Forum Activity for @strumelia

Steven, you said you were interested in a basic strumming style, fretting only the melody string. That would be either noter style playing, or fingerdancing style where you fret with the fingers on the melody string only.

You might find some helpful instruction, over 30 beginner tabs, and videos in my online free blog for beginner noter players:
https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/search/label/strumming
(Be sure to browse the posts sorted by date (earliest posts first) and/or by subject matter, using the right hand column indexes found on every page.)

I find KenH's article very simple to follow, until it gets to explaining modes. Modes are always a challenge for new players to learn about. But like many FOTMD members, you don't really have to understand modes to enjoy playing in noter style. It's fun to learn about modes later on, and get those wonderful 'light bulb moments' as you change tunings.
I've written a very simplified "modes aren't so scary after all" method of learning about the basic modes in my blog, but I suggest you delve into that later on, after you are comfortable with playing a few simple first tunes. And it doesn't get any simpler than the tune for Hot Cross Buns.
For now, just know that tuning to DAA to begin with will make it easier if you are wanting to fret notes only on the melody string.

It's easy to see lots of McSpaddens on ebay and you'll get a quick idea as to what they are currently selling for.

The Bill Taylor I imagine is a nice playable dulcimer, but it's not that old or a big collectable yet, so you might try asking what you paid for it. If nobody bites then lower the price by 20% and that stimulate a sale.

Are you working with someone to sell it in person, i.e. to another dulcimer player in your area, without shipping involved?

Most strings I've bought for either dulcimers or banjos have at least 8" surplus length. I'd just clip off the loop and make a new loop right there. Use the pencil or a dowel to help make the loop around, and avoid making bends that are too sharp when you twist the end.

Something here might help:
https://heritagedulcimers.wordpress.com/articles/making-your-own-loop-end-strings/

you might use a screwdriver rather than a pencil if the loop is sized better that way.

Why not just clip the loop off the end of the string and make a new larger loop? I've done that. Use a needle nose pliers and wrap the end of the string around a pencil and then make several twists using the pliers. cut the excess end off. avoid nicking the string with the pliers while bending or twisting the loop end.

FWIW Roy, I always use PegDrops brand on my wooden pegs, and ONLY that. Everything I've tried has been too slippy. I make sure all other products are gone from the pegs completely, and then I follow the bottle instructions exactly, only like two drop per peg right in the spot where they touch the box as they spin, and spinning them there a bit. Then i let them 'cure' overnight before putting them to the test. They have liquid rosin in them and are just right for my wood peg banjos at high tension. 

Roy, maybe you already know this but- a heavier string and a lighter string, if tuned to the same note over the same scale length, ...the heavier string will be tighter/tauter and the lighter string will be a little more relaxed. That's why it helps to go to a lighter string if the heavier string pulls so much that the pegs can't hold it.

28" is a 'slightly' long scale these days- many dulcimers are now built 25.5 to 27" vsl... which makes sense since dulcimers used to often be tuned to the key of C rather than today's standard key of D.  It's not uncommon to see older dulcimer instruction books from the 1960s or 70s written for key of C tuning.

If you are going to sell some of them, it's the shipping which will become the biggest chore, and the protective packaging so they don't get crushed in transit, and just getting suitable shipping boxes.

Are you saying you have over 80 dulcimers? You may want to get a well advertised estate sale going and a professional person to help with this. It's a whole lot of dulcimers.

Randy is right. I've tried that in the past and it works well.

There was an annoying big fat house fly buzzing around my office window a few minutes ago. I swatted it and dropped it into the pitcher of my nepenthes Gaya carnivorous pitcher plant which i've been growing for about a year. Very satisfying. 

Mangos and watermelon... doesn't get much better than that Ken.

When i lived in Puerto Rico the neighbors had a huuuuge mango tree, and they never bothered eating any. (!) So my two little daughters and i would fill big bags and feast on them for weeks at a time. Good memories.

We got the blueberry net up just in time a few days ago. Yesterday I picked the first ripe berries, got about 1 1/2 pints. We usually get blueberries for 1 month, and when they peter out the ripe tomato picking starts.
I planted only 13 tomato plants this year. Trying two plants of a new cherry tomato called Black Strawberry that has clusters of large dark cherry tomatoes with purple-y stripes. Also two "Lemon Boy" yellow tomatoes. This year I planted some patty pan squash... so cute!

By the way, I read something interesting a couple weeks ago. The word possum can refer to one of various possum species in parts of the world. But the precise name "opossum" refers specifically to the U.S.'s only native species of marsupial.

I'm sure you'll get many good responses here Homer!

But I'd also like to point out that a site search for the words "possum board" turns up some other cool results as well:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/all/1/25?jr_html_form_token=227cb384a33983011316aec8511948a1&search_string=possum+board

Sam indignant about his emoji:

I and a ton of other lefties have no trouble playing 'right handed' instruments. Both hands have important jobs to do.

Switching the strings will make it harder to follow written tab, for sure, and following instructions for making chords with certain fingers would be a whole different experience. You'd more than likely have to (eventually) make new leftie bridge and nut as well. Selling leftie instruments is way more difficult if you need to sell it later.

