Forum Activity for @folkfan

Thanks so.  Is Flint Hill the name of a farm?  

I wanted to let Dave's friends here at FOTMD know that Dave passed away at our sister, Barbara's home.  He had been suffering from stage 4 lung cancer.  Now he is no longer in pain.  Keigh/folkfan

My way of looking at it is he is saying "Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."  He does so well in having his picture taken.  My daughter is forever taking snaps of him and she seems to catch his good side.

He's about 10 years old, but he almost as bouncy now as he was as a kitten. 

Here's a recent one of Tigger. 

 IMG_3338.JPG - 180KB

I'm reading some things on family genealogy, Henry the Fifth by Shakespeare, and a series of books about a fat vampire.   Great for a laugh.  And generally anything that doesn't move and has words printed on it.  If I don't have a book in one hand, my Nook is in the other. 

I've cut some picks from the lids from cans of prunes we buy at Walmart.  They are in a purple plastic with no printing on them.  I also cut one from each of the lids. They are lopsided leaving a large top strip to grip with the pick cut below and to one side.  Sort of a purple pick on a grip stick.   Fewer picks fly out of my hands and I don't have to hold on to the pick as tightly between my thumb and index finger.  It gives the arthritic joint at the base of my thumb a rest.

Well, I've been doing something healthy. I've been losing weight. My doctors are extremely pleased with me. Since last September I've shed about 50 lbs. My system is simple. I look in the mirror and say to myself. Whales need blubber, Walruses need blubber, seals need blubber. You are not a whale, a walrus or a seal. You don't need blubber.

Then I write down in a notebook everything I eat. Keeping to about 1,200 calories a day has meant that I've been losing about a pound a week. I'm in a holding stage now and trying to determine how many calories I can eat without putting weight back on. I'm still keeping my notebook and intend to note what I eat for the rest of my live. Having taken it off, I'm going to keep it off!!!!!!!!!!!!

My thoughts and prayers are with you, Dana, and your family at this time of sorrow and troubles. As we go into Spring, I hope this special time of year, one of renewal and rebirth, will bring with it a special gift of renewal and rebirth into health for you.

Guy, I truly love your playing, and those wonderful photos of the waterfalls, but I don't facebook..but I really do like you.

I'm a visual learner, in that I'm far more likely to remember and understand something I read, rather than something I hear. The old saying about "Goes in one ear and out the other" fits me to a T.

When it comes to music this is especially true as I have no memory for instrumental music at all. Unless I have words to associate with the rhythm of the music, and tab to play with, I'm rarely able to remember a tune, much less play it. It can take me forever just to be able to recognize and name a tune that I frequently hear.

Playing by ear is a concept that doesn't work for me for more than the problem with memory, though I'd say that is a major part of my inability, but I also don't hear as well as I should. Thank heavens for electronic tuners and sheet music.

Yippee, I just found out. I've been away from a computer since last week. Thanks so. FOTMD is a prize we all can share.

169. Good going, Lisa. A very nice site. Happy Birthday to FOTMD

I've only seen one dulcimer that had deep wells between the frets instead of a flat fret board. It was up for raffle at a dulcimer festival. Tried playing it but didn't care for the feel. I finger dance the melody line and it just didn't feel right.

If you've got your instrument now tuned in DAd, then the tunes you played in DAA can be played by subtracting 3. If I play Brother John (in DAA) as 3453, 3453, 567, 567, 787653, 787653, 303, 303. In DAd it's 0120, 0120, 234, 234, 454320 454320, 0 0middle 0, 0 0middle 0. The one advantage to staying in DAA for noter/drone or melody/drone style is that you have notes below the starting note of the scale (3) to play on the melody string, but in DAd you have to hop over to the middle string for the lower notes as in the ding, dong, ding in Brother John. I find hopping over to the middle string awkward. If DAd strikes the right note with you, though, then play on. Oh, and one more item, the 9th fret note in DAA becomes the 6+ in DAd.

