Forum Activity for @strumelia
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
OFF TOPIC discussions
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
OFF TOPIC discussions
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
OFF TOPIC discussions
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!)
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Michael, there is a glitch right now in the member numbers.We actually have 791 current members. The "see All Members" link only shows 744.I imagine this will be fixed soon by Ning. It's happened before for a day or two.When I go to the Administrator view it shows all 791 members.Somebody should start a new 800 member party thread I suppose...
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
OK, so who's gonna help with the after-party mess ...??
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Folkfan, I ordered some 'White Wonder' type cucumbers seeds for my garden, very mild and a white color. The seed catalog suggested the following recipe, but I haven't tried it yet! It sounds really good, and I might add a touch of lemon juice:{{{Lebanese style: slice two small White Wonders paper thin. Add 1 cup yogurt, a pinch of salt and chopped mint leaves to taste. Chill for one hour but serve at room temperature.}}}I googled 'Lebanese cucumber yogurt', and here are many other variations: http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source=hp&q=Lebanese+cucumber+yogurt&aq=f&aqi=g2&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=&fp=caec63d5ff72707a
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Dick, that video is too funny! She's a good dancer, for sure!Rod, I'm making my healthy non-fat cucumber and yogurt salad right now- gotta balance those cookies and mountain dew somehow.
This suggests we actually have a chance to hit 1000 by our first year FOTMD anniversary at the end of July. Wow 
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
I would LOVE to be able to dance like those teenage clog dancers in that video- they are so great !I've been going to a contra dance here in town once a month, sort of like square dancing. But hey those teens are just fabulous.
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Woo-HOOOOO !!!! SEVEN HUNDRED MEMBERS!!!! .....Who'd of ever thunk it??????
...And congratulations to Kontrapunkt- our 700th member!!!
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
My great grandfather who was German used to LOVE his Limburger cheese. But my great grandmother used to make him go down to the basement to eat it. Poor Gros papa!- sitting down there amongst the crocks of pickles and saurkraut, eating his stinky cheese all alone!
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
I'll be going into the stinky cheese room as well! mmmm.....
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Vicki what a lovely photo! Are those your daffodils?Maybe I'll bring a few bees to the 700th member party, to 'attend to' your daffodils. lol!
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Bill Davenport said:
Hey thanx Bill!I'll grab a piece of that pie! :DOk, as part of the Kentucky group, I'm bringing Kentucky Fried Chicken and Derby Pie.
And lets not forget who started us on this wonderful journey. Strumelia gets the first piece of pie.
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
I think Dana should wring a couple of chicken necks! ;D
Party Time coming for 700 !!
OFF TOPIC discussions
Coming up soon....FOTMD will reach 700 members.... :D
updated by @strumelia: 08/03/23 02:34:24PM
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
I can relate to all your points! Keep in mind that the bridge sholulkd be positioned to give you approx a 12" scale length- this will help p[revent breaking gut strings as well. It's a similar scale to a fiddle. I suggest cello rosin, to be a bit grippier.
Yay!
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Yay! I'm thrilled for you!
You should order several replacement gut strings in advance from the fellow I mentioned.
They are expensive, but some are actually twice the length you need, so may wind up giving you two string replacements if you are stingy when winding the peg.
You will be skipping the violin low G string. Order the equivalent of the gut violin e, a, and d strings. Order an extra e because that's the one at highest tension that will more likley break. Order the medium thickness type for each string (he gives choices of light, medium, etc.) Be SURE to check out his offerings in his SALE area- I saved good money that way! His gut strings are higher quality and won't break as easily as the rougher gut strings that come on it.
You will need to rosin the bow quite a bit at first.
If it's hard to hold, try a piece of that rubbery shelf liner stuff- on the part of your body you hold it against.
I strongly advise not tuning it all the way up to fiddle standard, at least for the first week. I keep mine tuned (low to high): CGd instead of DAe. I just read the music and pretend i am tuned higher. After a while you may get good at transposing tunes to better places on your rebec. Try out centering a tune so that the tonic note falls on an open string...that helps me often. i play alone so I don't have to worry so much about what key im in.
Be sure to start with a very very simple tune.
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Eileen, there is a Roosebeck soprano rebec just listed on Ebay which has a reduced price due to some cosmetic 'blemish':
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Roosebeck-23-3-String-Rebec-27-Bow-Hard-Cas...
There is also a new soprano unblemished one listed from the same folks i bought mine:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-UNIQUE-EMS-DESIGN-3-STRING-REBEC-GADULK...
Maybe you could contact the seller and ask to see a photo and description of the blemish, I wouldn't think that was an unreasonable request for an item which costs several hundred dollars. It cold be just a couple of scuff marks, which to me wouldn't matter and the discount could cover your shipping mostly. If it's a crack, or glue failure etc, i would pass on it. I would want to know exactly what and how significant the 'blemish' was before buying. Note that you can also make an offer on that auction- so you could maybe offer $260 or $270 and they might go for it.
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Eileen, I got a nice hand-picked selection of gut strings from:
http://gamutmusic.squarespace.com/
The thing is, I spent a lot of time researching not only various sorurces for gut strings, but also reserached the exact gauges I would likely need to tune to various notes on my soprano rebec, with its particular scale. When you have ordered and are ready, I can put together a few suggestions of spare strings for you to order. I would say that unless you keep your tuning way lower, you have a good chance of breaking at least your high string when you first tune up your rebec- the gut strings that come on it are not great quality.
