Choosing a hammer dulcimer

Hammer dulcimers come in all sizes from small ones with limited note range all the way up to some big ones that approach the note range of a piano.  With hammer dulcimers the size is stated relating to the note range rather than actual dimensions.  The two are related but the physical size for a couple with the same note capability, the actual physical dimensions are usually different because no two makers make them the same.

Hammer dulcimers are sized based on the number of pairs or triplets of wires running across the two (or more) bridges.  This is stated in a manner such as 15/14, 12/11, 8/15/14 and so on.  For the 15/14 this means there’s 15 pairs, or courses, of wires across the treble bridge and 14 across the bass bridge. These numbers almost always reflect the courses across the bridges in the order they’re written but there is no defined standard as such.  Generally the bigger the numbers, the bigger a hammer dulcimer will be physically.  Keep in mind that the bigger one is, most likely the heavier it will also be.  That’s something to consider in choosing one.

There is two general construction method of a hammer dulcimer, one known as a fixed top, the most common, and a floating top.  What this means is with a fixed top, the top is also a structural part in addition to serving as a soundboard.  With a floating top one, the top is not a structural part, just a soundboard and in most cases is held in place completely by string tension.  A comparable size floating top will always be heaver than a fixed top because the sides have to deal with the stresses that the top does on a fixed soundboard, therefore they have to be heavier.  Which is better is one of the hot debates of the hammer dulcimer world as they do sound different.

A 15/14 is a good balance between physical size, weight, cost, note range, looks, and availability.  This size hammer dulcimer will fulfill the needs of most people for a lifetime.  It has a range of notes that will work well for most music styles.  The weight and physical size also makes them easy to carry around too.  How one looks is also a factor but the most important is the sound.  No two hammer dulcimers will ever sound exactly the same because they’re made mostly of wood.  From a single maker, the actual differences between the ones of a given size are usually too small to be heard by most people.

Another factor to consider is the spacing between courses.  The average spacing is just about an inch.  The wider the spacing there is, usually the easier it is to play by most.  The down side is wider spacing can slow down an experienced player some. 

There are also 12/11’s and even 9/8’s around.  While these are smaller they have a reduced note range.  A 9/8 makes a good small one limited to just small range that’s great to take along anywhere just to noodle around on or work on a song with if you’re a musician.  They’re also cheap in relation to a 15/14.

A fixed top 15/14 that weighs around 14 to 18 pounds, about 18 to 22 inches front to back, about 3 1/2 feet wide on the long side, with about an inch or so course spacing is a good choice for most.  The look of one rarely affects the tone of one but you may like a nicer looking one.  While the position of the right or bass bridge isn't critical like the left or treble bridge is its placement plays a part in the over all looks just as a treble bridge running straight across or sloping has an effect on the looks.  I make mine in such a way that if you ignore everything to the right of the Bass bridge the playing areas on both sides of the Treble bridge are equal.  To me it gives a more balanced look. 

Also check the overall quality of workmanship such as materials and finishes.  Some makers like a shiny appearance and others like a flat look.  Where it could play a part in playing is the soundboard.  A shiny one can cause glare under many lighting conditions where a flat or satin look finish wont have as much, if any at all, under the same conditions.  Look at the joints for tight joints without gaps and clean cut edges.  

There are many nice looking high quality 15/14s around with better than average overall sound will usually go for around $400 to $600.  There are even some that are real works of art also but be prepared to pay a higher price for these.  It takes time to do inlays and other things and that's is what you pay for.

A used one is could be more suitable due to many are available cheaper than the new ones.  Many people sell perfectly good used hammer dulcimers when they move to to another one with more range or other features.  With these all the above applies in addition to looking closely for cracks or splits in the wood.  Also check for slipping tuning pins and groves wore in the bridge caps.  Both are easily fixed by any quality hammer dulcimer maker. Cracks between the joints and splits in the wood is a different matter.  Some are unrepairable and may not affect the overall tone or playability of the dulcimer while others could be an early indication its coming apart.  If one that your considering has these, its best to have a maker look it over and go by their recommendations.  As any used one will show signs of use such as scratches, dings, bare spots in the finish and the like.  None of these has any effect on the quality of it at all.  They affect only the looks.  Quite often there are ones that that look brand new and these can be a real bargain.

Before making the purchase try to play as many different ones you can and listen to the sound sample many makers have on their web sites.  Some makers even have loaners that are exactly the same as the ones they sell.  This is a possible try before you buy way of checking one out without feeling rushed. Just ask the maker of the ones you have an interest in.

How hammer dulcimers work from a music viewpoint.

Hammer dulcimers are laid out, note wise, entirely different from the most common string instruments, a piano and a guitar.  If you start anywhere on a piano and press the keys one at a time you will get a series of 12 notes with the 12^th one being exactly twice as high as the first one.  A close look at the keyboard will show the pattern of keys repeats also..  On any guitar the frets (the wire strips running under the strings) follow the same pattern of 12 notes.  This is known as a chromatic layout as you have all 12 notes in order.  A hammer dulcimer is not laid out in this fashion.

Turns out that at any given time only 8 of the 12 notes are used.  Which 8 depends on what key the song is in.  Generally the note a song starts on is the key (or set of 8 notes) the song is written in.  The reason behind this is based mostly on the human voice.  For example, the average woman has a higher pitch voice than the average man.  Therefore, it is easier for a woman to sing in a higher key (set of 8 notes), or pitch range, than a man.  This is the concept behind the way a hammer dulcimer is laid out in key fashion using only the 8 notes of the key.  

