Compiled by Fiona Potts
Editor’s Note: This feature is an assortment of articles from the DPN Archives, all centered around fretboards, shape notes, and tunings. Though not originally connected in any way, together they illustrate both the interconnectedness of the people and events during the decades that Maddie MacNeil was the editor of DPN, as well as the flexibility and adaptability of the dulcimer. The story on the Paul Robinson dulcimer was the earliest I found Ralph Lee Smith’s name in the DPN Archives connected to a story about a historic dulcimer.
Shape Notes and the Dulcimer
By Dorothy May, Vol. 3 No. 4 (1977)
Many old (and some new) hymn books have the music noted in different shapes as well as position on the musical staff. The shapes correspond to the following dulcimer frets and scale syllables thus:
[2-0304 Who Mi.png – this cartoon was near here in the original – it’s just filler now, don’t have to use!]
You can cut out shapes from pressure-sensitive paper and stick them on the dulcimer fingerboard to the left of the corresponding fret, that is, where you would place your finger. Play the shape as shown by the music, and you’re in business! You still have to hold out half notes two counts and notice whether you should be playing a high or low “sol” or whatever, but there is no need to worry about key signatures. If the song melody ends on a triangle, it’s major. If it ends on a square, it’s minor. (The other shapes would correspond to other modes, but these are quite rare.) For a minor song, you will have to tune your instrument to the minor mode, but otherwise the shapes will work, since the minor scale (Aeolian) starts on “la” in either the old or new shape system.
The older type notation, found in such books as Sacred Harp (still in print today from Bremen, Georgia) is a little confusing at first since you have two “fa’s” in your diatonic scale. Also, the melody or lead line is found on the tenor line! If the song is major, whichever line or space the melody ends on is the “fa” which corresponds to our modern “do,” or third fret [in DAA or 155 tuning]. The harmonies in these old hymnals. are beautiful. You hear open sounds and minor chords where you don’t expect them. Jean Ritchie’s tablature of “Amazing Grace” in her “Dulcimer People” book (Oak Publ.) and some of the countermelodies found in Lynn McSpadden’s “Brethren, We Have Met” (Dulcimer Shoppe, Mt. View, Ark.) are exact transcriptions of the harmony found in “Sacred Harp.” I can’t speak for “Southern Harmony,” since I have not seen one, but I think it would be similar.
The newer shape notes can be found in “That Old Time Religion” (Harper & Row) and many gospel collections. In these the melody line is on the top, or soprano, line.
After you learn to play the melodies, try some two, three, and even four part harmonies with your friends. The bass sounds especially good if you use a church dulcimer, or tune your far drone string down so it’s an octave below your melody string (as in Mixolydian) and fret that one.
I would think that hammered dulcimer players could adapt this information as well.
The Diatonic “Do” Fretted Dulcimer
By Glenn Branham, Vol. 3 No. 4 (1977)
On some of the older dulcimers I’ve seen, the neck fretting was patterned such that sounding the open melody string produces the “do,” or first tone, and completes the [major] scale at the seventh fret.
A tuning chart for these instruments might be of interest since there are still a few of them around. It could be that a carryover of this idea brought about the addition of the 6½ fret on some of the dulcimers that are made now.
One advantage of “do” fretting is that many of the old fiddle tunes can be played a little more easily because many of them are fast and rangy. By referencing a fifth upscale the scales are physically shorter.
On dulcimers with the 6½ fret this tuning method will adapt with the advantage of a broader key range.
