Here is a recent solo I recorded on my baritone dulcimer in AEAA tuning. This is very similar to the tablature I gave for B Aeolian in the last post, except for the fact that it is a 4th lower in F# Aeolian, and the last chord in the last measure is a G chord. In the F# version here, that same chord would be D.
And here is another take at a quicker pace:
Over the past 10 or 15 years, I have put a lot of time and effort into harmonizing major scales and modes on the dulcimer. This has been time well-spent for me: I can’t begin to tell you how many good ideas I’ve gotten for new tunes, or how fluent my improvisation has become by consistent practice with this.
Now, you might ask: “Why descending scales and not ascending scales?” To answer this, consider the notion that ascending musical scales, or chords, tend to build tension and suspense. When you are starting out on lower pitches and gradually ascending to higher and higher pitches, it makes sense that you are going to feel more anticipation and a build of drama. With descending scales, the opposite is mostly true: You start with a high note or chord, and then gradually descend, releasing tension with each chord change. That’s why I find the descending harmonized scales so soothing and relaxing.
Here is the D Major Scale starting on fret 7 and descending down the fingerboard on the bass string. It is harmonized (on the middle and melody strings) with mostly just the primary triads of I, IV, and V (D, G, and A), but I have added an E minor towards the end for a bit of color. The arpeggios below are just a suggestion, and there are many different ways of ordering the notes in a particular chord shape. If you add some eighth notes to the action, there will be a lot more movement, and if you let some notes ring out for two full beats or more, this can add to the variety. Also, try 4/4 and holding each chord for two measures.
I’ve been doing this kind of chord reference chart for the mountain dulcimer since about 1975, and I’m still trying to figure out the best way to render them on the web:
These charts go along with a little composition project we’re doing currently. I asked my newsletter subscribers if anyone wanted to do their own version of my Light Into Darkness and Tapping at the Edge of Paradise compositions, and there was a very healthy response. So here are the reference charts in the order that you play the chords.
Four Chords for a mess of pop songs!
This Aussie comedy act is really amazing. Butch Ross told me about them in 2007 or 2008, when I was obsessed with my little four chord circular progression D – A – Bm – G… that I used for Light Into Darkness, Tapping at the Edge of Paradise, and Tapping Into The Light on electric dulcimer. I just found more and more melodies that went with these chords – and bass lines with chord inversions to make it WAY more interesting.
Now in 2017 it seems like new ideas are again coming forward when I mess with these chords. I even have a more detailed version now, with sub-cycles of chords on each of the four main chords.
Most of the work I’ve done directly on the mountain dulcimer, but its fun with guitar, keyboard (which I can barely play!), or whatever chording instrument is nearby.
So even if the mountain dulcimer is your main instrument, why not play around on a piano or little electronic keyboard and see what happens? I usually resort to the white keys when I work with keyboard, so in C you have: C – G – Am – F. Good luck and let me know how it goes for you!!
This is hopelessly geeky stuff, but if you’ve been messing with it for decades like I have, it is just so cool to have a concise history of how the Just diatonic scale is built:
For dulcimer fretting, the KEY is to remember that the open string is scale degree 5, and not 1 like most people expect. The 3rd fret is 1 or “do” !!!
Dulcimer capos are interesting devices, because they work very closely with the modal nature of the mountain dulcimer’s mostly diatonic fretboard. I had an GREAT question from one of my email newsletter subscribers recently:
“I am intrigued by the notion of using a capo on my dulcimer as you mention in your recent post. As far as I can make out, this enables you to achieve the melody scale for Dorian mode without retuning? Isn’t that the tuning for Shady Grove and Pretty Polly? Is there any other advantage to using a capo? Since by using it you are raising the entire instrument by one whole step, that gives Eminor. I’ll have to try it.”
Here is my response:
In this video, Jim Miller shows you some of the basics of music theory, and how it relates to the mountain dulcimer. I can’t believe it took me so long to find it!
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