I have recently acquired a dulcimer and am about to get started.

Any recommendations of decent sites or resources? There is a Mountain Dulcimer site which looks quite good but isn't accepting members currently as their server is moving.

A few basic questions -

* The intonation of the instrument seems a bit out. It has a fixed nut up each end so I can't see that it's possible to adjust. As a first off I'm going to change the strings but a wee bit disappointed!

* I have a standard set of dulcimer strings - .012 .014 and .022 and will start off in DAD. If I want to try some other tunings - my wife likes Joni Mitchell so will undoubtedly try some of those - what is the tolerance on the strings? I have already broken one so presume that I am tuning up when I should be tuning down!
So if I want to do DAA rather than DAD I presumably tune the top D down to A?
If I want to tune GGG do I tune ALL the strings down (a LONG way!)?
Similarly F# F# G# - should they all go down?

Obvious probably but better to ask