Forum Activity for @strumelia

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/30/23 04:42:57PM
2,248 posts

Dulcimer Players News demise


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hi Nate. You have some great points!

The way i see it, it's almost impossible to condense such rich and in depth subjects and material into "short vlog style videos showing techniques, styles, tips, history, design, players etc" in a satisfactory or actually valuable way.  Even if done, it would present pre-digested info which the particular vlogger felt was relevant or important. In my humble opinion, there is no satisfactory shortcut for the accumulated knowledge gained through actual reading, researching, listening, looking, hands-on, and discussion. The closest thing that approaches what you describe is browsing through youtube videos about the subjects you were interested in. Goodness knows there are thousands of YT vids out there on every dulcimer subject you can imagine, presented by a multitude of players and perspectives both great and not-so-great. It's all out there free for the browsing already. And if one prefers info that is curated or condensed by a particular source, then there is nothing really better than reading some of the books out there or watching/listening to some of your favorite players. Or by talking to people directly.

I see the DPN magazine as a venue for allowing for the examination and 'expanding upon' of all interesting things dulcimer, rather than as a media whose purpose it is to condense concepts and information about dulcimers and music.

I'm aware that young people now prefer to get all their information (even their world news) in ultra short videos such as we see on tiktok. They don't like to read all that much. However, such an instant vlogging medium has very real limitations. In my admittedly 'old' mind, I see it as the difference between handing a young person a baby food jar of creamed spinach and saying "here, this is what spinach is"... and giving that young person some spinach seeds and showing them how to plant, grow, harvest, and cook it in various ways. If a person is actually interested for more than one hour of their life, perhaps they will want to investigate something in a more active way rather than being spoon fed quick information. You've been here for almost 3 1/2 years now yourself, Nate. I've seen how you positively devour information, innovate, and add to your knowledge!

I hear there might be some talented young folk out there who enjoy 'discovering' typewriters, fountain pens and script, reading bound paper books, spinning wool, making sourdough bread, collecting vinyl records, and crafting obscure musical instruments out of old bundt cake pans!  😁  They will lead the way forward when us older ones are gone.

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/30/23 09:03:40AM
2,248 posts

Healthy Living- healthy eating, exercise, weight loss, veggie gardening, etc.


OFF TOPIC discussions

Our blueberries are due to start getting ripe soon... ooooh boy!

Right now I am picking lots of fresh snow peas... love them!

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/29/23 02:23:13PM
2,248 posts

Dulcimer Players News demise


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

What a crazy week.

The everythingdulcimer.com goes down in flames while DPN magazine rises again from the ashes!  popcorngirl


updated by @strumelia: 06/29/23 02:31:50PM
Strumelia
@strumelia
06/28/23 06:07:34PM
2,248 posts

Everythingdulcimer.com


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

But even if they accidentally let the domain expire... If they knew their stuff, they would have had some sort of backup of the email addresses of all their members. They could have then emailed everyone to at least let them know they were ending the site. If they cared.

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/27/23 12:12:54PM
2,248 posts

Everythingdulcimer.com


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

A couple of weeks?  Doesn't sound good.

You gotta show up and commit for the long haul, like Bruce Ford did with the real/original Everything Dulcimer.

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/20/23 09:55:15AM
2,248 posts

Introduce Yourself!


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

@ StudentofRhythm it's so wonderful that you gave your little daughter a penny whistle. I hope she figures out a simple couple of tunes on it and that it sparks the joy of making music in her!  flute music heartbeat  
Maybe the two of you will work out a simple tune duet on whistle and dulcimer!  (I found "Bear Dance" to be a great choice of tune for total beginners of various instruments to work on. You almost 'can't go wrong' with that tune.)

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/20/23 09:50:20AM
2,248 posts

Introduce Yourself!


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Welcome @Buckeye67 !  My very first mtn dulcimer was a new walnut hourglass McSpadden exactly like yours, which I think i got somewhere around 1995-96... so it may be a sister/sibling to yours. 😸  It has a voice like an angel, i gave it to my younger daughter years ago. Enjoy it!  McSpaddens are a great choice, and they retain their value over time.

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/13/23 07:48:07PM
2,248 posts

Vintage Dulcimer


Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I agree with Ken and Dwain that this looks to be more likely from the 1960s or early 70s. Definitely not from the 1940s.

It's a cool dulcimer!- and seems like it'd be worth restoring.

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/08/23 04:12:26PM
2,248 posts

R.I.P. George Haggerty


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I recall going to several different dulcimer festivals at a time when George was the ONLY staff teacher there who included noter style playing in his workshops, among maybe 20 mtn dulcimer teachers. I do remember how like-able George was during his presentations. His teaching style was always fun and accessible.

Strumelia
@strumelia
06/08/23 09:53:48AM
2,248 posts

R.I.P. George Haggerty


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I read that George Haggerty has passed away. He encouraged and inspired so many hundreds of new dulcimer players over the decades.
Anyone want to share their experiences with George?

Here is a nice little article I came across.

