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¤1.
What string gauge should I use to play in the 1-3-5
tuning?
A.
If you are planning to re-tune
frequently...
B.
If you are planning to
use one instrument for D-F#-A
¤2.
How do I learn to play in 1-3-5?
¤3.
Suppose I am playing a song using
a 1-3-5 tuning like D-F#-A; Could others, tuned in
D-A-d, play along with me?
¤4.
I really enjoy the sound of songs played with a 1-3-5
tuning, but most of my friends in our dulcimer group
play in either D-A-d or D-A-A. They feel that these are
the best tunings to use. Is that correct?
¤5.
I’ve heard some of the music
from your books of 1-3-5 arrangements. They sound OK,
but I don’t know the names of most of them. How come you
don’t use some of the songs we knew and sang when we
were kids?
¤6.
“I am anxious to try your tuning.
The only string I'm confused about is the melody A. I
have a dulcimer tuned to DAd. Is the melody string “A”
higher than the “D” or lower?”
Answers:
String Gauge:
A. If you are using a
single instrument that you plan to use to go back and
forth between the 1-5-8 (e.g. D-A-d) and 1-3-5 tunings,
I might suggest you use something like F-A-C
(bass-middle-melody) for your 1-3-5 tuning instead of
D-F#-A . That is, you would move the bass string UP 1
1/2 steps from D to F, leave the middle string at the
same A pitch, and bring the melody string DOWN 1 whole
step from d to C. That way whatever string gauges you
are currently using for your D-A-d tuning should work
pretty well for the 1-3-5 tuning, since the notes are
still pretty close to what you have on your instrument
currently.
You can use all the same fingerings from any 1-3-5 tab,
but of course, the note names and chord names will be
different (you'll be playing in different keys from what
may be shown in the tab if it's written for D-F#-A). The
only reason that would matter would be if you are
getting other musicians to play with you (e.g. guitar,
etc) - they would need to "transpose" the chord names.
(top of page)
B.
It depends on the vibrating string length (VSL) and the
particular tone you want to hear. Most people use .022 bass, .014 middle and .012
melody for a 28 1/2 inch string. Others use .024 phosphor/bronze wire wound on the bass
("D"), .018 plain on the middle (F#), .014 plain
on the melody ("A") In this case the bass and the
melody are the same size as when using the DAd tuning
for the same notes ("D" & "A") but the heavier .18 on
the F# is used because it sounds good without the loose,
floppy sound that can happen with a .014 and, to a
lesser extent, a .016.
(top of page)
Tom
& Missy Strothers have a useful online string gauge calculator (Click
here) on their website. Tom states, "Please be aware that the results of the string gauge
calculator are biased toward lighter gauge strings."
(top of page)
2.
How do I learn to play in 1-3-5?
Learning
to play in 1-3-5 is mostly a matter of becoming familiar
with where to find all the notes, especially those
on the middle string with its "new" tuning. Since chord
accompaniment is required, you will need to learn some
new chord patterns. Many, however, are like the L-chords
and "barre" used in the 1-5-8 tuning. You will find that
chords sound "fuller" in 1-3-5 because of the tuning of
the middle string. Also, many kinds of new-sounding
chords are available, most of them easy to reach. Tables
showing types and locations of available chords are
listed for three different tunings, under Learning
Aids
Books
of music notation and tablature are already available
for those who are able to learn by self-study. One book
that includes learning tools as well as several 1-3-5
tablature arrangements is a book by Rosamond Campbell
and is entitled " Playing Dulcimer In the Chord Melody
Style". Full details are available at:
http://www.melbay.com/product.asp?ProductID=97533BCD
(Posted
by permission of Rosamond Campbell - email
rosamondcbell@aol.com
)
Many of
these selections are slow tunes that sound best when
played chord/melody style.
Click here to go to our "Products" webpage for a
selection of books featuring the 1-3-5 tuning.
For others, we hope that soon there
will be listings here for workshop schedules, teachers
and, eventually, a manual giving the basics of how
to use the 1-3-5 tuning system
This website will serve as a collection center for
posting more information as it develops.
(top of page)
3.
Suppose I am playing a song using a 1-3-5 tuning like
D-F#-A. Could others, tuned in D-A-d, play along with
me?
The
answer will depend a lot on the music itself and how
experienced the D-A-d player might be in making
adjustments. If the music is an ordinary diatonic tune
using I, IV, V chords (and the secondary minors) for
accompaniment, either tuning works just fine. The same
chords from both instruments will be compatible.