I believe more than 50% of left handed people play like right handers on stringed instruments. Why not let her start right handed and see how it goes?- for beginners, BOTH hands will feel extremely awkward anyway for a while when just starting out on a stringed instrument. Keep in mind that some awkwardness and frustration will be there whether she is right or left handed.

Charlie that is so impressive- in less than a year and a half you lost about 100 lbs!  Sounds like you did it the healthy way too. I'm so glad for you.    It takes real dedication to do that. You have completely turned your life around through you own efforts.

A strap is what I use. Sure there is a tiny bit of getting used to it and 'fitting' the proper length, but it's soooo much easier than hauling around folding tables or footstools. I use loops and big buttons to make the strap adjustable depending on if I'm wearing heavy or light clothes.

There is a lot of good to be said for an instrument that is playable but cheap enough to not be afraid to haul it around to camping or travel situations where one would be extremely nervous to take one's more expensive instrument.

Ken that is wonderful news. Those folks are going to be sooooo happy to hear your live music again... so special for them!

I have two mountain dulcimers:
A cherry Galax by Ben Seymour, and a curly maple teardrop by Keith Young.
- I also have an old factory/kit dulcimer that someone gave me years ago, but I don't find it easy to play so I only use it for beginner video demos, since it does not have a visually distracting 1.5 fret.

I also have four 'dulcimer ancestor' type instruments: two epinettes, a hummel, and a langspil.

@tull66 , Ken H has answered your original question below.

I'd like to point out a place that will answer many of your questions as to how to post in a forum, how to add photos, etc:
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/site-questions-how-do-i

Note- that forum i linked to is not a place to ask your dulcimer questions, but if you browse the threads there you'll see answers to many of your questions on how to navigate this site.

Welcome!

Thank YOU Robin!  I didn't have to do much of anything- i just applied a new update. Looks like the both you and the developers spotted the bug independently, and they put out a fix for it yesterday. Solved!  

That was easy.

Hi Robin. Just as I was about to ask for some help on this, I saw that a bug fix was released for our Comment module concerning notifications. It seems quite possible that this will fix our problem, so I applied the update.

I just now made new comments on one each of your photos, audio clip, and videos.
Please let me know now (again) if you receive notifications today for these 3 new comments I made.
Again, thanks for your help in testing!

I received no notification for your comment on my photo, Robin.

Now that we have the issue narrowed down a little, we know it's a coding issue related to comments on media items, not a 'video' or 'audio' function issue specifically.
I'm going to see if I can get help locating the exact problem tomorrow. Usually this kind of thing is a matter of one of my custom modules needing updating in order to function correctly again with another module, like it used to.

Thank you so much Robin for noticing this, and for helping me test out where exactly this is happening (and not happening).
It's often hard to notice something that's missing, as opposed to some obvious problem that's immediately visible..

I'll respond back here when I find out more, hopefully tomorrow sometime.

Ok, can you please leave a comment on one of my photos now?

Before I try to get this fixed, I would like to test this on other types of 'item' that you created Robin...

I just left 'comments' on three more items you created: a photo, a Group discussion, and a Forum discussion.

Can you tell me which (if any) of my new comments generated a new notification for you?  Thanks!

Thanks Robin!

Robin- aside from not getting notified about 'comments'...

I just now 'liked' an audio and video of yours. Can you tell me if you get the usual private message notification for my two likes?  (i suspect you will get them for 'likes')

Anyone else having this issue, who used to get notifications and are no longer?

Robin, perhaps you can leave a comment on one of my audio clips and one of my videos, so i can see if I get the notifications? (my personal settings are set to send me an email upon such comments, as opposed to getting the notifications in a private message, so not sure how good this test will be.)

Have you double checked all your 'notification' settings to make sure they have not changed and are as you like them?

Greg- that terrific information to read on this beautiful dulcimer's makers!

The eagle peghead and two makers' labels puts me in mind of something else, having to do with dulcimer maker Keith Young-

Some of you may have seen some really gorgeous Young dulcimers that had an expertly carved clinging tree frog carved into the wooden peghead . When I was ordering my beautiful curly maple from Keith, I asked him about the possibility of getting it with the tree frog peghead. He told me that he himself had carved the first few frog pegheads, but that it became too much and that he had a woodcarver carve the frogs for him for a while. Eventually the carver no longer did the frogs and that's when Keith stopped offering the option altogether. So, my dulcimer has simply the elegant scroll peghead that Keith himself would carve.

This makes me wonder if the dulcimer in this thread was basically made by Hicks but perhaps David Love (as you said known for his woodworking and also making of wooden toys) carved the eagle peghead... thus resulting in the two makers' labels inside, giving them both credit for their hand in the instrument's creation?

If she can count to five, then this tune might be very helpful to start with:

https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-player.html

It's absolutely the easiest tune to play for a beginner, and can be played noter style (or fretted with one finger) on the melody string only, with the other strings brushed unfretted, as pretty harmony notes that go with the tune naturally.

