Forum Activity for @lois-sprengnether-keel

I prowl the Home page, often without logging in.  I know we all go through topics at times, but haven't spotted any Group discussions.  It would take a lot of time to look at each Group of possible interest.  I love the way the Home page lets us easily look back -- especially when having to be away for a while -- but wonder if I'm missing the obvious when it comes to Groups as opposed to the Forums?

I'm still eager to know of festivals/workshops for other instruments, but if you're interested in creating one this might help.  The Story Crossroads blog from Aug. 17, 2020 to Aug. 25 presents a five-part series on "How to Set Up Virtual Events."  In blog format, since the most recent appears first, it's best to go all the way back to the first part, working through what you need up to the end.  It's written for storytelling events, but is intended to fit other performing arts and virtual events.

Hope it helps replace some events.  It gives an interesting choice of times if you want to go global. 

My only regret is my other type of event is theater and "You know what you call recorded plays . . . movies."

Hope for more as their registration is only until Monday 3 p.m. CDT.  I sent as URGENT FWD to our president & suggested folks prowl online for networking site of their favorite instrument.

Thanks, Dusty!  I know you cover a variety of instruments.  I'll send that & welcome any others.  To paraphrase a popular saying, "A musician is a terrible thing to waste!"

Quick Dumb Question: Is there a site for online music festivals beyond exclusively dulcimers?  Last night our local folklore society had our 1st gathering since shutting down in March.  Thank heavens for Zoom even if not the same as our usual meeting.  In talking, before we took turns playing & singing, there was regret over closed festivals.  I mentioned attending online & was asked to share a listing of festivals.  I know some of the listings at dpnews go beyond dulcimers.  I'll gladly share it, but most of our members play guitar, uke, or banjo, so I'm hoping some of our instrumental generalists can name additional sites.

THANKS!  (I'm that sure they exist.)

See how infectious the folk instrument world can be?!?

Hi Shelley!

Like you, my introduction to folk music was guitar & I still sometimes go that way, but really am delighted to have found the MD.  Since you're currently pretty much stuck indoors, you'll find lots to learn through prowling FOTMD.  Be warned though, you show traces of the disease I have . . . developing a musical petting zoo.  Even being stuck inside can't protect you.  I blame my infection all the way back to Girl Scout days when I earned the Dabbler badge.  For those with a specialized form of the disease, it's Dulcimer Acquisition Disease to match the common tuning of DAd.  My husband has been fighting his own form of this with banjos.  It's not fatal and is fun whether you succumb to it or not.

Dulcimer Player News https://www.dpnews.com/festival-directory lists festivals and with everything having to go online it's worth prowling to get some of those workshops you might have been unable to take because they were already taken at Quarantune or Quarantune 2.0.

I call my husky/malamute my Trail Buddy and try to get out with him for about an hour every other day.  Recent hot weather has forced me to try doing that in the morning.  (I'm NOT an a.m. person and tend to muddle along until finally alert.)  I've tried night hikes, but he's just not as happy with paved walking, our local parks shut down at sunset, and flashlight hikes in fields and woods can be tricky.  <sigh!> 

Just saw this on Facebook from @ClassicFM:

My goldfish are named Major, Minor, Dorian, Lydian, and Diminished.  The only way I can tell them apart is by their scales.

To which I added that on the Mountain Dulcimer we also have Ionian and Mixolydian.

Woops I forgot poor old sorrowful Aeolian.

@floralin, my sympathy when you compare the 3 stringed instruments where a chord's position is fixed.  At first this (coming from a guitar background) and the variety of tunings so that a particular fret may change notes (coming from a piano background) left me, too, as you said, "but when I try to memorize dulcimer chords my brain says, 'oh no, enough is enough'."

Dusty's given you the right advice.  I would also suggest you look at the discussion on "More DAd than DAA Instruction available."  You probably thought it didn't fit your needs and skipped it, but there are some points in it and in Strumelia's blog that may prove worthwhile for your exposure as you begin your dulcimer journey.

