One of the biggie competitionsis Winfield, KS.
Get out of Rust Belt, Richard, and come down to the Sunshine State. We'll start that Old Fogies Dulcimer Championship and Grouper Eatin' Competition. Should be real successful, as most of the northeatern US and Canada migrates here between Thanksgiving and Easter. Literally 10% of the population of Canada comes to Florida annually....
I'm on the other side of the wooden fence
My experience is that there are a huge number of variables which affect the sound of a dulcimer, and that the kind of wood is pretty far down the list. A competent luthier can make almost any wood (or even cardboard, plastic or Legos) sound the way you want by adjusting any of a number of variables such as bracing, cubic sound box area, VSL, break angle of strings, details of fretboard construction, etc., etc.
I buy dulcimers using two criteria -- what it sounds like, and what it looks like.
Terry - you can tune ANY dulcimer into ANY tuning. Especially with the string set which Dave puts on his instruments. Even if you optimize the strings for a particular tuning such as DAd, it will still play perfectly well in DAA, CGG, CGc, etc.
Since you're playing Noter & Drone, just ask Dave to give you a slightly taller fretboard. That's what he did to a slightly customized Student model I got from him a few years back.
There are a couple nice liveaboard boats availble just down the dock from me, guys...
"tuners placed in a slot of neck"... ????? Are you taking about on a scroll head or a flat guitar-style head? Can you post a picture of an example?
Truly, most of the geared guitar-type tuners will fit "a slot in neck", and are available from Folkcraft, Stew Mac and most string instrument parts dealers.
Jim; iff you go to this discussion, there is an attachment of the Wfret file that you can click and download:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/dulcimermaking/forum/topics/fret-layout-2?commentId=3745489%3AComment%3A573798&groupId=3745489%3AGroup%3A2913
There are, here in the Building sections, several posts which list the fret spacings for some of the common VSLs. There is also the free downloadable "old" version of Wfret which some od us can send you that allows you to set any VSL and print out a template. Other fret calculator don't, IIRC allow print outs of templates.
IIWM (If It Were Me) I'd use Ash for the sides (I like working with Ash) and the cherry for the back. Spruce, IHMO is a bit too soft for a back (which gets more wear than the top).
I'm gonna suggest something different, Julie: don't try to be a metro-gnome.
Strum in the rhythm of the words not a machine-like rhythm. Start with songs you already know how they sound.
Strum once for each note -- in the rhythm of the words. Melody string only or across all three courses, it doesn't matter.
One of my favorite teaching tunes is Frere Jacques, because 1. Nearly everyone knows how it goes; 2. It's a simple repeated string of notes; 3. It has a distinctive, but not 'flat' rhythm.
Ayup. String gauges, please.
And confirmation that your hearing is OK or that you've got new batteries in your hearing aids.
Tone woods would not make that kind of difference. With a Galax you should have plenty of volume.
Is this your first dulcimer? Some folks have unreasonable ideas about how much more volume a Galax will give.
Ah, but you see, that has been the brag from several people all along -- regardless of other variables these people claimed they could distinguish an hourglass from a teardrop. So that's how I designed the test. Not a dozen McSpads of different shapes. Not trad vs modern volumes, not VSL. At least once a year someone says "I can tell an hourglass from a teardrop." Can you?
Yeah... well, unfortunately I don't have a dozen instruments.... Eleven dulcimers playing the same one tune would make an interesting test...
It's a coded message from the Militant Manatee Coalition.... one of their representatives was down by my friend's boat that day!
Ayup. There's a glitch there... Gotta have my tech guy look into it.... Only supposed to be one tune per cut and no talking! I checked all the other cuts and they only have one song per file. Thanx for listening, Skip!
For years I've said that you cannot tell what shape of dulcimer played a given tune. Others have firmly declared that they, by George, could always tell when a tune was being played on an hourglass versus a teardrop. A week or so back, Mark Gilston took up my challenge.
He says he can tell whether a tune is being played on an hourglass or on a teardrop; that each SHAPE has a distinctive sound. I say the sound of a dulcimer is NOT shaped-related. I've recorded 6 tunes on two dulcimers. The only thing my audio engineer friend did was cut apart the master recording into individual takes, and enhance th amplitude of all cuts equally
So you can "play along at home", sort of, here are two of the eleven files that Mark will listen to.
