I'll add a bit to Dusty's good advice- I usually just say that 'we all seem to be out of tune with each other', and I suggest we all tune to the same tuner to get us all 'in synch together'. That way nobody gets offended at all. Oy! the things we do! lol
Can someone tell me how regular old-time (not necessarily just dulcimer groups) jams are done? It's my understanding that an old-time jam would basically be everyone playing the notes together with no breaks or leads. Is this correct? The ones I've been to (only a handful) weren't really OT per se, more bluegrass I guess. Everyone would play together to begin with and then each person would take a lead or break until it went around the room.
Mandy, I've played almost exclusively in old-time sessions for over 14 years, my husband is a wonderful old-time fiddler. But I've also dabbled in bluegrass, folk, and Irish sessions now and then (not that I'm good at playing in those styles though, I'm not...lol). There are many kinds of jam sessions: general folk music, bluegrass, old-time, Irish trad, Cajun, etc etc. I'd have to label most dulcimer groups as 'folk genre' since they play such a wide variety of both trad and modern material.
Many musicians who just play for fun (and particularly those who would most likely be interested in open jams) play tunes and songs that overlap more than one of these genres. For instance, bluegrass players play a lot of old-time songs but they play them in modern bluegrass styles...and many folk singer types will sing bluegrass songs, or vice versa. What I'm trying to say is that maybe you are limiting the response you get if you label your jam specifically as an 'old-time' session. An old-time session would not normally be playing modern folk songs or playing/singing songs in bluegrass style.
In a typical old-time session , it's most often the fiddler who leads and decides the tunes based on their repertoire, and the other instruments find and fill in their complimentary roles around that...not necessarily all playing melody. The fiddler usually leads the tunes. Nobody takes breaks or solos, and it's considered impolite to drown out the fiddler. Sometimes people sing out verses to familiar tunes, but it does tend to be mostly instrumental and fiddle-tune based. Sometimes there is singing of old-time songs, as in Carter family repertoire, but not done in bluegrass style.
In a folk 'song circle' , people take turns playing/singing their own song of choice and they can either welcome others to play along as a jam, or in some instances it's a true 'song circle' in that the person does their song alone while others listen, and then it's the next person's turn. In a regular folk 'jam' you can go around with folks picking their own songs and starting them but everyone customarily playing along. Singer-songwriters who play guitar tend to gravitate towards folk jams, since 'folk music' includes both traditional and modern material of all kinds.
In a bluegrass jam , there is a huge repertoire of bluegrass (post 1935) material along with its customary etiquette such as breaks and leads. Some bluegrass songs are relatively modern (just be aware that those songs are likely copyrighted). There is a lot of singing, and not so many all-instrumental tunes like one sees in old-time sessions. Other bluegrass songs have been adapted from old-time repertoire, tunes and ballads, but are played in bluegrass style. But bluegrass and old-time are most definitely not the same even though they share many of the same tunes and ballads...they don't play or sound the same, and it's considered clueless or even inconsiderate to play in bluegrass style when joining in on an old-time session. The rhythm, timing, harmonies, chords, even sometimes the keys are distinct between the two.
All this is not to say you can't have a super fun jam by mixing up folk, bluegrass, old-time, gospel, blues, whatever- all together! You certainly can!- throw it all in a pot and see what cooks up. 
But my point is that calling it 'an old-time jam' or a 'bluegrass jam' or a 'folk jam' implies a certain and well defined genre and repertoire, and that will definitely limit the people who respond to your ads. My suggestion, if you don't want to focus that specifically on one music genre at first, is to simply call it an acoustic music jam. That will bring all kinds of players and you'll get a varied pool of people and styles. You can always draw people from that pool into a more focused session later on. Hope this helps!
I have a bit of advice if you want it- start just by having a weekly or monthly jam. Get to know the people who come and see what they do. I'm imagining you'd be welcoming most folks with acoustic instruments, right? Well, unless you are actually wanting to form a band that contains everyone who comes to the jam (and maybe you DO want that), I suggest you hold off talking about forming a band to the general jam group... You may find that you don't blend well musically (or personally) with everyone who comes to the jam, and it's far easier, with less bruised egos, to invite a few people later on privately in terms of forming a band rather than to tell the whole jam group from the start that you are wanting to form a band. I guess a lot also depends on how big or small you want your band to be.
Good luck and have fun!
Bill, here's a picture from Steven Smith's site showing the notes on a typical dulcimer fretboard when tuned to DAd:
The top string would apply to any string tuned to D, the middle string shown would apply to any string tuned to A.
Not all dulcimers have a "6+" fret.
Are you not getting these same notes on the various frets on your dulcimer?
Phil, it's a great organization! Thanks to you for drawing our attention to it. And Melody, who works with the organization doing these programs, has now joined FOTMD as a member too! 
Melody says she loves dulcimer music and has some on her playlists.
Phil, that is something very, very special that you are playing for your mother now.
Phil, what a WONDERFUL video to watch....brought tears to my eyes this morning. Everyone should watch this to the end of the video- gets better and better.
