The hammered dulcimer is a beautiful instrument that is not widely known about, despite producing gorgeous melodies. In addition to learning new tunes on this intriguing instrument, one of the most challenging aspects of owning and playing the hammered dulcimer is learning how to tune it. The more strings that you have per course, and the more courses that you have, the longer it is going to take for you to accurately tune your instrument. Many people find themselves asking how they can possibly tune their hammered dulcimer more quickly or more effectively. There is more than one solution to this problem, however.
As you continue to gain experience playing and tuning the hammered dulcimer, you will likely discover that there are different ways to tune the instrument, each leading to a different level of accuracy. For example, if you are simply looking to enjoy a jam session, then you want a good enough tuning level that you are not embarrassing yourself or bothering anyone that you are playing with and this should only take 20 to 30 minutes to achieve. On the other hand, if you are simply learning to play, or playing in the comfort of your own home, you can simply tune your hammered dulcimer to taste, which can take a mere 10 minutes to accomplish when done correctly. If you are performing for people or recording your play on the other hand, the accuracy level must be much higher, and this may take an hour or more for you to accomplish depending on your aptitude for tuning such instruments.
The first thing that you need to do is to ensure that you have the right tools for this process. The best way to learn how to do something is to learn as accurately as you possibly can, and then you can ratchet things down from there to meet the circumstances of your needs. The following instructions are designed to help you with both quick and basic tuning, and optimal tuning as well.
The following tools are going to be necessary in order for you to tune your instrument accurately:
- An electronic tuner as well as an alligator clip cord that can be plugged in.
- A tuning lever.
- A bridge bumper and a striker, as required.
- A leather pad, for use with the bridge bumper.
The electronic tuner and cord is the handiest available device for someone who owns and plays a hammered dulcimer. This is an essential tool and can be purchased for less than $30 dollars in most cases. The plug-in alligator clip cord is a cord that plugs into the tuner and then clips on to a tuning pin or hitch pin on the instrument, allowing the tuner to pick the vibrations up from the cord, ignoring any other noise that may get in the way. You can buy something like this for less than $20 dollars and it really does come in handy when tuning your hammered dulcimer.
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Originally posted 2009-02-25 05:49:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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1 comment so far ↓
Thank you for teaching me about an electronic tuner on your website. I had never heard about it and was very anxious to get my new autoharp of 3 years tuned again.
I had a tuner that has batteries and you listen to the correct sound to tune your dulcimer, but it really takes an ear for listening and takes a lot of tme. So thank you for your web site. Will be looking at you more often.
Was about to give up playing until I found a web site that teaches you the basics and the chords. I play piano by ear and was really having trouble playing the tune with my left hand, especially when one or two notes were out of tune. Thanks again!
Delores
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