Popular Shape Note Hymnals
- “Kentucky Harmony” by Ananias Davisson, 1816
- “The Virginia Harmony” by David L. Clayton and James Carrell, 1831
- “The Southern Harmony” by William Walker, 1835
- “The Sacred Harp” by Benjamin Franklin White and Elisha J. King, 1844
- “The Christian Harmony” by William Walker, 1866
Cover Story ~ Paul Robinson Dulcimer
By Hank Arbaugh, Vol. 4 No. 2 (1978)
Paul Robinson, a genuinely amiable man with just a whisper of septuagenarian mischievousness, owns a very old dulcimer. It is at the very least one-hundred and thirty years old. Paul Robinson’s great-grandfather, born and died on January 22, 1825-1897, bought the dulcimer in Clarksburg, West Virginia, shortly after November 11, 1847. The dulcimer was passed down through various members of the Robinson family until it reached Paul, who has held it since 1934. …
I took my dulcimer and played several tunes for the Robinsons; in reciprocation, Paul went to the basement and found his “musical saw” and “rendered” me a couple melodies. He tells me that he has not played for years and quipped that both he and the saw were a little “rusty”.
From the photographs, one would think that the dulcimer is a light-to-medium brown color; however, seeing it directly, one would think that it was primarily an almost-black as though someone had used black stain and then had vainly tried to remove it. Someone once told me that the age of a dulcimer could be gained by observing the direction of the heart-shaped sound holes. I do not know if the statement has much credence, but each pair of hearts does run in the same direction and the pointed end of each heart is facing the head of the instrument – both features, according to the acquaintance, signal that the dulcimer is very old.
Provenance
According to Paul Robinson, in a letter, Jan. 10, 1973:
- John R. Robinson, originally purchased dulcimer shortly after marriage on Nov. 11, 1847; died Jan. 22, 1897, dulcimer left to his son
- Daffy Robinson, died 1913, dulcimer left to his niece
- “Aunt,” Louisa Lyon, later gave dulcimer to
- “Dad,” Francis Robinson, gave it to his son in 1934
- Paul Robinson, owner in 1973
The most curious feature of the Robinson dulcimer, however, is the numbers carved on the fretboard. The drawing below shows how the numbers are arranged.
From the arrangement of the numbers and of the letter “G”, one could infer that the builder of the instrument wanted the third fret to begin the scale and that the dulcimer would be tuned DGD or DDG to provide for the key of G in either the inverted Ionian or Ionian tuning.
I must admit that I have never seen letters and numbers permanently carved onto the fretboard although I’ve seen beginners put stick-on figures which could be removed later on. I’ve also seen several dulcimers, including my own, which have designs (crescents, dots, diamonds, hearts, etc.) inlaid on important frets in most tunings.
The number “1” on the third fret instead of on the first and the letter “G” on the third fret seem unusual to me because on other dulcimers the numbering of the frets according to their natural chronology on the fretboard or inlaid designs on important frets do not dictate how the dulcimer shall be tuned. Here not only the modal tuning but also the key is prescribed by the figures carved on the instrument.
The texture differs greatly from most other dulcimers also. The wood does not have a glassy smoothness or a finish but has the striated texture of natural wood. Sometimes, one cannot tell from the photographs or even from viewing it directly that this uncommon texture exists; in fact, one may need to feel the wood to detect the muscle-like ripples or wavy striations. The unfinished surface also gives the instrument a natural, almost rugged appearance.
(Ed. Note: Our thanks go to Ralph Lee Smith for helping us obtain Hank Arbaugh’s interesting information on the Paul Robinson dulcimer and to Rick Knocks of Columbus, Ohio, for the photographs. Hank Arbaugh, a high school teacher, has been performing, researching, teaching, and leading folk music workshops for several years. He plans to do his doctoral work in folklore at Ohio State.)
Intriguing 8½ Fret
By Eileen Rains, Vol. 4 No. 4 (1978)
I noticed when playing modal music that these notes which “make the difference” between each mode were seldom used – sometimes only once in a song, but that one time necessitated re-tuning from one mode to the other.
Eileen Rains
On the way home from the Cosby dulcimer gathering last year, I kept busy drawing fretboards. I had sat in on Nick Hallman’s workshop on playing the chromatically fretted dulcimer and was really intrigued by the one he showed us that had an 8½ fret which had been put in by mistake, he said.
