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right). The object of ear training is to learn to tell the difference between these
three conditions.
With your standard note droning in the background, change the pitch of your
string. Tighten it to make it obviously sharp, then slowly loosen it and listen as the
pitch gets lower, goes into unison with the standard, then drops into the obviously
flat range. Reverse the processs, and try other notes. Learn to tell the qualitative
difference between sharp and flat. Learn to recognize the two notes coming
together into unison. Some find it easier to hear two notes coming together when
they start flat and raise the string up to pitch. Get feedback from others. Pretty
soon, you'll get the hang of it.
As you experiment, you may hear a curious kind of pulsation, or "wow-wow-
wow", occurring as the notes get closer together. You can learn to use this
phenomenon to aid your tuning. The "beats" will slow down as the two notes get
closer and closer to the same pitch, and will finally stop altogether when they're in
unison.
A musical interval is the distance between any two notes. The interval
between Middle C and the next higher C is an octave. This is an easy interval to
hear and match. If your standard note is one octave lower than the note you want,
you can still tune in just about the same manner as if it were the same (unison)
note. Other intervals, particularly the one between Do and Sol on a major scale,
are also easy to hear, and with practice you can use these intervals to speed up the
process of tuning.
Tuning Sequence. Now for the actual tuning. If you are using a pitch pipe,
the most direct method of tuning is to match all of the notes on the dulcimer that
are available on the pipe. Once you have gone through the single octave of notes
on the pipe, your knowledge of the tuning scheme will allow you to tune the
remaining notes. For instance, by tuning the G on the right of the treble bridge you
have also tuned the D on the left side. So now you can use this D to tune the D
you need at the upper right of the treble bridge. Similarly, you can get the next
note, E, by matching it to the E on the left side of the treble. You may have to use
octave intervals to get some notes. In fact, once you can hear octave intervals well,
you can simply use the pitch pipe to tune all of the notes on the instrument.
Tuning to a piano is a little easier. Just start matching pitches and keep going
until you get them all.
Some players can start with a single note from a tuning fork or pitch pipe, and
just "hear" when the rest of the notes are correct. This is usually done in scales,
starting with the "DO" and singing the notes in order. As your ear training
progresses this may become a possibility for you.
One more option to consider is cross-tuning the instrument to itself. Explore
the possibilities that arise from the treble bridge placement, as discussed above:
when you tune the right-hand D you get an A on the left side. Use this A to tune
the A back on the right side, which in turn will give you an E on the left side. Use
this E to tune the E on the right side, and so on. It is possible to tune nearly the
entire instrument in this manner.
In conclusion, keep this thought in mind: if you can hear that it is out of tune,
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you have the ability to learn to put it into tune!
T U N I N G H I N T
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Use a guitar pick to pluck the strings. It will make a crisp, loud sound, and
allow you to isolate and tune one string at a time.
After tuning all, or part, of one side of the treble bridge, play the major
scale(s) over that bridge. If the scales don't play true on both sides, the string(s)
may be held up by friction where they pass over the bridge cap, preventing
equalization of tension on both sides of the bridge. The simplest solution is to lift
the strings up off the bridge to break any friction, then re-tune the left side of the
bridge first, checking the right side after. Some players will tune first the side of the
treble bridge that is farthest away from the tuning pins. Then they can often fine-
tune any out-of-tune notes on the side of the bridge nearest the tuning pins
without affecting the notes already tuned on the other side. This technique
acknowledges the friction between string and bridge, and works with it. Learning
to deal with string friction is just a matter of experience and fooling around with
your particular instrument. It shouldn't present a problem, but you can expect to
encounter it occasionally.
If these techniques don't cure an apparent imbalance between the right
and left sides of the treble bridge, it's possible that the bridge, which is not glued
down, may have been knocked slightly out of position. Correct positioning is
critical for accurate tuning. To test for this, try the tuning/equalization of tension
procedure on the very top string over the treble bridge. If the left side remains
sharp when the right side is in tune, tap the top end of the bridge lightly toward
the right, and try the tune-up and test procedure again. If the left side is flat when
the right side is in tune, tap the end of the bridge to the left. You won't need to
move it far to have an effect—a very small fraction of an inch will make the
difference between "in balance" and "out". Do the same testing and re-setting
procedure for the bottom-most string on the treble bridge, and your bridge should
be back in position.
It is most important that the bridge be perfectly straight. Be careful not to introduce a
bow in the bridge by moving only its top and bottom sections. Check for
straightness by laying a straight edge, such as a ruler, along the bridge. If you detect
a bow or curve after carrying out the steps above, you will have to tap the center
of the bridge in the appropriate direction to straighten it out. If you are unsure
about this procedure, see your dealer or call Dusty Strings for assistance.
Playing Your Dulcimer
One of the nicest elements of the hammered dulcimer is its ability to turn
even the simplest melody into beautiful, full-sounding music. The inherently
satisfying tone of the instrument combines with its resonance to produce an
illusion of sound — there seems to be more music coming out than the sum of
the individual notes. This is one of the appeals of the dulcimer and serves the
beginner well, providing instant satisfaction with even the simplest tunes.
Of all the advice you're likely to be given on playing the hammered dulcimer,
G H I N TS S S S S
G H I N T
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