However, if the music requires “accidentals” (notes not
present in the key of D), there will be complications.
When a note like a D# (Eb) or an A# (Bb) appears in the
melody, it can be found on the 1-3-5 fretboard. The
D-A-d player, however, has only two options; either
“skip” that note or “bend” the string to form the note.
In the case of chords that require such notes, the D-A-d
player might play only a “partial” chord, with the
“accidental” note omitted. In some cases it is helpful
to play from pre-arranged music. These problems are not
unlike those of jamming with chromatic instruments like
the guitar.
(top of page)
4. I really
enjoy the sound of songs played with a 1-3-5 tuning, but
most of my friends in our dulcimer group play in either
D-A-d or D-A-A. They feel that these are the best
tunings to use. Is that correct?
We
have to be sure we understand what we mean by “best”, in
terms of what kind of music we want to play. Each
dulcimer tuning has certain advantages and disadvantages
for a particular kind of music, but there is really no
single “best” tuning for all kinds of music
(including the 1-3-5 tuning).
Many players enjoy fiddle tunes and Celtic music played
at brisk tempos, either with drones or chord
accompaniment. This music is particularly popular with
many folk groups who enjoy jamming. Group playing
involves the necessity for frequent key changes by
dulcimer players (whose instruments are not chromatic).
To meet this challenge, dulcimer groups in the 1960’s
devised a system to accomplish this. It included the
selection of a 1-5-8 tuning, plus the use of a 6+ fret
and a capo. At the same time, the key of D was chosen,
so that this combination would allow rapid key changes
to match the various keys of this type of folk music
when jamming. This system resulted in the widespread
popularity today’s D-A-d; it also can be used with
slower tunes, of course, and with either drone or chord
accompaniment. One of its disadvantages is its limited
availability of full triad (3-note) chords. Many chords
thus consist of only the tonic and fifth notes, and are
neither truly “major” nor “minor”.
By
contrast, the 1-5-5 tuning (D-A-A) offers lots of triad
chords, both major and minor, preferred by many players
for their harmonious sound. Many use this tuning almost
exclusively for the slower ballads and other folk songs.
Some kinds of fast folk tunes can also be played, using
either drones or partial chords, however key-changing
ability is limited compared to D-A-d.
This now brings us to the 1-3-5 tuning system. It
combines features of both the tunings already described.
The note patterns permit playing in more than one key,
with neither retuning nor use of a capo. This tuning
also allows us to play all the triad chords offered by
D-A-A, plus a wide variety of new “color chords”, found
only on chromatic instruments like the guitar. They
include chords called diminished, augmented. flatted
fifth, and several others. These are some of the
sounds you have found so pleasing. Lastly, the chromatic
notes on the 1-3-5 fretboard allow us to play many kinds
of music not possible with other tunings. This is
because we are no longer limited to music having only
seven notes in an octave. A disadvantage of 1-3-5 for
some players may be the lack of drones as a means of
accompaniment for melodies.
(top of page)
5. I’ve
heard some of the music from your books of 1-3-5
arrangements. They sound OK, but I don’t know the names
of most of them. How come you don’t use some of the
songs we knew and sang when we were kids?
I understand why you ask; I wish I
could use a lot of the songs I knew when I was a kid.
There was so much great music written in America between
the 1940’s and 1980’s …. and since!
The problem in a nutshell is that nearly everything
written in America since about 1923 is still under
copyright. This means that such music is commercially
owned by either the composers themselves or their heirs,
publishing houses or others who have bought them for
investment purposes. Today’s arrangers, publishers and
performers must pay fees (royalties) to use them.
These costs are affordable for many kinds of music books
(for piano, guitar, etc.) where there is a large market
of buyers. Unfortunately, dulcimer music doesn’t fit
that description, and paying royalties to use
contemporary music is just too expensive! This doesn’t
mean a dulcimer player couldn’t play a modern tune in
1-3-5 for personal pleasure or educational purposes,
however. In fact, some are doing just that!
6.
“I
am anxious to try your tuning. The only string I'm
confused about is the melody A. I have a dulcimer tuned
to DAd. Is the melody string “A” higher than the “D” or
lower?”
When
using the 1-3-5 tuning, it is customary that the notes
on the bass, middle and treble strings all be in the
same octave. In other words, starting with the usual
D on the bass string, find the F# on the second fret of
that string and the A on the fourth fret.
Starting with a DAd tuning, you would lower the middle
string from A to F#, then lower the treble (or
“melody”) string from “d” down to A.
(top of page)
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