Dusty Strings Hammered Dulcimer Manual de usuario

H

D

O’

G

Dusty Strings Company

Founded in 1978, Dusty Strings is a company of dedicated instrument build-

ers whose love of wood, ﬁne craftsmanship, and music results in some of the ﬁnest

hammered dulcimers and harps available. We invite you to write or call us any time

with questions you may have, or simply to let us know about yourself and your

dulcimer. We hope your Dusty Strings hammered dulcimer will provide you with

many years of musical enjoyment.

3450 16th Ave. W. • Seattle, WA 98119 • (866) 634-1656

www.dustystrings.com

Rev . 7/11/13

Contents

Introduction and History ....................................................................................... 1

Anatomy of the Hammered Dulcimer.................................................................... 2

Maintenance and Care of Your Dulcimer ............................................................... 2

String Maintenance......................................................................................... 2

String Types .................................................................................................... 3

Replacing Broken Strings ................................................................................ 3

Restringing the Whole Dulcimer..................................................................... 4

String Buzzes................................................................................................... 4

Finish.............................................................................................................. 5

General Care................................................................................................... 5

If You Live in a Dry or Cold Climate .............................................................. 5

Transporting Your Dulcimer ........................................................................... 6

Warranty Repair.............................................................................................. 7

Scales, Bridges, and Tuning Schemes ...................................................................... 7

Scales .............................................................................................................. 7

Treble Bridge Placement.................................................................................. 8

e Dulcimer Tuning Scheme......................................................................... 8

Tuning the Hammered Dulcimer ........................................................................... 9

Using Electronic Tuners .................................................................................. 9

Primary Concerns ........................................................................................... 9

Pitch ............................................................................................................. 10

Tuning by Ear ............................................................................................... 10

Tuning Hints ................................................................................................ 12

Playing Your Dulcimer ......................................................................................... 13

Positioning the Instrument............................................................................ 13

Hammers...................................................................................................... 13

Playing.......................................................................................................... 14

H  D O’

G

Introduction and History

As a new owner of a Dusty Strings hammered dulcimer, you might want to

take a few minutes to read through this booklet. We have written it assuming

that you have little prior knowledge of the hammered dulcimer and of our instru-

ments.  e intent of this booklet is to help familiarize you with the history, tuning,

care, and basic playing techniques of the hammered dulcimer. We hope it will

answer many of your questions and help you get to know your instrument and its

terminology.

First, a few words about the history of the hammered dulcimer. Some people

are surprised to learn that the hammered dulcimer is not a new instrument. In

fact, it’s been around longer than most modern instruments, and is thought to

have originated in the Near East thousands of years ago. Its descendants include

the harpsichord and piano. Nearly every culture throughout the world has some

form of this instrument, ranging from the large Hungarian cimbalom to the fragile

Chinese yang chin.

 e hammered dulcimer was probably brought to America by early settlers

from Europe. It was a popular instrument at square dances, and its easy portability

earned it the name “lumberjack’s piano” in logging camps. In the late 1800s and

early 1900s factories were producing hammered dulcimers in quantity, and their

popularity had reached a zenith. Use of the instrument declined after the turn of

the century, and the hammered dulcimer became a rarity until the 1970s, when a

revival of interest in folk music focused attention on it once again. Today people are

rediscovering the unique and pleasant sound of this instrument and the relative ease

of learning to play.

 e term “dulcimer” comes from the Latin and Greek roots “dulce” and “me-

los”, which combine to mean “sweet tune.”  e hammered dulcimer is completely

unrelated to the “Appalachian” or “mountain” dulcimer, which has three or four

strings and is strummed.

Anatomy of the Hammered Dulcimer

Maintenance and Care of Your Dulcimer

String Maintenance

One advantage of the hammered dulcimer is that it is virtually maintenance-

free. With a minimum of periodic attention, your instrument will remain healthy

and sound beautiful for many years to come. While the strings of guitars and other

stringed instruments must be replaced often due to the corrosive eﬀects of salt and

perspiration from the player’s ﬁngers, the hammered dulcimer’s strings can last

many years with a little care. When tuning up, use a guitar pick instead of your

bare ﬁngers to sound each string. If your dulcimer resides in a humid atmosphere,

you may notice a small amount of black corrosion or tarnish on the strings after

a while. Commercially available string wiping cloths work well for removing this

discoloration.

