Forum Activity for @strumelia

Shas Cho said:

"The perfect is oft the enemy of the good."

I like to tell my husband "If you were perfect you'd just make me look bad." ;D

Ron Hanes said:

The toughest thing for me to learn was that It's never gonna be perfect , its a series of small compramises that you finally settle on as acceptable.

Wise words, Ron. And so true of all the various things in Life, right? :)

Shas writes:""I just ran over the strings with my electronic tunerand was a bit alarmed to discoverthat the middle string (currently tuned to A)is sharp already at the first fretand becomes increasingly sharper as I move up the fretboard.The other three strings are true right up to the 9th fret.Is this a flaw, or is it inherent in the system?""Hi Shas, there is reason for this, and it is true of most stringed fretted instruments....The thicker the string, the more it will tend to sound sharp when the thinner string frets a true note. Most frets are set so they will be noting the truest for the all-important melody string.So then you'd ask me- But why then isn't it my thickest BASS string that has the most sharpness problem?The answer is that it's really your MIDDLE string that is thickest. The middle string is thicker than the CORE string of the wound bass string. The winding around the bass string does not contribute to this effect. So really, the middle string is your thickest core wire, and has the most issue with fretting true to note.Us banjo players struggle with this and use compensated bridges to help lessen the difference in the tiny sharpness we hear when fretting the middle string. Again, our heavy wound bass string has less problem than the thickest middle string.The GOOD NEWS is that you are HEARING this sharpness- that means you have a good ear!! ;DMany people do not hear the slight differences in pitch trueness at all. Rejoice and take pride in your accurate ear!One more minor point- many beginners press down too hard when fretting, and this worsens the problem even more, by pulling/stretching the string all the way down to the wooden fretboard as opposed to simply being pushed down enough to make good fret contact. This extra stretching makes the string even sharper when fretted. Work on developing a lighter fretting touch, and fret the string just to the left of the intended fret, not in the middle between two frets.

"but the key will generally be between C and G."No, you *can* tune to any key you want- you just have to figure out which tunings/octaves to use so you don't break strings. Some people also use capos to change key without retuning and without putting much stress on the strings."most" common key these days is D....but you are by no means restricted to D. Not that it's so terribly complicated, but there is way more to learn here than can be explain in one or two paragraphs.Learn a few things at a time- it will slowly come together for you. :)

"When I see D-A-d,does this just indicate that the second Dis in a higher octave?"Yes. when we write out tunings, such as either DAd or 1-5-8, the first letter or number is usually the thick bass string. The last letter or number is the melody string (or strings as in your case). The middle thing is the middle string.The melody strings are usually in the octave that's higher up from the bass string octave.If your pair of melody strings are tuned up to the high 'd', then I suggest that you NOT tune them higher than the next note up, or 'e'....they might break.So that means if you want to tune to the key of F you would tune NOT to FCf, but you'd choose instead to tune the melodies DOWN to the F below their original d, not up. Then you'd be in FCF, but it would be pretty floppy sounding. Many dulcimer players for this reason avoid the key of F. The key of G is usually 'ok' by tuning GDG.You will be using TAB written for '3 strings'- think of your melody pair as one string. the tab written for 4 strings is meant for 4 equal-distant strings, no pairs.
updated by @strumelia: 02/14/16 09:00:11PM

Strings

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Hi Bill,String 'sets' for dulcimers aren't really strings that are make just for dulcimers. They are simply strings of a standard length (either ball end or loop end) that are selected to form a certain set of gauges that would be appropriate for a dulcimer. Such sets of strings are the same kind of strings they would use to put together a set of strings for the banjo- since they are the same length...just different gauges (thicknesses).Thus, if you know what gauges you like on your dulcimer, you can simply order like 6 or ten single strings of each thickness. It actually comes out much cheaper this way.Last time I got strings, I ordered a 'pack' of ten loop end banjo strings of the .010 gauge, for example. now I have plenty whenever I break a melody string! :) All these 'banjo' strings are the VERY SAME strings they use to put together sets of dulcimer strings.So you could order their single ball end banjo strings in whatever quantities you want, and just put together your own 'sets' of dulcimer strings. ;) TIP- order twice as many melody strings- they break most often.

