Anne Bowman

Hi, Anne!  I can understand how the cello fingerboard on the BD would be a challenge.  The sound is wonderful, though.  :) 

Your busking adventure sounds delightful!  And how nice to meet another music friend in-person. 

Sending all best wishes to you & yours! 

Hi all. been away for ages... The Discovering Dulcimers Facebook page is another really great place to see dulcimer stuff.. Had lots of family health issues to deal with for some time. Some are hopefully improving, but my son's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is an ongoing problem.  Anyway, I hope all's well with everyone here.

As for me and the dulcimer.....I did it at last ... With my baritone...
I jwent busking for the first time on Sunday, at our local school markets. A windy day, so not many people, and made no money BUT finally got to meet Richard Cartwright who I was trying to get together with for a dulcimer jam, a local man who's been trying to learn, and a lady who said she has had a dulcimer stored away for years, who I sat down and had playing 'Lady Mary' in about 2 minutes. Being ever hopeful of any recru its, I'd taken my my old kit, which doesn't have the 1+,4+ 8+ etc. on it, for just that reason.The latter two both took my contact details, so fingers crossed. That made it all worthwhile from my point of view ... as well as getting through my first time busking..

Hi Anne.. thanks for watching. H x

Thanks Anne! It's amazing what you can do with a few metres of hessian and a couple of strings of plastic flowers from Spotlight! Hopefully we'll see you on Saturday!

Just found this little gem on Youtube... Richard troughtear playing one of his dulcimers along with Adrian Kosky

Hi Anne

Sadly a busy year at work plus my wife's restaurant, as well as home looking after elderly parents, coupled with operations on 4 fingers for trigger finger has slowed me down a lot - particularly my parents. And my mother in law whose in Mildura is equally a handful requiring two trips.  

But as a consolation prize I've been told by my surgeon (a flamenco player) to take up Fingerstyle guitar playing to get the 4 fingers going again and it's been both effective medical treatment and to my surprise I'm getting the hang of it but Tommy Emmanuel need not worry. But I have achieved a lifetime ambition and can now play Classical Gas.

I'll be back on the dulcimer soon. It's actually been of enormous help doing the Fingerstyle guitar. I often work stuff out in terms of melody and chord with 3 strings on the dulcimer and transfer the concept back across to six strings.

Best wishes for you and your family too for Christmas / New Year.

I'm going to Darwin of all places for the third year in a row. 4 grandchildren, 90% humidity, 45 degree temperatures. Can't wait (to get home again!)

Thank you for your thoughts Anne... the other issue is i have a sentimental attachment to the darn thing as well, as it is made out of Tassie timbers... i lived and worked in Tassie in my twenties and have fond memories of the place.. Huon pine is my favourite timber. Richard suggested using a heavier pick and I've tried  few but it still lacks 'warmth'... i guess i will have to think it over some more... the same predicament you had.... Ta and happy playing.

Hi Anne.. Oooh that must have been a tough decision... but very sensible, you need something you can play. I only play my Troughear for a cpl tunes.. i still think she is to bright and a bit thin in tone... I do get on her now and then trying to find a way to love her tone, but it just doesnt happen...its a pity and i still feel pretty disappointed about it and have considered trying to sell her back to Richard at an apprpriate loss.. its only the delicacy of approaching him that really stops me. I thght about just displaying it when i busk on my other mds but its shape wont fit in any of my stand arrangements cos it so long... luckily i have the pecan dulcimer as my main 'go to' instrument with extra frets.. and a pickup. I did sell another dulcimer a cpl n of years ago that had beautiful spalted dogwood timber (that was hard) but it was too soft and too difficult (action wise) for me to play and enjoy and that kept annoying me...nice thing is it went to a older guy in a retirement village who needed a soft instrument bcos of his close neighbours.. he was a former house builder so the action was no prob for him. Let me know how you go on your exchange dulcimer H x

Hi  @anne-bowman   Sorry for the late response!  Personally, I don't think any dulcimer handles early or Celtic music quite like an Aeolus does. I've played dozens of different dulcimers, and Aeolus is truly my very favorite especially for fingerpicking!

G'day Anne. Richard has offered to send me a set of tuners like yours so i can (with a little instruction) swap them over with mine. If i return my current tuners to him there will be no charge. I am really pleased. I was leaning towards those tuners and keys at he start but went all conservative (lord knows why). So i am wrapped. Has work eased off for u yet or are you hanging in there for the Christmas break?

Hi Anne, I got a very big surprise when it arrived so quickly... the Troughear is beautiful to play and look at and the sustain is amazing but initially i wasnt that hppy with the tone. In fairness to Richardi did ask for 'bright' but to my ear it was so bright it was almost a bit harsh. I ended up putting thicker strings on and strummimg a little further up the fretbooard and found the warmth i was after. I think i was just so used to the Gibson i guess, which due to the deeper sound box is fairly warm. I now play the Troughear a lot. I find its tone suits some tunes better than others. I got Huon pine too with Tassie Blackwood back and sides. I  wish i had got the red tuner keys. The headstock is casuarina which, as Richard admitted, didnt come out to as good a colour match to the Huon as he would have liked but i do now have a lovely aussie timber dulcimer. What do you think of yours?

Hi Anne

Richard dropped me a line re your exciting news....a new dulcimer! I have taken him up on the $600 price too. I'll be paying mine off over a cpl of months while he gets yours ready. He said you were looking at some alternate timber choices. A decision yet? I dont mind on mine.. good volume and sustain are what are important to me. I have picked a particular sound hole insert i liked on his. I am just considering whether to go with a 1 1/2 fret. Its something i have considered for a while. Richard mentioned he knocked you back on a chromatic...are you ok about that? Helen

Hi Anne, i been away and am now a bit under the weather. I understand this site had to move platforms but just havent got in the swing of using this new one regularly. I used to like waking up to half dozen emails from the Drifting Thread forum. Cant seem to get that happenning but i realise the more u contribute, the more u get back and i have been pretty slack in that dept. I still play my dulcimer and am gradually working on a picking tune on my banjo for the next folk group meeting in a weeks time. How have you been, and what have you been up to? Thanks for making contact. Helen x

Hi  @anne-bowman !  Yes Randy did publish a tab book to go along with that album, but it's been out of print for a very long time.  OCcasionally you may find it on Amazon or Ebay.

Thank you so much for the kind words about my playing!

Guy

Anne thank you.

Anne, what a lovely artwork of that little guy. What is the medium used? It is great you wrote book on our diminishing wildlife. Our possums are much larger and were a staple food for the early settlers of the Eastern mountain regions, and many still enjoy hunting and eating them. We were in Australia several years ago, from Byron Bay down to Sidney. Saw lots of wildlife when we were in the bush, the Blue Mountains, and marine life diving at Byron Bay. Didn't realize at the time that 9 out of 10 of the critters there can kill you.

Anne, the Eastern North American possum is looks like an ugly rat (except to another possum), they hiss and spit and are very anti-social. But I'm sure group therapy might make them more congenial.

Glad to be your friend, Anne. So you have raised possums. I admire that as any possums I have come across seem rather grumpy.

Hi Anne, Thanks for the heads-up on the bowed dulcimer web site. It got hacked a while ago and Gail hasn't had time to do much more than get that one single page up. I'm hoping sahe'll be able to get to it soon. We'll all look forward to the day when we can play some tunes in person!