I'd say a 4 string dulcimer that has the option on the nut and bridge to be strung as a double melody string and two drones or to string as a 4 equidistant string set up.

Now having said that, I remove or drop one of the double melody strings and play only 1 melody string in my finger dancing style, or lift one melody string over and set up as a 4 equidistant configuration and still play one melody string/finger dancing.

But neither a 3 string or 4 string set up is better across the board, they are simply better options for different playing styles.

I guess I'm just not vigorous enough as I don't use a strap, and have never had a dulcimer fall off my lap or my possum board yet. Knock wood!!!!!! Of course, one of my favorite possum boards has an extra leg that gives me a sort of tripod placement on my lap.

Just you wait until you decide to have an extra fret installed. Now there's mental agony, not only do they cut into your baby with a saw, they hit it with a hammer as well. Shudder!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maryann Lang said:

I would never judge but I would highly encourage! It is very frightening to watch. Almost as bad as watching my daughter get her ears pierced! (Except my dulcimer did not cry - althought I almost did for both events!)

My daughter plays the uke and she definitely would never add a strap.

My possum board has shelf liner glued to the back of it. The lifts that hold the dulcimer up off the board are shaped like shallow L's and the part that touches the dulcimer back are felt lined. No scratches, no slides, no sticking to the board. And I can angle my legs comfortably. Plus in case of extreme need, one of my possum boards has strap buttons. How's that for covering all bases.

Jan, That's a good question. I don't think I've ever heard Wildwood Flower played as anything but a faster dance tune. All the recordings I have of it are at a toe tapping pace. Even those that are sung. So I've just never managed to play it. I've got slow hands. Since I think of it as a fast tune, I would only have thought to give faster tunes to match that pace.

So Terry, are you playing it fast or slow?????

I don't normally play anything as fast a pace as Wildwood Flower, but I have heard it played with Redwing which makes a nice combination.

No, I wasn't endanger of losing my head at the Highland Games, but I did one performance after falling in a parking lot. Caught my toe in the hoop and fell flat on my face. Hoop went over my head, but no one was about for that show. Did spend the day holding ice to my split lip to keep the swelling down. Fortunately it was an inside split so I could do the walking Kodak moment with the kids and not horrify them.

John Henry said:

ff, I do so hope that you did not hide a puppy dog up your skirts, and subseqently lose your head ..............?

John

Something you've worn before that is neat, clean, comfortable, a good color on you, and won't pop, pull, or show too much if you have to bend over, sit down, or fall on your face. You don't want to have to worry about wardrobe malfunctions during a performance.

Someday, I'll have to tell you about my performances as Mary Queen of Scots.

Phil, You've taken a lickin' but have kept on kickin'. Good for you!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like your journey has been a hoot so far. I hope you keep enjoying it and sharing your joy in it for many years.

Those kids need a standing ovation. They sounded great. Absolutely amazing.

Marvelous photo. Now when it comes to hammer on's, do you prefer a tack hammer, claw hammer, or 5 lbs. sledge?

I call them my babies.

For me it's DAA Dulcimer Acquisition Addiction. And I currently have 14. One is an early Berg that was the first dulcimer I ever bought, the 2nd is the first Black Mountain Dulcimer kit that I'd made. Since then I've dealt with 2 other Black Mountain kits and have given them away. And of the other 12 instruments I have, they are Sweet Woods instruments. Well 2 are ones that Dave let me make in his shop using a couple of fret boards he made for me along with his jigs, etc.

If you're going to be using a chair outside on the ground, here's a trick. Place large metal pickle jar lids or squares of plywood under the feet. They will help keep the feet from sticking into the ground. I've had a number of chairs break at the joints because the feet embedded themselves in the ground and they didn't shift when I did. Having a collapsing chair collapse under you can be embarrassing, awkward, and painful.