If you look at the center bridge on a hammer dulcimer you will see a marker every 4 courses of strings crossing that bridge.  Starting at one of these markers as you go towards the back, or up, on the right side you get the low 4 notes of the key.  Go back to the starting point and cross the bridge to the left side then go back up, you get the high 4 notes of the key.   The drawing below shows the notes for one octave of the key of D.  The circles are the bridge markers.

The actual notes in the key of D are low to high, D E F# G A B C# and the next higher D.  For the key of D the low 4, D E F# G, are to the right and the high 4, A B C# and the next D are to the left. 

The pattern is the same from every marker.  The same relationship applies between the bass bridge and the treble one except you start on the right side of the Bass bridge at a marker for the low 4 notes.  The right side of the treble bridge starting at the marker slightly above and to the left of the bass marker gives the high 4 notes.  Its the same pattern except instead of crossing a bridge, your crossing a valley between the bridges.  This form of layout is known as a diatonic tuning.  

If you know nothing more than this and what marker is used as the start of a key you can play any song you know within a few minutes in any key and octave the instrument is capable of good enough to recognize on any hammer dulcimer.  You can even do it not knowing the actual key too.  Just start at any marker.  The note pattern is exactly the same relative to the starting marker.  The actual notes used change but NOT the note position in relation to the starting marker.  This makes it real easy to transpose a song to any key if you know the note locations relative to the starting marker you normally play it in.  The tuning chart below for a 15/14 may make the layout easier to understand. 

This is the standard tuning set up in use in the US and a number of other countries.  In addition many will also have additional small bridges in various places.  Turns out there are a few notes missing in a diatonic layout across the 3 octaves of a 15/14.  Many makers add these notes with the smaller bridges off to the sides to make it fully chromatic like a keyboard across the same note range but the standard tuning still exists in the center on these.  A close look at the tuning chart will show there are a number of notes repeated in different spots.  On the chart above these duplicate notes are connected by the red lines. This is handy as quite often its easier to get the desired note from one of the other locations than its normal one relative to the key marker.  Its handy to know to do a quick check to see if a hammer dulcimer is out of tune relative to itself as most of of the courses are tested.  Bear in mind the tuning can be correct in relation to the other notes but still be either flat or sharp overall using a tuning meter.

Turns out most songs are in the major keys of A D G C and F with D G and C the most common.  The 15/14 gives you 3 octaves of D and G, almost 3 of C, 1 full and a partial of A, 1 full and a partial of 2 of F.  The minor related keys have about the same octave range also. The minor keys start one course above a marker on the right side.  As an example the A minor will start on the course directly above the G marker. The note pattern  is exactly the same as the majors though, 4 low notes to the right and the 4 high notes to the left.  For greater detail about this see the Music Theory Section.

A brief history of hammer dulcimers

Daniel 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:   KJV

Quite often when this verse is quoted, people associate it with the Appalachian or Mountain Dulcimer.  In reality, its most likely referring to a hammer dulcimer or an early variant of one.  The Appalachian Dulcimer is an instrumentt invented in the Appalachian mountains of North America  probably 200 to 300 years ago.  Because this verse refers to a time at least 3000 years back the Appalachian Dulcimer didn’t exist then, its highly probable its an early form of a hammer dulcimer this refers to. 

Nobody really knows where or when what’s known today as the hammer dulcimer originated.  The generally accepted place is in what is now Iraq or Iran.  When is also in question as there are references to early forms going back at least 3000 years.  There are variations of the hammer dulcimer all over the world.  Each country has its own variation on music scales and tunings with some being quite large and having a broad range of notes. 

Over the centuries the hammer dulcimer has changed very little.  It has remained basically a trapezoid shaped wooden box with strings stretched across it.  The earliest known versions had only one bridge and used natural material for the strings, most often made from animal intestines.  A number of carvings of these early ones have been found in ruins dating as far back as the classical Greek period.  By changing the placement of the bridge and tensions on the strings just about any music scale is possible.  Later ones had additional bridges in different places as needed to get the desired notes.  When steel strings became available they were used in place of other materials for the strings.  The basic shape and the concept of one or more bridges is still in use today.  It’s also interesting to note that the hammer dulcimer is actually the granddaddy of a modern piano!  A piano works by having a small hammer hit the right string for a desired note.  The only difference is in a piano you have a key to push the hammer into a string while on a hammer dulcimer you hit the strings with little wooden hammers. 

Hammer dulcimers were quite common back during the 1800’s and early 1900’s.  There were several factories making them that had salesmen traveling all across the US selling them.  Sears even had one in their catalogue for many years.  Along about 1920 they started fading from the music scene being replaced by the piano according to many.  It seems that the folk music revolution in the late 60’s and early 70’s rekindled an interest in them.  Today there is only a few what could be called factories making them, and a large number of custom builders around.  There are even some builders that make a few custom made ones each year too. 

The standard tuning for a hammer dulcimer in the United States is a two bridge version with the bass bridge tuned a musical fifth lower than the treble one.  The strings are tuned using the concept of keys instead of a linier note layout such as is used in a piano keyboard.  Many have additional bridges for a greater range of notes and often to provide the additional notes missed using a key based tuning system.