String Types

We use three types of strings on our dulcimers. Depending on the model,

your dulcimer will have strings that are plain steel music wire, phosphor-bronze, or

wound.

e steel strings seldom break under normal conditions and will sound good

for years. If you need to replace one, you can ﬁnd a loop-end guitar or banjo string

of a matching gauge at most music stores, or you can purchase one from your dealer

or order one directly from us.

Phosphor-bronze strings are not as readily available. If you should require

replacements, your best bet would be to order them through your dealer or directly

from us. is type of wire has diﬀerent physical properties than steel, and in some

situations provides a superior tone (as on some of the lower courses of the D45

model). However, there is a trade-oﬀ: phosphor-bronze has a lower tensile strength

than steel and “work hardens” (i.e., becomes brittle) with use, so it is subject to

more breakage than steel. If you like, you can try replacing a phosphor-bronze

string with a steel string of the same gauge, or perhaps one gauge thicker, and see if

you ﬁnd the resulting tone acceptable.

Several of our models use wound strings on some of the bass courses. As time

goes by their tone will begin to dull, as with guitar strings, and they should be

replaced. It’s hard to notice the change because it is so gradual, so we recommend

choosing an easily remembered date on which to note whether a year has gone by

with the same wound strings. If so, you should treat yourself to some new ones.

All of these strings can be ordered individually or in spare string kits that contain

at least two of each size of string on your dulcimer (to cover most string breakage

situations).

Replacing Broken Strings

To replace a broken string, turn the string’s tuning pin counter-clockwise for

three or four complete revolutions and remove the broken sections of string. is

is important because the tuning pins have ﬁne threads that cause them to descend

further into the pinblock with each turn. Place the loop of the new string over the

string’s hitch pin on the other side of the instrument and stretch it across to the

tuning pin, making sure it is sitting in position on top of its main bridge and is

passing through the appropriate hole in the opposite bridge. It is helpful to have

someone hold the loop end down on the hitch pin while positioning and stretching

the new string, but in a pinch you can devise something else to secure it your-

self —try a bulldog-type clip or rubber band.

Before you go any further, take a moment to look closely at an adjacent tuning

pin to see how the string coils neatly down the pin, with no excess wire sticking out

of the hole. is is what you’re going to imitate. e neat, tight coils look good and

ensure proper string positioning. Hiding the sharp end of the wire inside the pin

keeps it from puncturing your ﬁngers.

Cut the string with wire snips (or sacriﬁce a pair of nail clippers), leaving two

inches of extra length past the tuning pin. Put the end of the string inside the hole

in the pin. Hold it there and turn the pin clockwise to form a sharp right-angle

bend. Keep tension on the string as it wraps onto the pin, so that it forms tight

coils down and away from the small starting hole. Make sure the whole string is

sitting in its correct position and is not caught up on any other pins, strings, or bridge

pedestals. e pin should rotate about three times before the string becomes taut.

Tune it slowly up to proper pitch. e whole process will seem awkward at ﬁrst, but

becomes smooth with practice.

A new string will stretch a bit before stabilizing, so you may need to tune it a

few times in its ﬁrst hour of service.

Restringing the Whole Dulcimer

Depending on atmospheric conditions, a string set can last a long time, some-

times even years if there are no wound strings. Wound strings typically get dull-

sounding within a year or so and need periodic replacement (see String Types, page

3). It is really an issue of personal preference when (or if) you replace the whole set

of strings on your instrument. If they get dark and corroded-looking, and seem to

have lost their “singing” quality, it may be time. You can go to your local dealer and

inquire about re-stringing, or dig into it yourself. It is really very straightforward,

though time-consuming.

e only important thing to know about this process is that it is best to take

oﬀ and replace only one course (two strings) at a time. is allows you to maintain

tension on the instrument, and you can get it back to holding pitch more quickly.

Also, you maintain bridge placement, which protects you from having to ﬁddle

around with re-setting the treble bridge in its precise ﬁfth-interval tuning placement

(see Tuning Hints on page 12). You can follow the instructions above for how to

take oﬀ the old strings and put on the new ones.

If, however, you want to give the soundboard a thorough cleaning as well as

changing the strings, you may want to remove all the strings at once, as well as the

bridges. Make sure you carefully mark the placement of the bridges (we suggest using

tape for this purpose) before you remove all the strings. e bridges are not glued down

and will need to be replaced exactly if the instrument is to be tunable. Before cleaning

the soundboard, please read the section below on your instrument’s ﬁnish.

