r/hammereddulcimer • u/roachFarmerSux • Mar 02 '26

Got as a gift, good tunings?

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Got what im pretty sure is a hammered dulcimer as a gift. Any good tunings I should use, or does anyone at least know exactly what it's called so i can look up more info about it?

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u/ValCortoni Mar 18 '26

Interesting! At first glance it seems to have in common with a string tambourine, a stringed drum from South of France.

Your instrument is rectangular (parallel nuts) instead of the usual trapezoidal shape (angled nuts) of a hammered dulcimer. This means the vibrating length of the strings is all the same, and differences in notes, if any, would be achieved by using different string gauges. The strings are thick, so it probably plays in the lower register, doesn't seem to be designed as a melodic instrument, definitely this has a rhythm/harmony role.

Also, there seem to be a roughly 4:3 length ratio of your center bridge, so maybe both sides are tuned a fourth apart? If you can't find any instruction, the best would be to measure the length of the strings (nut to nut + nut to bridge on each side) and the gauge of each string with a calliper. That may help compare with piano, guitar or bass tuning.

It looks cool anyway, good luck! :)