Hi all,
My wife plays harp. She was interested in Dulcimer so i got her one for Christmas one year. She never touched it. Now I’m starting to play around with it. Question: If I tune the (double) melody string to D, what works best on the two others? And while I’m at it i might as well ask one more. Is D the best tuning for the melody string(s)? I plan to play Irish stuff, which of course is mostly in D or G or a mode thereof.
Yes, it’s usually tuned in 5ths/4ths. So for D you’d tune the 3 courses (low to high): D A d. For G you’d tune: D G d.
Thanks.
I did end up tuning Dad for the key of D, just because it sounded right. Interesting that for G only one string needs to be changed.
I’m not sure how the fretboard is laid out, since it is diatonic, but I wonder if DAe is an option, since that would equal the tuning usually used for fiddle, banjo, etc?
I’d head for Everythingdulcimer.com if I were you. It’s the Chiff & Fipple of the dulcimer world. Every possible tuning - major, minor, modal - is explained there. Great buch of folks too, just like here.
I’ve heard folks use DAG and DAC but I don’t think I’ve ever come across anyone using DAE …If I get a chance, I’ll tune one of mine to that and check it out.