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I bought my first dulcimer on Ebay for £140. Although I know nothing for sure about its origins, my guess is that it is a 19th century English instrument possibly made in the Birmingham area. Whatever its provenance, it is clear that it is a beautifully made instrument with lovely inlay and 'wings' which folded over the tuning keys and fixed pins, and used to contain a 'T' shaped tuning wrench and rather delicate cane hammers. The 12/11 dulcimer has continuous bridges (rather than the multiple 'chessmen' bridges that were commonly used on some dulcimers of this time) and four strings per course. Although it had been expertly made, for a beginner, it was not an easy instrument to tune or to play and, despite putting in many hours of practice, I struggled to produce the kind of sound that I was trying for.
I bought my first dulcimer on Ebay for £140. Although I know nothing for sure about its origins, my guess is that it is a 19th century English instrument possibly made in the Birmingham area. Whatever its provenance, it is clear that it is a beautifully made instrument with lovely inlay and 'wings' which folded over the tuning keys and fixed pins, and used to contain a 'T' shaped tuning wrench and rather delicate cane hammers. The 12/11 dulcimer has continuous bridges (rather than the multiple 'chessmen' bridges that were commonly used on some dulcimers of this time) and four strings per course. Although it had been expertly made, for a beginner, it was not an easy instrument to tune or to play and, despite putting in many hours of practice, I struggled to produce the kind of sound that I was trying for.
Here are some photos of my first dulcimer.
Here are some photos of my first dulcimer.
Assessment
Assessment
Looking back, there were a number of reasons for my difficulties with the first dulcimer.
Looking back, there were a number of reasons for my difficulties with the first dulcimer.
The initial tuning problems that I had found may have been due to my lack of an electronic tuner, but even when I acquired one the rather uneven feel of the tuning pins and the need to tune four strings in unison for each note was challenging - though I gained lots of practice in tuning!
The initial tuning problems that I had found may have been due to my lack of an electronic tuner, but even when I acquired one the rather uneven feel of the tuning pins and the need to tune four strings in unison for each note was challenging - though I gained lots of practice in tuning!
The second difficulty arose because the strings were so close together that it was quite difficult to hit a note cleanly, without touching the neighbouring strings. Finally, the tone of the instrument was distinctly 'plunky', rather than giving the bright ringing sound that I was looking for. Perhaps this was because the strings were old and corroded. Alternatively, it may have been because of the rather solid construction of the instrument.
The second difficulty arose because the strings were so close together that it was quite difficult to hit a note cleanly, without touching the neighbouring strings. Finally, the tone of the instrument was distinctly 'plunky', rather than giving the bright ringing sound that I was looking for. Perhaps this was because the strings were old and corroded. Alternatively, it may have been because of the rather solid construction of the instrument.
Anyway, the combination of all these factors convinced me that my dulcimer-playing life could be made a less insuperable challenge if I could get hold of a more co-operative instrument. I fully accept that there may be a bit of the 'bad workman blaming his tools' syndrome here, but I convinced myself of the shortcomings of the instrument nonetheless.
Anyway, the combination of all these factors convinced me that my dulcimer-playing life could be made a less insuperable challenge if I could get hold of a more co-operative instrument. I fully accept that there may be a bit of the 'bad workman blaming his tools' syndrome here, but I convinced myself of the shortcomings of the instrument nonetheless.
I read everything that I could find about dulcimers and obtained a copy of every instruction book that I could lay my hands on (though most of these were American). I concluded that an American style of dulcimer would be easier to play because of the greater spacing of the strings and it would take much less time to tune because of having only two strings per course. On size, I concluded that the 12/11 dulcimer was limited in its range and the answer was to go for as larger a dulcimer as possible to enable me to play in as many keys as possible.
I read everything that I could find about dulcimers and obtained a copy of every instruction book that I could lay my hands on (though most of these were American). I concluded that an American style of dulcimer would be easier to play because of the greater spacing of the strings and it would take much less time to tune because of having only two strings per course. On size, I concluded that the 12/11 dulcimer was limited in its range and the answer was to go for as larger a dulcimer as possible to enable me to play in as many keys as possible.
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Please feel free to email me at bill.howarth54@gmail.com with any comments on the website.
Please feel free to email me at bill.howarth54@gmail.com with any comments on the website.
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