Buying a Hammer Dulcimer
At some time or another, in search of distinctive sound, chromatic tones, extended range, beauty or simply for the sake of change, every hammer dulcimer player thinks about buying a new instrument. No matter what style of music will be played on the instrument and no matter how deep the pockets of the purchaser; ten factors determine whether or not a specific instrument is right for a specific player. These characteristics are: aesthetic appearance, attack, dynamic range, intonation, playing qualities, sound quality or voice, stability, sustain or decay, tonal range, and weight. Individual players will rank these ten factors in different orders and weight them according to their personal hopes and artistic demands. There is no right or wrong or correct order to the list of characteristics. An instrument that meets or exceeds personal standards in this list, and is within budget, is an instrument that should be purchased and played.
1. Aesthetic Appearance
One of my favorite professional dulcimer players uses an instrument that is, by most standards, ugly – a plywood top, crude finish work, and fence wire for a bridge cap. However, the tonal quality of the instrument is a complex, gorgeous, piano-quality sound. It is a beautiful listening experience, not a beautiful visual experience. The player must decide the priority of the instrument: should it overwhelm a viewer or overwhelm a listener?
Inlays, rare woods, exotic joinery, dramatic finishes, intricate sound-hole adornments are beautiful, but they add significantly to the time a builder spends on an instrument and, therefore, to the cost of the instrument. None of these improve the sound of an instrument. They may please an owner and stun an onlooker, but they do not make the music better.
The key questions are
Am I buying and instrument for its sound or its visual appearance?
Can my budget achieve BOTH beautiful sound and dramatic appearance?
If not, do I sacrifice sound for splendor or splendor for sound?
2. Attack
This technical term refers to the initial onset of sound of any musical instrument. Hammer dulcimer players have limited control over how rapidly a sound is produced by an instrument. Strings may be struck hard and tones forced out of an instrument, but that requires a stiff, overzealous playing style. The controlling property of attack is in the hands of the designer and builder. The quality of attack is inherent with the instrument.
Some players refer to a rapid attack in an instrument as “punch”. Once a player expresses a tone on a punchy instrument, the sound leaps out. This is a valuable quality in an instrument because it gives the player great control and expressive power. With out a clear attack, a player sounds tentative and muddy – undefined, inarticulate. Dulcimer that lack sufficient punch will sound mushy.
The property of attack is intertwined with sustain. Great sustain often implies a muddy or slow attack. That is, in part, because the onset of one tone is buried by the sustain of the former tones. That slow or mushy attack usually produces a weak sound. The greater the attack, the greater expressive control a player has over an instrument. Punchy instruments feel responsive and are fun to play.
The key question is:
Does this instrument have sufficient attack for me to play with clarity?
3. Dynamic Range
Wherever there are discussions of sound, the technical term of dynamic range, appears. Recording engineers often speak of this concept as “head room”. Many hammer dulcimers have extremely poor dynamic range. On many instruments it is impossible to tell how forcefully the strings have been struck. That means, it is nearly impossible to distinguish between a “soft” tone and a “loud” tone on many hammer dulcimers. Dynamic range is exceedingly difficult to build into a percussive string instrument. Trumpets, drums and woodwinds respond when beaten or blown harder. Traditional folk instruments such as guitars, mandolins, banjos, and dulcimers all have inherently limited dynamic ranges.
Put two different hammer dulcimers side by side. Strike the same tone gently, then moderately and then forcefully on each instrument. Listen for the difference between the moderate and the gentle, and between the moderate and the forceful strikes. The greater the difference, the greater the dynamic range of the instrument. A large dynamic range gives a player great room for expression.
The key question is:
Does this instrument have sufficient dynamic range for me to play expressively?
4. Intonation
The technical term “intonation” has to do with how accurately the scale can be played through the range of an instrument. Beginning violinists (and their families) suffer through learning various positions on the fingerboard in order to produce accurate tone. Trombonists have to learn where to position the slide in order to produce an accurate tone. All a hammer dulcimer player can do is strike the tone. Intonation is completely in the hands of the designer and builder. If the design is wrong, if the construction is faulty, the instrument will be sour somewhere in its range.
The position of the treble bridge is critical to hammer dulcimer intonation. Can a true “perfect fifth” be found across the treble bridge throughout the entire range of the instrument? Sometimes poor intonation merely indicates that the bridge needs repositioning. However, sometimes it shows that the instrument is not designed or built properly. That is, the relationship between the side rail and the bridge does not permit the interval of a perfect fifth to be maintained throughout the range of the instrument.
The lower-left quadrant of a 16/15 hammer dulcimer produces the key of “A”. Often, this range of the dulcimer is both nasal in its timbre and imperfect in its intonation. Be certain to make a careful test of intonation in this range of the instrument. Also check the intonation in the key “A” against the intonation in the key of “G” and others to be certain that the instrument produces accurate intonation within a specific key as well as between keys.