Hi, @john-c-knopf , yes, I knew there would be a challenge to what song had the most.  There's some generic portability if you choose to go that way.  Speaking of Old Joe, I can never play it as fast as my banjo picking husband, so I don't try.  Instead I have a jig where Li'l Liza Jane meets the Old boy.  First half is her, second is him, then I quietly sneak in a whisper on the melody string giving her the last word.  It's an arrangement by  @Larry Conger and I should be practicing it.  The June meeting will be impossible at Paint Creek Folklore Society, I'm sure, but the theme was "Youth to Old Age" and that was going to be what I played.

I guess love songs have a lot of variety (cheeseburgers!, animal songs, cocaine?!?) , as @rob-n-lackey says,  "It all depends on what you love!"   Personally I'd choose Shady Grove.  It's claimed to have the most verses of any song so obviously I'm not alone and your can pick and choose the way you want it to go.

@Irene asked "Tell me how you can play with a pick and NOT get that flappy flap flap?  It's great percussion, but I don't want percussion on all my music with the dulcimore."  @ken-hulme gave a method, but if that doesn't match the way you strum it could be hard to change habits.  Felt picks don't make sounds on songs that don't fit percussive pick noise.  

(I know, I know, it's not strumhollow related & I was treading dangerously outside this discussion's topic.)  

At the risk of leaving the point of the discussion, since the strum hollow seems a bit of protection from picks . . .

Tend to agree, @Irene.  Picks cramp your hand and, unless I specifically want the percussion, I, too, am no fan of the FLAP FLAPITY FLAP.  As to where to play, I probably need to pay more attention.  I remember being surprised when my husband asked why I didn't use the strum hollow.  Never noticed.  Had more important things to pay attention to and now this discussion's got me noticing a bit more.

Ah, my Berea Roomie, @Dulcinina"> @Dulcinina , back before I found my health better w/o cats we had a cat who tolerated a leash, but moving at a cat's pace won't help you much (except for your sense of humor ) .  My 10 year old husky/malamute would probably go more, but I try to get out for a roughly hour-long walk every other day, weather permitting.  (I'm NOT a walk-in-the-rain Pet Mom, although sometimes the white stuff still trying to assert itself here in Michigan doesn't always stop me.  BRRRR!)  My "Beast" is nearing the age when my mals died, so I'm hoping the husky in him keeps him longer.  When I think about losing him: I know not having to arrange for care when I'm on the road would be helpful, but he's my trail buddy & I'm well aware I wouldn't be doing it w/o him.  <SIGH!>  This is starting to sound like it should move to the Show Us Your Pets, & I'm always hearing how gorgeous he is, but think when he goes I'll probably try fostering for a while, but know what that will lead to. . . a new trail buddy.

Yes, @Strumelia"> @Strumelia , like you, I'm having to pick my walking areas to avoid people crowding some parks, although I'm not bothered by the way dogs just don't believe in "social distancing", while I talk to their human at a distance.  My husband's truck has an extended cab where my boy rides.  Decided to use my gas points expiring this month on the truck since that travels a bit more than my SUV these days.  The worker at the gas station saw & commented on how he's, yes, gorgeous.  It's a rare time I don't hear that.   Thank heavens a nearby golf course & the fairgrounds (yep, read your note on that!) are near and still available.  Just a bit of walking on our dirt roads leaves me wondering if we truly have that many Essential Workers & people only out 1x a week for groceries! You're still taking your life & that of your dog in your hands traveling on the road.

Whether with a Trail Buddy or earphones, may we all have the opportunity to walk as even online exercise and dance isn't helpful if it must take place in a crowded office.

I've  been testing my very beginning skills of arranging with Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" when this parody I call 50 Ways to Beat Corona came my way.  It's by Marge Bailey as the Sweet Adelines are sharing humor.

Stay away from the pack, Jack
Don't visit your Gran, Stan
Wipe down the toys, Roy
To keep virus free.

Don't hop on the bus, Gus
Don't listen to Don, Ron
Don't hoard the TP, Lee
Just stay virus free

Sneeze in your sleeve, Steve
Don't touch your face, Grace
Keep back to 6 feet, Pete
Heed CDC

Use the Purell, Mel
Keep wipes in your purse, Nurse
Take care of your flock, Doc
You need PPE

This isn't Spring Break, Jake
Stay home if you're sick, Dick
As COID leaps, Peep
Just Follow the rules, Flo
And stay virus free.

