Unison Tuned Dulcimore Theories
In Ralph Lee Smith’s notes from his book: The Story of the Dulcimer 2nd Edition, Note 11 states: When the author discussed theories regarding the origins of the dulcimer with Virginia dulcimer maker Keith Young, Young reflected and then said, “I’m not sure that you have to choose one theory. I suspect that the dulcimer was invented more than once.”
I agree.
I’m not sure which came first, the modal tuned instrument or the unison tuned instrument, or if they arrived at virtually the same time. I actually think they were two separate events happening at the same time.
The territory of the New River helps bring me to a theory. The New River spans from near Boone, in Watauga County, North Carolina to Gauley Bridge, in Fayette County, West Virginia where it joins the Gauley River to create the Kanawha River.
And it’s in this region you find a lot of vintage dulcimores with the same few characteristics:
(1) 4 strings.
(2) the strings are spaced equally apart…. Or as we dulcimore folks say: equal distance.
(3) most these dulcimores have ¾ width to full width frets.
Not as specific as the above 3 examples, but none the less important:
(4) The Virginia Pattern which is a boat oar or teardrop shape. This was the main shape for Virginia dulcimores for over 100 years! Whether they had 2, 3, or 4 strings. At the same time in other locations the shapely, elegant, Modal variants made by Thomas and Prichard were happening! Not until the folk revival period do we see the shapely hourglass dulcimores become widespread in Virginia. Variants in Virginia, specifically the New River Territory, were the dulcimores made by the Melton family which evolved into an elliptical shape, but they also made some diamond shaped and teardrop shaped dulcimores. And in what is now West Virginia we find the holly leaf shaped Dulcimore made by James A. Honaker which has a strum hollow and a blunt tailpiece with the bridge near the tailpiece similar to Kentucky dulcimores. However, it is truly an oddity among dulcimore shapes for the New River area.
From the books:
A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers by L. Allen Smith
The Story of the Dulcimer and Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions by Ralph Lee Smith
and many photos and information of dulcimores I’ve found online that had information about where they were from, you can see these same characteristics.
And even dulcimores from some surrounding areas.
But vintage dulcimores aren’t the only folk instruments with this characteristic:
Phyllis Gaskins says in her book: Galax Dulcimer- A Job of Journey Work, her AHA moment was: “In 2009 I had an AHA moment when German ancient instrument restoration luthier, Wilfried Ulrich shared with me pictures of an interesting German instrument, a hummel, he had restored for a German Museum.” She goes on to say the first four strings were all the same light gauge….. “ Now I knew why the old Melton dulcimers had a mono-tonal tuning with four strings of the same gauge.”
I have the same belief. Many zitters, scheitholts, zithers, hummels, or whatever your favorite name for them, had 4 strings across a narrow fretting area, whether it were the instrument soundboard, or a thin raised fret-board, and across this area was a full width fret. Identical to the layout of the unison tuned dulcimores of the New River Territory. So it’s my theory, someone or more than one person most likely, discovered they didn’t need all the drones, and did away with them leaving only the 4 equal distance strings over the full width frets. And also, getting rid of the extra drones was something needful when they realized they could get more volume by adding a raised fretboard to the top of a sound box. But by tradition the full width frets carried over even though there was no need for them being full width.
In my early research, I thought the Unison Tuned dulcimores most direct relative would be the Swedish Hummel, as it was tuned unison on all strings, whether they were 5 or more strings, except the one drone would be tuned an octave lower. Something like Ddddddd, and what we would refer to as Bagpipe tuning. But after further research I learned any Hummel with 4 melody strings would have all 4 melody strings tuned in unison.
Some other things to think about:
Nettie Presnell, lived at Beech Mountain, just across Watauga County from Boone, where the headwaters of the New River is located. Nettie played a form of Unison tuning we refer to as Bagpipe tuning and tuned her dulcimore Ccc. She started playing in 1928. Perhaps she or her family learned this Bagpipe version of Unison tuning from folks in the New River Valley territory??
