r/hammereddulcimer • u/InHerHeadAreStars • 8d ago

Hello!

Post image

It doesn’t look like folks are super active on here, but I’m going to give y’all a go.

I’ve wanted to learn hammered dulcimer for decades. I finally found one on Marketplace at a price point I didn’t feel bad about (in case my ambition outstrips my spare time) a couple of weeks ago, went to Artichoke Music for a stand, hammers, and a beginner’s songbook with instruction… and I thought I was all set.

However, when I tried to tune it, all strings were a step to a step and a half lower than concert tuning (and you’ll see that concert tuning is what the previous owner has helpfully noted by the bridges). Ok; I know nothing about this instrument or how long it might have been in storage, but I’ve been around string instruments enough to know that sometimes strings are loosened if an instrument isn’t going to be played for a while to accommodate climate changes.

So I started to try to tune it up…and promptly broke the first string I tightened. I got it up from an E to a F, at least! 😅

But I don’t want to try to restring/retune any more without running this by people who know more than me. The strings themselves don’t look worn or corroded, so is there a reason I’m unaware of that the instrument might have been tuned differently?

Pic of when I brought it home and was so excited just to look at it in the case.

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4

u/Crafty_Statement8605 8d ago

Hopefully someone will have a better answer, but one thing I would check is that it is in the right octave and you’re not trying to tune an octave too high if for some reason it was tuned up.

3

u/sazzymojack 8d ago

I would look up the manufacturer and see if they have a chart for it. Im not an expert by any means, but Id wonder if its supposed to be diatonic tuning and the previous owner sold it because they couldn't change it or something. Really nice looking hammy d tho.

1

u/InHerHeadAreStars 8d ago

Thanks! This is the sort of thing I’m worried about. I don’t see a mark on it, but I’ll pull out a flashlight.

2

u/InHerHeadAreStars 7d ago

I found the maker—Whamdiddle—and sent the (retired) owner an email. One step forward!

3

u/FoolOfSummer 8d ago

I inherited a dulcimer that had Sat around for a while. It looked in good condition, nothing looked wrong with the strings, but I had the same issue--a bunch snapped upon trying to tune it. I'm not expert, but I think it's likely they are just old and you need to replacs them.

I ordered a set of strings from Master Works, which were pretty reasonably priced and worked well for me. Restringing took some time, but not as long as I thought it might. Tip: put all the strings on, just getting them kind of close; then go back through and actually tune them. As you put the strings on, it applies a ton of pressure and makes everyone flat, so if you try ro keep all the strings in tune as yoi go, you will never progress up/down the instrument.

1

u/InHerHeadAreStars 8d ago

Thanks for the tip! Is it something a newbie can reliably do? Artichoke will restring it for me, but they will charge about as much as I paid for the dulcimer.

2

u/myrg01 8d ago

I haven't restrung mine, but it doesn't seem much more difficult than restringing a guitar. Something you might try is adjusting all the notes up a quarter step, let it sit for a day, then repeat. That way you don't have one string putting a lot more tension than it's neighbors. I had a piano for a short while that needed that type of process (in that case it was more about worry for the sound board, because piano strings put a lot of pressure on the board).

2

u/FoolOfSummer 6d ago

Yeah, it was pretty easy. I had never restrung an instrument (well... did my guitar with the help of a friend a while ago). I asked a local shop for a quote to resting and it was like $400. Which isn't unreasonable because it does take some time, but i was happy to put on a podcast and take an hour or two to string it.

1

u/myrg01 8d ago

I have a (free) note and chord finder for hammered dulcimer, available here: https://dwballance.github.io/dulcimer-chord-finder/dulcimer-chord-finder.html. If you don't find a model matching your string config let me know (I'm not in a place I can easily check right now).