Forum Activity for @strumelia
I think that with chromatically fretted instruments (guitar, mandolin, banjo, chromatic dulcimer, etc) position dots are very useful.But they become less needed on dulcimers that have diatonic (or semi-diatonic) long/short fret spacing patterns. The diatonic fret spaces become 'markers' themselves. One easily gets accustomed to getting their visual bearings from the fret spacings.Which is not to say that people can't enjoy having fret markers anyway, for whatever reasons both practical and/or aesthetic.
BEGINNERS' OLD TIME JAM – DOWN THE PUB
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Robin Clark said:
I totally agree! We've migrated towards playing at our town's farmer's market instead of the pub. We do it for free as our way of giving to the community. I like the scene at the market, and we can hear ourselves better and sit in the pleasant outdoors amongst good food. We do some charity and community events for free. Other gigs we get paid for.I think that we should make the effort to reclaim our bars and other public spaces for live music.
BEGINNERS' OLD TIME JAM – DOWN THE PUB
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Robin, you might be surprised to learn that in our tiny little rural town, we actually have a Welsh style pub right on our one-block-long main street!
Perhaps if you don't like it you can sell it used on Amazon.comFor a whole different approach, perhaps next try Jean Ritchie's recent teaching dvd? She is a good beginner level teacher, and it'd be interesting for you to observe the difference in playing style.
Here it is: http://www.amazon.com/Traditional-Mountain-Dulcimer-Homespun-Tapes/dp/063406293X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1277476190&sr=8-3
Katie,Most teaching materials present that particular teacher's approach to playing- and that's as it should be, because we should be teaching what we do best. However, there is no one best way to play, or to hold the instrument, or strum, etc.Most people do play with the dulcimer flat on their laps, not angled up like a guitar. It's ok to do that!I believe most people also use their left thumb as well, because they feel it lengthens their useable stretch when making chords and moving about from note to note. That's ok too! lol!When i used to play chord/flatpicking style, i kept my dulcimer flat on my lap and used a strap to keep it from sliding around. I also learned that if I keep the tail end of the dulcimer firmly against my right hip and the peghead end out more sitting right on my left knee area, it enabled me to have much easier access to fretting the entire fretboard without bumping into my stomach. The angle was better for both my strumming and my fretting hands, plus the dulcimer was more stable and didn't rock or tip about. A strap enabled me to do this better.You can either have a music store or luthier add a strap button either or both ends of your instrument (cheap and easy), OR you can figure out more creative ways to attach a home made strap....see my video here: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/noter-style-beginner-7-home I myself can't imagine trying to make chords without using my left thumb, but then some people don't use it. Go figure. Everyone has to find their own most comfortable and practical way to play. It's YOUR style, and you get to decide what your playing style will be like. Don't be afraid to try different things, and to check out some additional teaching methods by various teachers- there are many many great teachers out there, and they all play slightly differently. That's part of the fun.Keep it happy and try lots of things- that way you will discover what's right for you .
Love
OFF TOPIC discussions
I came in from hoeing and re-seeding several patches of lettuce and scallions in my garden, and read through today's FOTMD posts and thoughts, questions and helpful advice by so many different people.
I just had to say how great you all are and how wonderful it is to have such a fun and special place to come and enjoy together with you all. I feel like I have so many new music friends, people that I get to know here and really care about, and get knowledge and advice from.
I just love you guys!!! 
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updated by @strumelia: 01/13/19 05:09:18PM
Katie, I have a bunch of free beginner mountain dulcimer lessons and tips on my youtube channel, if you care to watch them: http://www.youtube.com/user/Strumelia
800!?!!
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Travis Rodgers said:
In fact, FOTMD's first year anniversary is coming up soon....on July 29th!! That's the day it was launched and the day it got its very first member...Pristine2/Richard. The following day it got 7 more members, the day after that 8 more..... It does seem like just yesterday though!Man it's hard to believe how this group has grown. I remember when Strumelia announced that she was starting it. It seems like just a couple months ago.
800!?!!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Hey, Let's dance! Woo-HOOOO!!!And hey thanks Rod.
A round of applause to my right hand man and personal FOTMD psychotherapist 'Deputy Mo' too!
