BanjoLemonade For 4 strings, I'd recommend using Ultra-Lights. My Chromatic Dulcimer is strung w/ Ultra-Lights because the braces have been thinned down to compensate for the lower tension. The other thing I did so I can get lower action w/ lighter strings w/o any buzz was to shave the frets down nearly flush w/ the fretboard.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
BanjoLemonade The 5 string Dulcimer is called a MaxDAD which has 5 single strings tuned DADAD (2 Octave D Power Chord). The 3rd String acts as a "Pivot string" so you can change Octaves when playing music. Something super cool.
@goodhandsofE22 күн бұрын
Hi !! I just purchased a beautiful handmade dulcimer!! I'm 63, and I've wanted one since I was 8. It's 3 string, and I'm so excited. But intimidated. Lol
@BanjoLemonade22 күн бұрын
@@goodhandsofE You will love it! Have fun.
@goodhandsofE22 күн бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade ill be watching videos . I just ordered an electronic tuner and other suggestions
@juliesaint-pierre7588 Жыл бұрын
God bless you for the good teaching
@joereed2425 Жыл бұрын
Thank U for your knowledge. I've picked a banjo since 1962..60 years as of today. Live in Johnson City TN ( Wagon Wheel ? ) 😎 The lady who taught me ...she and her husband use to travel with the Carter Family performing at schools, churches, and yes..barn dances until her husband got sick with tuberculosis in the early 1930's therefore the 2 of them had to stop performing so she could take care of him which was 90% incurable in the 1930's. She charged $3.00 for an hour and drew all her instructions out on her notebook paper, banging on her open back 1925 year banjo, dipping chewing tobacco or snuff as she taught. She was maybe 5 foot tall. She was always full of great stories about her, her husband, and other performers that they " opened for " such as Papa Stoneman and his family out of Galax, VA, as well as the great Jimmy Rogers as he performed in the East TN, Western N.C. and Virginia area before he became famous, etc. I still go to the Carter Cold Musical Barn located in Hilton's VA which was established by A.P. CARTER'S children Joe, Jenett, and Rita. This was the last place Johnny Cash performed...knowing his life was coming to an end and he had his son John Carter drive him from Nashville to Hilton's one weekend. Johnny died a few weeks later but he wanted to perform one more time in the location where it all started. As I recall my teacher...Mrs. Mary Myers said it took most the day for the Carter to drive 19 miles from Hilton's to Bristol for the Ralph Peer big bang recordings of the Bristol Sessions. In closing several of the songs I learned as a 12 year old were Carter's songs which Mrs Myers know we're popular...Will the circle be unbroken, Wildwood Flower, and others. WHAT A MARVELOUS TIME BACK IN THOSE DAYS😁 U take care and again thank u for what u do to help others learn music. Joe Reed Johnson City TN 423.367.4478 Phone anytime if u want to hear ole time music stories that I can fill u in on Thanks Again !
@BanjoLemonade Жыл бұрын
Thank you Joe for that beautiful story!
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade Since I've decided to add a 4th string on my Dulcimer (which is an Electrified Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer), I had to switch to lighter string gauges & lower the action. But to make it a bit easier to play, I tuned mine down a step from DAD to CGC & that worked out great because I'm having issues singing the high notes.
@joeshea1010Ай бұрын
thank you
@RockStarOscarStern6347 ай бұрын
BanjoLemonade For 4 strings, I'd suggest tuning down a couple of semitones like instead of DAD, try BF#B
@wilhelmseleorningcniht94109 ай бұрын
just decoration wise by the way, that dulcimer is absolutely beautiful. The sound holes and engravings are really cool, I've always found the little heart shaped holes to be a quite charming feature of many dulcimers
@BanjoLemonade9 ай бұрын
Thanks.
@jeannineeuckert66613 жыл бұрын
This was information I had been trying to find for a few months now. Thanks!
@RockStarOscarStern63410 ай бұрын
For 4 strings it makes sense to use the lightest gauge of strings.
@RockStarOscarStern6347 ай бұрын
If you do go w/ 4 strings, I'd suggest tuning a step lower so maybe CGC.
@thewhiskeycowboy-official10 ай бұрын
I like the sound of both 3 and 4. I have a 3 string. And it is pretty old school with simple scroll head and friction tuning peg. As such I really can't switch from 3 to 4 without adding another tuning peg. But for folks ordering a dulcimer I would always recommend ordering the 4 string and getting both the 3 and 4 string nuts/bridges (as you point out). It just allows for more options. As for finger pain... I never had any issues with that with a dulcimer. It's far more prevalent with an acoustic guitar. That said, indeed there are many styles of playing. Strumming with droning, finger style, pressing the strings with your fingers or even using a "slide". I tend to do a mix of these.... though not lately. I am refinishing and revitalizing my dulcimer at this very point in time. Dulcimers are such an overlooked and underused part of Americana and music. But they are super portable, and I love playing "modern" songs on them as well as the classics. Mix it up! Keep playing and keep the videos rolling! Cheers!
@dulcimama2 жыл бұрын
I play with 3 strings, but if I wanted to occasionally play with 4 I think I’d add a parking peg for the 4th string. I’m enjoying your videos, thank you.
@-jank-willson Жыл бұрын
I think it would be awesome to have a 'walking' dulcimer/dulcitar in 6 equidistant strings (6 courses, NOT paired) just like a guitar, so if you already new how to play a song on a guitar, you could just pick it up and play it 1-for-1
@mikebadilla69702 жыл бұрын
More to learn Thank You
@GarlandCoulson7 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video. Like you, I feel I get better sound with only the three strings so I removed my fourth.