Strumela do you see who are now members?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks Dennis, it's sweet of you to post this.I too am happy to see dulcimer people of all different levels as members of our community here- running the gamut all the way from the very newest beginner to the most experienced professional musician.

I am finding that the tone and format here at Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer is enabling me to get to know people who for years were merely anonymous names to me before. As I get to know them more as people here, I find I am learning from them in many small unexpected ways. I bet a lot of members are finding this to be true for them as well.

It reminds me a bit of something I wrote in my noter blog back in April of this year, 2009:

"As I look back now over my own limited experiences and see them from the standpoint of having myself been a total beginner not very long ago, I realize that all the musical learning experiences in my journey, the moments and realizations that were most intense and profound, were not learned through books, workshops, & classes. Rather they were quiet and slow and small moments of musical sharing and learning and realizations. Perhaps I happened upon a beginner fiddler sitting alone under a tree scratching out a tune at some festival, and I stopped to play for just a minute with them- and wound up figuring out something amazing and simple in trying to play with them, something that I had never thought of before.
In trying to solve a problem on my own, I learned in a meaningful way...even if I couldn't solve the problem! Perhaps I played a few tunes with someone who was just learning banjo, or with a very old player, and they gave me some fascinating story from their life that forever effected the way I think about music for myself...or perhaps I said something silly about music that really impressed my 9 year old banjo student. And perhaps all these small moments of wonder made me somehow feel like the best musician in the whole world.
When I think about it, all the most memorable and enriching learning experiences in my life as a whole have been during quiet moments of listening or reflection or experimentation, or through non-rushed personal interaction with another person. I think of music as a living thing- it needs to be lovingly nourished, and it needs to breathe."

I too look forward to hearing more from the accomplished musicians we are honored to have as FOTMD members here.  But I also look forward to hearing more from every single one of the 158 members here! Even the newest beginner players with absolutely no musical background at all are inspiring me and teaching me new things here every single day . Isn't it wonderful that we can all inspire and encourage each other?  thank you Dennis. :)

updated by @strumelia: 02/21/16 09:12:48PM

Our thanks to "Deputy Mo".

OFF TOPIC discussions

Playing dulcimer is always a good reason! ;DHey how come you don't post a thread telling us about your new dulcimer- I didn't even know you had one! Rod Westerfield said:

Glad to have helped out, just sorry didn't catch it sooner but I was playing my dulcimer (new one that is)...

Our thanks to "Deputy Mo".

OFF TOPIC discussions

I just wanted to give a public thank you to our diligent FOTMD moderator, member Rod Westerfield , otherwise known as "Deputy Mo" for his gracious assistance in overseeing our community here during the past two weekends while I was away from my computer on vacation.Thanks to Deputy Mo, things kept running smoothly while I was gone, minor every-day crisis on the site were attended to in a timely manner, and he even got to use his single bullet to kick an Evil Spammer from our midst this weekend.Three cheers for Deputy Mo!! :D

updated by @strumelia: 01/13/19 05:09:18PM

Ah, I stand corrected. ;D Randy Adams said:

You are confused Lisa....pencil marks go on the dulcimer....the hatchet marks go on the bedpost... : )...

Randy Adams said:

...with a little practice ...& a pencil mark or two.. : )...where the notes are comes automatically.

Randy, Randy, Randy! ... real men use hatchet notches , not pencil marks! Pencil marks are for girly men ! LOL ;D

Hi Cynthia,It's great fun and a learning experience to experiment on a fretless instrument. Likely you won't hit 'just the right spot' for a while, but if you approach it with a relaxed frame of mind and decide you don't have to sound perfect to have fun , well then you will get a lot out of it. You might not want to inflict your very first attempts upon others, though! ;D Cynthia said:

...the sound will just have a different quality than if there were a physical fret there...assuming you were able to hit the right spot,,, I have seen some youtubes of people with finger slides on cigar box instruments, and they look like a lot of fun.

