Tuning

The Mt Dulcimer is a "diatonic" fretted instrument.  It is specifically designed to play melody.  However, to play in all the various keys and modes that music comes in you will have to tune the strings on the dulcimer to the correct notes.

It is a good idea to tune your instrument EVERY time you sit down to play it!  

All wooden, stringed instruments go out of tune over time. With changes in humidity, the wood expands and contracts which causes the instrument to be slightly larger or smaller. Those very small changes in length cause the strings to go out of tune. By tuning every time you play or practice you are teaching your ears to hear what is and isn't "in tune".  

Strings are designed to be tuned to a specific note in a particular octave. They can usually also be tuned a few notes lower as well as a few notes higher than that original note but they can't be tuned a whole octave above the note as they will snap.  Also, if tuned too low, the sting will be too lose and not sound correct.

A good (and free "ad-supported") tuning app you can use on a smart phone is at: 

 https://stonekick.com/tuner.html

This tuner app includes the number representing the octave of the note you are trying to tune to. If you try to tune to a D that is too high you'll end up breaking your string. So having this "pitched" tuner with the octave number is very helpful.

Standard DAD Tuning:  

This is a "1 - 5 - 8" - Tuning  ... Meaning that the Bass string is the root at "1", the Middle string is tuned a 5th above the Bass string giving us the "5", and the Melody string is tuned to an octave above the Bass string giving us the "8"

This is the "Normal" (if there is such a thing as normal) dulcimer tuning and most dulcimer TAB is now written for DAD tuning.  

D (3 octave)      --- on the bass string (farthest away from you and usually a “wound” string)  

A (3 octave)       --- on the middle string (plain steel) 

D (4 octave)      --- on the melody string (closest to you and also plain steel)

How these notes relate to notes on a piano keyboard is shown in the following image:

Other ways to tune a mountain dulcimer:

There are many other ways to tune your Dulcimer. Other tunings that are currently popular are:   

DAA - 1-5-5 Tuning - popular when playing old-time fiddle tunes (some consider this the "original" tuning for the mt dulcimer) 

CGC (one while step below  DAD) - 1-5-8 Tuning - popular with people that like to sing with their dulcimer (most people sing better in the key of C) ... Any TAB that is written for DAD (1-5-8) can be played as is in any other 1-5-8 tuning. You'll just be playing in a different "Key". See the note below ... You can play in this tuning by yourself, or with other dulcimers that are also tuned to CGC, or with other instruments that are playing in the Key of C. 

AEA (several steps below DAD) - Another 1-5-8 tuning, this is the standard tuning for Baritone dulcimers.  At a certain point tuning lower that your normal DAD or DAA tuning your strings will become too floppy to rings clearly. This then requires heavier strings which typically leads to a larger dulcimer with more internal bracing. Hence the Baritone models that many luthiers are now building.

DF#A or FAC  - 1-3-5 Tuning - popular with people arranging modern and other non-traditional music for the dulcimer.  This is an "open" tuning meaning that the strings played open make a chord and each fret position when played as a bar make a new chord. DF#A is in the Key of D, while FAC is in the Key of F.  ... This is sometimes referred to as a "chromatic tuning" as it gives you more notes on the fret board than DAD and is why this is popular with certain arrangers.  however, don't confuse this tuning with a chromatic fretted dulcimer that has all the half frets.

Important Notes:  

1. When you tune your dulcimer to a different tuning all the notes on your dulcimer change! This is why many people don't bother learning the "notes" on their fret board until much later in their dulcimer playing and instead play by the numbered tab.

2. When playing by yourself you can tune to whatever tuning you like. Many people tune to something that they can sing with. Joni Mitchell tuned her dulcimer to G#-G#-G# for some of her dulcimer tunes!  However, in order to be "in tune" when playing with others, you have to agree on a tuning and a Key.

3. Strings of different sizes will be needed if you want to tune your dulcimer to a tuning that is several notes away from the tuning that the strings were intended to play. See the Strings page for help in choosing the strings you need. Tuning a string to high will snap it. Be sure to have your face out of the way or wear safety goggles !  Tuning a string too low will cause it to be floppy and not play well. 

Troubleshooting Tuning Issues:

If your dulcimer won't stay in tune or if you can't tune it at all, first consider when was the last time you changed your stings.  If you can't remember changing them, then now is a great time! See the Strings page for more information.

If on the other hand your strings are new-ish,  look to see if you have small screws on your tuning pegs.  If you do ---- very carefully and very slowly --- tighten those screws to see if the tuning pegs will then hold the string in tune.  I mean very, very slowly! You go as slow as you possible can, making very small adjustments to those screws!

If you have all wooden tuning pegs, you can try the following technique to wind the string on the peg to keep them tight.  This is demonstrated using a violin but also works on dulcimers: 

Fix Slipping Pegs on your violin