My mother spent her last 2.5 years in a nursing home near me, and I made sure she had her classical music radio station playing all day in her room, every single day. I would make sure and check that the nurses turned it on every day. It played while I sat with her as she died, too. Classical music was my mother's biggest joy in life. (Aside from spending time together the two of us, that is.)
Wow is right! What a fabulous find, Geoff! I'm drooling over that one... 
And the accompanying letter makes it so very special.
I look forward to hearing/seeing you playing it!
There are a few gems in this older discussion on jam etiquette as well... 
Ken, that's a great list of tunes that can be played in Dorian mode, especially since they include some modern tunes too.
Just to round things out, here are a couple of my noter Blog posts that walk beginner's through the Dorian mode, with simple tuning diagram and an easy-level tab for Little Sadie:
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/11/golly-modes-arent-so-scary-after-all.html
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/04/little-sadie-in-dorian-mode.html
I think that we are beginners as long as the amount of what there is yet to learn is larger than what we already know...and that's certainly true for me! And maybe we are all simply 'learners'. May we never stop learning until we die...
My very first dulcimer was a walnut hourglass McSpadden. My daughter has it now. It has the most beautiful resonant voice one can imagine, and is so smoooooth to play. An excellent choice!
Barbara, my response to your original question is that practically speaking, I myself only really 'need' two dulcimers- one for playing in A and G, and the other for playing in C and D. That's assuming I don't 'need' any other dulcimers due to aesthetic reasons like them sounding different or enjoying playing with different fret patterns or sizes.
Robin Clark said:
Hi John,
You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret
Robin, if he does what you describe above, and also tunes the two melody strings up to ee, won't he then be able to play in A ionian?...which is more useful than just A dorian... just pondering here.
And speaking of using up small pieces of wood- Years ago when I ordered my limberjack "Clyde" from Keith, he told me he used up the leftover bits of dulcimer wood to make his limberjacks, mostly walnut pieces. He said that was why they danced so well- they were imbued with dulcimer wood spirit. 
I have at least 10 different limberjacks- both new and old, but the two Keith ones are always the best dancers!
David, they are just lovely. I too have Keith's limberjacks- I absolutely adore them!
Beginners should also be aware of the fact that mtn dulcimer tabs can be intended either for chord playing style (melody notes are fretted on all strings), or for noter/drone playing style (entire melody fretted on the melody string only). The two kinds of tab can be quite different, so keep that in mind.
Phil, next time, just type in something like "free tab" into our FOTMD handy SEARCH BOX at the top right of any page here. It will pull up various threads showing links to free tab, and this thread is right on the second page of the search results. It's really easier to find stuff here by using the FOTMD search box!
phil said:
it took me all night to find this page again I so glade it still here. A few weeks ago my old laptop with all my links up and died on me. I have been going nuts trying to find some of the links I had and here are most of them, Thanks Folkfan and Vivian.
Vivian, I think anyone who looks in this DulcimerResources/Tab/Books forum will see the title of this thread and be able to see your post and links.
I keep two dulcimers- one for the keys of D & C, the other for the keys of A & G. That avoids 'most' of the wear and tear in going back and forth excessively. My A/G dulcimer has a slightly shorter scale length so I can tune up to e when playing in A.
My noter/drone blog has some detailed posts about how I use tunings to play mostly in D, G, and A.
Yeah Bobby, good stuff in that cabin! I love it when people play joyfully together without the ego competitions.
You know, the very first time I heard a mtn dulcimer in person and was totally blown away, was when a guy at an amateur folk jam I went to pulled one out and played "I've Been all around This World (Hang me)"- that very same song. I knew INSTANTLY that I just HAD TO play that instrument- I was truly possessed and overcome by the mtn dulcimer from that first moment he began to play it. I didn't even know what it was, but I had to get one and learn to play it.
Robin, I like that Tim/Riley video very much as well. Isn't it wonderful to see noter/dronal playing being brought to the fore again? I love it! Those two do it so well, what a fine duo combo.
As to the second video 'Rockbridge' with the fiddle young woman and guitar player- just my own take on it, but I really have to say I dislike what the guitar player is doing. I don't hear the 'celtic' thing you are hearing, I'm hearing a jazz/bluegrass thing (could be due to our different backgrounds). The fiddling is fine oldtime style and bowing rhythm. The guitar player is driving home his heavy-handed jazzy style timing. He likely doesn't realize that he is doing that- I imagine he thinks he is playing pure, powerful, and supportive OT guitar. But to me he is just turning it into some ego fusion thing. I kind of got the tip-off even before the fiddler started playing, from seeing him strutting his 'riffs' while she very patiently smiled and waited. 
I don't usually enjoy it much when we wind up playing in a session with a guitar player like this.
I sometimes learn a song from looking at tab, but even then I usually have the song in my mind a little first from hearing it. Other times I just pick the song out on my fretboard and learn it without tab at all. One thing I like tab for is when I used to know how to play a tune and have forgotten it over the years- i like being able to use the old tab to refresh my memory. I also like to have tabs arranged by mode so I can be better organized when I help other people learn to play.
