Care of a Dulcimer

Caring for a dulcimer is similar to caring for any fine musical instrument. But in addition to those usual steps, there are a few other things we can attend to out of consideration for the casual way we are more likely to use a dulcimer than, say, a cello. Let's attend to these matters first, as they are more likely to address problems unique to the dulcimer.

Care while playing out of doors
One of the fine joys of playing folk music is its spontaneous nature. So we are just as likely to find a dulcimer on a hiking trail, a mountain camp, or a yard party as we are to find it in a concert hall, perhaps a little more likely. Such venues have their challenges for wood and varnish, to say the least. Here are some tips for keeping our instruments from undue hardship.

Perspiration: Though an inevitable accompaniment to musical effort, perspiration is hard on wood finishes. Any player of a stringed instrument will have found out after a while that it is a good idea to keep a towel on hand to wipe the fevered brow of the fiddle. But we dulcimists also need to be careful about playing in short pants! Exposing the back of the dulcimer to the sweat of your thighs can also lead to finish damage, if not wiped after a good hot session.

Mosquitoes: Bugs will not harm your dulcimer. What you use to combat them, however, can do a lot of damage. All those insect repellents have propellents and solvents that can dissolve the finish of a musical instrument. Unlike perspiration, which can be tolerated by the finish for a while, these cocktails of solvents can immediately ruin your lovely instrument. If you need to spray yourself down or wipe on a little citronella oil, do the following:

1. Put your instrument out of the combat zone until you are done.
2. Before you pick up your beloved dulcimer, wipe off any areas of your fingers, hands, arms, and clothing that will contact the dulcimer.
3. Protect the dulcimer's back from the mixture of perspiration and insect repellent on your lap, perhaps with a towel.

Sunlight: Old Sol can be quite harsh on wood and finishes. Some woods change color over periods of exposure to the sun; redwood is a famous example. Try to keep your instrument from long exposure to direct sunlight. Chances are that if you need sunscreen protection, the environment is too harsh for your dulcimer. Sitting in the shade is nice when you play music, don't you think?

General care
For the best advice on how to care for your particular musical instrument, talk to its builder. She or he will know the instrument like no one else (except you) and will thus know the most about its finish, where the braces are, what kind of shock its construction is most susceptible to, etc. But that being said, here are some tips you can rely on.

Preventing damage in extreme heat and cold: Temperature can have quite adverse effects on stringed instruments. If you need anything more than a light jacket, your instrument is going to feel some effects from cold. And if you are baking in a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals, chances are your dulcimer is suffering too. Moderate temperatures are the best for stringed instruments.

The best thing to do to protect your instrument from cold shocks is to loosen the strings. This will kept the tension from increasing due to cold. It will also release the overall stress on the instrument. Don't take them all the way down to slack. You want to get them so the strings are still taut, perhaps an octave down. While it is cold, the instrument's wood and finish, as well as some fittings, will be more liable to damage from shock, so avoid hard knocks.

Cold is often accompanied by low humidity. The wood in your dulcimer can get so dry in this condition that its fretboard can get a slight curl, the wood's vibrations can change, etc. It begins to sing the Winter Blues all by itself!. There are humidifying devices made especially for stringed instruments. For example, The Snake is a long tube filled with foam which you dampen with water and slip inside an instrument through the soundhole. Other devices can simply sit inside the case. Try one of these if your dulcimer seems to be "off its feed" in extremely cold weather.

Heat can cause a lot of damage to finishes and glues in a dulcimer. Most modern glues don't set into a thoroughly solid state; they remain flexible and plastic. In ordinary conditions (those you find comfortable) this is a benefit--a shock cannot knock a joint apart if the glue has this resiliency. But as the heat rises, the plasticity increases in these glues. And at really elevated temperatures, above about 115F, even hide glue can suddenly let go of its molecular bonds. There are many sad tales about musical instruments totally disintegrating in high heat.

Finish Care: There is great variety in finishes used on dulcimers. I once saw a home-made dulcimer finished with shoe polish! (It was quite a bizarre-looking musical instrument.) In this department particularly, your instrument's builder will be your best guide. That being said, here are some tips that apply universally.

