How do I tune a mountain dulcimer?

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The most common mountain dulcimer tuning is D A D, from the bass string to the melody strings. The bass string is tuned to D, the middle string to the A above it, and the melody string or doubled melody pair to the D an octave above the bass. D A A, often called Ionian tuning, is another traditional option for playing melodies in D. Dulcimer tunings are usually named from the bass string, farthest from you, to the melody string, closest to you as you play the dulcimer on your lap. D A D tuning:Bass string: DMiddle string: A, a fifth above the bassMelody string(s): D, an octave above the bassHow to tune to D A D:Tune the bass string to D with a tuner.Tune the middle string to A. The bass string fretted at the 4th fret should match it.Tune the melody string to D. The middle string fretted at the 3rd fret should match it.On a 4-string dulcimer, tune the second melody string to exactly match the first.Strum all strings and listen for a steady, ringing sound with no beating.D A A tuning: tune the bass and middle strings as above, then tune the melody string(s) to A, matching the middle string. That puts the major scale starting on the 3rd fret of the melody string.S.I.T. makes one dulcimer set, DUL1220, a 4-string loop end set with three .012s and one .020 bass. It also fits a 3-string dulcimer, leaving a spare melody string. See Dulcimer Strings.

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