String Buzzes

If you hear a raspy, buzzing sound when you play your instrument, a string is

probably resting too lightly on a side bridge so that it vibrates against the bridge

when it is struck. If you suspect that this is happening with one of your strings,

press down on the string right next to the tuning pin and strike the string. If the

buzz is gone, you’ve found the culprit, and you can permanently silence it by

lowering the string so that it makes solid contact with the side bridge. Do this by

loosening the tuning pin about half turn while pushing the string down toward the

pinblock. Hold this position as you re-tighten the tuning pin. is same remedy

may apply to string buzzes on the hitch pin side. In the case of some of the higher,

right-side bass bridge strings, the opposite solution may be required: you might ﬁnd

places where it seems easier to raise the string on the tuning pin and completely

eliminate contact with the side bridge. is works only because the string sections

to the right of the bass bridge are not used for playing.

Finish

Depending on which model you’ve chosen, your instrument is ﬁnished with

either black or clear semi-gloss lacquer. In both cases, caring for the ﬁnish requires

nothing more than a gentle wipe-down with a soft cloth, lightly dampened with

glass cleaner to remove ﬁngerprints. Using instrument or furniture polish or oils is

not necessary or recommended. ey are hard to wipe oﬀ adequately, tend to attract

and hold dust and grime, and can interfere with lacquer bonding if you ever want

ﬁnish repair work done in the future. It is better to just keep your hammered dul-

cimer dust-free using a feather duster and a 2” or 3” soft-bristle paintbrush, which

works especially well for getting dust out from between the hitch and tuning pins.

e soundboard can be cleaned with a sock stuck over the end of a yardstick.

Compressed air is also eﬀective if the dust is loosened ﬁrst with one of these other

tools. If your instrument is out of its case for long periods, a dust cover made of soft

fabric will help keep it clean. For long-lasting beauty, the best thing you can do is

keep the instrument dusted. Accumulated dust attracts and holds moisture and oils

and eventually becomes very hard to remove.

General Care

Be sure to guard your hammered dulcimer from extreme changes in humidity

and temperature. Keep it out of direct sunlight, hot cars, freezing attics, etc. Many

people do not know the speed with which a car interior becomes dangerous to

instruments. Because pets are vulnerable to the same dangers, the Humane Society

publishes the following, somewhat surprising, details: on an 80 degree day, a car

parked in the sun or the shade with the windows cracked will reach 102 degrees in

10 minutes and 120-160 degrees in 30 minutes.

Many instrument glues begin softening and melting at around 130 degrees.

Once softened, glue loses its holding power, and any instrument under string ten-

sion is at risk of pulling apart. You could conceivably open the car door to ﬁnd your

instrument in pieces. More likely, you would have unknowingly softened the glue

to the point where a slow and gradual disintegration of your instrument begins, the

results of which won’t show until much later. Basically, expect that your instrument

will be comfortable anywhere you are, and not where you’re not. So, take it into the

restaurant with you! It’s also smart to travel with your dulcimer in a case that oﬀers

insulation (such as our cordura and foam cases) to protect it from quick changes in

temperature.

If You Live in a Dry or Cold Climate

If your weather gets dry or cold, and your instrument has a solid wood sound-

board, you should take steps to safeguard your instrument from cracking. Damage

caused by excessive dryness is not covered by your warranty, because it is something

over which we, as a manufacturer, have no control.

Here is a brief description of what happens to your instrument when the rela-

tive (or atmospheric) humidity changes. Within a week, the moisture content of

the wood will change to match that of its surroundings. If the humidity increases,

the wood will take on moisture and swell. If it swells too much, it can warp. If the

humidity drops, the wood will lose moisture in a matter of days and shrink. If it

shrinks too much, it will crack. Instruments with large soundboards, including

hammered dulcimers, are more vulnerable to the dangers of swelling and shrinking

than those with small soundboards (such as guitars or violins). So don’t assume that

because your guitar has done ﬁne in your climate, your hammered dulcimer will

too!

e challenge for the instrument builder is to make a soundboard that can

accommodate the widest possible variation in humidity without problems. Before

we glue up a hammered dulcimer, we equilibrate the soundboard and back in a con-

trolled environment to a relative humidity of 43% to 45%. Our years of building

these instruments and recording humidity data have shown that this approach ac-

commodates the widest range of real-world humidity conditions without problems.

As is true with most wooden musical instruments, your instrument will be happiest

in a relative humidity range between 40% and 50%. It may do all right outside that

range, but the farther you go in either direction, the greater your risk of damage.