Can you tell what Shape the instruments were that played those two tunes? Of course in some sense you've got a 50/50 chance of getting it right. That's why Mark is taking the full test with eleven recordings.
Perhaps after Mark has had his 'go' at determining which is what, I'll open the files up to others...
One of the greats. We'll miss you Pete!
Contra dance incorporates round dances, square dances and other partnered folk dances where couples face each other in lines similar to Scottish Country Dancing.
You really don't need a bunch of "middle C stuff" and music theory to tune and play the dulcimer. Especially these days with audio examples to tune your instrument to.
Lisa has an excellent audio "how to tune" at the top of the Beginner Group page --
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/beginnerplayers
If you want to start out simply and build your skills, you can play melodies on the melody string and let the other strings just drone along as was done traditionally.
You may want to check out the article I wrote called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms plus answers to many beginner questions about tuning, playing, care and feeding of your dulcimer.
The article is here:
http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what
Make us a list of your clueless bits, and we'll cut them down to size. I strongly recommend 80% Dark Chocolate combined with Orange, Raspberry or Mint for maximum health benefits...
Tell us what you really think, Ellen
This is the place to get those frustrations taken care of. Guys in videos can't answer questions. We can. Some of the folks here may have written the book you're getting confused in, but heck they'll still talk to you and help you get it right. Dulcimer is a universe of things, not necessarily simple. Yes Many of us could sit you down and get you playing a couple songs in an hour (as long as you don't have to take off any shoes to count to ten!). It takes a bit longer when we have to write and interpret things.
Ask and ye shall be answered. If the answers are confusing, ask again...
AS I read you second paragraph I was going to suggest strumming the melody strings nearly vertically and using only the side of your little finger to brush the middle drone string and bass string.
One thing you've quickly discovered is that "there is no right way, or wrong way to play the dulcimer" -- just YOUR way. I've been an 'outie' strummer for nearly 40 years, influenced by Jean Ritchie. So firmly an outie strummer that it was probably 15 years before I even accidentally strummed out and back. Others emphasize strumming inward. Whatever works best for you.
When you back and forth strum, try to make the major notes of each measure the innie strums. Personally I think tablature which tries to teach you which direction to strum for which note is mostly a waste of time. Play a tune in a way which sounds good to you.
I find it interesting that your middle drone string has so much more sustain than the other strings; but 'stuff happens'. That might be solved by changing the middle drone string to a slightly larger gauge.
Onward and upward, as an author friend is fond of saying.
I won't say common, but I will say it's something a new player recognizes quickly and either accepts or learns to circumvent when desired. Nothing wrong with the sound of drones; IMHO it's an essential part of the whole Dulcimer Sound. But it's not something most Westerners are accustomed to hearing in heavy doses.
The more you play, the more you'll find your personal balance of drones and melody, usually on a tune-by-tune basis. Some tunes cry out for a heavy drone background, the way some tunes cry out for a heavy drumbeat. Others, not so much, and at times, no drone at all. Some phrases of some songs want a drone, others don't; especially the farther up the fretboard you play -- the higher frets with the drones are often uncomfortably discordant, so you learn not to use the drones above, say fret 9...
The easiest way to lessen the amount of drone sound is to change how you strum. From your description it sounds as if you are strumming either very flat across all the strings, or perhaps even across and down as you get to the middle and bass drones, which would emphasize them.
So... learn to strum "up and out, in and down" so that the melody string is emphasized in each direction, not the drones. When I strum outwards, I basically brush the drones with the little finger of my right hand (the finger itself helps to mute the drones somewhat), as my pick plucks the melody string almost exclusively (and the drones as I want to pluck them). strumming inward I often don't touch the drones at all with the pick, but again brush them with my curled fingers in passing.
Hi PATTY; Sorry to hear of your troubles.
First thing I would do is get a good FLAT steel rule (you Brits have a ruler, but that's different ) and make sure the frets are flat to each other. By the variances you list in "cents off" it doesn't sound like they are. Individual frets can be re-set as needed.
You found a US nickel and dime on your side of the Pond?
Replacing the nut/bridge -- Like John, I've never in 40 years heard of a builder using plyuwood for the nut/bridge. It makes no structural sense. The countertop material that John mentions - Corian (tm) - makes good bridges. But so does hard, dry bone, purchased plastic bridges; and woods like hard maple, ebony, lignum vitae, or snakewood. Personally I find wood easiest to work with.
