Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

Molly, I charge anywhere from $15 to $25 a fret. Replacing a fret involves pulling the old fret and putting in a new one. If you damage the fret board in pulling the old fret you need to repair it before installing the new one. Then you need to dress the fret. It can take an hour or more to do one fret. Adding new fret requires calculating where they should be placed, cutting the slots, installing the frets, leveling, and dressing. Customers should be aware that problems in doing these operations may arise and additional charges may be incurred. Since I do not do this for a living I keep my prices low, but I the pros around here charge around $50 an hour plus materials. I don't charge for the fret material as long as I have the proper size. If I have to order fretwire, well that's a separate negotiation.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Just another brief thought. I was surprised when attending festivals that many folks had never heard of DPN. One would mention the magazine in a workshop and people would ask "What is that?" And it wasn't just new players, but also players who had been playing for years. Did anyone else ever encounter this?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks, Dusty, Ken, and Lisa for your comments. As you gathered, my post is a way of dealing with my grief of losing a friend after 49 years.

Dusty thanks for your suggestions about tablets. My wife sits next to me on the sofa and uses an iPad to surf the web, read email, etc. Over the years she has had different sizes and has settled on the one that is about full page size (8 1/2 x 11). I do read books on my Kindle and may some day switch to an iPad for reading. I'm sure part of it for me is just developing new habits. When I referred to "the small number of people on the web," I was thinking about only those who have an interest in mountain dulcimer history which is a small number of the general mountain dulcimer enthusiast population. I agree that the web reaches many more people than print media ever did or would. Obviously I participate on the web and enjoy the camaraderie here and at the other dulcimer web sites. I think the future continues to be bright for the mountain dulcimer and look forward to new days and adventures ahead. Festivals and gatherings will continue in person and on the web. People will discover the mountain dulcimer and start playing or building.

Ken, I appreciate your comments. You pointed out some things I hadn't considered and agree that they contributed to the demise.

Lisa, I appreciate your continuing to offer FOTMD to the dulcimer community. I'm here everyday (sometimes many times) and enjoy our discussions and sharing.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I just received the last the glossy printed issue of DPN. The next two issues, the final ones, will be printed using a Risograph machine which is a step above a mimeograph. Ashley Ernst, the publisher/editor of DPN, explains the reasons for this in this issue's editorial. I understand the reasons for this decision as the magazine folds. The editorial made me not only wax nostalgic about the early days of DPN, but also speculate what a future will be like without the quarterly journal showing up in my post office box. Almost from the inception of DPN it has been a constant companion on my dulcimer journey both hammered and mountain. It was the place I turned to for information about other players and builders. It connected me folks who shared a love of these instruments as well as kept me abreast of the what was happening in the dulcimer world. My chosen vocation kept me from attending any dulcimer festivals until late in the 1990s. Contact with other players in those days was infrequent. The magazine was there to encourage me and sustain. 

Times have changed; we all know that. Many print publications have ceased to exist or gone digital. I have to confess that when something to which I subscribed has converted to digital editions, I've stopped reading them. It's probably my age, but I find it difficult to sit with a computer on my lap to read for any length of time. The same is true for sitting in front of my desk top computer. It is more tiring on my eyes than holding and reading a paper magazine. I do read a good amount of material online, e.g., here at FOTMD, TTAD, and ED as well as at non-dulcimer related websites.

Beyond the nostalgia, I wonder what effect this will have on dulcimer makers, players, instructors, festivals, etc. One avenue of getting the word about performances and products will disappear. The sharing of dulcimer history. which for a long time was a feature of DPN, will occur now only among a small number of people on the web.The exposure of the larger dulcimer community to these niche interests will be reduced. So will the exposure of the builders, performers, merchants, and others involved with various aspects of the dulcimer world.

I know we have this site, TTAD, ED, and various social media outlets to discuss and share news about and our love the dulcimer. I participate in those, but it is not the same. The information on social media sites is transient. For the most part you can't go back and look up something that caught your attend. Websites are a little more permanent but not like the archiving of a magazine. How often does one try find a link, photo, or other file on the web only to discover it has disappeared? We live in a world of impermanence.

So what does the future hold? I don't have a crystal ball. I do have some more thoughts. We will adapt. One door closes and another one opens. I don't really know what that will be. I'm sure those who desire to share knowledge about the mountain dulcimer (and the hammered dulcimer) will find effective ways to get the word out. I'm not sure how that word will be preserved.