So if you live in a dry climate, or are experiencing a cold spell, you should

humidify your instrument, either by keeping it in a humidiﬁed room or by using an

instrument humidiﬁer.

If you humidify the room, or your house, the only way to be certain your hu-

midiﬁer is maintaining a safe range is to place a hygrometer (a device that measures

relative humidity) near your instrument and monitor the readings. Inexpensive

hygrometers can be purchased from Dusty Strings or from many music stores. Give

us a call if you need help ﬁnding one.

If you do not have a hygrometer, or if your room humidiﬁer is not suﬃcient,

you should store your instrument in its case with an instrument humidiﬁer. ese

are also available from Dusty Strings or most music stores. Put your dulcimer back

in the case with the humidiﬁer when you’re not playing. Check that the humidiﬁer

is still moist. Rapid swings from dry to moist are hard on any instrument. Once the

ambient humidity reaches a safe range, around 40%, take the humidiﬁer out. Too

much moisture will cause swelling and warping.

Keeping your instrument properly humidiﬁed is an excellent way to ensure

longevity, and is really the only type of maintenance that your hammered dulcimer

requires beyond tuning, cleaning, and replacing an occasional string.

Transporting Your Dulcimer

We have padded, zippered, cordura cases with shoulder straps to ﬁt all our

hammered dulcimers. ese work quite well for protecting your instrument from

dents and dings in most transport situations. In car travel, just be sure to load the

dulcimer on top of your other gear, bridge side up, where it won’t shift; or stand it

on its top rail (with case handle up), braced so it can’t fall over. If you’re driving for

a distance with the sun beating down through the windows, throw a space blanket

over your dulcimer to reﬂect the sun. e temperature under the blanket will stay

10-20% cooler. Please be sure to read about the danger of leaving your instrument

in a parked car under General Care (page 5).

Flying with your dulcimer can be a challenging proposition. Some people who

ﬂy with their hammered dulcimers a great deal have custom ﬂight cases made, but

we’ve found these to be quite expensive and very heavy. One resource is the Colo-

rado Case Company at 800-340-0809 or on the web at www.coloradocase.com.

ey make a sturdy and lightweight rigid foam case that works well.

You may ﬁnd that the easiest way to protect your dulcimer for the occasional

air trip is to pack it up as though you were going to ship it via UPS, and check it

with your other luggage. is entails ﬁnding a box big enough to ﬁt the dulcimer

in its case, with a few inches of extra padding all around. Use soft foam or starch

packing beans, and pack it snugly so the instrument can’t shift around. For a smaller

dulcimer, sometimes a left-over guitar shipping box from your local music store will

work. For larger instruments, you may need to ﬁnd a box at a packing service. If

your dulcimer was shipped to you, and if you have room, it can be a good idea to

keep the box it came in.

Warranty Repair

Our instruments carry a ﬁve-year warranty to the original purchaser. Be sure

to send in the warranty card to register your purchase. If we don’t have that on ﬁle,

you may need to provide proof of purchase for warranty service. If you have any

warranty questions, please contact the store where you bought your instrument if

possible. ey may be able to help you assess whether the problem is covered under

warranty, and/or whether it might be repaired locally, thereby avoiding shipping

costs and minimizing the time you spend without your instrument. If you need to

return your instrument to us for evaluation and repair, call us ﬁrst for approval (if

your dealer hasn’t already done so). Package your instrument as described in the

previous section and ship it pre-paid and insured. Enclose a description of the prob-

lem and any circumstances that may be linked to the problem (e.g. falls, accidents,

weather conditions, etc.). If you did not send in your warranty card to register your

purchase, you must also enclose a copy of your purchase receipt.

Scales, Bridges, and Tuning Schemes

A knowledge of the dulcimer’s tuning scheme and of major scales, as well as

a general understanding of treble bridge placement, will be of great help in the

playing (and tuning!) of your instrument. is section applies to the traditional

ﬁfth-interval tuning. If you have a piano dulcimer (our model PD40), some of this

information will not be relevant, and some will need to be adapted to your instru-

ment.

Scales

Quite simply, a major scale is any series of eight notes which sound like the fa-

miliar “Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do." Such a series has a special relationship between

all the notes in the scale. e important concept is that a major scale can begin

on any note, and as long as the intervals between the notes are maintained, it will

still sound like “Do Re Mi...." e note on which a major scale begins is called the

“root” or “tonic,” and names the key you are playing in.

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