Forum Activity for @paula-brawdy

I am looking for a Gallier or probst dulcimer.  Used or new.  Anyone have one please private message me please?  Thank you! Paula

Gorgeous!!    Love the singing, the song and the instrumentation!!!

What is the advantage and disadvantage of cedar soundboards?  I don't see cedar being used much, and am considering a dulcimer with one.  thanks!

I have a question on Simerman dulcimers.    i have heard his later models.    Are his early models say the first year he built, as good as the later models?    

Thanks Ken, I was thinking that may be the case... and probably not something I can do.   I will contact Modern Mtn and see if they can send them if they are really all precision made and don't vary, then maybe it's possible to get the nut and bridges...  

I am considering a used modern mtn Dulcimer that was set up as a left handed Dulcimer.  To change it to right handed  how much to you have to change on nut and bridge?  Is it easy to do? 

Does anyone have tab for this tune?   thanks!    

Has anyone ever retuned a banjo into  mountain dulcimer tuning?

486

Thank you so much Dusty for the tab for Boys of Wexford , I will try it out and let you know... not home much today but sometime this week!  and thanks to Ken for pointing me to Banish Misfortune tab!   You guys are great

I would love to find mtn dulcimer tab for the Boys of Wexford and banish misfortune...I think they are traditional tunes... Does anyone have these tunes... I have been listening to Leo Kretzner play them on youtube!

could be just the picture... it's hard to take pictures in the house is my experience... you can't really go wrong with a mcspadden.   

There are more variables and that is the wood...   It also has a volume difference.  

Stephen Seiferts 3 day workshops are the best.   He gets down to basics, rhythm, strumming, chords and covers the landscape very well.   Not everyone is a good teacher and a good player.   Stephen Seifert is excellent at both, and a very nice guy on top of that! 

One additional note to Gale is to purchase one you can see and play... or buy it from someone who sets them up right before selling them... The strings are usually a little high on the original set up and they lower the action if that is the case... I don't know John Hawk who sold one to Jan in the note below, but he may be a possibility for you if you decide to purchase.    You get a lot for your money in this instrument.  Including a nice hard case, a pickup,  etc.

I am going to remove my one melody string.  I can hear when you play the melody string ring out crisp which I like.    Mine also has the 1.5 fret as well, and I like that too.      Paula

sounds fabulous!!!   Did you have it hooked up to an amp?   Second question, did you take one of the melody strings off?   I can only hear one...I am debating on taking one of mine off as I usually only have one melody string!   Nice job playing this song!!   

I have one.   I love it...  It does have the 1 1/2 fret added, and was set up by a luthier to make the action at the right height.  They have a very full sound.  They also have a pickup (at least mine does) and so you can plug it into an amp as well.     They are much larger on your lap than a regular dulcimer.  OVerall, fun to play.   I nice addition to your collection, (if you don't have one, you probably will have a collection!)

Just to clarify, this is not a bass dulcimer... I am just talking about the bass string or lower string...

On a three string DAD set up... The lower D string -   Just wondered about gauge and sound differences.   I have a 2

Phosphorous Bronze wrap   - 22 to 26 gauge

Steel no wrap   - 22  to 26 gauge

On one of my dulcimers I have the steel and it's nice and smooth and blends well.   On the other identical dulcimer I have the wrapped phosphorous wrap...    

I think the wrapped bronze it a little harder to play... It moves more towards the side of the fretboard, which I don't like, but it is deep sounding.   Not sure it blends as well.. 

Just wondered what you all have experienced on this... 

Do you have any experience with drum electronic devices or other types that provide backup rhythm

pros ànd cons?

Thanks!  I will give that a try!

I have a metal capo with the quick release handle...  My question is how do I set it?  when I put it on the dulcimer, I am never sure whether the metal lever that moves should be down when I set it , or up when I set it and then pushed down...  It seems hard to push down after the capo is screwed on the instrument, and I don't want to force it down for free of damaging the fretboard..  Hopefully I explained this well enough so you can understand what I am asking :)

Does anyone have an hourglass type dulcimer with a sweetwater label?   I googled to find info but only found the strumstick style.