The key question is:
Does this instrument have accurate intonation or must I make tuning adjustments in various keys to bring the dulcimer within acceptable intonation?
5. Playing Qualities
Hammer dulcimers can be loosely categorized as high or low-tension instruments. Low-tension instruments demand a very careful, delicate playing style. Often, such instruments tax and enervate the player because of the extreme attention they require to generate an artistic sound. High-tension instrument tolerate a heavy playing style. The choice in instruments sometimes comes down to timid versus bold - that is to say, ballad-style versus old-time-style. It is difficult to find an instrument that tolerates and expresses both playing styles.
Ideally, a hammer dulcimer should be a full, supportive, organic partner. It plays the player as much as the player plays it. A high-tension instrument should be able to produce soft, gentle, clear tones without having to “nurse” the hammer blows. A low-tension instrument should be able to produce loud, clear tones without buzzing and distortion.
The key question is:
Does this instrument have a kind of playing quality that is supportive of my playing style or do I have to “nurse” my hammer strikes to achieve the artistic expression I want?
6. Sound-Quality
Sound-quality has to do with the overall affect of a dulcimer’s sound throughout its range. Musicians often speak of this as the “voice” of the instrument. The subtlety of this measure of an instrument is what separates a Stradivarius from just a violin. A quality sound is an amalgam of complex sound waves that produces an expressive, convincing, moving, and appealing timbre throughout the range of the instrument. The technical requirements for good sound quality demand that an instrument expresses the overtone series of a tone in a coherent manner. Nothing could be tougher to accomplish for a builder and designer.
Builders make choices of woods, strings, and instrument structure to achieve the voice of an instrument. Spruce soundboards produce a bright, loud tone. Mahogany soundboards produce a warmer tone with less volume than spruce. Red cedar soundboards are somewhere in between. Whatever wood is selected for the soundboard, the topmost tones of a dulcimer should be clear, and their volume should not be dramatically less than that of the middle range of the instrument. If a dulcimer has two strings per course through most of its range, but the several, topmost courses have three strings, it is likely that the builder could not get the volume of the high tones in balance with the mid-range tones. The consistency of volume throughout the range of the instrument is called “balance”. Some instruments have hotspots that produce greater volume for the same strength of hammer strike. An out-of-balance instrument is, at best, taxing to play.
Strings may be steel, phosphor-bronze, brass or wound. Steel gives a clear sound with lots of sustain but may be nasal. Phosphor-bronze strings are softer and break more easily than steel. However, they have a mellower sound and generally sustain less than steel. Some builders use brass strings in the low registers. These tend to provide a sweet sound. However, they are the softest of string material and are both easily broken and hard to replace. Temperature changes drive brass strings out of tune faster than other string material. Some builders use wound strings for low tones to achieve good tension with relatively short string length.
The key question is:
Does this instrument produce the sound I want in my dulcimer?
7. Stability
Nothing is more frustrating than a dulcimer that will not stay in tune. Perhaps the tuning pegs are loose. If so, a competent builder or luthier MAY be able to help. However, it may be that the design of the instrument is overly sensitive to changes in temperature. The wooden box of the dulcimer changes its shape and size a little bit as the temperature rises and falls. The strings of the instrument get shorter in the cold and longer in the heat. These temperature-dependent motions of wood and metal combine to determine how stable an instrument will be. Stability is often a trademark of builders. Generally their instrument lines tend to be consistently stable or unstable. Ask someone who owns the brand of instrument you are considering about its stability.
The key question is:
Does this instrument stay in tune or does it require constant tuning adjustment?
8. Sustain
The amount of sustain required in an instrument is determined by the type of music that will be played. Unlike the piano or wind instrument, a dulcimer, without dampers, has no means for controlling its sustain. Whatever the builder creates is what the player has to work with. If the instrument is to be used for nothing but fast fiddle tunes, sustain should be minimal. If the instrument is to be used for slow, airy, chord-filled ballads, hymns, or new-age pieces, lingering sustain is important. Most of us play a range of music requiring both styles. Sufficient sustain creates character. Too much sustain makes the music into a muddy, sonic garble.
The key question is:
Does the sustain of this instrument support the kind of music I generally play?
9. Tonal Range
The minimal tonal range of a diatonic hammer dulcimer should be from “D” an octave below middle “C” to “D” two octaves above middle “C.” This range is completely adequate for fiddle tunes, ballads and hymns. Instruments of this type are often described as 16/15 instruments. The numbering system merely counts the number of courses on the treble and bass bridges. Players who perform classical, ragtime, jazz and some exotic new age music need additional chromatic tones. This requirement increases the physical size and cost of an instrument. Instruments are routinely being built with three or more bridges to expand the tonal range and to produce chromatic tones. Instruments spanning five octaves are not unusual.
