Cricket Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) I bought myself a mountain dulcimer for Christmas. It's not fancy. I figure once I learn how to play I will up grade. I'm having trouble figuring out some of the tablature. What does the + mean by a number? I have my dulcimer tuned to DAD, if that makes a difference. Help! ETA: I've also seen 1/2. What is that? I read some articles for beginners but they don't mention these things! Edited January 13, 2011 by Cricket Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Remudamom Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Ooh, sorry, but I'm no help. I have a hammered dulcimer..........I did have a mountain dulcimer but traded up quickly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Ooh, sorry, but I'm no help. I have a hammered dulcimer..........I did have a mountain dulcimer but traded up quickly. By traded up you mean to a hammered dulcimer? :) That would be fun too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dulcimeramy Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Congratulations! Mountain dulcimers are so much fun! The + means a half fret. Your dulcimer probably has a 6.5 fret, so the + means that you are playing the small fret between the 6th and 7th. Some dulcimers also have a 1.5 fret. (None of mine do.) DAD is great for beginning. I began playing in the Ionian, Dorian, and Myxolidian modes with the dulcimer simply tuned to itself, and later added tablature in specific tunings. Have you been to Everything Dulcimer? The place for info and help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Congratulations! Mountain dulcimers are so much fun! The + means a half fret. Your dulcimer probably has a 6.5 fret, so the + means that you are playing the small fret between the 6th and 7th. Some dulcimers also have a 1.5 fret. (None of mine do.) DAD is great for beginning. I began playing in the Ionian, Dorian, and Myxolidian modes with the dulcimer simply tuned to itself, and later added tablature in specific tunings. Have you been to Everything Dulcimer? The place for info and help. I don't think I have that fret on mine. I just played a scale and it goes D - E - F sharp - G - A - B - C - D - E. It skips C sharp. Hmmm..... I have seen that website. Lots of good info! Thank you! *Now that I know to search "half fret" I can find information. It seems one popular opinion is that a cardboard dulcimer is better than my First Act one. :lol: At least I only paid $20 for it. I'm saving my pennies for a better one. Apparently mine doesn't have an accurate fretboard. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tangomoon Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Welcome to the world of mountain dulcimers! It's a fun instrument. There are several Youtube videos covering beginning dulcimer techniques and such, which are useful. I started with one of the cardboard dulcimers, and they've really got a pretty good sound for the price. Hope that you have fun with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 (edited) Here to second the everythingdulcimer site. The guy who started that used to be in the first dulcimer group I played with. You will find lots of articles for beginners, plus lots of tablature for a variety of songs. A dulcimer is not a fully chromatic instrument, so you will not have all the half-steps, but you should have the most popular. Sometimes you can get a note you need by noting on one of the drone strings instead of the top strings, or by combining two strings to get a chord. This may not make sense at the moment, but soon it will. :) On the ED site you will also see a directory for instructors and clubs in your area. If you live in an area with an active club, you should go to at least a few meetings. Many of them have an hour or so at first for beginner lesson time (often free lessons!) followed by a jam session. If you have four strings on your dulcimer, as many do (that would be a double-string for one of your D strings), I would suggest that, until you become comfortable with noting and tablature and build up some callouses on your fingertips, you go ahead and remove one of those strings. That would leave you one noter string and two drone strings (still D-A-D tuning). ETA: your dulcimer may just have the three, some just have four. Have fun, it is an easy instrument to learn and love. Such an ancient sound! You can play all the beautiful Celtic hymns, plus bluegrass and country favorites, whichever you lean. Fifteen minutes a day, steal just that much time for yourself on a regular basis and you will be off to a great start. Have fun! Dulcimeramy, do you stop and retune, or did you rationalize yourself an extra dulcimer or two? :D Edited January 13, 2011 by AuntieM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dulcimeramy Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I don't think I have that fret on mine. I just played a scale and it goes D - E - F sharp - G - A - B - C - D - E. It skips C sharp. Hmmm..... I have seen that website. Lots of good info! Thank you! *Now that I know to search "half fret" I can find information. It seems one popular opinion is that a cardboard dulcimer is better than my First Act one. :lol: At least I only paid $20 for it. I'm saving my pennies for a better one. Apparently mine doesn't have an accurate fretboard. :glare: The "cheapest best" in my part of the country (midwest) is the beginner made by Bill Berg of Columbus, IN. You can scroll down and see it on this page. It is $98. The sound of this plain little dulcimer is so good that I wasn't ashamed to play it for Jean Ritchie at a festival once. I've bought several higher-priced Berg dulcimers since, and another beginner, and they have all been really great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 With the First Act, you will need to check your tuning often, as I think they may lack geared tuners and thus the strings loosen fairly easily with play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dulcimeramy Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Dulcimeramy, do you stop and retune, or did you rationalize yourself an extra dulcimer or two? :D You know its an addiction! :lol: DAD= Dulcimer Acquisition Disease My primary dulcimer lives in a state of Ionian. A second is used for the other old modes (I keep a chart in my gig bag in case I forget how to convert), and a third is used for festival and society jams where everybody plays DAD or DAA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cricket Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 With the First Act, you will need to check your tuning often, as I think they may lack geared tuners and thus the strings loosen fairly easily with play. It looks like it does have geared tuners, but it still does need tuning often. My oldest has also started to play his guitar. We bought him one more than two years ago but he never did learn to play. This has been fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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