A bit more about my own efforts is that the version I'm working with is clearly for guitar. SMN lets me figure out melody & chords.
It's still clunky, definitely gives me a project (in addition to the MobileSheets one mentioned elsewhere.)

@dusty-turtle

Looking forward to seeing the update on the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering!  I just went to the online description of workshops & am impressed!  That's what really grabs me in a program. 

BTW I saw some things about hammered dulcimer, now I don't care to get hammered, but have at least one friend who would probably be interested.  Could the descriptions make it clearer which are for us Mad Dulcimer players vs. THEM!?!?

You're right about it letting people join who could never make it in person.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_Tack_Come_Again_No_More Has the lyrics & "facts" as best they're known. 

I'm so glad I opened a message yesterday.  I was finally able to know what had puzzled me for years.

Hello Lois, my name is Troy Price and I reside in Indiana. I came across you by simply searching my grandfather's name in Google. You see I was up late tonight talking with my wife about my father and him being amazing carpenters and discussing how much working with wood ran in my family. Then started to tell her about my grandfather Neville Price being very good at building musical instruments, Dulcimers in particular. As well as hammer dulcimers, violins, harps ect. While I was doing a simple Google search with his name I saw a thread on dulcimers as well as the photos of one that i believe he built that you have. It was one that you had somehow tracked back to him. Neville Price of shelbyville Indiana. That you were wondering if anyone had heard of him . I can say that beyond any doubt that you are correct. He is very likely the builder of the of that you have. I know that over his life that he had built nearly 500 Dulcimers of the variety that you have. Nearly every one original in wood work and detail. That he was a very amazing man when it came to building things of such detail from furniture, to puzzles, or a house. He was a very creative and amazing man in his craft. I'm so very happy to have seen your post and being able to enjoy his dulcimer. It looks as if it has found a wonderful home! If you have any questions feel free to ask. Thank you for your time in reading this. Have a very blessed day!

LoiS(omeday I hope to let the Price family see my beloved "Swannie!")

P.S. @greg-gunner"> @greg-gunner , you win the Cryptology prize!  Indiana players you definitely had Neville Price in your history & now I can correctly credit him.  I suspected as much since I fell in love with its tone & unique appearance at an antique store near the Indiana/Michigan border.

Thank you, @terry-wilson , for bringing this up & thank you for tracking this down from back ten years ago, @strumelia .  It's still true. 

I remember a great bit from a storyteller, Barbara McBride-Smith , who has so many wonderful stories, but what stays with me, especially when I hear "Just As I Am" & "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb."  Seems her mother's singing would change the songs so that it's "Just as I am without one flea" and the other would be "Washed in the blood of the lam p ."  Barbara finally asked her about it & it was humility on her mom's part as she had plenty of "pleas" & similarly didn't feel ready to claim the Lamb. 

That's a greatly compressed version of the story.  If you ever get a chance to hear her, it's definitely worthwhile.

Steven, you know too many of us have to learn the words to that!  Those of us who do Civil War reenactment will surely find a way to claim we learned it!

This started out as a response to what @dusty turtle said, but then the floodgates opened and much more spilled out, some of it even musical!  Since that's what mainly is of interest here I did a Cut of the computer-related information that came 1st, planning on re-pasting it at the bottom.  Got busy putting in the links to 3 members here & accidentally deleted it !  That segment is where the bulk of my time has been spent, so in the interest of at least some honesty will be attempted again near the end.

@dusty turtle said:

hummingbirds, bluebirds, and bees

frolick among my citrus trees.

were it not for these

and the frest spring breeze

I'd be panicked about

this dreaded disease.

Dusty, I'm so glad to hear it as those pollinators are critical, also butterflies.