Lately I've been reading a few books about the Civil War. What strikes me about these books is the amount of material that comes from written diaries and letters.What will the biographers and novelists who write about our time use as primary source material?

Well, if you have read this far, I commend you for sticking with me. I am interested in what you think, so perhaps you will share your thoughts here.

Finally, thank you to all those who contributed to DPN over the years; from the publishers, to the writers, to the advertisers, to the subscribers. All you have had a tremendous influence on my life. I wish you all the best andI look forward to our next chapter whatever that may be.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

My esteemed colleagues John and Ken have helped you as well as I could have. I agree with John that the bridge/saddle is missing. It may have been made of bone if that is what the nut is made from. In order to make it playable you will need a new bridge. I also agree with Ken that the dulcimer is all walnut. And you really did find a great bargain on that instrument. Enjoy. Oh, and maybe someone on FOTMD from Alabama will recognize it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

No problems here.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song,"

Thanks for the "Heads up" Lisa. Best wishes for a successful move.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Well it is all speculation until the original poster replies and tells us what he means by "blue notes."

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Nate, here is a link to a short piece from the Smithsonian Institution on how to build a hammered dulcimer.

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/hammered-dulcimer/hdmake

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

For anyone interested in learning about the hammered dulcimer, I recommend this book The Hammered Dulcimer A History by Paul M. Gifford which was published by Scarecrow Press. The book is no longer available new. When I looked for it in the used market, it is even more expensive that when I bought it new; $65 then and almost twice that now. In my opinion it is well worth the price to those who have a genuine interest in this instrument. If you just want to read it, see if your local library can get it for you.

On the "scheitholt" issue, I in addition to placing the blame on Praetorius, we can also place the blame of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC for displaying a zitter and calling it a scheitholt without extensively researching the history of the instrument and on Jean Ritchie for taking it at face value and repeating it in one of her books. The same instrument is still in the collection at the MMA, but is now called a zither.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank you, Robin.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks for posting this Robin. I would have posted this information in Events, but with my wife's open heart surgery and difficult recovery I just haven't had the time to participate in our dulcimer forums as much I as I usually do. I'm waiting to see if she will be discharged from the hospital today and go to a rehab facility.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

It is with a sad heart that I share the news that Gary Sager of Prussia Valley dulcimers died this afternoon, March 15, 2023. Gary was an experienced dulcimer maker and an enthusiastic promoter of the mountain dulcimer. I first met Gary and Dave Lynch at the same time at a Harmony Harvest festival in Lancaster, OH. Gary was generous in sharing advice about building and playing dulcimers. He will be missed by all who knew him or shopped at the Prussia Valley Music Store or website.

My sympathy goes out to his wife, Toni, and the rest of Gary's family. 

Rest in peace Gary.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

In my conversation with Ashley she indicated she would keep up the events calendar and maybe the club list, but I don't think she was interested in maintaining a digital newsletter. I guess if that is a need for the dulcimer community someone will develop it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Janita.

After reading the story from Janita, I have a vague recollection of her telling me that story. It was at one of the Shenandoah University dulcimer weeks that Maddie Mac Neal and Ralph Lee Smith organized. We were sharing our backgrounds and I asked how a geology major got involved in dulcimers. I had forgotten all about that until Silverstrings posted Janita's response.

Ken

"The dulcimer sing a sweet song."

I have no idea, but I'm sure you could email Janita and ask her. Bob and Janita have building dulcimers since 1977. There must be a story behind the name.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Scale length is always a matter of personal preference. Three of my guitars have vsls of 25.5 inches and of course all those fret boards are chromatic. My banjos are 26.25 inch vsl. The length I prefer for the dulcimer at vsl of 27 although I have some shorter than that and longer than that. As to strings, I don't buy dulcimer string sets. I buy strings in bulk for the gauges I prefer, both ball and loop end strings. I also make custom strings from spools of piano wire. Prepackaged dulcimer strings are just plain steel strings and wound strings packaged for dulcimer builders (Folkcraft andMcSpadden, etc.) by string manufacturers who make strings for guitars, banjos, mandolins, balalaikas, hammered dulcimers, etc. So, I don't think there is really any benefit to a longer VSL. If you like the sound and feel of a longer VSL, go for it. If not, choose one that appeals to you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song.