Scratches, dings, and chips: These are heartbreakers and the impulse to "do something" can be almost irresistable. But they are best left as object lessons and not repaired until they have accumulated a little. You don't want to be sending your instrument off regularly for scratch repair. It is wrenching to have to look at your scratched-up top. After you've gotten a few of them and have learned how to avoid them, then send the dulcimer off to the repair shop. This way, the refinishing process, which can involve taking some of the surface off and thus thinning your instrument's top, will only be done when absolutely necessary. In fact, the best course is to simply leave the scratches and dings alone, if it still sounds like your dulcimer despite its wounds.

Cleaning: You can clean almost any finish with a damp cloth. Damp, not soaked then wrung out. Use the damp cloth to clean off any finger oils. Never use soap or solvents unless you know the specific finishing materials or have been advised by a professional luthier. Waxing can be a real protection for the finish, but don't use furniture wax. Use floor wax. It is harder, gives better protection, and doesn't tend to build up. Avoid clear waxes, as they can show up white if they find pores in the wood to clog up. A brown-red wax that I use on Bear Meadow dulcimers and highly recommend is TreWax Indian Sand. But any floor wax that features a high carnuba wax content will do a good job. Apply it lightly, following directions closely. Waxing should be done only when the finish needs more cleaning than a damp cloth can do or has become generally dull. Don't make a routine of it.

Instrument cases: A case is a very important part of caring for your instrument. There are four different styles of case.

The drawstring purse: Some people like to make their own case out of some favorite material. The form is almost always a bag with a drawstring closure, though velcro closures and simple wraps are also used. These will keep your dulcimer from getting damp or dusty, and will protect from sunlight. Often this is all the protection you will need at an outdoor festival, if you are simply spending a day walking from event to event with your dulcimer in hand.

The foam-padded bag: These will give you a surprising amount of protection from knocks and bumps, as will as giving you a better way to store gig bag stuff. These cases, sometimes called gig-bags, also usually have a shoulder strap as well as a handle, so are more versatile in the transport mode dept. The protection will vary quite a bit, depending on the quality of foam, the design of closures, etc. Shopping around a few music festivals will give you a good idea of the range in the market.

The hardshell case: These can offer very good protection. Inside a hard case, your instrument is secure from all but the most severe insults.Your dulcimer's maker may be able to supply or recommend a case for you. Otherwise, Harptone (New York City) makes a generic hardshell case. If you are wont to throw all your music instruments in the back of the van without regard to what lands on top of what, a hardshell case is for you.

Shipping case: These are the ultimate in protection, though they are liable to cost at least as much as your instrument and weigh in at 20 to 30 lbs. If you are on tour and can't get the airline to let you on the plane with your instrument (and can't afford, for some reason, to buy a separate ticket for your dulcimer!), a fiberglass/aluminum shipping case is your ticket to mobility. Definitely a last resort.

Off-the-wall dulcimer storage: There has been quite a bit of discussion among dulcimer players about the virtue (or sin) of hanging a dulcimer on the wall. There's something about a dulcimer that invites that treatment. The jury has not returned with a final verdict (as in most things in life), but the general consensus seems to be that it is okay to do that. There are a few things to beware of, though.

First of all, make sure you don't hang it on an outside wall, one that forms the exterior shell of your house. Hang it on an interior wall, so that in winter it won't get so chilled. Those outer walls in a room can get pretty cold!

Second, dust the dulcimer occasionally, so spiders get the idea and don't lay eggs inside. (I once found a spider egg inside the gas jet of a furnace in a garage that hadn't been used for a few years. Go ahead, ask me what a spider was doing inside the gas nozzle of a furnace!)

Third, of course, is to make a secure mounting for the dulcimer. A rubber band around the peghead suspended from a straight-pin jammed in a crack in the plaster is just too hippie for words!

The best care
The very best care you can give your dulcimer is to play it! No joke. Don't honor a favorite instrument by entombing it or leaving it at home. The playing of a fine instrument keeps it alive and awake. There is something about storage which deadens a really good stringed instrument. In addition, the more in contact you are with it, the less likely you are to be awkward with it. For all kinds of reasons, playing is the very best care for a musical instrument.

Dwain Wilder is a luthier in Rochester, New York. Do you have comments or questions about his article? Contact Mr. Wilder directly by e-mail. To learn more about him, see the Contributors section of Sweet Music Index.