Beth, When tuning DAA which is a common tuning for the dulcimer, the melody strings are tuned to the same note as the middle string, not an octave higher. This puts the d at the third fret in this tuning.

When tuning DAd the melody d is tuned to an octave higher than the bass D and the d is at the open string position.

So "Are You Sleeping, Brother John" in DAA starts 3453, 3453, 567, 567, while in DAd it is 0120, 0120, 234,234.

I usually drop the DAA down one note and play CGG which I find better for singing.

Bass string goes to the C below middle C and the G 4 notes up from that C. The Bass is the lower tone than the middle and melody strings.

When you tune to DAA or DAd the bass note is the D below middle C so all you do to tune CGG or CGc is to lower the notes 1 step down on all the strings.

Well put, Robin. A good description of the confusion caused by the use of mode names to describe tuning patterns on modern dulcimers.

folkfan said:

Using a lever which either bends the string or pinches it, depending on the brand, changes your VSL length. Example I used the pinch off or imobilizing at a certain point on the string method sort of like the Truitt levers. To go from a C on my bass to a D I have to pinch off at just about 2 5/8" inches in from the bridge. That makes my VSL go from 25 7/8" to about 23 2/8 " which means at the open position I have D but at the 7th fret it a sharpened E. So unless you are going for just the D at open on the string for your tune, sharping levers wouldn't work with a fretted dulcimer.

The levers aren't place beyond the bridge like fine tuners are. And depending on the string gauge and how much they stretch will make moving or adjusting the levers when ever you change gauges or even string sort of necessary. Harp strings aren't changed as often as dulcimer strings are. So I think I'm right in saying that there would be more of a need to adjust the positioning of the levers. Fortunately their screw holes are designed for this minute adjustment factor.

On the treble string if I go from G to A (slightly flat) my 7th hits a B almost right on. Just wish we could come up with a way to move the frets as quickly.

Might work on a fretless dulcimer as it would change the VSL, but you'd need a couple of inches of flat fret board the height of the bridge and before the bridge to place a lever. With my strum, I think I'd end up snagging my right hand on a flipped up lever. As it is I have problems in the winter with snagging when I put on long sleeves.

Carolyn, No one is saying that the wood isn't important in making an instrument, any instrument. There are woods that I would choose over others. I wouldn't want to make an instrument out of balsa, for example. Two of my constructions have been made of cherry with western red cedar soundboards, though. The sound difference is dramatic, one is high, light, and sweet, the other has more of a mellow modern guitar type of sound. The first instrument is a traditional construction of the bridge resting on the fretboard but directly over the tail piece with a small shallow body. The bridge is about 5/8" away from the end of the instrument. The second is build with the bridge resting on the fretboard but way in (about 3 ") over a very large (wide and deep) sound box. Same woods, but the tone or voice of the instruments is totally different.

The volume of the sound box has more to do with voice of an instrument than the wood it's made of, all other construction being the same. If you want a traditional sound: high, light, silver, try getting an instrument that has a smaller box: narrower and shallower, the bridge should be located at the end over the tail piece, and perhaps an all the same wood construction, all walnut, all cherry, all poplar.

Gail, I'm with Mike on this one, what would you consider a more traditional sound? To me the McSpadden is a very traditional sounding instrument. Most of my instruments have a far more mellow sound than the McSpadden. Of course, style of play has a great deal to do with a traditional sound. What is your playing style?

Dean, I tend not to watch the fretboard as well. Since I play and sing at the same time, I usually concentrate on reading my tab for the words to the song.

I'll have an idea as to why many players would watch the fret board though. They might have more than one instrument and have varying VSL lengths. All my instruments but 2 have the same VSL lengths, which is why I tend not to play the 2 that don't. Their fret placement confuses my muscle memory. Even though one of them is only just over an inch longer as soon as I start playing it, I flub up and have to watch my finger placement. I'm a melody/drone player and so am only using one finger at a time the small difference in the VSL causes havoc with my playing.