Hammered dulcimer tuner
This hammered dulcimer tuner works as a chromatic tuner: strike one string and it shows the note, the octave and how many cents flat or sharp, so you can follow the tuning chart of your own instrument. A hammered dulcimer has dozens of strings grouped in courses of two or more, and steel strings on a wooden frame react to temperature and humidity, so regular tuning is part of playing.
How to use it
- Tap Turn on microphone, allow access and put the phone next to the dulcimer.
- Mute every string of a course except one, with felt or your fingers, and strike that one string.
- Turn the pin with the tuning wrench until the needle sits in the center (within ±5 cents): tighten when the tuner reads flat, loosen when it reads sharp.
- Tune the other strings of the course to that one, with the tuner or by ear: the beating (wah-wah-wah) slows down as you get closer and disappears at unison.
Help and explanations
Hammered dulcimer tuning has no single universal chart. Sizes are named by their treble and bass courses (12/11, 15/14, 16/15 and so on), traditional instruments are tuned diatonically and chromatic models add extra courses or bridges. Use the chart supplied by your maker. The same tuner serves the European relatives too: the alpine Hackbrett, the Hungarian cimbalom or the Persian santur.
Treble and bass bridges
On a typical hammered dulcimer the treble bridge divides each treble course in a 2:3 ratio, so the note struck to the left of the bridge sounds a perfect fifth above the note on the right: C on the right, for example, and the G above it on the left. Tune the note on one side and then check the other. Turning the pin moves both, so if the fifth is clearly off, the bridge is not quite in place; ask your maker before moving it. Bass courses are usually played to the left of the bass bridge.
Working from a tuning chart
Makers supply a chart with the note of every course on each side of the bridges, often as a PDF. Start with a reference note in the middle, such as A4, work outward course by course and finish with a second pass: bringing many courses up to pitch changes the load on the frame and can shift the ones you tuned first. The tuner names notes with sharps, so a B♭ on your chart shows as A♯.
Hackbrett and other European dulcimers
The Alps have their own hammered dulcimers. The Salzburg Hackbrett is fully chromatic and has no dividing bridges, while the Styrian and East Tyrolean Hackbrett are diatonic and use a fifth bridge like the one described above; Switzerland has the Appenzell Hackbrett. Each follows its own layout, so tune it to its own chart, just as you would an American dulcimer.
Tips
- After transport, wait until the instrument has reached room temperature before you tune.
- Tune a reference note first, such as A4, and check it again at the end.
- New steel strings stretch during the first days: retune several times.
- Looking for the fretted, plucked Appalachian instrument instead? Use the mountain dulcimer tuner.
Frequently asked questions
How do you tune a hammered dulcimer?
Course by course: tune one string with the tuner, then bring the other strings of the course to unison with it. Finish by playing scales and chords.
What tuning wrench do I need?
One that fits the tuning pins of your dulcimer; makers usually supply or recommend one. Some felt for muting strings helps too.
Where do I find a hammered dulcimer tuning chart?
From the maker of your instrument: the chart depends on the number of courses and the bridge layout. This page has no fixed chart; it shows whichever note you play.
How often should I tune my hammered dulcimer?
Check it briefly before every performance; retune thoroughly after transport, a change in the weather or new strings.
Does it work for diatonic and chromatic dulcimers?
Yes. The tuner is chromatic and shows every note; just follow the note sequence of your instrument.
Which reference A should I tune to?
Your group's. The international standard is 440 Hz; with an orchestra it can be 442 or 443 Hz.