A Mountain Dulcimer Primer – Rich Simmons

The mountain or Appalachian Dulcimer is a fretted instrument of the zither family and was originally found in Southern mountain cultures. While some music scholars think the mountain dulcimer may be a descendent of the European zither brought to the United States by German immigrants, the true origins will likely be forever unknown. We do know that it doesn’t exist in any other folk culture in the world.

Dulcimers come in many shapes, sizes, and woods. These come from McSpadden, one of the premier builders working today.

Whatever stance you may take, the first dulcimers can be traced to the early-19th century. Built by rural craftsmen using whatever wood was available and whatever techniques would result in a playable instrument, the results were often crude. Because of its simple construction, dulcimers were often made and then sold from the back of wagons along with other common items. One such early instrument maker was J. Edward Thomas of Knott County, Kentucky. Historical records show he made dulcimers between 1871 and 1930 and sold them from the back of a mule cart as he traveled through mountain communities.

In the early 20th century, scholars such as I.G. Greer saw the mountain dulcimer as a symbol of Appalachia and rallied to preserve its heritage and music. Musicians such as Kentuckian Jean Ritchie furthered the cause by bringing the mountain instrument to national and international audiences just as America began to rediscover its folk music traditions. In 1958 Charles Seeger, father of Pete, published an article on the dulcimer in the Journal of American Folklore that proved to be a turning point in the instrument’s history. He first classified the dulcimer as an American folk instrument thereby changing the way the humble instrument was perceived both by scholars and music enthusiasts.

There are three or four common dulcimer shapes each with a distinctive sound. The most common shape is the hourglass which produces a rich bass sound. The teardrop shaped dulcimer produces a lighter tone that blends well in bluegrass ensembles. There are many other designs and variations commonly available as well, including smaller child-sized and larger concert-sized instruments. There are even varieties that include banjo-like resonators, are on flat boards with no resonating chamber, and even beginner instruments made from cardboard.

Traditional instruments have three strings, the melody, middle, and bass. Doubling the melody string is a common modification. The doubled string can add significant volume to the melody line. Many dulcimer builders now include extra string notches so that a fourth string can be easily added. Strings are generally made of metal and may be borrowed from other instruments, but strings specifically for dulcimer are now commonly available.

The fingerboard is divided by metal frets into two and a half to three octaves of a diatonic scale. The two most commonly used modes are the Ionian (D-A-A) and the Mixolydian (D-A-D). Contemporary dulcimers frequently include a 6 1/2 fret, and some makers now offer a 1 1/2 fret or even a complete chromatically fretted instrument. Other common tunings are Dorian (D-A-G) and Aeolian (D-A-C).

Music Folk offers instruments from several fine builders including McSpadden, Blue Lion, Folkcraft Cripple Creek, and H&H Enterprises. Of course, we also carry a wide array of used instruments as well.