Forum Activity for @strumelia

Kay, you might feel a bit better if you read my blog post on the frustration of not sounding better more quickly:

http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/08/why-is-it-taking-so-long-for-me-to.html

Dusty, you are a gold mine of info.

Robin, I didn't have a chance to listen to your clip until now- it sounds so rich and old style- really great.

There are some folks playing guitars of the 1800's in the Minstrel genre groups, they are amazing and lovely smaller parlor guitars, but must be kept tuned lower as the banjos also were low tuned during the 1800's. They were just not built to withstand modern high steel string tunings. Robin, your guitar was built a little later on, was yours originally strung with gut or steel strings, do you know?

This original 1850's Ashborn guitar is now strung in Nylgut (originally strung in gut), and is regularly played in lower-key minstrel style sessions:

Though I have my own personal feelings on situations like this, I can certainly empathize with both views.

I think this discussion has thoroughly represented both sides of the issue at this point. So before it gets into further back and forth, I'm going to close it to new responses and leave it at that. Others can read it and hopefully make their own informed decisions. Thanks everyone.

That's a real bummer. Way too much money for a problematic poorly built dulcimer, and no returns... I feel for you.

Hi Rich,

Perhaps my dulcimer-blog lesson on fretting finger tips would be helpful to you:

http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2012/07/lazy-fingers.html

That is a real beauty! Looks all original and mint condition to me- I wouldn't change a thing except to put fresh strings. But also worth writing down the gauge of the strings on it first, or save them in a little labeled bag...as they look like they might well be the original strings put on by Mr. Glenn. It's a lovely gem and so nice that it hasn't been tampered with, after all these years.

To me Rhody has always sounded like a simple lullaby that a mother might typically make up while singing to her baby. I used to make up such melodies myself as a young mother trying to get my babies to sleep, but I can't remember now any of the tunes I invented so long ago. Many were somewhat rhody-esque in one way or another. Other lullabies I sang were in Spanish and had the same simplicity as Rhody too, these were in Puerto Rico where my babies were born.

Hi Stephen, I wouldn't conclude that Aunt Rhody came from a hymn, based on a 1930's 78 recording. I'd be much more likely to guess the hymn on the 78 was built around the old melody, since traditional melodies are so frequently borrowed and new lyrics are applied, and vice versa of course.

The current familiar Rhody song with melody was written down in books already in 1913 and 1918 in appalachian ballad collections, and had already been passed down for a while by then, but the melody was also apparently included in a 1752 folk opera by Jean Rousseau, and was sung by a shepherdess character. Perhaps Rosseau was the Aaron Copland of his time, incorporating traditional rural folk tunes into his musicals...

Stephen Seifert said:

The melody of Go Tell Aunt Rhodie is from an old hymn. I've got a recording of an old 78 (maybe from the 30's) of a guy playing and singing Go Tell Aunt Rhodie to the exact melody of the hymn (I can't think of the name right now) and the form is AABA.... Could someone help us find the hymn?

Tina, if you are in Daaaa tuning, you will be able to play any tab in my noter blog that is labeled as being in ionian mode, just as is . Don't worry about the keys I suggest for the songs, or about 'reverse' tuning- as long as you are in Daaaa you can play all the ionian tabs without making any changes. That will be enough to get you started at least! The only numbers in my tabs are for the melody strings, so you won't have to worry about making chord shapes to play them.

Tina Carlson said:

Thanks for your help! Strumelia.. I've been reading through your blog while waiting for my instrument to be finished. I'm excited to now sit down and PLAY through your blog.

Many such instruments were played on a table rather than on the lap- you may find that more stable or more comfortable.

Your instrument almost looks more like an epinette to me than a scheitholt. Tell us the measurement in inches from the nut to the bridge.

It's lovely!

R N Lackey said:

Depends on how long you want to play and how much the audience changes.

Hey thanks guys. Actually, the last 'call to arms' was over a year ago i think, and we might need another reminder soon...

I think Stephen's original post questions are important and fascinating.

Stephen said:

I recently heard someone bemoaning there just aren't as many non-tablature/by-ear folks as there used to be. They talked about how all the clubs seem to be more standardized and tablature based. I suggested to him there are not only more tablature players than ever, but also more non-tablature/by-ear folks than ever.

Getting back to the main subject of Stephen's original post above --

1) Yes there seem to be more dulcimer players overall than ever before...more players of all kinds.

2) Yes the clubs are more standardized and tablature based. Unless they diversify their approach they will continue to naturally mostly attract those who play from tab. (nothing at all wrong with that, if that's what they like).

3) Yes there are more non-tablature/by-ear/variedtunings/noter/diatonic type folks than ever. They tend to play with other musicians because they play/learn by ear and consequently they can manage to play along in various music jamming situations. Thus they have less interest in attending the dulcimer club scene, and less interest in attending dulcimer festivals that offer 90% of their workshops based on the tab/DAd/chording players. They are more likely to attend music gatherings that feature jams with various instruments, such as general folk or old-time festivals. Mind you, I don't mean to imply that they are more 'advanced' in their playing than the tab players- but rather that they can learn from a wider range of methods and don't have to translate everything into D/tab/chording format in order to learn a tune.