I have dulcimer songs I've played to keep advancing.  It includes the June theme we might actually get to use at our local folklore group, assuming we're meeting by then.  May is already canceled by the place where we meet.  It's a tricky jig combining Little Liza Jane & Old Joe Clark in an arrangement by Larry Conger.  The theme was Youth to Old Age.  There's no way I can play Old Joe Clark at the pace of my banjo playing husband, so this 6/8 jig time does exactly what I need.  My own version of this is, after playing 1st LLJ, then OJC, I bring her back & softly play the melody string of LLJ as I figure she wants the last word!  I'm also working on my plain Jane TMB (thank you, John Knopf ) the song to the tune of Yankee Doodle naming the presidents -- it goes up to Hoover, but I use it only up through Wilson as it's part of a one-room school teacher program I do.  I've got one scheduled for September, but do the program often enough I really need to learn the song.  I asked John to make something very basic a teacher might have carried.  This was after getting hooked on the TMB by the lovely, but too beautiful for this use, TMB I bought from Irene after admiring it last year at the Berea Gathering.  I'm also playing the parody of The Sloop John B that I mentioned here.  It's called the Sloop John A & I'm sure the folkies at our local group will catch the sly humor.  My biggest problem is getting the parody words right as I played the original apparently way too often on my guitar & tend to give the original.  Love calypso rhythms (I'm also playing Jamaica Farewell just for my own amAsement), so it tend to creep into whatever I play after that.

My solo rehearsal of songs, dances, & lines from the 2012 version of Godspell -- a much more complicated vocal version -- should be happening, but knowing the show's been re-scheduled for mid to late July hasn't been very motivating. (I switched from Alto to singing Tenor with the guys as the Alto arrangement had too many high notes to sing constantly.  I can reach them, but knew it was asking too much for too long.)

Fortunately shelter in place doesn't forbid my every other day hikes with my beautiful Beast.  I posted pictures of him at the end of my weekly blog .  Last Saturday, March 28, I also included my gradually petered out attempt at singing a pre-chosen Song of the Day -- a local radio station posted the selections and maybe it would have worked in a suburban area, but not in this place of acreage with few people close enough to hear anybody else.  Didn't want the Italians to have all the musical fun.  I guess for this group I should revise ever so slightly the parting message on last week's blog to read: If you self-quarantine for your family's safety, please be smart.  I can't afford to buy 15 musical instrument baby shower presents in December.

As for my computer projects, it's like cleaning up the sands on a beach, they never end.  Of course the death of my very old computer (WIN7 upgraded to 10) at the end of last year didn't help.  I'm a "belt and suspenders" type of person, using automaGic online backup from Carbonite + an external hard drive.  The only problem is original programs are something techies tend to back off from installing and getting running again because they might not do it right.  A perfect example was my AzzCardfile program.  I have well over a 1000 folktale anthologies on it (can you tell I'm both a librarian and a former indexer?), but when I discovered I now had a program missing the purchases of the last several years, I started re-inputting (those suspenders I mentioned came in handy for knowing what was missing).  The only problem was I kept doing dumb things that made it crash!  AARGH!  Miss working regularly in a library where techie teens could give suggestions.  (Nowadays I just sub in a library . . . at least when it's open.)  O.k. back to the inputting, crash, re-do it until finally I got the bright idea to check that external hard drive & found MY COMPLETE FILE!  Decided the more recent inputs were worth incorporating.  Learned how to put that information side by side on the screen.  It's now the renamed (to make me know which is the improved version) catalog which includes some of that improved information on contents. 

I also have Thunderbird as an email program where I archive my email to help me find past venue information & potential gigs; an email list for storytellers (yes, it's available elsewhere, but, in the past, when a host dropped it abruptly it showed how a personal archive could help); other family information; various other stuff I'm not ready to lose.  The problem was in the past several years I started using the webmail provided by the host for my website while on the road.  The only problem was it had a data limit -- high, but not the unending archival limit found by storage on my computer.  I eventually had stopped going over to Thunderbird & making use of my folders.  The last several years have now been somewhat filed & I discarded what has no obvious need to be stored.  Is there more I should do?  Dunberidiculous!  

As for home-related projects. . .I'm mainly putting things off until I can open windows.  Can't breathe dust and I long ago freely confessed to dual church membership where I am the Chief High Prophetess of the Church of the Unholy Mess.