The key to playing in both directions is to practice very slowly and often. You'll get it! Sit yourself down and practice slowly and stick with it. In the end you'll be glad to have the skill. Your hand has to go in both directions anyway, so why not make good use of it?

Once you get comfortable with it you'll find your playing gets more fluid and pleasant sounding. When I hear an audio clip of someone playing and if right off the bat sounds unpleasantly choppy to me and with awkward timing, it usually turns out they are strumming or picking only in one direction.
Think of it like walking with both legs as opposed to hopping along on one leg. One leg will get you from point A to point B, but it'll won't feel very smooth and pleasant.

If you play in chording style (fretting across all strings) then yes a 6+ fret is going to make things waaaaay easier for you. (And you won't have to learn all the different chord fingerings for each tuning.)
If you are only going to be fretting melodies on the melody string then learning to retune to different modes will be all you need to do. (and in most cases you'll be only retuning one string.)
If it were me I would get a pro to install that fret since you don't want to mess up the fretboard and you'll want it to not come out later and to look matched. I once went to a music store/guitar store and they did a nice job for a small fee.

@Jost, you may be right about Pretty Saro. I have seen folks play it on dulcimer by tuning mixolydian and then basing the home note on the middle string.
Saro is probably not a good example for me to use. There are many versions of that ballad, and some sound major and some sound more minor... so I guess you could play it in various ways.

Complicating matters is that you can sometimes be in a tuning that is associated with a certain mode, but be playing a tune that is in a different mode... especially if you play melody notes across strings- on more than just the melody string.

Btw since you play banjo-
Adding DAC aeolian mode tuning as an option to more easily play lonesome sounding tunes in the key of D is just like how oldtime clawhammer banjo players add 'sawmill tuning' ( gDGCD) to their repertoire in addition to their basic gDGBD tuning, when they want to play spooky or plaintive g modal tunes on the banjo. Once someone learns Sawmill tuning (sometimes called Mountain Minor tuning) on their banjo, they usually want to come back to it often. It's pretty addictive, exactly the way DAC tuning is on the dulcimer. 

Melvoid, so much about tunings depends on two things: 1) what key you want to be playing in, and 2) the limits of your string gauges in tuning to various notes without being so tight as to break, or too loose as to be floppy.

If you are at the stage where you want to experiment just a bit but don't quite understand all the details yet, then you can stay with your first familiar tuning, OR play with DAd and DAA both, OR you can dip your toe in the water by adding a third tuning- I'd suggest DAC, for playing the beautiful lonesome sounding Aeolian mode tunes like Shady Grove or Cluck Old Hen or Pretty Saro.

I've explained a lot about tunings and modes in many posts on my noter/drone blog, but here's one post from it that includes a simple video of retuning between the four most common modes and tunings for dulcimers:
https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/02/video-re-tuning-between-four-common.html

Using the key of D for my example, and starting in DAd tuning, I demonstrate how to tune from mixolydian DAd to aeolian DAC, then to ionian DAA, and finally to dorian DAG. Then I re-tune back through each made again until I'm back in DAd. This method is a simple way to get into the concept of retuning for dulcimers. Hopefully it helps in some way.

If you download the youtube video as an audio file, then get Amazing Slowdowner program, you can open the audio file in AS and change the pitch of the tune without changing the speed. Change it to the key/pitch you want, then save that new audio file. Then you can play along in the exact key you want. (AS can also be used for changing speed btw)
I have always found Amazing SlowDowner to be extremely useful.

Teddy and Rufus... bros just chillin' in the sun...

Which is why some older dulcimer ancestors had their frets right along the edge of the instrument- because either they had no raised fretboard, or one that was less than 1/2" tall off the top of the instrument. Having the frets run along the edge of the body enabled using a noter when the frets were on or immediately above the soundboard itself. Imagine trying to use a noter on frets that are installed down the middle of the soundboard, directly into the instrument top rather than on a raised fretboard.
One of the very definitions of the mountain dulcimer specifies it having a "raised fretboard running down the center of the instrument". Many instruments that are earlier dulcimer ancestors have frets along one edge of the instrument- epinettes, hummels, langspils...

As to strum hollows and 'sweet spots', it's true that the mellowest sound of all will come from plucking/strumming a string near the halfway suspension point. Yet violinists, guitarists, banjoists, etc don't generally bow/strum/pick in the middle between nut and bridge. Some oldtime banjo players play "up the neck" to get a particular soft mellow effect, but bluegrass, tenor, classic, and Irish banjo players play near the bridge purposely because they like the crisp snappier sound. The strings are more rigid to play on right next to the bridge, with almost no flex. So most folks feel more comfortable plucking/strumming several inches away from the bridge, where the strings begin to have more give. On the other hand, bowing at the halfway point creates just too much string bouncing and flexing, thus a bow is usually kept pretty close to the bridge where the string tension is stiffer. Another physical issue is that the halfway point is where the seventh fret octave is, and people do a LOT of fretting in that area- you can't be both fretting and strumming or picking in the same area at once. (I'm assuming folks define the 'sweet spot' not as exactly the halfway point, but rather as somewhere between halfway and the bridge.)