Jaybird -

Welcome to mudcat, again. If you've looked at the links at the top of the thread, to other threads about dulcimers, you may already have found enought to get you started. You'll certainly have seen that we have lots of people here with some knowledge (or at least some ready comments) on the (L)Ap Dulcimer.

(I often just call it a "lap dulcimer" since Appallachian is such a big word.)

You will want to "count the frets" to know when talking about your playing whether you have the "six-and-a-half fret" on your instrument.

The "top string" which should be the one closest to your belly when the "strum notch" is on the right, can be tuned to any "pleasant sound," but a D is fairly common for the open string. If you tune to something in that vicinity, you probably won't break a lot of strings. Note that sometimes the top string is "double-coursed" so you tune both strings the same, but usually refer to the "pair" as a single string.

The traditional layout starts the "major scale" at the third fret, and it will be a G scale with the open string at D. Starting at the third fret, and strumming just the top string; moving upward, you should get a do-re-mi scale. If you get a "clinker" at around the top lah or ti note, you have the 6-1/2 fret, which has to be skipped over to play the straight G major scale.

(Some players add another 1-1/2 fret to their dulicimers, but it's unlikely - not impossible - you'd find one on a home-built from 20 years ago.)

If you do have the 6-1/2 fret you can also start at the open string and go up in a do-re-mi (major) scale by skipping the 6th fret and using the 6-1/2 one in its place.

The remaining strings are sometimes tuned just as "drones," and some people strum across all of them with all, or nearly all, notes while playing the melody on the top string. Various tunings are used to "fit with" tunes in different modes, and the subject of "modes" can fill large books. A D-A-D tuning for the three strings is fairly common as a starting point. Other tunings may be required for some tunes, and when starting you may need to consult tunebooks for "unique" tunings. When/if you manage to make some sense out of the "modes" thing, you may be able to choose a variety of other tunings to suit tunes in particular modes.

Many players graduate to "fingering" and tune the lower strings to make it easy to reach "chords" rather than just "droning along." There are numerous good training books, but finding a player to show you how to get into this is to be recommended if possible.

More specific questions are likely to draw some real players, so come back until your questions get answered.

John