Strumelia
@strumelia
05/29/23 12:40:04PM
2,248 posts

Healthy Living- healthy eating, exercise, weight loss, veggie gardening, etc.


OFF TOPIC discussions

Have been getting nice fresh leaf lettuce from our veggie garden for the past 3 weeks, and giving some to my good friends.

Today I cut the first big leaves of Swiss chard and stir fried it to eat with leftover stuffed shells. It was yummy!  I'm glad i planted some scallions this year, since they will come in handy for stir frying as well. I'm on a stir fry kick this year!  pimento

My tomato plants are about 10" high and are making flowers already.  

Strumelia
@strumelia
05/19/23 10:58:58AM
2,248 posts

Dulcimer Players News demise


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It's always fun to think about how to spend other people's money.  popcorngirl

Strumelia
@strumelia
05/13/23 07:34:40PM
2,248 posts

Contra dancing :)


OFF TOPIC discussions

Not much has changed in contra dancing since this 1964 film:

Strumelia
@strumelia
05/11/23 08:51:58AM
2,248 posts

Dulcimer Players News demise


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Dusty, you expressed it so well. I agree about your coffee table comment, and thank you for the input about tablet size- very helpful!  KenL, I'm glad you posted your timely final tribute to a great publication that enriched all our lives for many years.

It does still feel odd and somehow 'not right' that now both the original (Bruce Ford's) EverythingDulcimer site and DPN magazine are both gone. They were together the very backbone of the dulcimer community. I realize that there is now an entire new generation (or two!) of dulcimer players who never even experienced DPN or the 'real' ED in their heydays. Perhaps we sound like old geezers lamenting the past. oma oldman

To me, facebook groups are rather pale replacements, since 1) they are not conducive to in depth discussion, 2) they tend to consist largely of ads and self promotions, and 3) the info posted on them just kinda disappears after a day or two and it's almost impossible to search for any past content. Not to mention you have to join FB  (puking lolol)

Strumelia
@strumelia
05/01/23 09:46:10PM
2,248 posts

Introduce Yourself!


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Nice to read about you David!  Welcome to FOTMD.  howdy

Strumelia
@strumelia
04/19/23 08:36:15AM
2,248 posts

FOTMD Advisory...


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks friends!  Yep, it went well and I do notice things are definitely faster.
There will be some software updates coming up in the near future, and those may not be quite as smooth.  🚧 🚒

Strumelia
@strumelia
04/18/23 11:34:44AM
2,248 posts

FOTMD Advisory...


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

The deed is done. All seems fine to me. Please report any noticed problems here.
If you notice any initial loading glitches, first just refresh your page, OR restart your browser.
All should be fine after the cache catches up to the latest state. Thanks!

Strumelia
@strumelia
04/16/23 08:00:02PM
2,248 posts

FOTMD Advisory...


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hi everyone. I thought I'd let you know that on tuesday morning April 18 we will be moving to a new server and there might possibly be temporary glitches on fotmd for an hour or so. Not to worry, it should go smoothly and this move likely won't even be noticed.  -the Management.  :)

Strumelia
@strumelia
04/04/23 09:22:20PM
2,248 posts

2023 Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming online link


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Ah, that's cool Robin. It can be listed here even though it's an online event, there have been quite a few online festivals and gatherings in fotmd's event section during the past 3 years of pandemic. 
Last year's floods were such a terrible blow for so many in that area.

Strumelia
@strumelia
04/04/23 09:03:06AM
2,248 posts

2023 Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming online link


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Sounds like a great gathering!

Maybe next year one of the organizers could plan ahead to post it in our main Events section here on FOTMD. There are a lot of noter players here who might be interested in going.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/28/23 09:17:25PM
2,248 posts

Change out friction pegs?


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

So much depends on the size of the peghead (or peg box), and the overall size of the dulcimer.
Choose pegs that don't look too big or too small for the instrument. Use your eye. 👁

My 29" vsl langspil was equipped with Wittner internally geared viola pegs:
langspil_5.jpg

It's an imposing instrument and violin pegs would have looked silly on it.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/23/23 10:59:48PM
2,248 posts

Change out friction pegs?


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Or, the geared tuners in viola size. Violin sized tuners might only look natural on smaller dulcimers. Check the sizes of the tuners and the instrument.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/23/23 08:16:47AM
2,248 posts

Gary Sager


OFF TOPIC discussions

Robin, that was a sweet box dulcimer!

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/22/23 04:52:00PM
2,248 posts

Info needed Ken Rice


OFF TOPIC discussions

Hi Keigh,

@flint-hill

Ken's FOTMD page is here http://fotmd.com/flint-hill
You can try contacting him through here, though he has not logged in here since 2015. He might get your email if you message him from here.

This is his Youtube channel page: http://www.youtube.com/@FlintHillVideo/videos

P.S. I just wrote to him from the only email address I have for him, with a link to this discussion.


updated by @strumelia: 03/22/23 04:57:33PM
Strumelia
@strumelia
03/22/23 08:32:30AM
2,248 posts

How Old is This Dulcimer Kit/Stuff?


