with the hammered dulcimer, you will discover that you will want to tune the instrument to different levels of accuracy. For jam session purposes, the tuning level needs to be good enough not to embarrass yourself or disturb your jam partners. This can often be accomplished in 20 to 30 minutes. For learning or playing at home, tuning simply needs to be "to taste," and this can be accomplished in 10 minutes or less. But for recording or major performance purposes, the level of accuracy needs to be very high, and it is not unusual for professional players to spend more than an hour tuning and fine-tuning.

What Tools Do I Need for Accurate Tuning?

I believe that it is a good idea to first learn how to do something as close to the ideal as possible, and then ratchet down from there as the circumstance requires. The following instructions describe both how to obtain quick and basic tuning, and how to obtain optimal tuning, as if you are going to give a performance, or if you want to validate that your instrument can be brought into perfect tuning.

You will want the following tools to accurately tune your instrument:

• Electronic Tuner and Plug-in Alligator Clip Cord
• Tuning Lever
• Bridge Bumper and Striker (only as required)
• Leather pad (only if using the Bridge Bumper)

I'll explain the purpose of each tool below :

Electronic Tuner and Cord. The electronic tuner is the handiest device available to the owner of a hammered dulcimer. I consider it essential, and since very good ones can be purchased for under $30.00, there is no valid reason not to own one. They can be purchased at most music stores or over the Internet. The Plug-in Alligator Clip Cord is simply a cord that plugs into the "Line In" plug of the tuner, and clips onto a tuning or hitch pin on the dulcimer. The purpose of the cord is to allow the tuner to pick up only the vibrations coming from the cord, and to ignore the accidental noise coming from elsewhere. That way you can tune your dulcimer even when that banjo player next to you decides to claw hammer his way through "Old Joe Clark." This cord can be bought from many on-line dulcimer retailers for less than $20.00.

Tuning Lever. Tuning levers typically come in a couple of different styles: "T" Handle and "Gooseneck" Handle. Which one to use is usually a matter of personal preference. The Gooseneck gives more leverage, but some people find it allows for less fine-tuning control. The "T" Handle gives more fine-tuning control, but may not be as easy to turn for some people. Most hammered dulcimers have zither-style or harpsichord tuning pins (rather than piano), so make sure that your tuning lever fits those type pins.

Bridge Bumper. Caution: A Bridge Bumper must be used with extreme care, and only by folks who know what they are doing! The use of a Bridge Bumper can result in breaking a bridge or marring the finish of the soundboard! If you are unsure, don't use it! A Bridge Bumper is typically a stick with some kind of padding (like a leather wrap) on one end. A Striker is something (like a small hammer or pair of pliers) that can be used to strike the Bridge Bumper. The purpose of the Bridge Bumper is to move the the Treble Bridge into proper tuning alignment. The Bridge Bumper is only used against the bottom of the bridge. Since the position of the Treble bridge determines whether the strings on the left and right sides of the bridge will be in tune, it is essential that the Treble bridge be perfectly positioned; otherwise, the strings on one side may be perfectly in tune, while the strings on the other side may be flat or sharp. If this condition cannot be corrected by micro-tuning the offending string(s), then the bridge may have to be slightly repositioned to bring it back into proper position. The Bridge Bumper is used to do this. More about how to do this later in this article.

Leather Pad. The Leather Pad is used to protect the finish of the soundboard from the Bridge Bumper.

How Often Do I Tune?

Quite simply you tune only when you need to. Most hammered dulcimers will stabilize over time and will require less frequent tuning. Newer hammered dulcimers will typically need to be tuned often during their first few months as the assemblage normalizes. If you have a new or fairly new instrument, expect to tune fairly frequently. Also, hammered dulcimers of any ilk will need to be retuned when exposed to significant humidity changes. High humidity allows the wood to absorb moisture, which expands the wood, which causes the instrument to go sharp. Low humidity allows the wood to lose moisture, which shrinks the wood, which causes the instrument to go flat. Remember that switching from air conditioning to heating in your home results in significant changes in room humidity. Control the humidity and you'll need to retune less often.

Where Do I Start?

The great debate continues to rage throughout the hammer dulcimer community: Do you start tuning at the top or bottom of the hammered dulcimer? Quite frankly, it makes no never mind to me. I will actually do both at different times for various reasons. My advice to you is to start where you want to. Personally, I usually start at the high strings on the Treble bridge and work my way down. My friend Dana Hamilton starts at the low strings and works his way up. Do what is comfortable to you.

What Tuning Technique Do I Use?

Tuning a hammered dulcimer can be fairly complex, or it can be downright simple. Most of the time I prefer simple. By simple, I mean that I start at the high strings on the right side of the Treble bridge, and work my way down to the low strings. Occasionally I'll check the tuning on the left side after tuning the right just to make sure things are copesetic. Then I start at the high strings on the Bass bridge, and work my way down to the low strings. Then I go back to the Treble strings to see if they have been pulled flat by the tension of tuning the Bass Bridge. If they have, I retune the Treble strings.

What you will find is that the more out of tune you allow your instrument to get, the more tuning cycles you have to go through (Treble-->Bass-->Treble). If you tune the Treble bridge and find that the Bass bridge is more than 1/4-note flat, for example, you will notice that after tuning the Bass bridge the Treble bridge has now gone flat. The reason is that the increased string tension caused by bringing the Bass strings in tune has, in effect, pulled the sides of the dulcimer closer together thereby relieving the tension of the Treble strings a bit, thereby causing them to go a bit flat. Get it?

Simple Tuning

Here are the steps for a simple tuning. By the way, I typically use my fingers to pluck the strings while tuning. I pluck with one hand and use the tuning lever in the other to make fine adjustments; and I usually place the tuner on the dulcimer - even resting it on the strings:

1. Tune the right side of the Treble Bridge. Spot check the left side to make sure it is also in tune.
2. Tune the Bass Bridge.
3. Check the Treble Bridge to make sure it is still in tune. If it is not, retune it.