4) Even though there is a higher number of all types of dulcimer players overall than there was 15 years ago, I do also see the proportion changing rapidly . Within that whole, the percentage of diatonic/noter-drone/Galax/traditional/by-ear players is increasing by leaps and bounds, older beginner players too are interested in those areas of playing, and people in general are i think more wanting to play with other musicians and friends, not just in club/tab-book settings of dulcimers only. Ten years ago on EverythingDulcimer forums, I remember it was a rare treat to read posts about diatonic, drone playing, noters, Galax, playing with fiddlers or old-time sessions, etc. DAd chording/flatpicking pretty much ruled the day. Even fingerpicking topics seemed a bit outside the norm, as I recall...lol!

All that has changed now- these traditional playing genres and learning methods are super hot topics for everyone, even older beginners are eager to jump into such areas of play. It's great , now in addition to the most common tab/chord approach, there is much wider diversity of interest, information, and learning! Something for everyone's tastes.

James, I too enjoy using tab for various reasons. Tab is the home grown musician's practical way of writing down what they play, and tab notation has been in use for generations and on many instruments. I don't think you need worry one bit about tab becoming extinct.

I totally agree with everything you've said here, Stephen.

More dulcimer players of all types now- and the proportion of noter and quill and diatonic and chromatic/blues/rock and Galax and box dulcimer and mixed instrument jam skills and traditional and singing and WestCoast and DAA and by-ear players is getting bigger. I do think that festivals/workshops/clubs/learningmaterials need to take stock and get with the new changes...they are really lagging behind, stuck in focusing too much on same-old-same-old chord/DAD/flatpicking/tab-book, especially festival workshop offerings which seem to repeat the same subjects over and over. Shake it up already! Not everyone is ready for the nursing home, and senior players too are eager and able to learn some new things and have a hoot trying!

Stephen you are skilled and passionate enough to set an example for many.

As soon as I began to focus on noter style playing, even as a relative beginner to the style, I stopped going to festivals, dulcimer music camps, and workshops, and I stopped buying newer instructional material- simply -because there just wasn't much being offered for me. If festivals offer 90% of their courses aimed at chording/DAD players (whether flatpicked or fingerpicked), then those are the players who will find it worthwhile to go to that festival...others will tend to stay away rather than invest the time and money in attending.

The above-mentioned focuses are no longer 'novelties' that only merit a 5 minute passing mention in workshops. Many more people of all ages and all levels are serious about pursuing such focuses in depth now. This was not the case even as recently as 5 or 6 years ago.

It reminds me a little of a Leonard or Clifford Glenn instrument, but the taper of the body near the peghead isn't quite the same.

It's a lovely dulcimer!

Awesome. Happy playing, Ken!

John, that's funny.

Ed, I like that ! And, there is always someone who plays worse then us, and someone who plays better than us.

Ken, you make some great points. But one problem I have with your definitions criteria is that it calls for everyone to be able to play in more than one style in order to be classified as an intermediate or advanced player. Some folks are very advanced players in their chosen style of playing, -why should they have to be able to play in multiple styles in order to be considered anything other than a beginner? This is definitely not true in the banjo community for example- imagine if all clawhammer players were classified as beginners unless they could play banjo in bluegrass style as well...!

I also feel that 'performing' should not necessarily be a requirement for evaluating players. Some folks don't want to perform for one reason or another, but I feel some of them are highly skilled players regardless of that.

P.S. Dusty, Robin, FF,.... isn't there an old Anglo ballad by the name of "False Nut on the Road" ...?

Brian and I host an old-time music camp-out every year, and we get about 250 fiddlers, banjo players, etc.

We host workshops in Fiddle, Guitar, and Banjo, with different respected players teaching every year.

One thing I notice is that the workshops are always full of beginner and intermediate players. But all the 'advanced' players are seldom there- they are out in the campgrounds, just playing music, not taking workshops.

So I too would be interested in seeing who goes to a class aimed at advanced/expert players. Wouldn't they all just be the teachers, playing together?

Well that certainly lets me out...I'll never be an expert!

Heck, I honestly don't even think I meet all the criteria to be an Intermediate!

Hey, I thought an expert was "Someone who knows more and more about less and less until finally they know everything about nothing".

KenH- I love that story, especially about the Peace Corps and the quest for perfect teeth....lol!

