How to restring a mountain dulcimer
Most mountain dulcimers hold the strings in a simple way: a loop end hooks over a pin or small nail at the tail, the string runs over a loose or lightly glued bridge, through the nut slot and onto a wooden peg or a geared tuner in the head. The steps below follow that layout and work for three- and four-string dulcimers.
Mountain dulcimer in DAD, string by string
From the bass to the melody, at A = 440 Hz. On a four-string dulcimer the melody string is doubled in unison.
| String | Note | Hz |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | D3 | 146.83 |
| 2 | A3 | 220.00 |
| 1 | D4 | 293.66 |
How to use it
- Read through the guide before you start and tick each step as you do it. Your progress stays on this device.
- When every step is ticked, the page scrolls down to the tuner. Choose DAD or DAA and pluck each open string until the needle sits in the center.
- Tap Start over to clear the boxes for your next string change.
Help and explanations
When the boxes are ticked, the tuner at the bottom opens on DAD: D3 146.83 Hz on the bass, A3 220.00 Hz on the middle string and D4 293.66 Hz on the melody, doubled in unison on a four-string dulcimer. DAA, with the melody down to A3, is also in the list.
One string at a time keeps the bridge in place
On many dulcimers the bridge and sometimes the nut are held only by string pressure, and the bridge position sets the intonation. Changing one string at a time keeps it exactly where it was. If you must take them all off to oil the fretboard, put a strip of masking tape on the top along the bridge's nut side first, so you can set it back on the line.
The GHS D20-M set for DAD is .012 and .012 on the melody pair, .014 on the middle and a wound .024 on the bass. Most dulcimer sets are loop end; the loop is made at the factory, so don't cut it off. Ball-end strings only fit dulcimers whose tail has holes or a tailpiece made for them.
Wooden pegs or geared tuners
Friction pegs hold by pressure, so push the peg gently into its hole while you turn it. Whether it slips back or sticks and jumps, a little peg compound usually cures it. Geared tuners work like a guitar's: 2 to 3 wraps on the wound bass and 4 to 5 on the plain strings is plenty.
Tips
- Changing to a different gauge? Compare tensions in the dulcimer string tension calculator first.
- After a new set, check that the 7th fret matches the open string an octave up with the intonation checker; if it reads sharp, move the bridge slightly toward the tail.
- Unwrapped melody strings slide in the nut slot as they stretch: pluck, retune and pluck again until they stop moving.
Frequently asked questions
How do you string a 4-string dulcimer?
With the dulcimer on your lap, the two melody strings (D4) sit nearest you, then the middle (A3), with the bass (D3) on the far side. Hook each loop on its tail pin, seat the two melody strings in their close-set nut slots and tune both to the same D4, 293.66 Hz.
What are the notes of the dulcimer strings in DAD?
Bass D3 146.83 Hz, middle A3 220.00 Hz and melody D4 293.66 Hz, at A = 440 Hz. In DAA the melody goes down to A3, 220.00 Hz, in unison with the middle string.
Which way do the strings wind on dulcimer pegs?
So the string leaves the peg toward the inside of the head and runs straight to its nut slot without touching another peg. Follow the way the old string was wound and keep the wraps neat, side by side.
How often should I change dulcimer strings?
When they sound dull, won't stay in tune or the 7th fret no longer matches the octave. For regular players that is every few months; the wound bass usually goes dead first.
Why does my new dulcimer string keep going flat?
New strings stretch for the first hours. Tune, lift each string gently at the middle, retune, and repeat two or three times.