800!?!!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Todd Willsey said:
Todd, it might wind up being a big FOTMD hit song. How about setting it to the tune of Petticoat Junction ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7_-N_zTJnk And then, if that's not good enough....how about the late Dennis Hopper guest starring on Petticoat Junction as a young beat poet? LOL!That will be the hook at the end of the song. Sort of like how sale prices always sound better at $7.99 instead of $8.00. Now I have a direction to go with it, thanks. Maybe set it to the tune of "Wabash Cannonball".
800!?!!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Todd, Ol' #799 sounds better, like a steam engine or something. 800 sounds too space-age or like some ad- "the New Ginzu800 vegetable paring knife"! Be glad you are the more dignified and venerable #799.
800!?!!
OFF TOPIC discussions
We have 795 members so far today, and we are only short about $10 from reaching our $500 site rent goal for the coming year. Looks like we will make our rent goal before hitting 800 members!
800!?!!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Hmmm....I should bring some salad too. I took this photo this morning in my garden:
800!?!!
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792 members right now....
I think I'll make some 'Dutch Babies' in my cast iron skillets, made with batter and fresh fruit. Here are some I made last year: 
"Do you think renaissance and nylgut ought to do the trick with a mix of down- and up-picking???"Ken, it should be GREAT to play it like that. Do you know that those 60's Kay banjos (and basses too) are much sought after and beloved by appreciators of 'down-home' vintage banjos? They have a great sound unless they have been messed up or poorly set up in some way along the line. Lucky you!
Hunter, am I correct in thinking this is an antique banjo?If so, then the pot may be slightly out of true and not a perfect circle, which can complicate matters if you are changing types of heads. It can be done, but sometimes there are issues that need to be solved.Pot slightly warped out of true, brackets that wont fit over modern flesh hoops, odd non-standard sized pot, etc. What kind of head is on there now? Is there anything wrong with it, like holes or splitting?If the head is ok on an antique banjo, I would leave it alone. A LOT can be done to change tone by tweaking instead: your setup, string material and gauges, the tailpiece type and tension, head tension, the bridge used... I would fiddle with all those things before I changed a perfectly good functional head on an antique banjo. Even a plastic frosted 'bluegrass head' can sound old and plunky if you tweak all the other stuff just right.
If it's a modern banjo, then changing the head is 'usually' less tricky.Personally, I've done it all- frosted plastic head, Fiberskin, calfskin, Renaissance, you name it, I've spent time installing them and playing on them on various +/- 18 banjos that I've owned, set up, fixed and/or tweaked. I play a lot at outside camping festivals and I did find it to be very tedious dealing with the humidity and real calfskin heads. It got old fast. Real gut strings had the same problem absorbing humidity and literally getting soft like al dente pasta (!) on rainy warm humid summer days while camping. Nylon strings had no such issue and sounded almost like gut.After much experimentation, I found that Renaissance heads gave me a sound very close to real calfskin but without any of the inherent problems. Better sound than even the Fiberskin heads. That's now what I use on all 7 of my banjos. (except the delicate 1800's antique one, which still retains its old calfskin head).
The reason I ask what brand Hunter is that I have used cheaper Bella brand nylon banjo strings- for me they stretch and break way too easily. I've also used nylon fishing line in various cool thickness. That too stretched way to much and was forever bouncy- like playing on a trampoline.Switching to Nylagut nylon banjo strings....really good stiffer tension, broke way less often great sound and great response. For the price of a pack you can check it out. It makes a HUGE difference in giving a really old sounding plunky tone instantly. If you like them and want to keep them, then you might be smart to widen your nut and bridge slots for the two thickest strings at least- they are thicker than steel strings and ought to be seated properly in the slots for long term playing. Personally I find that switching to nylon strings will make a much bigger change to 'plunky' than changing to calfskin heads. I have tried every combination possible for many years on many banjos. I've played for years on both steel and nylon strings, and all kinds of heads, skin, renaissance, fiberskin....
In our gatherings of old-time musicians ( sometimes several hundred at a time), the keys most often played in are G,D,A, and C. There are a LOT of oldtime fiddle tunes in C !! Some jam sessions go on for several hours all in the key of C. The C tunes have a very carnival/circus/rag flavor to them. I notice many of them seem to be from Georgia (U.S. deep south, not Russia
).Brian avoids playing in C because of his old hand injury, he can't make the stretches very well in C on his fiddle. I'm kind of glad about that, because the C fiddle tunes vaguely remind me of scary clowns! lol!!