@RockStarOscarStern634 Жыл бұрын
For 4 strings I'd maybe tune down a half step to Db, Ab, Db
@laciebolin71923 жыл бұрын
I wondering about this same thing this morning. I just ordered a dulcimer from backyard music and had the 4th string put on. I kinda wished I knew this before I had ordered.
@Cheesus4jesus3 жыл бұрын
Just take one of the melody strings off, it's easy.
@thewhiskeycowboy-official10 ай бұрын
@@Cheesus4jesus while true, the string spacing will be off. It will still play fine though. What folks can do is just replace the nut and bridge.(as she points out you can order both sets.. for 3 and for 4). I am revitalizing my mountain dulcimer and the maker was pretty sloppy so I am making my own new bridge and nut. It's pretty easy work.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@thewhiskeycowboy-official Or if you do go w/ 4 strings, try tuning down a step to CGC.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
BanjoLemonade If you do add the 4th string, I would suggest maybe lowering that action.
@BanjoLemonade6 ай бұрын
I’m not adding the 4th. I do play in all sorts of different tunings. I also play with heavier gauge strings. Only dulcimer I will use with double melody is a true diatonic fretted one.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade A 5 string MaxDAD Dulcimer (tuned DADAD) would be a new one to try next. Quite a large note range, & the 3rd string acts as a Pivot string.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade Actually a 4 string Dulcimer would be a bit easier to play if it was held like a Guitar (w/ thumb behind the neck) such as that Merlin. What if Folk Craft made Stick Dulcimers?
@a1wireless1964 Жыл бұрын
Love your videos, can you please do a series on 5 string dulcimers
@BanjoLemonade Жыл бұрын
I would but I don’t have a 5 string yet. One day I will.
@a1wireless1964 Жыл бұрын
@BanjoLemonade I was lucky enough to pick up a John Maxwell. They didn't know what they had… They were trying to play it like a regular ddulcimer. (It's designed to be a noter style).
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade The 5 string Dulcimer is called a MaxDAD & what makes it really cool is that the 3rd String acts as a "Pivot String" so you can change your octave between the Bass Octave & Standard Octave.
@Fairy-door-78-863 жыл бұрын
Mystery solved thank you .
@Cheesus4jesus3 жыл бұрын
I've been searching for a strictly diatonic dulcimer besides my cardboard one. I've contacted several builders and haven't had any luck.
@BanjoLemonade3 жыл бұрын
Folkcraft will build you whatever you like. - Tell them Mandy sent you.
@RockStarOscarStern634 Жыл бұрын
BanjoLemonade For 4 Strings you need to switch to the lightest gauge of strings.
@BanjoLemonade Жыл бұрын
How long you been playing dulcimer Oscar?
@RockStarOscarStern634 Жыл бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade Couple of years (it's a Chromatic Version so I can play in every key) & w/ the 4 strings mine is tuned a half step lower to make it a bit easier to play. As a bonus the Half step down tuning makes it easier to sing the high notes.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade For 4 strings, lighter gauges might help.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade Hello are you there? It's black history month. John Pearse makes the lightest gauge dulcimer strings which are .009, .010, .012, .023w
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
The smallest Dulcimer is called Dulcimette
@jeannettemorrone51893 жыл бұрын
For me I found removing the 4 th string made it less frustrating and it sure sounded cleaner. Awesome video!💕💕
@RockStarOscarStern6347 ай бұрын
If you do add the 4th string, I'd suggest tuning a few steps lower so instead of DAD, try B, F#, B.
@kellysas3123 жыл бұрын
Mandy, which string would you recommend I remove - the one closest to me or the other one? I never even heard of a mountain dulcimer until our trip to Tennessee this past spring. I walked out of a store with one and have love it ever since. Your course has been so helpful. No instructors anywhere in my state in the midwest so than you so very much for helping us beginners!
@BanjoLemonade3 жыл бұрын
Hey Kelly, if you can make it so you have an equal distance between each string. So remove whichever gets you closer to having all 3 an equal distance apart. Most times that would mean removing the inside one (towards the middle), but not always. Glad you are enjoying the course.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
Interchangeable Nuts & Bridges? That's something you don't hear every day.
@BanjoLemonade6 ай бұрын
Yes Folkcrafts are able to easily be changed
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade That is as Cool as Coconuts. I read online that 4 string Dulcimers often have the strings hover closer to the frets so that the doubled melody string is easier to press down w/ the lower action.
@BanjoLemonade6 ай бұрын
@@RockStarOscarStern634 - action height is more of an artists preference really. I know some who love high action at the back, I love it low all over.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade Generally speaking the Doubled Melody strings would be easier to press down if you either use lighter gauges or if the scale length is shorter. I think a shorter scale length would make 4 strings easier to play by lowering the tension by a huge amount.
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade What would really help is if they made a Keyboard attachment for the Dulcimer so that w/ a 4 string dulcimer you could change the pitch by pressing the keys Like on a Nyckelharpa.
@blueykoala26872 жыл бұрын
Mandy, I can I use Baritone strings on a "normal' Dulcimer
@BanjoLemonade2 жыл бұрын
You risk wallowing out your string slots with the larger strings on your nut and bridge. Thicker strings (especially the bass string) needs to be higher off the fretboard to prevent buzzing normally. So I wouldn’t recommend it.
@blueykoala26872 жыл бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade Thanks so much for your quick reply. I'll leave mine as is, again thanks
@-jank-willson Жыл бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade @Bluey Koala I think you would have to make a custom dulcimer that could use those kind of strings
@RockStarOscarStern6346 ай бұрын
@@BanjoLemonade I've put Baritone strings on a Standard Dulcimer & they recommend changing the nut & bridge, which is why they actually included a special bridge & nut for those strings.