As for storytelling, since I do "run my mouth for fun and profit", right now this has switched to my weekly storytelling phone calls to a family member's two daughters ("Who are these children and why are they calling me Grandma?").  I let them each choose a type of story I will tell & then we also make up a story together.  Long ago I also became a Talking Book to my husband while we're on the road, so now it's being read in place.  I usually try to alternate a modern setting with a historical mystery.  We just finished one of the Lady Ginger Gold mysteries set in England during our own Prohibition era (she's just moved back to England from being raised in the U.S.), so I read one of the tons of e-books waiting for me to him.  This was a novella about a detective solving a case involving a valuable missing bubble gum baseball card.  I had pre-read it & knew how to do it justice as my husband had enjoyed the wisecracking style of the Golden Era Hollywood detective, Toby Peters (hate it when an author has the nerve to die so the series ends!), & Elvis Cole (the author started getting too gritty eventually).  Looks like this new series will work, so it's 1st full-length book waits while we read more about turn-of-the previous century New York with a mid-wife & NYC Irish police detective, a series with tons already read, but even more waiting on the shelf or yet to be purchased.  I've purposely skipped vital information about authors as the librarian in me would love to hook you on something new to read.  I hope you know that, whether from your library's own online book provider or by your buying them, there's good reading available.

Like most others I know, I've been in various web meetings; have prowled Facebook; checked here.

That's way more than you probably cared to know and I promise it doesn't really say everything .

As a storytelling friend likes to end her emails: There's always a story, it'd be a shame not to tell it.

Like Robin, I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but her books deserve to continue her legacy.  Just went to her website & see the self-published books are no longer available.  Let's hope Mel Bay keeps her other works in print for a long time.

We all can use a bit of fun, especially now, but I had already decided I needed to play "The Sloop John A" after hearing it on the syndicated "Folk with Matt Watroba."  (Check your NPR stations to see if the show is on yours, or check https://www.wkar.org/programs/folk-matt-watroba#stream/0 )  He played the Les Barker parody & I knew I had to learn it.  Since we're all working on our repertoire a bit more right now, I recommend getting the tab for Sloop John B & the parody words.  For the words & Barker doing the song I went to YouTube.

Fellow pun lovers will love how we never did find the John A, maybe the A's at sea.

I had to read your comment to my "loud & raucous" banjo playing husband.  He's my Roadie & I can only get him to play for my Civil War era programs, when I do WWI or Prohibition he swears it's not his style.  Good thing I love him & vice versa 'cause I pick on him mercilessly about that banjo.

Hi Terry,

I just reached out to a library where I'm scheduled for a program later this month.  The program I do is 100% public domain -- the joys of historical programs.  I suspect material you are using is also public domain.  They offered to either postpone the program or live stream it.  I'm not sure how many of us have that option, I know I would need them handling it, but it's becoming a method for all manner of meetings and performances.  I confess that techies would need to help me if I tried to do it on my own.

Just heard that Hong Kong is finding that survivors of the virus have 20-30% reduced lung capacity.  Stay well & use it as you said, with new material work.

I might even find time to go back through the timeline here as I've had to be off it with rehearsals and performances.

This won't help with any "bad habit", but if you're playing a piece where you don't want that percussive sound I strongly recommend felt picks.  I also find they don't produce as loud a sound.  I tend to think of myself as having a fairly strong voice, but picks produce so much louder sounds that it can be hard to be heard over it in an acoustic setting without a microphone.

The 2 versions of Morning Has Broken that I plan to use together are by Steve Smith  and then the flat-picked version by Tull Glazener was what I considered for the interlude.   It essentially is the same on a lot of it,  but uses the chords played and then broken into arpeggios.

Dusty, thank you!  I've been envying people who can sing a verse or 2, then throw in something that's not just playing the same thing without the words, and then returning to the words.  Can't borrow Mastering Variations, but see Amazon has a limited # of copies.  DRAT!  It's the sort of thing I should have suggested as a Christmas present. 