Folkfan, you have my deepest sympathy. Dave was a friend to so many dulcimer players. His student dulcimer got so many folks started on our beloved instrument. His "travel" dulcimer was a unique innovation. He will be missed by so many people. I consider myself fortunate to have known him in this life.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That's good news Robin.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

John's son Paul says that John is in hospital and is asking prayers for him at this time.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Wonderful video, alegre1. Thank you for creating and sharing it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Wally. That's a good idea.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Will do. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I think what you are seeing is the result of a chemical reaction either from the proximity of other metals as already noted or from the envelopes in which the strings were packaged. Did the envelopes have printing on them? Even if they didn't, there are chemicals used in creating the paper that could have leached on to the strings.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Dusty, blame it on spell check. When I typed in "Cotten," spell check immediately changed it to "Cotton."

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks for the tab Dusty. And the link to Libba playing it. I'm trying to think of the first person I ever heard playing that song. It might have been Mike Seeger. I just can't remember.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I agree with both of you. Black Mountain Dulcimers has provided quality instruments and will continue to do so, just not on as a large a scale as in the past. Building custom instruments for individuals in different from making large quantities of the one design for wholesale purchase. I wish David the best as he transitions to building one dulcimer at a time.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks for posting this Ben. Probably should be a separate discussion. I enjoyed visiting with Jeremy at a few festivals. 

I couldn't find an obituary for Jeremy. Ben, do you have access to one?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Very sad news indeed. Today is Missy's birthday. My sympathy goes out to Missy and the rest of the family.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'm glad you finished it and can enjoy playing it. Have fun.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You might talk with Richard Ash at Folkcraft to see if he would make custom kits for you. Folkcraft does make a chromatic dulcimer kit, but all the kits are three stringed. So if you would want to experiment with 4 equidistant strings, he would need to provide different fret boards. Otherwise all your other requirements are possible with the two types of 3 string dulcimer kits from Folkcraft.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Using super glue makes the frets a little harder to remove if you ever need to do that, but not impossible. I've used super glue, the thin kind, after seating the fret and wicking a little under the fret. I haven't had one come loose yet. I do use it sparingly.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

On Facebook today, 01 February 2023, Ashley Ernst announced that DPN will cease publication in 2024. She did not give a volume or issue number, but I suspect the last issue will be the first one that comes out in 2024. Again, that is just speculation on my part.

Having been a columnist and contributor to DPN over the years, I will miss the magazine. I understand why Ashley made this difficult decision. Many print publications are ending that aspect of life and shifting to electronic (online) editions. There was no mention of this as a possibility for DPN.

In the early days of DPN it seemed the "newsletter" worked to create a community of dulcimer enthusiasts. It helped people share ideas, arrange meetings (festivals), and find places to buy instruments. It also kept us posted on what we were all doing. While these things continued over the life of the magazine, over the last 10 or 15 years the emphasis seemed to shift to teaching techniques or songs. In a sense it became a quarterly lesson for mountain or hammered dulcimer. The connection of getting to know "dulcimer people" seemed to have been lost. We knew contributors were good players and provided excellent lessons without learning what brought them to play the dulcimer, desire to teach, etc. I know that much of that community building happens at festivals, but with so many festivals going virtual what we are experiencing is group video lessons and little real community (but that is a whole other discussion).

I offer my thanks to Ashley, Dan, Maddie, and Phil for their hard work and dedication to DPN and the dulcimer community it created. Without them who knows where we would all be. So to those five folks and all who contributed to the magazine over the years, "So long, and thanks for the all the fish."

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

What a great story and wonderful ending. Enjoy your granduncle's handiwork.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

This is good to know Dwain.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I don't know of any makers of the fine tuners on the Sunhearth dulcimers. Walt made those himself. One was missing on the Sunhearth I bought, but I had some little pieces of ebony so I made one for my dulcimer. If you send me a photo of the the fire tuners on your dulcimer and rough measurements, I can make one for you. Send me a private message here if interested. Click on @ken-longfield and then look for  send message on the left hand side of the screen

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I think the original poster meant Cigar Box Guitar, CBG and just transposed the B and G. I'll be interest to see his new cigar box creation when he finishes it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You're welcome.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks for sharing this story. It certainly was interesting.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."