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It's got a 6.5 fret slot, so it's not likely to be from before the 1970s.

Here's a couple of good online measurement descriptions of 1970s McSp kit dulcimers.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/19/23 08:18:05AM
2,248 posts

Gary Sager


OFF TOPIC discussions

If I'm not mistaken, Gary was making wonderful and modestly priced box dulcimers at a time when almost no other dulcimer builders were making box dulcimers or Tennessee music box reproductions.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/16/23 12:54:40PM
2,248 posts

Dulcimer Players News demise


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I hear there are tens of dollars to be made in dulcimer magazines and websites.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/15/23 08:07:58PM
2,248 posts

Gary Sager


OFF TOPIC discussions

This is indeed sad news. I'm wishing comfort for his family.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/14/23 10:31:25AM
2,248 posts

Left handed playing


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

BTW Nate, I appreciate the fact that you are obviously using the site's search feature to pull up relevant and interesting discussions on topics you are interested in, rather than simply starting new and possibly redundant discussions.
This is one of the good things about a site that keeps older content easily accessible, as opposed to a FB type site where everything prior to the current week gets impossibly buried.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/14/23 10:25:41AM
2,248 posts

Left handed playing


General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Good point Nate.

Another weird thing- If you play a lot, your fretting hand will actually be able to stretch more than your strumming/picking hand. Due to making stretching moves thousands of times to fret on fingerboards, while the strumming hand does not.
I've played stringed instruments for decades. Both my hands appear to be exactly the same size and length. But when i stretch my hands out to create the most distance between my thumb and pinky tip, and place my palms together, I see that my left/fretting hand can stretching over 1" more from thumb to pinky than my right hand. It's like the way a gymnast or dancer can perfect doing a split with longtime practice.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/12/23 10:49:24PM
2,248 posts

How do I know what key I'm in?


Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

Shootrj, if you've ever starting singing a song and found it too high or too low for your voice, and started over to sing it a little higher or lower to be more comfortable, then... what you actually did was change the key you were singing in.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/12/23 10:29:08PM
2,248 posts

Benefits of longer VSL?


Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

NateBuildsToys:
Could you be more specific please? What tunings and keys do you prefer for what scales? Am I understanding correctly that you prefer shorter length scales for playing with others? if so, why?

I mean like for several examples-

--If i was playing dulcimer in an oldtime fiddle jam session, they usually play in the keys of D, G, and A. I used to use my slightly shorter scale dulcimer for tuning up to key of D, and I'd keep my slightly longer scale dulcimer for tuning lower to the keys of G and A. Changing tunings too often or drastically can wear the strings and make them break faster. For example changing from a DAA tuning to DAd back and forth too often is something I try to avoid when jamming.
--When I'm at home and trying to sing with the dulcimer, the key of D is too high for me, so I might go to a lower key for that as long as i don't have to consider what keys others might need to play instruments in.
--If I'm playing a lonesome/sad tune it would usually call for either an aeolian or a dorian type of tuning, as opposed to a 'happy' sounding typical DAA or CGG ionian-friendly tuning.

I've made lots of long blog posts on my noter blog about how I myself deal with all these things, I can't really summarize or condense them here. Your question is pretty broad and covers a lot of ground. My blog does have an index to sort posts by subject matter, so maybe you can find something helpful there in addition to other folks' fine suggestions here.  :)

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/12/23 10:25:10AM
2,248 posts

Benefits of longer VSL?


Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions


To me, scale length has been hugely important dependent on what tunings and keys I want to play in. If you're a singer it is critical. This matters less when you plan to play by yourself, but becomes super important if you plan to play with other people, especially if the other folks are not only playing dulcimers.

My dulcimers and banjos have a certain narrow range of scale lengths because I have always played them with other people on other instruments, or have sung with them. On the other hand, my custom langspil I was able to have made in a longer scale to tune a key or two lower, because i knew i would only be playing it by myself and wanted a lower key 'mournful' sounding instrument.

That said, learning to be able to play in more than 1 or 2 tunings, or using a capo, will enable one to play in more keys on an instrument of any scale.


updated by @strumelia: 03/12/23 10:32:14AM
Strumelia
@strumelia
03/11/23 06:22:01PM
2,248 posts

Dave Lynch Harpmaker passing


OFF TOPIC discussions

Robin and KenL both said it so well.

I hope David is at peace, and that he will be remembered in the beautiful sound of hundreds of people playing his dulcimers for years to come. My wishes for comfort go out to his loved ones.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/09/23 09:50:27AM
2,248 posts

John Crocker


OFF TOPIC discussions

John Henry is a truly wonderful and amazing person. He and his family are in my thoughts and loving wishes right now.

Strumelia
@strumelia
03/05/23 10:19:54AM
2,248 posts

Darcyhorse Dulcimers


Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Those strings should work ok, but if the .012 strings for the melody course feel too stiff or are hard for you to press down, try using .010 melody strings, especially since your scale length is almost 28".


updated by @strumelia: 03/05/23 10:20:59AM
  4