Thanks for listening, Guy and folkfan. More recently I've been working on fingerstyle versions of these tunes, but they're not quite ready for prime time yet.

Very pretty, a lovely light tone.

LOVE that!

That's so sweet, Kay. I have learned so much by watching videos of other dulcimer players that it just tickles me to be able to pass on a tune or two thatway as well. I'm sure you will improve upon my version in short order.

Thanks, everyone for your kind words of encouragement.

The more I play this dulcimer the more my other full-size dulcimers just don't measure up (I still love my baritone dulcimette, though, and think my style of flatpicking is best suited to that instrument.). The Blue Lion has not only volume and bass but also sustain. There was a minor intonation problem when I first got it, but adjustingthe bridge seems to have taken care of that. And maybe it just needed some loveto start singing.

So lovely, Dusty. The bass response sounds just right on these tunes.

I'd like to hear a roomful of Blue Lions compared to one another. (I have a Jean Ritchie model.) I imagine there would be a lot of variation in sound among all the instruments-- and probably even among different instruments of the same model. Blue Lion (the Bakers) put out beautiful instruments.

Hi Dusty,

Very nice playing on two favorite tunes of mine. I'm glad to have heard it. Thank you for sharing.

Kind regards,

Brian

Wow, John, you must have viewed this videothe moment I uploaded it.

I'm so glad your first comment is about the dulcimer. I actually bought it from another FOTMD member who didn't like the sound. I mean really didn't like the sound. I figured that Blue Lion had such a fine reputation that it was worth the risk. The bridge is moveable, and I made a minor adjustment there, but just by trial and error, for I really don't understand the physics of bridge compensation. The dulcimer is really loud with a powerful bass, and perhaps noter/drone players don't like that big bass. But I do! The instrument actually sounds best played in a fingerpicking style, but my skills in that technique are limited. Between the bright sound of the cherry and the general volume the instrument is capable of, it is not very forgiving. If you make a mistake it really sounds bad. I tuned it down to C in part to mellow thetone a bit. But all in all, I agree that it is a really nice sounding dulcimer. My other full-size dulcimers lose their tone and get kind of tinny up the fingerboard, but this one doesn't. You could almost do Pete Townshend-like power chords way up on the neck. (Don't worry; I won't be smashing it or anything.)

I don't do too much with the tunes, but thanks for your compliment.