Some of what you suggest has come up in a song I've decided to stick to playing instrumentally only.  I found 2 versions of Morning Has Broken.  Surprisingly both are in the same key with the 1 I would play as an interlude taking the spot where your hand is already in a chord and arpeggiating (if that's not a real word, it should be) the chord.  On 2d thought maybe I'll sing on version 1 & use version 2 as an instrumental break. 

O.k. you didn't give the full course or book, but it's a great start with suggestions on proceeding that easily delays my roughly $35 - $70 (buying both O'Rourke's books & including the shipping) for now.  When I am ready to move on to more involved discoveries I now know where to go...to a book or 2.  The librarian in me, of course, approves the book recommendation,

Because the intro & the ending can easily come from the piece, they aren't as hard to come up with something.  My puzzlement is always that "filler" between sections or verses.  Suggestions?

Thank heavens this site offers a way to review as I'm in only intermittently lately.  Saw this about strikers & wanted to show a simple one I was given (so they must be inexpensive).  It was part of last year's Christmas dulcimer workshop at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan, so they may carry them.  It's about an 1/8th of an inch thick & my husband thinks it may be oak.  I'm adding a photo as many of you could make one.  I'm using mine for the last verse of Good King Wenceslaus.

 striker.jpg - 40KB

Me, too; me, too!

I agree with @paul-rappell about " the possibility of the dog flying around the car in the event of a crash."  Unfortunately my Mouthymutt (malamute/husky) chewed right through a brand new harness the very 1st time, so I'm glad it's not a law here even though I'd love to do it.

He's in the narrow extended cab of our truck, a.k.a. The Fur Wagon.

@robin-thompson"> @robin-thompson  said:

Lois, there is an element or two of this instrument which I've seen before-- the swan head being the more notable element.  I can't recall, though, when I saw some similar photos.  I'm hoping somebody knows who the maker was!

Hi Robin, you've been close enough to areas where the maker may have been.  Even if it proves to be recycled furniture as Strumelia suggests, it might lead to more information.

Hmmm.  Wonder who is knowledgeable about wood?  We recently lost our local Native American flute maker, Don Hayes.  He really knew his woods.  I'll ask his widow if their son, who took the woodshop tools & wood, could tell me.  I look at it and it doesn't look as refined as those chairs, but it's an idea.  His finish is definitely more "rustic", especially on the back. 

Showed it just now to my husband and he dared to want to improve that finish!  NO!

That woodburned signature looks to me like it ends in "...ville."

A computer search on Kantele was eye-opening.  It reminds me of the zithers and toys that had diagrams you insert under the strings to play a song.  Being eager to make music simply, I've fallen for some of those & even created some diagrams of my own.  This shows there is a whole Finnish musical tradition without the cheat sheets that probably inspired the commercial American instruments .

I'm not "Finnished" with mine, but appreciate seeing a more musical and traditional version.  His tying it to the Finnish epic of the Kalevala adds to its appeal for me as a storyteller, especially in a state known for its Finnish residents.  The Folkcraft name convinced me to watch the video & I appreciated Ken Bloom's many ideas.  They fit much more than just the Kantele for those of us playing members of the zither family & that includes the dulcimer. 

Just wish he hadn't allowed his microphone to pick up wind noise.

Mine thinks "come" means stand there & wait for me to come to him!  I tend to use it when walking on our dirt roads & know a car is coming.  I've gotten very fast at shortening his extendable leash & coming.  Who trained who?

I love our truck's rear window over the truck bed, but learned to put a stick in the track so it only opens big enough to put his head out.  Nothing like being on the interstate & looking in your rearview mirror & your dog is past his chest trying to get out!!!

My childhood dog one time jumped out on a busy road when he saw something he wanted.  Fortunately other cars missed him.  Don't believe dogs won't find a way out, it can happen incredibly fast.

P.S. I find that "+" symbol step that I need to remember.

Thank you both!  I posted this unsuccessfully on the former site and thought it was worth trying again.  (It also gave me a procedure for a fellow member who has had trouble posting photos here.)  I love the instrument & its uniqueness, so I decided to post it both ways.  Guess I'm 2 for 2.