Dan, as ken recommended, our member Randy Adams has almost 100 videos on this site, and many of them are played on fretless dulcimers that he made himself:

Randy's videos

Robin Clark said:

Strumelia - I find that the liberal consumption ofliquor (for medicinal purposes) at such musical sessions improves my understanding of modes and tuningsgreatly

John, Robin usually plays in crowded pubs with bunches of whistles and concertinas and fiddlers, so he probably hasn't noticed all this time that there was something a little 'off' about his mixolydian tunes.

john p said:

Hi Robin,
...Whilst it's true you can play an Ionian tune from the Mixalydian position with a 6+, the reverse is not true, you can't play a Mixalydian tune from the Ionian position....

john

Paul, great post and great explanation. However I see most dulcimer players calling this kind of thing a ' reverse tuning', as in 'reverse ionian tuning for the key of G' for DGdd, etc. I seldom see dulcimer players referring to it as 'new modes' or inversions. Just thought I'd mention that in case anyone gets confused.

Robin, I have several lovely mandolins from waaay back almost 20 years ago when I was learning to play it. I wish after several years of playing I could have sounded halfway as good as you do right now! I think you sound terrific already!

have you learned to do tremolo yet? That's one of the most wonderful things about the sound of the mandolin, and is beautifully incorporated in any style you might choose to play- traditional, folk, 'old world' European ethinic, bluegrass, klezmer, even modern pop and jazz styles. To me, tremolo is the icing on the cake of mandolin playing. I learned how to play the Puerto Rican cuatro (learned actually in the mountains of PR) before trying mandolin, by the way- the traditional cuatro uses a lot of tremolo.

Here's a fun old pic of me (in back) with one of my mandolins- my 1915 Wurlitzer....lol!

Your link works fine now. Nice job Phil !! Great spirit, and love the hat. It sounds real pretty to me.

(Yes, I believe little drummer boy is copyrighted. A good list for checking some carols can be seen here . Thanks!)

That cow will never know that a teeny tiny bit of its leg bone will be making beautiful music for years to come. The fox will never know why such a magnificent gift, because of music. Isn't life funny!

I use Gorilla Snot brand stuff- keeps my picks from escaping my fingers, very grippy and it rubs off easily after you're done playing.

I was just thinking about that when I was looking at the new Wartz n' All group photo yesterday! It's just so great that the internet can bring like-minded people together this way.

We all know that Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer is a place where we meet lots of wonderful 'cyber buddies'.

It occurs to me that there must be some nice stories here about members getting together in person...meeting, playing music, and then becoming real life friends as well .

Let's hear some of these stories to bring cheer during our holiday season and brighten the bleak midwinter. How about sharing your tale of your FOTMD friendship 'jumping ship' into the real world?

Yikes, I remember when PopTarts were invented! I was 10, and it was 1964. Everyone thought they were so exciting and new. Before that there was only toast. My brothers and I wanted them for breakfast desperately, but a box only lasted for a few minutes around our place. I have not eaten a Poptart since 1969.

Congrats Mandy- I know you will be putting that new dulcimer through its paces!

David do you have a link to that site's group location? I've never heard of it, thanks.

David Swanson said:

Also look at the Yahoo group publicdomain dulcimer. They have special sections for Christmas music, and divide up by tuning .

Robin, I'm glad you jumped in here- you have lots of solid practical knowledge in this particular subject!

Nigel, I just want to assure you that things will work out!

Sometimes it's even harder for a dulcimer beginner who already has some music experience and is used to playing in groups with various other instruments, in multi keys. It means you want/need to jump right in and play in various tunings and keys, rather than build slowly on simple skills first. People like yourself get frustrated because the diatonic dulcimer does not behave like the trusty guitar or uke- those darned missing frets! But don't worry (don't fret? lol) ... once you accept that the dulcimer is not a guitar or mandolin, and once you begin to catch onto uniquely dulcimerish solutions and the reasoning behind them, you be full speed ahead again! Believe me, it's not rocket science, and you are a smart man- take one step at a time and very soon the clouds will clear and smooth sailing for you.

To add to the explanations already given- using a capo only to go into different keys:

I'm just a guitar player, very new to theMD, so I'm used to using a capo, to quickly change keys, without retuning.

question...if Nigel is tuned to CGCC for ease of playing simple 3 chord songs in C, couldn't he just place the capo on the 2nd fret to play in E,capo at 3rd fret to play in F, or capo4th fret to play in G ?

A guitar is chromatic- it has all the half steps and all the frets to play in any key by moving a capo around.

If Nigel tuned CGCC and then put his capo on the 4th fret to play in G as you say- he'd indeed be playing in G, but in the dorian mode- anything he played would sound plaintive and sort of minor/sad, because the 'missing' dulcimer frets would mean some notes would be minor of flat sounding and create a whole different sound than what you'd want.

So you can't just do like a guitar player does with a capo.

Here's a fun little exercise I did a while back that shows how the mood of a song changes completely when you go from playing it in its normal mode to playing the exact same song in the Dorian mode- and you'd be getting the same results if you put a capo on the 4th fret:

http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2012/03/ghost-of-gray-goosego-tell-aunt-rhody.html