melody

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Melody Arrangements with Chords

The foundation of the more advanced tablature arrangements in the Dulcijo tablature section is the melody arrangements. We just take the basic melody of a song and add notes that complement the melody and an arrangement is created. The words to the first verse and/or chorus are included (except on instrumentals). You can use this as an aid in learning the tune of the song or to build your own arrangements. Below are the first four measures of “Bile Dem Cabbage Down.”

Between the standard notation staff and the tablature is the chord progression of the song. You can use the chords for accompanying your singing, or if you’re playing along with other instruments you could play the chords when another instrument is playing the lead. On these chord diagrams only the first two frets are shown. The horizontal lines represent the frets and the vertical lines represent the strings.

D chord - Open - No strings held down
G chord - Hold down the 2nd string 1st fret
A chord - Hold down the 1st string 1st fret

When playing the chords, simply hold down the chord that is called for and play until another chord is called. If you’re just starting out you might just want to strum the chord once at the beginning of each measure or strum once for each beat in the measure. In the next lesson we’ll teach the “bum ditty,” a clawhammer technique that goes especially well with the Dulcijo.

A “proper” major chord is a triad (three notes) that contains the 1st, 3rd, and 5th tones of the major scale of the chord name. Here are the notes that would ordinarily be included in a major chord:

D chord: D F# A
G chord: G B D
A chord: A C# E

Here are the simplified chords we use on the Dulcijo:

D chord: A A D
G chord: A B D
A chord: A A E

As you can see, these chord substitutions each contain only two of the three necessary notes to form a “proper” major chord. The simplified Dulcijo D chord contains A and D but leaves out F#. The A chord includes A and E but leaves out C#. Finally, the G includes B and D but does not include a G note; instead it adds an A note, which gives the chord a kind of suspended sound which is common in much mountain music, especially when played on the dulcimer.

I’d recommend using the simplified chord forms anytime you’re singing, but if you want to get fancier you can just refer to the fretboard diagram above and figure out the chords at other locations on the neck. Just look for the three notes in the major chord triad. For example, we know that the three notes needed for a full D chord are D, F#, and A. Since the top string is A, you can hold the 1st string 2nd fret for the F# and the 2nd string 3rd fret for the D and you have all three notes of the D major chord.

Likewise, since we know the A chord consists of the notes A, C#, and E, again play the A on the 3rd string. Then play the 1st string 1st fret for the E note and the 2nd string 2nd fret for the C# note and you have all three notes of the A chord.

The G chord is a little trickier since you only have three strings to work with and the drone string is not a part of the G chord. No big problem though. You can hold down the 3rd string at fret 5, which gives you a B note, then hold the 2nd string at fret 6 for a G note, and finally the 1st string at fret 7 for a G major chord that includes all of the notes.

There are plenty of other possibilities. Try looking over the notes on the fingerboard for other chord options you might want to use. Remember, though, that all of these variations are optional as the Dulcijo sounds great with individual notes instead of chords.

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