I thought that and Indiana group made them?    I wondered about the quality and sound quality?    Just wondered what you can tell me.   

They don't seem to come with instructions or is there a book you can print?

Okay, I have songs I want to put into mtn dulcimer tab.  I like the tab that has the regular staff and traditional notes above, and the mtn tab below .  In other words, I would like both...   What program should I use?   tabledit  or ABC or what... I need something ease to use as doing this tries my patience!!

Oh darn!   The next jam is the first saturday in November.   Bob Warner and I looked at it today and we took a metal ruler and it looks like the fretboard has some slight dips in it...  I think they set the action really high to avoid the fret noise due to this.. not sure there is a remedy... unless the frets could come up to be even...   no festivals other than Sharna Tanner is having something in Pinckney, and all day Thursday type annual day...

It looks like the fretboard is not level.  Not a good thing and not Sure this can be fixed.  I think that may be why the action was set so high to compensate for this.   

Hi Matt, the mtn dulcimer group meets this saturday at Bob's Barn... Will you be there?  If so I will have the dulcimer there and maybe you would be so kind as to take a look at it...  

Hey Ken,   It does have new strings.  I had a luthier try to set it up at a festival.   The strings are really high over the upper (meaning 7 and higher) frets so I asked him to set it up.  He lowered the bridge and then he said the strings started to hit the frets, so he then put a shim under the bridge.   Now the strings on the higher frets are way high again, and it sounds twangy when you play it...  ugh...   I could take it to Elderly's, I did hear the guy who did all the dulcimer work left.  Not just anyone can work on a dulcimer and do it well.  Not to mention they are not cheap.  However, it probably does need to see a luthier again... as I certainly could mess it up more!   :) 

Hey Matt, I may have you look at it at the next jam...  

I have a 1979 dulcimer.  Very nice walnut by Richard and Denise Wilson, who lived in MIchigan.   The nut needs to be raised as the  

the strings are "twanging" (is that really a word?)  on the frets.  How hard is it to pop the nut out without breaking it.  I am guessing it has glue on it.. It seems pretty tight.  I am afraid it would be destroyed in the process.   I wish there was something I could put over the existing nut like a cap or something.. I tried putting little pieces of paper on top of each string and that didn't seem to help and I couldn't really keep them in well ... any suggestions?  

That is a nice looking case!   And you don't have to worry about your dulcimer getting damaged...  If I were a woodworker I would surely make one!

That is just "too cute"!!!  Love it!

A lot of professional musicians have something that provides rhythm... drums sounds etc.   They use  Some sorts of pedals and whatever... Can anyone enlighten me on what you need to provide rhythm?   Are they using a keyboard that is programmed to provide rhythm?  but I do see them using a pedal...   I am totally lost on this one!

what do they use?

I like Stephen Seiferts Join the Jam 1 for a beginning player...    It is written well, the tab is easy to read, and we use it in our group... It has worked very well.  

Start with the easier songs like Bile them Cabbage down, and others...  Also if you can catch one of Stephen's 3 day intensive workshops for beginners it will help immensely.  

Secondly there is dulcimer school on the web.      www.dulcimerschool.com     this website is how I began my mountain dulcimer journey.  I was working full time, and did not have a lot of extra time and/or energy.  I subscribed for about 3 months and at 5 am I was on this website with my dulcimer learning all the basics!    It is very reasonable to subscribe for a month and there is no obligation to continue at any time..   He will get you started right with strumming and developing good habits, not bad habits!    You can take lessons on this site 24 hours a day as it is a series of teaching video's.   It 's the best deal out there for mountain dulcimer.

His workmanship is absolutely beautiful.  I have one and I love it...It is especially clear in sound and I love to play it in the evening... It is a good fingerpicking 

dulcimer, and sounds good strummed too.   

Loved hearing the original fiddler play it...He looks like a nice fellow too!

Stephen Seifert has thumb drives with all his books on it for a reasonable price!!!    I assume the songs are split up,  but you could ask...   It's really a good deal to have all his books too!