Buzzing Strings

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

You might try the next up string gauges- just one size heavier all around- string buzz can come from the strings being a bit to floppy combined with low action. A slightly heavier set of strings will tighten the tension a little bit and keep the strings from moving so much when they vibrate. Its a cheap fix that's worth a try before paying a luthier for stuff.

Dusty Turtle said:

The hit of the day, though, was the limberjack. He danced around while I sang "There ain't no bugs on me" and the kids couldn't get enough. Whenever I tried to stop they began clapping their hands in unison and chanting "more, more, more." Finally the teacher had to bribe them with blueberry muffins to allow me to escape and get on with my day.

I had the same experience playing my limberjacks at farmers' markets and such.Yes, there are some small children who seem jaded and uninterested, but then you get the other ones who make it all worth while. Last summer, a group of four children, ranging from age 4 to 7 or so, stopped dead in their tracks and came running over to watch my limberjack dance. You wouldn't believe how HUGE their eyes got, like dinner plates!, and then they all started laughing and pointing in delight, and the more he danced the more they laughed. Then they started trying to dance like the limberjack, and they laughed even MORE, finally collapsing right there on the ground in a heap of child glee and belly laughs. It made me so happy ! I think that was the very best audience i ever had . :)I love playing my limberjacks. I have five of them, all different. I may wind up with more eventually, I love them that much. Plus, they are way cheaper than banjos! ;D Here are photos of three of them.

Carson Turner said:

The real fun busking though (my opinion)... - it's watching those little kids dance to a tune or hearing a story from someone about their now gone relative that "used to play that sort of music..."

Yes, my husband and i play fiddle/dulcimer/banjo for charity events sometimes and often for the local farmer's market. For those events we volunteer. My favorite part is when little children and toddlers start dancing around us in pure happiness- I love it! That's one reason I love to play right in with the people rather than on a stage area...i love when the children come up and touch my instrument gently in wonder, like it was magical. Awesome .

Dusty Turtle said:

As others have suggested, making a joke about not playing a request is probably the best route when you really don't know the material requested.

Dusty,Having to do with that, one of my favorite things to say between tunes when we are playing out in public is:"We've had a request from the audience.....but we've decided to keep playing anyway." Always gets a good laugh! :D

Carson Turner said:Dana Carvey used to do an absolutely hilarious bit on this idea. After seeing it, I started watching guitar players and he was SO right.OMG too funny! LOLI find that fiddler players tend to make the weirdest unconscious mouth moves while playing.(rock stars don't count since they do it on purpose) LOL

Carson Turner said:

One of the reasons I posted this thread is to learn about what's requested though. Different genres get different requests but some are almost 'must know' if you're out there. When we do string-band stuff, we expect at least one request from Oh Brother Where art Thou . Playing an Irish or Celtic style on whistle I always expect to hear requests for Danny Boy, Scotland the Brave, Irish Washerwoman, etc... the tunes people associate with and know. The old-time religion people always seem to wanna hear Old Rugged Cross, I'll Fly Away, and the like. Dixieland: When the Saints... and Just a Closer Walk. Even mimes get requests - "do the thing where you're in a box". So one key to success is finding out what it is people want to hear and playing that.

I was out once with a bluegrass quartet and, being at the beach, someone asked if we knew any beach music. We did Under the Boardwalk and Blue Moon in bluegrass - it was hilarious. You just have to make a list of what people might expect a dulcimer to be playing and be ready to play some. I just don't know what goes on such a list for dulcimer.

Well most people in the northeast here have never even seen a dulcimer and wouldn't know what is played on it. I'm usually playing OT with my fiddler and sometimes I play banjo or dulcimer. Usually the audience doesn't know any OT or fiddle tunes, which is what we play. Invariably we get requests for bluegrass stuff, Dueling Banjos, Dixie Chicks, pop tunes.....none of which we play at all. We play what we play and are good at, and most of the time people just listen and seem to enjoy that it's 'different' from what they're used to.One tip I *can* give- and that is don't sit and scowl at your fingerboard while playing. Musicians have a tendency to screw their faces into weird expressions while lost in the playing process. Instead, look around and smile at people and look like you are having a good time for goodness sake- it's infectious!