Also, the bridge feet are not very well fitted to the top of the instrument- some visible gaps there. I used a very fine sandpaper to gently sand the feet so they conformed better to the instrument top curve....but a real violin luthier would do a much better job than I could. Still, it was an improvement. Aside from those details, I found the rebec pretty sturdy and well made, and has a pleasing sound and feel, though not that loud of course due to the gut strings and no soundpost.
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Eileen, this is the one i would recommend buying:
http://www.amazon.com/Rebec-Rosewood-Trim-Hard-Case/dp/B000E2B3NW/r...
But likely it's what you are describing above with high shipping to Canada. Is there a way for you to have it shipped to a friend in the US who is within driving distance of you? Maybe even have it shipped to a business and give them a $30 tip for holding it there for you to come pick up? (then you would have to know how to deal with customs when you return over the border)
Perhaps you could send the seller a message and ask to have the shipping reduced to $100- no harm in asking! They may actually be unaware of how high it is to Canada.
Have you calculated what the shipping would be directly to you if you ordered from EMS in the UK? It might be less!
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Eileen, I am not able to fully respond right now, but a couple quick responses, more later:
So you have basically tuned the soprano rebec to what the alto normally is?
I guess that's right, I didn't think about it much, I just tuned down one step from DAe.
So, if I went with the alto rebec, it would be tuned Cgd and it would be basically the same range as the C recorders (give or take an octave) i.e. lowest note C. So with either the soprano or alto rebec I could follow any of the ensemble lines
But remember if you are on the alto I assume it has a longer scale than the soprano, so again you'd have your gut strings at very high tension- possibly breaking more often. Gut strings are expensive, and a pain to obtain. Plus it';s not easy calculating what gauge you need, but I did it and can help you there.
But it doesn't the matter what key the group is playing in, does it? as long as one learns all the notes, including sharps and flats on the rebec? I THINK I'm beginning to get it!
With only three strings, tuned in 4ths like a violin, you have a more limited range. Once you get playing you will see that in certain keys you will run out of notes on either end of that key, high and low. It's like hitting a wall...lol. Thus, you quickly start favoring certain keys over others....keys that contain all their notes within your 3 strings plus the several notes higher or lower than your tonic note...which you will encounter in many songs.
I too love that medieval sound, and I've learned to LOVE my pear-wood (Huber) soprano recorder ( I never thought I would like the soprano), so maybe you've convinced me to just go with the soprano and tune it down to C.
I don't think of it as tuning it to the key of C. It's tuned in 4ths, not tuned to a key. Like a violin or cello. I simply lowered my range by one step all around. I can play in several keys, much depends on the tune and how high and low it goes.
And yes, let me know where to get the better gut strings. I shall re-start my looking on ebay and amazon. Do you recommend any particular amazon seller or source or are they all the same?
For the gut strings, or for the rebec? I can point you to the best sources for both, I had great expereince with them...but no time today sorry.
Yes notice if you watch his fingers- the high string is tuned to d and the middle tuned to G! :) I wrote Eric- he said he had the same issue with breaking the gut when tuning to high e, thus he did the same thing I did. He is very helpful and kind.
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
I have to admit that i was actually seeking the high nasally medieval "squeaky" sound you describe- similar to the sound of a medieval shawm. that's why I got the soprano Pakistani Roosebeck one from ebay. Did you know that EMS sells those pakastani ones as well? In fact, that may be the very ones you are looking at, the Alto version on EMS....made in Pakistan Roosebeck brand actually. You can get the SAME soprano one on Amazon or Ebay directly from U.S. dealers much much cheaper than from EMS. EMS also carries rebecs made by other luthiers that are likely better quality but way more expensive.
Did you listen to the youtube clips by that fellow who bought both the Roosebeck soprano and the low Tenor rebecs?- he has wonderful examples of playing both on youtube. That's why i ordered the soprano- because I WANTED that high piercing nasal tone like in his clips. You may not like that, everyone is different! I can certainly understand why you might want a mellower tone as in the alto.
The gut strings that come on the Pakistan/Roosebeck ones (whether bought from Amazon, Ebay, or EMS) are not quality gut strings, and my high string broke (twice) right off the bat when I tried to tune it to high E. I suspect nobody actually tunes them up to high e mostly. I wound up tuning DOWN 1 step and ordering better gut strings from a string maker in the US- I can give you suggestions if you like later. His strings seem way sturdier and smoother. Now I am tuned Cgd (bass to high) rather than DAe, to avoid the high tension and gut breakage. I can do that of course because I'm playing just by myself so it doesn't matter what key I'm actually playing it. I keep in mind my lowest note possible is that low C.
The gut strings means it's a fairly quiet instrument compared to what we are used to in a steel-strung violin.
I am playing it propped on my legs, like a tiny 'cello, and with an underhand bow grip...I find this way easier than contorting my wrist to wrap around the neck and play it like a violin. Also i had a very hard time keeping it from sliding around too much due to the bowl back, when trying to play against my arm like a low positioned fiddle.
Rebec
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Where are you thinking of buying your rebec from?
You know there is also a tenor size rebec made.
Are you able to pick out tunes by ear rather than having to read from paper? That might make it easier if you are able to. Then you could adapt better to what the recorder is doing. The main thing is to find the right key to play together.