I talked my husband into making me a dulcimer with two extra frets – the common 6½ and an 8½. Thought you’d like to hear how it works. I’ve found it very useful, as I can play two modes in one tuning. I still stumble over the extra frets occasionally, since I learned to play on a standard diatonically fretted dulcimer.
There are two commonly used major tunings (Ionian – natural major and Mixolydian – with the flatted 7th tone) and two commonly used minor tunings (Aeolian – natural minor and Dorian with a raised 6th tone).
The difference between Ionian and Mixolydian is only a matter of one note – the 7th in the scale (Ti). In Mixolydian, the Ti is “pushed back” (flatted). The only difference between Aeolian and Dorian is at the 6th note (La). In Dorian, the La is “pushed up” (raised or sharpened).
I noticed when playing modal music that these notes which “make the difference” between each mode were seldom used – sometimes only once in a song, but that one time necessitated re-tuning from one mode to the other.
By putting in a 6½ fret and an 8½ fret, you can play two modes in one tuning, as shown by the following chart:
I’m not recommending that dulcimer folks with standard diatonic fretting grab a saw and put in the extra frets. It is a worthwhile setup, though, which increases the versatility of the dulcimer.
Old-Time Country Music Festival
By Bob Everhart, Vol. 20 No. 3 (1994)
… In the Pioneer Music Instrument Museum that the NTCMA [National Traditional Country Music Association] established, and currently runs, there is a lap dulcimer made in a square box-like shape, dated 1861, along with the maker’s name. According to Sheila Everhart, who takes care of the museum, “This lap dulcimer was given to us by Laurier and Leora Birginal, originally from Canada, who collected old music and instruments. They bought this lap dulcimer at an auction in Lewis, Iowa, some thirty years ago. It had been left behind at the Hitchcock House, a station on the underground railroad, by an escaping slave using that route. Remarkably, there are some shape-note markings on the neck, which leads us to believe that this particular slave may have been exposed to shape-note singing, or at least enough to warrant that kind of marking on the instrument so he would know where to bar for the right chordings.” …
Editor’s Note: The Pioneer Music Instrument Museum is no longer in operation. If anyone has information about what happened to the instruments in the museum, please contact editor@dpnews.com. We would love to run a follow-up story on this instrument.
Mountain Dulcimer Tales & Traditions: Shank Scheitholt
by Ralph Lee Smith, Vol. 32 No. 3 (2006)
[8-3203 Shank Scheitholt Images Page.png goes with this story – see cutline for notes on what to use]
A Great Scheitholt With Some Remarkable Documentation
In January 2006, Carilyn Vice purchased a magnificent scheitholt on eBay. The instrument was not only beautifully crafted, but included some astonishing documentation. Written inside the lid of the instrument’s wooden box are: the maker’s name and the month and year it was made; the owner’s name; and a list of songs, with one of them being laid out in crude tablature!
Owner, Maker, Features
At the top, an inscription reads: “Henry Kunz/(dulcimer).” He is the apparent owner. In the middle, in a separate and beautiful hand, an inscription reads, “Samuel Shank/Maker/in/December 1861.” The only thing missing, and something we would love to know, is where the instrument was made! Responding to a query, the seller said that he had acquired it at an estate sale, but didn’t recall where. The seller was located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The scheitholt has six strings, of which three pass over an unusually short run of ten frets. The scale is diatonic, with the first note of the Ionian scale at the third fret, and a single do-to-do scale running from fret #3 to fret #10. The head and sound holes exhibit highly creative design and fabulous craftsmanship. The dimensions are as follows:
Overall length: 36 inches Height: 3¼ inches
Body width at top, where body joins peghead: 4½ inches
Body width at bottom: 5½ inches
A list of hymns is penciled inside the box cover. This is by far the largest list of songs for playing on a 19th century scheitholt that we possess. The only other one we have is the names of three songs cited by a Pennsylvania German informant to folklorist/collector Henry Mercer, in the early years of the 20th Century. Two were German hymns and the third was “Home Sweet Home.”
