Forum Activity for @strumelia

What Stephanie said!   

NOTE that if you choose to not receive 'any' site notifications, then you WON'T be notified if someone:

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Big hug back to you Mark!   

Go to your profile page and look for the Gear icon for SETTINGS.

If you cannot find your porfile page:

See along the very top of the site, the bar with all the main links?  See you name as the right most link?  Hover your mouse over your name and you will see the drop-down menu in which is "account settings".  There you will be able to type in a NEW password of your choice and SAVE tting.  Keep your password is a safe place!  Hope this helps.

Thanks for that, Paul!   I bet your new dulicmer is awesome- looking forward to a simple tune recording from you!

Do you want to receive site email notifications when someone comments on one of your items, or sends you a private message?  Do you want to adjust or choose the types of notifications you receive from FOTMD?  This is done in your Account Settings, in the Notifications TAB.

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I never hung out at Sears. That explains my ignorance. lol!

Hmm, I had no idea that Korea was making such factory dulcimers that long ago. ! I know about the old Washburn mandolins and guitars... but mountain dulcimers, really? I still find it hard to believe the tuners are that old. They look like brand new ones you can order today...

Looks like a great price for this!

It looks more like about 15-20 years old to me. -based on the very modern/current tuning machines, the zero and 6.5 frets and the heavy fret material, the wide chording fingerboard, the commercial inlay strip along back, the rounded 'shop' edged peghead shaping, the mixing of wood types, the soundhole shaping, and other little style touches. This is not a forty year old dulcimer.

Fairly well made, and in great shape as far as one can see.

What is the VSL/scale length, from zero fret to bridge?

No marks or labels inside at all? Is a label perhaps unglued and rattling around inside?

Lucky buy!

As Dusty mentioned, lot of us are posting our memories of and inspirations from Jean in the: Fans Of Jean Ritchie Group here on FOTMD. I'd love to keep our discussions about Jean's passing together in that section of the site, only so that folks can find all our heartfelt posts about Jean more easily in the future. thanks!

JH....dream on...

I refuse to google that phrase, 'cause it would be like cheating.

If I didn't already have my wonderful Keith Young mountain dulcimer, I'd be seriously unable to resist this beauty. droooooool.....!

Well, here is a website for it, hope that helps: http://www.autumnleavesfestival.com/

Looks like a fun event! Seems like it may be largely about crafts but with music entertainment as well.

Hi Ron, go here and you'll find it:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/forum/topics/roanoke-valley-dulcimers-inaugural-meeting-and-workshop

Yes, Everythingdulcimer.com is a great site altogether, for both mountain dulcimers and hammered dulcimers!... They've had a terrific members Forum since long before our site here ever existed, and they also have a wonderful free collection of dulcimer tab!:

http://everythingdulcimer.com/tab/index.php

Good for you Folkfan! It's not easy to stick with it, but you must feel great about it.

No, the bicycling to the gym part is not boring, it's the 'stationary' treadmill at the gym that's boring. I'm never bored riding my bike. But it's very hilly here and it can get terribly hot and wipe me out. I need the gym to get more of a whole body workout.

I rode to the gym today again on my bicycle. The gym is boring as all heck...but it felt real good after i got home. Did lots of spinal bends and twists today too.

I haven't lost any weight yet (nor eating less)....but I have joined back up at the gym with Brian and we do go 3 x a week now. about 45 minutes each time. That's something at least! You guys are impressive!!

Tell us about your healthy goals and activities!

Share with us what music and/or instrument you are currently working on!

Say howdy here to us all, and tell us a little about yourself!

Sounds like a good plan Ken. I admire you for being brave enough to enter a competition...I wouldn't have the guts!

Babs, I might humbly suggest that if you already are liking some of the tunes from Bonnie's book, then by purchasing it you'd not only get more tunes you'll probably like, but you'd get the benefit of all of her teaching explanations...AND you'd be supporting her efforts in writing all those arrangements you enjoy playing. I have an old copy of Bonnie's Dust off that Dulcimer and Dance!...it's a great book as well!Bonnie is a talented and creative teacher and player.

Vicki, I find what happens for me is first I learn a simple version of a melody of a song, then I learn to play some other songs and I get a little better on those....then when i go back to the first simply song melody i seem better able to add a little flourish or variety to it that I couldn't do before. It's a part of the slow learning process process that brings me delight in my own playing, however simply i might play something. Sometimes all it takes is an extra note or two, a full brush across the strings to fill out key moments, or just playing with a touch more expressiveness ...such do-able things will often turn a plain bare bones version into a lovely version. You might be surprised at your own ability to add easy but pretty touches and make your own unique version. Do try playing around with it!

Just a note that this is a copyrighted song, so you may have to purchase a published arrangement (if there is one) Vicki...and to caution folks from distributing arrangements or tabs of it here on this site without permission. Thanks!

That's awesome news, Dana.

How wonderful that you played for the folks in the waiting room Dana. Music is such good medicine, a real tonic.

Your new report sounds very encouraging- you must be a real strong woman...that cancer didn't know who it was messing with. BIIIG hug to you and warmest wishes for a strong recovery.

That's way too much to have to bear- may you forge ahead with gentle strength.

Sending you my haertfelt wishes for a strong recovery and hugs hugs to you, Dana.

Awesome and useful explanation, Cynthia!

There are so many amazing and wonderful things to discover when experimenting with dulcimers- it's good to try out various things. I find for myself that one year I'll be in love with doing something musical one way, and then 3 years later I'm really into a slightly different thing, then I may go back or try something different yet. I definitely have my personal favorite musical things, but variety is fun and helps me learn more when i explore.

If you mean that on a 28" scale length, you are tuning your .012 gauge melody strings to "high high g" meaning the g above the usual high d that people often tune their melody strings to, then I honestly don't see how that's possible with breaking the string. But you say you are tuning in ionian mode, so a melody string tuned to g would have you playing in ionian key of C, not A or G. Unless you mean that your melody string is tuned to the usual high d, and you are playing in ionian key of G. In that case, your bass and melody strings would be tuned to either D and G (reverse ionian), OR to G and D. Either way, that's a pretty normal pitch level.

I'm still not sure what you mean by "low, low key of A". What notes are you actually tuning to for all three strings here? I think we are using different terminology and hence some confusion.

Noah Aikens said:

I am talking about ionian, but my dulcimer can do it in different modes. The g I am talking about is the g above middle c, and the a is the a below the a below middle c. I normally play drone but do cross handoccasionally.

but my dulcimers-both 28 1/2 in vsl, tune and play very well from the low,low key of A and the high, high key of g.

I'm not clear what you mean by this- what tunings are you talking about exactly?

Great that you got all inspired!

Looks like someone took the fretboard off one newer crappy dulcimer, cut it to fit (without regard to losing half the space from the nut to the 1st fret ) and then glued it on this older dulcimer after pulling or sanding down the original fretboard.

IMHO it's completely unplayable. It's even rather hideous as a wall decoration. It should just be put out of its misery. Maybe save the peghead for some other project.

Awesome, thanks!

Ok, I see it is offered free on Bob McNally's website, here:

http://www.strumstick.com/index.html

There was no name or author listed on the pdf.

...I like to make sure the author's name is made clear, and that they are giving their work out for free if we link to it here.

Babs i just want to make sure you wrote that instruction booklet- are you the author? Thanks!

Charley, sounds like a plan to me.

Terrific!