Once past the beginner’s stage, no one should seriously consider anything smaller than a 15/16-hammer dulcimer. The 12/11 dulcimer, and several smaller versions, are available. However, these should be considered as beginners or novelty instruments. Without the good tool of the 16/15 instrument, the key of “D” is not easily accessible on the dulcimer.
The key question is
Does this instrument have the range and chromatic
tones that cover the music I generally play?
10. Weight
Twenty pounds seem like a ton when you are dragging it up hill along with a stand and other music paraphernalia. Unless you plan on having one heavy dulcimer for the parlor and one light dulcimer for playing away from home, do not buy what you cannot tote gracefully.
The key questions are:
Can I, or will I have to, carry this instrument and its
stand to different playing locations? Is it too heavy?
How to Use the Ten Rankings
Rank each of these ten characteristics on a scale of 0 to 10. Then add these values to provide a numerical judgment of the overall merit of the instrument on a scale of 0 to 100. Some players may value one characteristic more highly than another. To account for personal taste, increase the scale of the important characteristic and decrease the scale of the less-important characteristics. For example, dynamic range is very important to me. That may be 25% of an instrument’s worth to me. So, I might rank dynamic range on a scale of 0 to 25. Aesthetic appearance is less important, so I might rate it on a scale of 0 to 5. Weight is of little importance to me, so I might not rank it at all. This alteration of the rating system means I have boosted dynamic range to 25% of the total, diminished aesthetic appearance to 5% of the total, and eliminated weight as a consideration. The values still allow a 0 to 100 rating of an overall instrument.
It is important to be as objective as possible when comparing instruments. Use an identical rating system for each instrument being compared. A side-by-side comparison is always very helpful. It is also important to remember that this approach to judging instrument performance tries to quantify many subjective reactions. It cannot be perfect. What the system should do, however, is point out the important differences and similarities between instruments. Knowing how instruments differ and how they are the same will help you reach a conclusion about which instrument is right for you and which is the best value.
Budget. The purchase price of an instrument is the last thing to consider when buying an instrument. A fair comparison of the characteristics of various instruments should reveal which is best for you without money confusing the decision process. Once practical and aesthetic judgments have been made about the merits of an instrument, it is time to bring money into the decision. The rating system may tell you that the best instrument for you costs less than others you were considering. The rating system may also provide you with a reason to spend a bit more than you planned to get something that best fits your needs.
Comparing three Dulcimers
|
Characteristic |
My "Perfect"
Dulcimer
|
Dulcimer #1 |
Dulcimer #2 |
Dulcimer #3 |
Aesthetic
Apperance |
5 |
5 |
2 |
3 |
|
Attack |
10 |
5 |
8 |
5 |
|
Dynamic Range |
25 |
10 |
20 |
15 |
|
Intonation |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
Playing Qualities |
15 |
15 |
10 |
5 |
|
Sound Qualities |
10 |
8 |
10 |
5 |
|
Sustain |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
|
Tonal Range |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
Weight |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Score |
100 |
78 |
85 |
68 |
|
Price |
|
$1,100 |
$1,300 |
$900 |
This example tells me that the highest and lowest priced instruments are nearly identical in my personal judgment. But in the critical characteristic of dynamic range that I place the highest value upon, the two are very different. The less expensive instrument meets my needs better. I am now free to save $400 and feel very good about it. The analysis also shows that Instrument 3, while it may be fine product from a very reputable builder, is not the best choice for me.
Generalities
Two design approaches dominate hammer dulcimers. The most common is a closed-box design. In these dulcimers, the soundboard is glued onto the pin blocks and is part of the structural integrity of the instrument. Take away the soundboard, and the tension of the strings might cause the instrument to collapse. Less common today is a design approach called the “floating soundboard”. In this design, the soundboard is not glued onto the pin blocks and has no role in the structural integrity of the instrument. A cross-section of a floating-soundboard instrument looks like a shallow “U”. Given equal design and construction quality, floating-soundboard instruments tend to be heavier, louder, punchier, and have greater dynamic range than fixed-soundboard instruments.
The sound the player hears is not necessarily the sound a listener hears. What rolls off of the soundboard and into the player’s ears is not always identical to the sound a listener hears in front of the instrument from ten feet away. Before you buy a hammer dulcimer, have someone play the instrument while you walk around it at varying distances and listen critically. You may be very surprised by the difference in the quality of sound heard by players and listeners. Make an informed decision about the sound.
The hammer dulcimer is much more than a trapezoidially-shaped box encased in a nest of steel strings. Even if Uncle Fred is a superb cabinetmaker, odds are he has no idea what voicing bars are or how to gauge wire to release its best tonal characteristics. Make certain the builders of the dulcimers you are considering have successful histories of building hammer dulcimers. Don’t turn the love of your musical life over to amateur luthiers. You may get lucky; but, odds are, you will simply be disappointed with, and frustrated by, the results.
Happy searching. It is a never-ending habit for most dulcimer players!
