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Ultimate Fretted Tuning Chart
by Lee "Drew" Andrews

A Dulcimer Camp through the Eyes of a Guitar Player

Nestled in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina lies the town of Cullowhee and Western Carolina University. In the last full week of June each summer mountain dulcimer players from around the nation gather here in a united cause - to play, hear and learn about the mountain dulcimer.

As a guitar player I was afraid of feeling a little out of my element at this event, but I was hoping for acceptance. Each year I try to learn a new instrument to at least a beginning-intermediate level. Being an editor at Mel Bay requires me to edit and proof books for all instruments so I take this task quite seriously. This year I chose to learn mountain dulcimer. Needless to say, I was very happy when Lois Hornbostel, Mel Bay author and Director of WCU Mountain Dulcimer Week, invited me to come and teach (as well as be the resident concert guitarist) at the week. I figured I would teach a class on copyright and take part in one on "playing with other instruments," and take a few beginning dulcimer classes. The event has often been called the "Cadillac" of mountain dulcimer events, so I figured I was in the right place! The serenity of the area and campus gave Mountain Dulcimer Week a nice overall
relaxed feel. I really dug it.

The camp was staffed by a veritable "who's who" of the mountain dulcimer world, from Lois Hornbostel to folk legends Betty Smith and Susan Boyer Haley, to the likes of Stephen Seifert, Madeline MacNeil, Karen Mueller, Larry Conger, Don Pedi, historian Ralph Lee Smith, bowed dulcimer guru Ken Bloom, to dulcimer bad-boy and brilliant performer Alan Freeman, to name a few. Their music styles run the gamut, from the authentic Galax, VA style of Phyllis Gaskins to the fingerpicked Scott Joplin tunes of Janita Baker.

Group shot of WCU participants

As a new dulcimer player I took the beginning course taught by Betty Smith and Sarah Borders. It was a great and enjoyable class; all of us beginners enjoyed it. I appreciated the fact that it was taught using traditional core tunes from the dulcimer repertoire and that it was paced to make sure everyone understood what was going on. There was great effort taken to make sure no parties were left behind.

As a guitar player I am used to playing six strings over a chromatic pattern of frets on my guitar's neck. Looking down at the dulcimer on my lap I saw it had three equidistant strings: a wound bass string furthest from me tuned to D below middle c, and two unwound steel strings tuned to A a fifth above the D. The majority of the melody notes were played on the string closest to me. But wait a minute - Had the builder forgotten to install some of the frets? Nope, what I beheld as I looked at the whole and half-note fret intervals was the mountain dulcimer's traditional diatonic fret pattern. Playing melody notes was akin to picking out tunes from C to C on the white keys of a piano. When Betty asked us to strum across all the strings and move up and down the first string to change notes, the melody notes were joined by a pleasant drone harmony from the other two strings. Very satisfying, very simple, and somehow very ancient sounding. The gentle bagpipe-style harmony brought out the Scot in me!

Jerry Rockwell mountain dulcimer (fret pattern with "extra" 6-1/2 fret).

Another thing mountain dulcimer players tend to do is use several different "open" tunings. It's a time-honored and sensible system of modal tunings that dates back to the Middle Ages and the diatonically fretted zithers of Northern Europe that were predecessors of the Appalachian mountain dulcimer. You can read about the instrument's history in an article by Ralph Lee Smith in the July 2003 issue of DulcimerSessions.