Sally Pena said:

Great stories, folks! Keep 'em coming... maybe I'll get brave enough, yet! So, do you just play whatever you want to or, do you know enough tunes to do requests? I think that scares me a lot!

Hi Sally, I never take requests, because I only play tunes I know I can do ok. When people ask me to do something, I'll just say "Well I'm afraid I don't play that one, but I can play this one...."Then again, one of my favorite jokes to say between tunes when we play in public is: "We've had a request from the audience......but we're going to keep playing anyway." Always gets a good laugh! ;D

Wow, a gig with George Harrison....impressive!! ;D

OK thanks John!- and thanks to Steve Eulberg for his free online tab!You're right, that little fiddler is pretty darned cute. :D**One thing to note is that Steve's tab is in DAD and uses the middle string for the low notes.For those who don't fret the drone strings at all (like me), I would suggest tabbing/playing it in ionian DAA and starting the tune with the slides from the 4-5 frets.

If it's not available anywhere I could always make a dulcimer tab for it, based on the fiddle tune- which is what Phil and Randy both based their dulcimer versions on, I assume. But it would definitely be a noter/drone style tab, not chord style, if that's ok?Anyone know of pre-existing dulcimer tabs for Spider Bit the Baby?

And let us not forget...Spider Bit The Baby is the new official themesong of Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer! LOL LOL

updated by @strumelia: 02/09/16 02:15:15AM

I find that intriguing as well, Cathie... the making of early-era music using very limited scales...something appealing about it.

And did you see these kantele videos on fotmd?:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/video/search?q=kantele

90 members in the Family

OFF TOPIC discussions

And no double-dipping this time!!

90 members in the Family

OFF TOPIC discussions

No, we all all cooking! (wouldn't that be nice though.)Number 91 this morning was a spammer, our first.She (he) was silently escorted to the door within about 5 minutes, before he could even take off his hat and post anything. LOLWe should do something special at the 100 mark?

STINKAROO advice...

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Lois Hornbostel said:

Nowadays, it's "in" for old-time musicians to play very dronally, as Bruce Greene does - and it sounds good. Guitarists play their chord progressions along with his dronal style and have learned not to complain. One of the reasons he and Don sound so nice together (and authentic) on old-time music is they are dronal.

Oh my gosh Lois, can you imagine some guitar player complaining to Bruce about his playing? I can just picture it!... LOL!! =8-0

STINKAROO advice...

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Someone should say to your mother- "If you keep listening you'll hear better." ;D

STINKAROO advice...

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

<<I've been getting used to just nodding and smiling when confronted with much "helpful advice" from others. When I went to get the strings I'm using now I was told at the music store that four .010 banjo strings wouldn't work on a dulcimer. Nod and smile.'>>Me too. Same things happens at the bicycle store when they tell me 'nobody rides steel bikes anymore...nobody uses 9 speed anymore...nobody uses bar-end shifters anymore."....nod and smile, nod and smile... LOL

STINKAROO advice...

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Ok, a fun thread now-Did you ever get a piece of dulcimer playing or music playing advice that totally STUNK, didn't work for you and actually messed you up in some way? (no naming names though please, this is all in fun!) =8-o ;D

updated by @strumelia: 01/05/19 04:36:36AM

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Bill, the short answer, if you are fretting only the melody string, is this:Look in the list of songs at the beginning of the book, where Jean tells what MODE the song is in.Tune like this for each mode:Mixolydian= DAdAeolian= DACIonian= DAADorian= DAGForget about the other modes for the time being. These four are plenty to start.Note that your melody string is the only one you need to retune. And also note that in DAd, the melody string d is the highest note you will tune to. When going from DAd to any of the other modes, you will be tuning your melody string DOWN, not up.Ok? This will get you started! LOL!

