Lesson Four: Chord Rolls and Flams

Because we only have two hands, we can usually only play two notes simultaneously, although some folks hit three or four notes by having one or both hands deliberately strike the valley where a right treble course meets a bass course. By playing several notes very quickly, though, we can get an effect similar to three or more simultaneous notes.

Chord Rolls: Choose two or more chord notes below the melody note. Play them very quickly from lowest to highest, alternating your hands, being careful to hit the melody note on the beat. In other words, you need to start early, playing the other notes before the beat.

You may find this easier if you move your hands closer together, i.e. further from the bridges. You'll be pleased to discover that most dulcimers sound best when you play further from the bridges, too.

Some people like to play the notes so quickly that they do sound nearly simultaneous. Other people like to slow down only enough that the individual notes are sounded distinctly, but still very quickly.

You can also choose chord notes above the melody note, playing from highest to lowest; just be careful that the melody remains prominent.

Flams: If the melody note is on the left treble bridge, you can often find a chord note on the right treble and another straight across on the bass bridge. For example, if the melody note is E, you might want B on the right treble and E on the bass, or G on the right treble and C on the bass, or E on the right treble (an octave below the melody note) and A on the bass. A flam is when you hit the right treble note and then the bass note with one bouncing stroke of the right hand, then immediately hit the left hand note.

When I play a flam, my right hand feels like it's describing a capital L. The long part is coming down to strike the right treble note, then the horizontal stroke brings the hammer to the bass note. In other words, it doesn't seem to be a curve going from the treble note to the bass note. That's just what it seems like for me; your technique may differ and still sound great.

If you have trouble with flams, practice controlled bounces. Work on getting your hammer to strike the same note exactly twice with one stroke; try varying the height from which you strike, the angle of the strike, the way your thumb or fingers move, and the way you bring the hammer back up from the strings.

Next work on playing this double note followed immediately by a left hand note. Once you've got that down comfortably, gradually convince your hand that it can move the bounce to hit a bass string instead of repeating the right treble note. Start by striking very near the valley, then increase the distance until you're hitting both notes about halfway between the bridge and the valley.

Some people like to do a little hammer roll (multiple bounces) on the right treble note before bouncing to the bass note. Some people dislike that sound.

Both flams and chord rolls -- well, three-note chord rolls -- have the same rhythm, like "ba-da-BUM," with "BUM" falling on the beat. Chord rolls have the notes in order of pitch. Flams have the notes out of order.

This page: Chord Rolls | Flams
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