I think the more different types of dulcimers and the more styles of dulcimer playing we try out, the better we are equipped to decide what our own favorite things are. Also the better we can understand why others like different things too! After trying out many things, we can happily settle into focusing on certain things we are attracted to most, yet still respect the stuff we are not as interested in.I think people and things are all unique combinations anyway- none of us really fits perfectly into a generalization, but we can be generalized when all our 'uniquenesses' are thrown together. hmm...tricky concept to understand.
purpose of design features on a MD
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
And myself on the other hand- I don't care for zero frets. They give my drones a slightly metallic sound as compared to how they sound with a bone type nut. Regardless of the fretted melody string tone, I still like the drones to sound 'non-fretted', just my own preference.
And I think a well made instrument shouldn't need a zero fret to improve intonation.
depth of fretboard + soundboard when choosing a new dulcimer-- is it just loud vs quiet?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
{{ I thought that these early instruments had the kind of depth you see on a Galax. }}Galax dulcimers are and always were much deeper in the sound box than your typical Kentucky style hourglass...even back in the early 1900's. If you are not getting a Galax and if you are not looking for a powerful volume for now, then shallow sound boxes are quite traditional and can give a charming old fashioned sweet sound. I love them myself.
However- if you play with a noter you won't want your fretboard to be less than 1" high up off the soundboard, or you won't have enough room for your hand holding the noter.
The Kitchen Sink - talk about food
OFF TOPIC discussions
Hi Ken, thanks. The peeled garlic is sort of ivory colored, so once it got blended and then boiled with rosemary, sugar, and white vinegar, it was a semi-clear light golden color. Maybe the rosemary helped tint it? I think if you boiled a bunch of fresh rosemary in hot water it might turn a bit golden. There is a lot of creamy garlic 'mash' and little garlic pieces suspended in the jelly.
The Kitchen Sink - talk about food
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This week i made twenty-two 8 oz. jars of garlic-rosemary jelly . I like to have it with roast chicken, roast pork or lamb, and chops. MMmmmmm....now I have about a 2 year supply!
updated by @strumelia: 10/25/17 09:31:20AM
The Kitchen Sink - talk about food
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Making APPLE SAUCE on Halloween...
If you click on these photos, you will see them much larger. :)
One bushel yielded 38 pints (19 quarts) of really good apple sauce. We figure if we eat an average of one pint per week (and don't give away more than a couple of jars), this will last us into next June, when fresh fruit will again be available locally.
The Kitchen Sink - talk about food
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Ken Hulme said:
Lisa - you and I need to collaborate on a cookbook. My recipes and your photos. Maybe a dulcimer-focused cookbook. I'm a trained photographer, but you have "the eye" for food photography!!
Yeah, sort of like 'your brains and my looks'. lol!
updated by @strumelia: 10/25/17 09:29:47AM
The Kitchen Sink - talk about food
OFF TOPIC discussions
We've been mostly eating various kinds of salads fresh from our garden this past month.Here was last night's dinner straight from the backyard, left to right: purple kohlrabi, romaine lettuce, scallions, and butterhead lettuce. I added some fresh mozarella slices, and dressing. Cold and crispy, nothing else was needed except the iced tea!
updated by @strumelia: 10/25/17 09:29:31AM
But I can see you guys are going to wild with your smilies. Well, ok, go on and get it over with. 
lol!
As a child, I played 'cello in school for about 5 years. I worked hard at it and could read music, etc. As a teenager I unsuccessfully dabbled in blues harmonica.Then years passed without playing music.In my 20's I lived in Puerto Rico for 13 years and played the national instrument, the cuatro , in a folkloric cuatro orchestra in the mountains.Years later, I took up the mandolin for a couple of years. Never got particularly good at it.Then I found the lap dulcimer, which 'stuck'. I began playing clawhammer banjo as well, which 'stuck'.
I've played these two instruments for years happily.In the past 6 months I've been also taking up some other instruments for fun, and have been enjoying them a whole lot too: the very percussive limberjack/dancingman, the mouth bow, and the bowed psaltery (which I had bought 12 yrs ago but never learned to play until now....guess I wasn't 'ready' for it yet.
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Paul Rappell said:
Anything goes. What happens at FOTMD parties.... stays at FOTMD parties.By the way, I hope our 800 revelers don't get out of hand! Is FotMD a "dry" site?
(hey, why are we still yakkin' on this old 700 member thread? - there's a new thread already for 800!)