Don't worry if each note is sharp by a cent or two. For simple tuning you just want the tuning to be "good enough."

Bringing a string into tune is often a matter of tiny, tiny adjustments. I find that I can obtain more accurate tuning if I always approach the note from the flat side rather than the sharp side. That is, using the tuner, I will always take the note a bit flat and then bring it into tune rather than taking the note sharp and bringing it in to tune.

Performance Tuning

Performance tuning requires a bit of technique, and an understanding of how your hammered dulcimer can be tuned to itself. Notice the tuning chart above. Look for the notes designated as "(440) A⁴." You will find three of them. This note, "(440) A⁴," is replicated three times on 13/12 hammered dulcimers and greater. If you strike the (440) A⁴ note on the left side of the Treble bridge, it will be tuned exactly like the (440) A⁴ note on the Bass Bridge. Performance tuning requires that all replicated notes on the dulcimer be exactly in tune with each other.

Note: 440 refers to 440 HZ on the electronic tuning scale.

Rather than taking a linear approach to tuning by going up or down the Treble and Bass bridges, performance tuning involves tuning particular notes to each other whenever they occur on the instrument. The following notes are duplicated on a typical 15/14:

• A³ (twice)
• B³ (twice)
• D⁴ (twice)
• E⁴ (three times)
• F#⁴ (twice)
• G⁴ (twice)
• A⁴ (three times)
• B⁴ (twice)
• D⁵ (twice)
• E⁵ (twice)

A performance tuner may take the following steps in tuning the 16/16 illustrated in the tuning chart above. These instructions assume the dulcimer has two strings per course:

1. Tune the top string of the Treble Bb⁵ course. Check the tuning on its opposite side, the E⁶. Micro-tune as necessary.
2. Tune the bottom string of the Bb⁵. Check the tuning on its opposite side, the E⁶. Micro-tune as necessary.
3. Check the tuning of top Bb⁵. Bring it back into tune as necessary.
4. Check the tuning of its opposite, the E⁶. Bring it back into tune as necessary.
5. Do the same for the Treble D⁶/G#⁵, C⁶/F⁵ course combinations.
6. Tune the top string of the Treble E⁵ course on the right side of the Treble bridge. Check the tuning on its opposite side, the B⁵. Micro tune as necessary.
7. Tune the bottom string of the Treble E⁵. Check the tuning on its opposite side, the B⁵. Micro tune as necessary.
8. Check the tuning of top E⁵. Bring it back into tune as necessary.
9. Check the tuning of its opposite, the B⁵. Bring it back into tune as necessary.
10. Now locate the second E⁵ on the left side of the Treble bridge. Tune the top string exactly to the first E⁵ you tuned.
11. Check the tuning on its opposite side, the A⁴. Micro-tune as necessary.
12. Repeat for the bottom strings on both sides.
13. Now that your first A⁴ strings have been tuned, locate the other two A⁴ courses and tune them to the first A⁴s you tuned. One set of A⁴s is on the left side of the Treble bridge; one set is on the Bass bridge.
14. Repeat this technique for all courses on the dulcimer.
15. Your final check should be to make sure that all duplicate notes are exactly in tune with each other wherever they occur on the dulcimer.

What If I Cannot Tune Both the Left and Right Side of the Treble Bridge?

Sometimes you will find that bringing one side of the Treble bridge into tune leaves the other side either sharp or flat. No matter what you do, you cannot bring both sides into tune. What causes this, and what can you do about it?

Two conditions may be responsible for problem: 1) The string itself may need to be readjusted across the bridge. This can be done simply by lifting up the string and placing it back on the bridge, and then retuning. If this doesn't work, then the second condition may apply.

2) The cause can be that the Treble bridge has moved or no longer sits perfectly straight from end to end. The Treble bridge on a diatonic hammered dulcimer is typically placed at a very exact 2/5 ratio from side bridge to side bridge. That is, the bottom end of the Treble bridge is exactly two-fifths of the distance from the left side bridge to the right side bridge along the long rail; and the top end of the Treble bridge is exactly two-fifths of the distance from the left side bridge to the right side bridge along the short rail. Alter this ratio, even a little bit, and the two sides of the Treble bridge will not tune to each other.

The only thing you can do about it is to adjust the Treble bridge so that it is straight from end to end, and that each end is positioned at the two-fifths ratio. This adjustment is best left to the dulcimer maker, or to a professional dulcimer tuner. Do Not Attempt This Yourself!

However, if you are in a position where you have to do it yourself, proceed with extreme caution. Do it incorrectly and you will either break the bridge, or mar the top of your soundboard, or both.

Here are some basic guidelines:

• If the right side of the Treble bridge is in tune, and the left side is flat, then the Treble bridge needs to be moved to the left.
• If the right side of the Treble bridge is in tune, and the left side is sharp, then the Treble bridge needs to be moved to the right.

If you are shortening the distance between one side of the Treble bridge and the side bridge, you are sharpening the note on that side of the Treble bridge, and, correspondingly, flattening the note on the other side. Remember this. Sharpening one side, flattens the other. Flattening one side, sharpens the other. Each time you bump the bridge you must check the tuning of both sides until they are both in tune.

The Bridge Bumper and Striker are used to move the Treble bridge in very, very small increments.

Never, ever place the Bridge Bumper at the top or middle of the Treble bridge, or on the column between holes. This will break the Treble Bridge. Always place the Bridge Bumper to the bottom of the Treble bridge. Use a leather pad between the Bridge Bumper and the soundboard to prevent marring or denting.