Dulcie Meadows, of Mercer County West Virginia played a dulcimore built by her grandfather: James A. Honaker around the time of the Civil War. I listened to a recording of her from the West Virginia and Regional History Collection, West Virginia University Libraries, as she tuned her dulcimore to cccc. Mercer County is part of New River Territory.
The Melton Family. Of course, nearly everyone who has a mind for dulcimore history has heard of the Melton Family. They are somewhat credited with Unison Tuning being dubbed: Galax Tuning. But I would prefer crediting them for the Galax style of playing a Unison Tuned dulcimore, and the awesome Galax style dulcimers they played!
I don’t however credit them with the invention of Unison Tuning. But once again I have to credit them for something else…….. Keeping Unison Tuning alive!
It’s truly my belief, that had the Melton family not been so popular and talented at both playing and making the Galax style dulcimores that Unison Tuning would have been forever lost! And of course, the area of the Melton’s is smack dab in the middle of New River territory.
So why was this bit of territory in the middle of the Appalachian Dulcimore range different with Dulcimores here noticeably having the attributes mentioned appearing to be Unison tuned?
My best theory is a certain group or family, or folks from the same area with the same musical interests, or being raised up around the same type of instrument.
Mountains to the east, mountains to the west, but a river running south to north likely provided easier travel for the Unison Tuned dulcimore to be spread, or at least be seen by others in the great New River Valley.
It was possible the New River territory was thinly populated by the same nationality of people from the same locality of their specific homeland. Rhinelanders from the Palatinate in Germany settled Giles, Montgomery and Pulaski County in Virginia, and Rowan, Stokes, Surry and Forsyth counties in North Carolina just across the border. So it’s a reasonable theory that one or more folk instruments they brought with them, or built from memory, eventually ended up evolving into the early Virginia style dulcimore with 4 strings, equal distant spacing, and full width frets, and others along the New River eventually heard of it or saw it, and made their own version of it.
But why did it nearly lose popularity to the Modal Tuned Dulcimore?
Partly, I think it was for the same reason I like the Unison tuned dulcimore for one thing, and the Modal tuned dulcimore for another:
(1) A Modal tuned dulcimore can be at home playing a fast fiddle tune, or a slow, heartfelt love song or hymn, and sound great and not rake you to the bone on the slower tunes.
(2) Although a Unison tuned dulcimore can be played for slower, more subtle and delicate tunes, I feel they’re more at home playing faster fiddle tunes. As much as I love Unison tuning, it rakes at me on slower tunes. However, I do think this may be the reason Nettie Presnell tuned her dulcimore to bagpipe tuning, Ccc, because bagpipe sounds much better on slower tunes.
But that’s what I hear, and we know everyone has a different ear for the tones of different tuning, intonations and dulcimores in general.
Also
(3) A Modal tuned dulcimer gives a richer, fuller sound. Much like the difference between a six string guitar, and a 3 string cigar box guitar, you simply have more notes in there filling out the empty spots.
Because if you think about it, with a Unison Tuned dulcimore, you’re essentially playing a two stringed instrument.
(4) Chords and modernization after modern frets became available likely also added to the drop in popularity. I figure early on nobody, or very few people even thought about chords, but from the time of modern fretwire in the 1920’s until the fascination of playing chords boomed in the 1960’s it had likely been gradually growing and folks experimenting with chords. The 4 string equal distance Unison tuning doesn’t lend itself well for chording so that likely led to the falling away of any popularity it had. And again I’ll say…. Thank goodness the Melton Family didn’t let it die!
Additionally, some time ago in my early research I posted on my blog that music wire availability might have had something to do with unison tuning. However, I now withdraw that notion whether it was readily available or not.
I also added in my research, that in most photos of the vintage dulcimores, all 4 strings appeared of the same gauge. They do in fact. But I think for proof we have to look at the number of strings and the equal distance spacing of those strings and draw a conclusion from the history that we KNOW!