List Of Hymns
Here is the list that appears inside the box, with Henry Lutz’s spelling and the names of the hymns both preserved as he wrote them: The difficult task of transcribing them was performed by Carilyn for DPN readers. Thank you, Carilyn! She provides the following note: “The first name has been damaged and I can’t read it. The song called Simanthra is one Anne Lough sings, a shape-note song that refers to the dulcimer.” I have numbered the songs: the numbers do not appear on the original list.
- Col___tieoli (?) how firm a foundation.
- Com away to the Skys my beloved arise.
- Arise my tender thought [Part of the preceding title?].
- Com kinder lust uns gahen der obend comd erley
[German. Carilyn provides the following tentative translation: Come children with us go, the evening ____?] - A sweet Cannon O what a happy place.
- When we all meat in heven/Oh when shall i see Jesus.
- O how happy are they who their savuour obey.
- Simanthra his voice as a dulsimer sweet.
- O what a happy day when the Christians shall all meat.
- Green meadows My refuge is the god of love.
- So frily going home to glory for i don’t wan to stay for ever here Jesus my all.
- There is a happy land far away.
- Way over in the promist land [illegible letter or two, perhaps an ampersand] my lord Cals Cals and I must obey.
- Children of the hevely king till we pass over Jordan halliugah
[Here the list is interrupted by the following: “Samuel Shank/Maker/in/December 1861”]
The list then continues: - O that lamb that loving lamb the lamb of Calvary.
- O heven sweet heven when shall I see [illegible letter or two] when shall I get there.
- Dismiss us with thy blessing lord
[This is followed by what appears to be a primitive tablature of ten notes, which I cannot decipher. ] - O happy day when Jesus washed my sins away.
Perhaps some good guessing and suggestions by DPN readers, especially those familiar with shape note hymnals, could provide the formal name of at least some of these hymns. Meanwhile, everyone who loves scheitholt/dulcimer history will be thrilled by this discovery. Thanks again, Carilyn, for sharing it!
Letter to the Editor
By Ruth Randle, Vol. 32 No. 4 (2006)
Ralph Lee Smith’s article in the August-October DPN had a list of hymns from the inside of an old dulcimer. I was successful in identifying a few of them with the help of a Christian Harmony shape note hymnal; some of the others I found in various hymn books or online. Following are the numbers I was able to identify:
2. Come Away to the Skies, My Beloved, Arise: Middlebury (“Christian Harmony”)
3. Arise, My Tend’rest Thoughts, Arise: Words: by Philip Doddridge, 1739; Music: “Tender Thought,” by Ananias Davisson. (“Kentucky Harmony,” 1816)
6. Oh When Shall I See Jesus: Words: John Leland, 1793; (“Sacred Harp”). I found multiple tune names: “Griffin,” “Autauga,” “The Lost City,” “Religion is a Fortune,” “Bound for Canaan,” and “Ecstasy.”
8. Samanthra (“Christian Harmony”)
10. Green Meadows (“Christian Harmony”) and… My Refuge is the God of Love: Solitude New (“Southern Harmony”)
12. There Is a Happy Land: Words: Andrew Young, 1838; Music: Happy Land
14. Children of the Heavenly King: Words: John Cennick, “Sacred Hymns for the Children of God,” 1742; Music: “Pleyel’s Hymn,” Ignaz Pleyel, 1791
15. Supposedly an alternate chorus for “At the Cross”. (I question this one, as it does not seem to fit the tune at all)
16. Oh Heaven, sweet Heaven, I long for thee; O when shall I get there? Sweet Heaven (“Southern Harmony”)
17. Dismiss Us With Thy Blessing, Lord: by Joseph Hart, 1712-1768
18. O Happy Day: by Philip Doddridge, 1755
