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History Of the Hammered Dulcimer | Welcome to the Hammered Dulcimer | Basic Strumming

I remember the first time I heard a hammered dulcimer! I thought it was the most beautiful, ethereal music I had ever heard and I knew I just had to learn to play the instrument. I also remember the first time I sat in front of the instrument, hammers in hand and wondered if I could ever learn to play. All those strings looked so intimidating! Thank goodness I quickly discovered that there was a basic logic and pattern to the dulcimer and before long I was happily hammering out simple melodies. So pick up a pair of hammers, sit or stand in front of your instrument, and lets discover these patterns and learn to play a simple tune.

Positioning yourself and holding the hammers
As you position yourself in front of the dulcimer you want it to be at a comfortable height to play the whole range of the instrument without having to bend over, lift the shoulders or stretch the arms too much to reach for notes. Try to avoid any unnecessary tension and keep your shoulders and body as relaxed as possible. A good angle of the dulcimer to a horizontal plane is approximately 35 degrees for most people, but you can experiment to see what works best for you.

With your elbows relaxed at your sides, hold the hammers between your thumb and index finger, with only enough tension to keep the hammers stable. Hold the hammers as close to the tips of your fingers as possible for maximum control and flexibility. Notice that the tips of the hammers are probably angling in just a bit, which is fine. It isn't necessary to try to keep the hammers parallel, or in any unnatural position.

Looking down at the body of the dulcimer you will see two bridges extending from top to bottom. The bridge to the left is the treble bridge and the one to the right is the bass bridge. You will be playing on both sides of the treble bridge and just on the left side of the bass bridge. Each set of strings crossing the bridges is called a course and you will notice that every 4th course is highlighted by a distinctive marking. These are called the marked courses and are very important, as they outline the scale areas and are important focal points for melody patterns. When a dulcimer is described as a 12/11 or a 15/14, it is referring to the number of courses on the treble and bass bridges.

The most common tuning for the hammered dulcimer in this country is what is called 5th interval tuning. For now, we'll just concentrate on the treble bridge. Notes sounded on either side of the treble bridge on the same course are a perfect 5th apart. It won't be necessary to think sharps or flats, the "black notes", as the dulcimer is already tuned to the major scales of A, D, G and C and their relative minors. (The smaller 12/11 instrument would not have the scale of A at the bottom of the treble bridge.)

Starting on the right side of the treble bridge on any marked course, a major scale can be found in what we call a 4/4 pattern. Looking at the diagram, starting on the D marked course, you can go up 4 courses on the right to the next marked course, G, then move to the left of the treble bridge and down to the same marked course where the scale began, which is the A. Continue up the left side of the bridge to the next marked course, D. This will be a D scale and the notes are numbered according to the scale degree: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,and 1', just like do, re mi, fa, sol, la ti, do. This same 4/4 pattern can be played starting on any marked course on the right side of the treble bridge for the keys of G and C (and A on the 15/14.)

Playing a Scale
An excellent way to develop technique and a feel for the hammers is to play scales. We're going to play the D scale as diagramed but first let's talk about striking the strings. Keeping the elbows relaxed at your sides and the hands low, strike the strings by flicking the wrist, with the hammer striking about ? inch or so from the bridge. If you have given a firm "flick" the hammer will naturally rebound up, preparing for the next strike. Practice this with both hands a few times to get the feel of the hammers.

Now, starting with the left hammer on the D marked course on the right side of the treble bridge, play the first 4 notes of the scale, alternating hammers as you go. Continue by moving down and to the left of the bridge with your left hammer on the A, playing the last 4 notes up to the high D, still alternating hammers. Try going back down the scale and then practice going up and down several times until you can play it smoothly. It's much more important at first to memorize the visual pattern the scale makes and the numbers of the scale rather than the note names. That can come later. The beauty of this system is that it is movable and works for any scale area. Try playing the same pattern beginning on the G marked course and then on the C. Right away you can play three scales without having to memorize all the note names. Do memorize the note names of the marked courses, as these outline the scales.

Playing a Song
Basically there are three ways to learn a song:: by ear, scale number or reading the music. The hammered dulcimer is definitely a visual instrument and even if you do read music, it's very hard to be looking at the music and watching where you play at the same time. Needless to say, the more you can use your ear, sense of note intervals and memory, the better! Look now at the song Home Sweet Home. Underneath the music notation are the corresponding scale numbers that can be used, referring back to the diagram of the D scale. This entire song is played within the 4/4 pattern you practiced earlier and much of the melody moves in a scale or step pattern. If you are not familiar with this tune, it will be necessary to at least read the rhythmic notation so the notes can be played for the correct duration.
Go ahead and give it a try!

A note on hammer pattern...

Because of crossing back and forth over the bridge, it will become important to think about left-right hammer patterns. This will take some planning and experimenting on your part with each song you play. to avoid awkward crossings and "collisions". Try to use alternating left-right hammers as much as possible at the beginning to develop your non-dominant hand. Although it isn't always necessary to alternate hands, it definitely aids in speed and smoothness.

A few more hints...

- It helps to focus your eyes where the course crosses the bridge. If you look at the strings themselves they all start running together after awhile, especially if there is a glare on them.

- Start very Slowly while you are learning to play! All of us tend to play too fast at first. It's much better be able to play a scale or song smoothly and slowly than lickety-split with lots of "fuzzy" notes and irregular rhythms. Once the song can be played smoothly and accurately at a slow tempo, only then begin gradually increasing the speed!

- Remember, it's not necessary to read music to play the dulcimer. The more you use the ear the better and you can train the ear. Even so, most players find it helpful to learn to read the notes of the treble clef and definitely to learn to read rhythmic notation.

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Anne Lough is a nationally known traditional musician with over thirty-five years experience in performance and teaching. A native of Springfield, Virginia, Anne began playing and singing folk music as a young teen. She has continued to share her love of music through the years while raising four daughters and completing a Music Education Degree from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC. She now devotes all of her time to festivals, workshops, performances and school residencies.

In addition to being a frequent instructor in mountain and hammered dulcimer at the prestigious John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, Anne has taught at the Swannanoa Gathering, Western Carolina Dulcimer Week, Augusta Heritage Dulcimer Week and at numerous other festivals and workshops throughout the country. Equally at home on guitar, autoharp, mountain and hammered dulcimer, Anne's mastery is impressive. Her artistic interpretation, sensitive playing style, versatility and skill as an instructor have earned her national acclaim.

Annie is also well known as an instructor and performer of traditional singing, storytelling, folklore, folk dance and the shaped-note tradition. Her programs have delighted and inspired all ages from daycare and pre-school to Elderhostelers. Active in schools as a Visiting Artist, Anne is also on the Touring Artist Roster for the North Carolina Arts Council.

Anne's music can be heard on a number of recordings, Smoky Mountain educational videos, public radio and a recent PBS Christmas Special. She has also published several collections of arrangements for the mountain and hammered dulcimer.
Anne can be contacted at her web site www.annelough.com or at annelough1@cs.com