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Bill, this book was written at a time when dulcimer 'tab' was not that common yet- and a higher percentage of players knew how to read music a little. This issue is one small drawback of this particular book.Here's how I figure it out:First I look at where it tells me what MODE the song is in for the book- In the beginning of the book there is an index of songs and their modes.For example, Aunt Rhodie is in ionian mode, Jean states there.Then I go to the song itself, and I look at the fret the song ends in. In this case, fret 3....thus confirming ionian mode.Now, if you happen to know that DAA tuning as an ionian tuning, you could just stop right there and tune to DAA and follow the fret numbers in Jean's tab and all will be well. But say you want to know which ionian tuning she uses, or what key she has chosen?Well if you look closely at the song, on the left top of the song it says "Tune dulcimer..." and underneath that it gives three whole notes indicating the three notes to tune your three strings.The lowest note will be your bass string.Look at this chart: http://www.cyberfret.com/reading/converting-standard-notation-to-guitar-tablature/1st-position.html Ignore the guitar tab part, just look at the named notes on the music staff.Do you see the first C note, and where it is located on the staff of lines? You will see that Jean's BASS low note is on that same low line. So Jean is tuning her bass string to C. Jean's other two notes she writes un er (Tune dulcimer..." are G notes, if you look at the note chart and compare. Thus, jean is tuning her dulcimer to DGG, which is the typical ionian tuning for the key of C.If you print that note chart out, it can help you figure things out when confronted by these frustrating mysteries.Another example is Shady Grove in jean's book. She states in the song list that it's aeolian.Then look at where she places the low bass string under 'tune dulcimer', and look at the note chart- it's a C note again. Then look at her middle string indication under 'tune dulcimer' (the note in the middle)- again it's a G. Now look at her highest note for tuning the strings, and look at the lower chart to find it- it's a B flat (flat is the little "b" indication).So, for shady grove, Jean is tuning C-G-b flat.CGb-flat is the key of C version of what we usually see for aeolian key of D....D-A-C tuning. All strings are simply one whole step down from DAC, and going from key of D to key of C.Again, just knowing that she tabs it in aeolian mode from the first Song List at the beginning of the book would then tell you you can simply tune in any aeolian tuning, such as DAC, and be able to play the same tab and same tab numbers.I know this sounds complicated, but the notation charts can help you determine what some notes are.

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Yes that book might not really be that hard to write....it might only have 2 or 3 tunes in it! ;DI have always been meaning to get that Homespun set of Jean's too....one of those 1000 things on my 'list' to do...

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Maybe I'll purposely write a tab book on Locrian mode tunes for dulcimer.Hmmmm.....might be a bit short. But then again I like challenges! LOL

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Oh, I see what you mean now- sorry! you mean that in the 70's there were a lot more dulcimer books written for ionian rather than mixolydian, like today's majority are in. Yes, I agree. :)For a rather obscure instrument, it never ceases to amaze me how many tab/instructional books there actually have been written for MD.

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Though one might easily assume that, actually the tabs in her book are in the following modes/tunings:5 mixolydian songs, 3 aeolian, 4 ionian, 2 dorian, and 2 phrygian.Then of course other chapters are on dulcimer history, playing chords, harmony, etc. :)

The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

It's an oldie but a goodie!Every time I open it I learn something new, year after year. Jean has a way of explaining things well in simple terms. Has a nice selection of simple folk tunes to play in different modes, some fascinating history and wonderful photos. It includes chord playing, noter playing, harmony playing, and finger picking styles too.You can often find very inexpensive used copies on Amazon or Ebay.

updated by @strumelia: 06/11/15 07:21:26AM

Any banjo players out there?

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

I think banjos and mountain dulcimers make more people happy than any other instruments!

Any banjo players out there?

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

Sam thank you for the nice comments.

Foggers, I look forward to hearing more on your banjo journey!

I got to play some banjo this weekend at a little oldtime festival in MA.

Any banjo players out there?

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

I asked my husband Brian this evening if he wanted to play some music together after dinner- something we just don't make the time to do often enough! To my surprise out of the blue he asked if I would give him a banjo lesson. So I did!

He did very well. We had to get creative due to his lacking the use of his left index finger and thumb (he has learned to get around this quite well while fiddling). We started with a non-chord style approach in G modal tuning to take advantage of the open drone strings as much as possible. I was very flattered that he would actually ask me for abanjo lesson, considering what a wonderful fiddler he is! I'm very lucky to live with a good natural musician.

So it was an interesting and rewarding musical evening for us both.