Mountain Dulcimer Chord Chart

Folkstrings.com is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a small commission.

Last Updated on July 11, 2026 by folkstrings

DAD tuning — key of D major. Notation: Bass string — Middle string — Melody string (0 = open)

These chord voicings are for DAD tuning with a standard diatonic fretboard. The fret positions shown are the most common basic voicings — other voicings exist for each chord. Where a chord is ambiguous between major and minor (no third present), the key context usually makes it clear.

major

0-0-0

Open strings — no fretting needed. The easiest starting chord.

major

3-1-0

Bass at fret 3, middle at fret 1, melody open.

major

4-2-1

Bass at 4, middle at 2, melody at 1. Confirmed by Steven K. Smith.

minor

1-1-3

Bass and middle both at fret 1, melody at fret 3.

minor

5-3-2

Starting around fret 2 — bass at 5, middle at 3, melody at 2.

F#m

minor

2-0-2

Bass and melody at fret 2, middle open. Missing C# but works in context.

seventh

4-2-3

Like A major but melody moves to fret 3 — adds the 7th (G). Confirmed from Mandolin Cafe and fotmd.com.

Bar Chord Reference — same fret on all three strings

0-0-0D— Tonic in D major

1-1-1E— Em or E in context

2-2-2F#— F#m in context

3-3-3G— G major

4-4-4A— A major/minor

5-5-5B— Bm in context

7-7-7D— D one octave up

Bar chords (all three strings on the same fret) produce power chords — root, fifth and octave. Because the bass and melody strings are both tuned to D, bar chords are ambiguous between major and minor. The listener’s ear usually fills in the quality from context. Bar chords are the easiest way to play any chord on the dulcimer and work well for most folk songs.

Tool by Folkstrings.com — chord positions verified from dulcimermusic.org and sksmithmusic.com

How to Read Dulcimer Chord Notation

Dulcimer chords are written as three numbers separated by dashes — Bass-Middle-Melody. The numbers indicate which fret to press on each string. Zero means play the string open without pressing any fret. So 4-2-1 means fret 4 on the bass string, fret 2 on the middle string, and fret 1 on the melody string.

The mountain dulcimer’s diatonic fretboard means not every chord is available in every position. In DAD tuning the key of D major is the most naturally accessible, with all seven triads reachable without going above fret 7. Other keys require retuning or a capo.

For more on the dulcimer: our dulcimer tuning reference covers all common tunings, and our string gauge guide covers which strings to use.

Author Profile

Daniel Johnstone

Daniel Johnstone is an English writer and folk musician who has been playing stringed instruments for over twenty years. He started on guitar as a teenager before working his way through cavaco, tenor guitar, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, and harp. He founded Folkstrings.com to provide practical, experience-based buying advice for folk instrument players at every level — the kind of guidance he always wished had existed when he was finding his feet.