In other words, I sometimes use tab to help me start to learn how to play something, but I really dislike reading tab as I am playing. If I'm going to learn a tune, I will put in the effort to learn to play it without having to look at the tab while I play. After I can play something without tab, I wind up adapting it here and there to my own way of playing it- that's really the most fun part anyway.
I take the same approach to tab in my banjo playing as well- I have lots of banjo tabs that help me get started sometimes, but my goal is to then learn the tunes without looking at any tab.
From what I have read from actual McSpadden owners, the bridge compensation does not make a very noticeable audible difference. Most dulcimers do not have compensated bridges and they sound pretty good. I myself wouldn't worry too much about it.
Every McSpadden I have ever heard sounds awesome- and most of them probably have 'regular' bridges.
Bryan, not sure if you've already looked at my noter blog, but here are a few suggestions:
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/12/beginner-tips-on-using-noter.html
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/02/road-to-corn-dogs.html
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/02/corn-dog.html
Val and Brian- wonderful sentiments and thoughts- they really hit home and are so true.
John Henry, I plan to get in a little epinette practice this afternoon- after I work on some machinery valve drawings for a few hours (um, gotta make a living too!). It's an exciting new challenge for me, since I think I need to develop a new method of 'attack' more in keeping with its epinette-ish charms.
Wayne Anderson said:
It is a lovely instrument, Lisa, and am sure that Sheba even gave it two paws up.
Wayne, Sheba wants nothing to do with it! lol!
I've been experimenting today, and it's obvious that this little charmer needs a lighter touch than my usual heavy handed Galax-ish power-strums, which might send it flying across the room... 
So I've decided to try to re-learn a bit of finger-picking again- which I have not done since about 15 years ago...!!
I'm very glad now that I took a one hour class in beginner fingerpicking a year and a half ago from Nina Zanetti who was teaching at a local dulcimer fest I went to. That one class, along with my old Sue Carpenter fingerpicking book, and FlintHill's Travis-picking videos here on fotmd, will surely help me re-learn this skill that I have forgotten long ago. I dug out my old fingerpicks that were stored away for years.
This will be FUN!! And challenging...so don't expect any immediate videos until I get at least a very simple beginner tune under my belt. It will take a little time...I have to relearn all the moves and it will take a couple weeks at least I'm sure. But I'm determined to do it, partly because I have seen how beautifully John Henry played this instrument.
But I just love love love this sweet little music box!
Yes John Henry is indeed a very special man.
I did indeed wait until Christmas morning to open the package! It was a real surprise because the shipping tube looked like it might contain a mouth bow or a violin bow or something- there is NO WAY an epinette could have fit into a cardboard shipping tube that slender....and yet it did! Even now I would never imagine it could fit back into that tube. I was totally amazed.
Benjamin- yes, I do feel very blessed in so many ways...and very grateful too.
Bobby, you are just plain naughty. Brian would have known, and of course I would have known! 
Bobby Ratliff said:
Congrats to you! John.......... that was mighty kind of ya!
But I have to say............ I wouldn't have waited! I woulda opened that package! I mean......... who woulda known?
Well I just have to relate the extra special Christmas gift I received this morning...
About 10 days ago a Mystery Package arrived in the mail for me, a long thin sturdy mailing tube with no return address except for a rather cryptic customs stamp and the name "Musical Novelties Company". It also had a warning to not open til Dec 25th, so I just had to wait, wondering.
Finally Christmas morning arrived today!
The generosity and thoughtfulness that went into this gift is overwhelming. I'm still not quite sure it's really real! I hope I will be able to do it justice.
Fotmd member John Henry sent me an epinette des Vosges that he made. !!
He remembered how I had talked of wanting to get an epinette a year or so back, and he knew I admired his skills in both making and playing his own epinettes. How incredibly kind and sweet of him to send such a wonderful gift. It's hard to express how delighted, amazed, and humbled I feel. But I know I will enjoy learning to play some simple folk tunes and hymns on it, and it is already cherished. I will definitely post a video of my humble attempts on it in a week or two once I get used to playing it...though I cannot hope to play it as skillfully as John Henry has in his videos! But I'll play it in my own way as best I can! 
It's so dainty , I've never played such a pretty little dulcimer-thing before!
Despite it's diminutive size, it has a very resonant bright voice- it really really makes me think of sleigh bells jingling through the cold sparkling crisp snow. So festive and cheerful! I feel like i'm in a Dickens story, receiving such a lovely gift. So unexpected.
John Henry, I just don't have adequate words to thank you for this precious instrument.
Here is our kitty Sheba and also myself getting to know our beautiful new epinette des Vosges this Christmas morning 2011!:
Here are some of John Henry's videos of him playing the epinettes he makes, he plays them so very beautifully, who could not succumb to their charms? :
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/a-french-waltz
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/good-king-wencelas-1-12-2011-wmv
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/mingulay-boat-song-1
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/the-gloucestershire-wassail
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/trial-run
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/bouree-caree-de-st-chartier
Vivian, that's very exciting- congratulations! Maybe you can get a jaw harp, limberjack, or harmonica to keep you busy and distracted during the wait. I highly recommend such diversions!
