Thanks for listening, Mary. You have indeed been missed.

The fingerboard is pretty cool, but it's not custom.  Terry McCafferty uses a small number of different inlay designs, and this is one with the wolf silhouetted against the moon and little stars as position dots is one of the standard options.

This is just lovely! You're one of the ones to study for keeping fingers and hands relaxed!

Looks like a custom fingerboard? 

I've missed you guys - hope to be back at it soon!

Thanks, Martin!

Great! I love the sensitive playing of the Melodie.

Thanks so much, Marc and Bob.  I appreciate your listening and taking the time to comment.

Sounds so melodious and looks so effortless. I have always loved this O'Carolan tune (with the funny name!) Thanks!

You are too kind, Patty. 

It's always a pleasure to hear you play!

Thanks for your kind words, John and Joyoussinger.

This is a favorite of mine, and you play it beautifully!

Sweetly done.

Yes, Marg, I use my thumb. But I also use my pinky. I figure I need all the help I can get, so all the fingers are invited to the party.

This dulcimer does have extraordinarily low action, something that I like a lot on all my dulcimers.  Low action means your fingers don't have to work so hard to fret the strings, so you can play in a more relaxed manner. 

I notice you use your thumb a good bit, I was talking to Terry about very low action for (seniors like me) that use our thumbs a lot & want less pressing down & pressure on them. 

Thanks again on posting your video, yes beautiful dulcimer and sound.  I enjoyed watching you play, the videos help us learn while we enjoy the music.

Thanks, Jan. Terry has a few different inlay patterns. On this one, the obvious theme is the moon.  The soundholes are quarter moons and there is one small star soundhole as well. Then the inlay in the fretboard falls into the normal places for fret markers: frets 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10.  Each one of those frets has one or two small stars and the fifth fret has a full moon with a wolf silhouette in front.  It took a few hours of playing to get used to the inlay, for my other main dulcimers don't even have position dots, and I just got used to identifying frets by the fret pattern.  I wonder if I'll have trouble going back once I get used to all this fancy stuff!

How pretty!  Both your playing AND your new McCafferty dulcimer!

Those are interesting fret marker positions.....comment?

Thanks, John.

What a wonderful touch!  Great job!

Brian, Sam, Jim, and Marg, thanks so much for listening and taking the time to comment.

Marg, Terry has plans to come out west someday, but he has not done so yet.  I first heard one of his dulcimers on a Concert Window show that Stephen did. It took me a few months to track him down online, and I ended up buying a dulcimer without playing it first, though he promised he'd take it back if I didn't like it.  That was not an issue.  The dulcimer is beautiful in both looks and sound.  Mine is #360 .

Does Terry come out by you to Ca? Last week Stephen Seifert Came out to Terry's (TX) for a few days & a workshop was put together & Terry had his dulcimers out. They are so beautiful in sound & looks. Several in the group I play with have one of Terry's dulcimers, I ended up with one of his capo ;-)

Thanks for sharing (Turlough O'Carolan (1670-1738) tune Fanny Power)

lovely

Really nice, Dusty.