The traditional modal tunings of the three-string dulcimer work like this: The bass string is usually tuned to the low D I mentioned, and the middle string is tuned a fifth above that (A). Once you've got those two strings tuned, you keep them the same throughout the other traditional tunings. What changes tuning and mode is the first (melody) string. To play in D Major/Ionian mode we tuned our first string to the same A as the middle string, and we had DAA tuning. We played from the 3rd through the 10th frets and out sang a familiar major scale. Next we re-tuned that melody string so it sounded like the 6th fret of the bass string, which yielded C natural. The tuning was now DAc. We played the scale on the melody string from the 1st through the 8th frets and heard the ancient minor sound of the Aeolian mode, calling to mind melodies like "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen." We played "Shady Grove." Next we re-tuned the melody string to the 7th fret of the bass string, which brought it up to an octave above the open bass string, producing DAd tuning. The scale was played from "0" (open) through the 7th fret. What came out was the Mixolydian mode - basically a major scale with a flatted 7th degree. We played "Old Joe Clark" and used that note a lot!

Mountain dulcimer capos by Ron Ewing.

This DAd tuning is currently the most popular. Modern dulcimer builders usually install a "6-1/2" fret, which adds a regular C# to the scale so you can easily play Major or Mixolydian in the same tuning. This makes for less re-tuning and some other benefits, but I hope that some day the dulcimer masses will not limit themselves so much to DAd tuning and will again embrace the different traditional tunings/modes. The dulcimer has a wonderful identity and distinct sound which, in my opinion, can only be fully appreciated when a player delves into the different tunings. I was delighted that Betty Smith did teach us different tunings in her class. It was very cool and certainly refreshing to see a beginning class play in multiple tunings/modes.

And this was just the Beginners' class. The dulcimer players I met at jam sessions, and the accomplished performers I accompanied in the concerts, use more tunings, play in different keys, and even use dulcimer capos. (You can read about those in http://www.dulcimersessions.com/jun05/ronewing.html )

Many of the people at WCU Mountain Dulcimer Week played in what is called "chord-melody" style as opposed to drone harmony with melody. Some play every style from traditional to cutting-edge. They could hammer-on, pull-off, slide, play harmonics - you name the technique and they were playing it on the mountain dulcimer. For an example of the higher-end kind of playing I'm talking about, listen to Mountain Dulcimer Week instructor Aaron O'Rourke wailing on "Billy Cheatam" - http://www.myspace.com/aaronorourkedulcimer . Aaron is also the author of another article in this issue of DulcimerSessions.com.

Mornings at Western Carolina University Mountain Dulcimer Week offered 5-day courses in seven "grades" of skill levels, plus a course on building a dulcimer. Afternoons offered 2-hr. classes in traditional Southern Appalachian music and playing styles to playing bluegrass, Cajun music, blues, ragtime, of classical music to name a few. One could take classes in Tai chi and even music software classes. After class I was part of a multi-part dulcimer orchestra. So many choices it amazed if not overwhelmed me a little!

Each night concerts were held in one of the main auditoriums there on campus. Mountain Dulcimer Week's stage crew did a wonderful job, from setup to teardown. In all my years of gigging I wish I'd had that nice and efficient a group to work with on every job.

Each concert featured new players and a large diversity in styles, songs and personalities. Every player was wonderful and a privilege to see. The concerts alone made the event worthwhile.

Drew's first "solo dulcimer flight"

Evenings also offered a variety of jams, lectures, open forums, and more.

On the last evening of the camp there is an open stage for anyone who wants to perform, no matter what skill level or material. There were beginners through advanced player playing on the stage all showing what they at open stage. had picked up at the camp. It was inspiring to see all your fellow attendees play and really gave me something to shoot for next year.

As a guitar player I found the dulcimer a very attractive and not too difficult to figure out and adapt to. Guitar players are most welcome at this event. Excellent free loaner dulcimers are available for folks who don't own a dulcimer yet.

2007 dates for this event will be Sunday, June 24 through Friday, June 29. For its on-line catalog and registration form visit the WCU Mountain Dulcimer Week website, http://edoutreach.wcu.edu/dulcimer

I was very impressed with Western Carolina University Mountain Dulcimer Week from beginning to end. If anyone is thinking of attending any kind of mountain dulcimer camp next summer, you would be crazy not to check into and attend the Western Carolina University Dulcimer Week. I know that I will be there next year!