Spontaneous Exploration

Getting to have Nora with us is a rare treat. She liked the new tuning so very much she just would not quit playing the two tunes we worked on........over and over and over and over....hhhmmmmmmmm.......

Since Madelyn retired we have noticed a quantum leap in her playing abilities. GO Madelyn!

Carole found two 1-3-5 tunes in a book we have had for a very long time actually. The book is called Early Music for 3-string Dulcimer by Carrie Crompton. The book contains 23 pieces from the Middle Ages, Renaissance and Baroque periods. This style of music sounds very "right" on the dulcimer.

Sacajawea, (aka Carole) guided a small band of intrepid explorers into previously unknown territory. The 1-3-5 tuning has catapaulted the diatonic dulcimer to a place as close to chromaticism as it will ever have (with the present fretboard.)

There is a very ambitious web page that will keep you busy for a very long time reading and digesting a great deal of information on this tuning: www.mountaindulcimer-1-3-5.com/ There are 5 or 6 Christmas tunes offered in tab amongst those in their archives.

It has been suggested that this is the most important innovation in dulcimer playing in 50 years.

The usual 1-5-8 of D A D ....Myxolydian -- key--of D..... becomes 1-3-5---D F# A. You remain in the Myxolydian mode and the key of D but are now given many possibilites for using accidentals and creating otherwise not possible lush chords. In this tuning you are able to play in B minor, D major, or A major without retuning or using a capo. It certainly is worth our time and effort to see how it works and how we can use it.