History shows us that even in the modern era we have examples: When we see a modern dulcimer with a pair of melody strings, a middle and a bass string spaced as three courses we don’t think Unison tuning. No, we immediately relate that’s a Modal tuned instrument and it’s likely tuned Dadd. History shows us!
With Ed Thomas being the most well known and earliest documented builder making Modal style dulcimores we KNOW when we see one of his early dulcimores and they were 3 strings, they were Modal. Charles N. Prichard as well. When you see one of their pieces, with one single melody string and the drones in a pair, is Unison tuning the first thing you think about? Nope it is not. History has shown us Modal tuning is the first thing that comes to mind.
When we see a Galax Dulcimore with 4 equal distance strings does the thought cross your mind that the dulcimore is Modal tuned? Nope!
Steve Melton made a Galax style dulcimore around 1890 that had 4 strings, equal distance, and full width frets and we KNOW that traditionally the Melton’s played with all 4 strings tuned in Unison. So I’d say it’s safe to say that the early 4 string dulcimores with 4 equal distance strings we view historically were of all the same size.
Here’s another theory that’s pretty self explanatory and easy to cipher and in my opinion, PROOF, the 4 string, equal distance dulcimores were tuned unison:
VSL!!! Yes, the VSL of New River Territory instruments are further proof of Unison tuning! Why you might ask?
After a lot of research, I determined some time ago that the average VSL for 4 string, equal distance Virginia dulcimores was 24 inches. And that average was based on the fact that the Melton Family had increased the VSL on some of their dulcimores in later years to 26 and even 27 inches. So if you took the longer VSL dulcimores that the Melton Family built out of the equation the average VSL for early dulcimores in and around the New River Territory would only be approximately 23 inches.
So what does that mean?
It means that 23-24 inches is not the optimum VSL for 3rd octave CGG or DAA Modal tuning. Because you’re basically in a scale length that works best in a higher octave and the use of lower octave strings at that scale length basically make a thud instead of a ring.
And attempting to tune to the 4th octave cgg or daa is borderline string breakage zone for the melody strings even with modern music wire.
The best, most logical tuning for a 23-24 inch scale is naturally: cccc or dddd unison tuning in the 4th octave. And I’d also like to add, there are many of them that were recorded to have 22 inch and less VSLs.
As an additional note: most the early Modal dulcimores were 27-28 inch VSL which worked perfectly for 3rd octave tuning.
So in conclusion, my theory is when you see a vintage dulcimore in books, online, or on exhibit, and it has 4 strings spaced at equal distance, and full width frets, it’s a sure bet to have been tuned in unison. And it’s a good probability, even if it has ¾ or 1/2 width frets, and has the other two attributes, (4 strings and equal distance spacing), and it came from the New River Valley Territory, it’s again my belief it was tuned unison.
Photo of the New River Watershed: Source: US Geological Survey (USGS)
Something to add:
Unison and modal tunings have been in existence "together" since at least year 1619. The Scheitholt of Michael Praetorius, in his description, could be played both in unison, and modal in the mixolydian mode. The book: The Story of the Hummel, by Wilfried Ulrich, he translates Praetorius’ description of the so called Scheitholt: strung with 3 or 4 strings of brass. Of these three are in unison, but one of them is pulled down by a small hook in the middle, which makes it sound higher by a fifth. And if desired, the fourth string can be added, tuned an octave higher.
Ulrich goes on to mention you can clearly see the hook Praetorius mentions at the 4th fret of the second string from the player and you can indeed see it if you zoom in on the photo.
So not only was the so called Scheitholt set up so it could be played in unison, by hooking the second string at the 4th fret, (similar in design to the miniature railroad spikes banjo players use on the drone string), they could easily switch to mixolydian mode.
And, not to mention, having a forth string tuned an octave higher gave them a modified tuning of what we dulcimore players call bagpipe tuning.