The usual spacing on the melody string couplet is about 3mm between the pair (1/8 inch to us Yanks).
Point of grammar... since the dulcimer is normally played flat on your lap, not vertically, most folks don't think of 'top' and 'bottom' strings the way guitarists or mando players do. We usually refer to the nearest string(s) as the melody string(s); next is the middle drone, followed by the bass or bass drone (farthest from you).
If you continue to have problems, you might get in touch with Robin Clark, up in Snowdonia, Wales at Birdrock Dulcimers.
Patty -- the big question is "How far out of tune?" A few cents? From dead on to full sharp? Technically, anytime you press down on a string, you're stretching it and causing it to go a tiny bit sharp.
You said "...a new dulcimer..." brand new from the builder? Or new to you? How high is the action? What we consider a good starting point is the nickel & dime test. If the strings just touch a dime placed next to the first fret; and just touch a nickel placed on top of the 7th fret (not the 6+ fret). If the action is much higher than this it is very easy to stretch the string(s) far enough to go serious sharp.
Ellen said "I am a bit confused on one other thing. It sounds like many people switch back and forth between Daaa and Dadd tuning -- but Ken's string calculator suggests two different string sets. So does one just go with the strings most often used in one of the tunings?"
Yes we often change up a note or two and down a note or two using the same strings. As you saw, from a set of DAd strings you can go up to EBe, and perhaps FCf; but you'll probably break a string trying for GDg. Likewise you can go down to CGc easily, and perhaps BFb before the strings get too floppy.
Going from DAd to DAA is even easier because you're just slacking off the melody string from d down to A.
You can also tune to Dorian Mode -- DAG -- and Aeolian Mode DAC without changing strings. Those tunings give you very minor sounding scales for tunes like Shady Grove, Drunken Sailor, Scarborough Faire, City of New Orleans, Be Thou My Vision (all Dorian Modal tunes). Aeolian Mode gives you tunes like Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies, Greensleeves, Long Black Veil, and Wayfaring Stranger.
OK Ellen. I went to the Strothers String Calculator -- www.strothers.com and plugged in your 24.5" VSL Here are the results.
C = 24 G = 16 G = 16
D = 22 A= 14 A = 14
D = 22 A= 14 d = 11
If you go to the first page of the Beginner's Group here, Lisa has written out tuning directions, and there is a link so you can hear which C, D, and A you should be tuning to...
Ellen -- the gauges mean nothing to us unless you give us the VSL, as the two are intimately related. 26/18/18 isn't bad for some VSLs and some tunings.
Ditto what Rob said...
5 times bigger'? Length? Width? Volume? -- I believe it qualifies on all those accounts. I think Guiness has instituted a "minimum" bigger/stronger/faster etc. to stop folks from claiming a record by simply beating the current record holder by a small amount on a single occasion. Saves their staffers a huge bunch of work too.
The easiest replacement is to use the Knilling/Perfection geared tuners which look almost exactly like a wooden peg, except they have teeni-tiny gears inside. These pegs slip right into the existing tapered wooden peg holes. To use more conventional geared tuners you may have to drill out the wooden peg holes, or at least insert a metal collet through which the shaft of the tuner runs.
If you're wanting to do this conversion to a vintage instrument, or one by a well-known builder, I would strongly suggest the Knilling/Perfection pegs, as they will not damage a potentially collectable instrument.
Frankly I've not had much problem with wooden tuners. I tune a bit sharp and push the peg home, then 'squeak' it down to the right note. A drop or two (no more) from a bottle of "peg dope" from a violin shop will make the pegs much easier to use
Ellen, you said "I'm concerned it may be from a kit and I don't know how to evaluate that."
Generally, there is nothing wrong with a kit dulcimer -- as long as the assembler did an adequate or better job of fitting the bits and pieces together. Look for good, clean, tight joints; no glue spots from sloppy work; lay a straight edge on top the frets to check flatness of the fretboard; and a nicely applied finish without blotches or dribble bumps.
I applaude your effort to purchase locally where you can get "touchy-feelie" with the instrument and find one that speaks to you. Remember that sound is the most important factor - not looks, not tuning machines, not kind of wood.
If you should decide against a local purchase, one builder than many of us here have had absolutely superior experiences with is Dave, "Harpmaker" Lynch of Sweet Woods Dulcimers. Although I've been playing for nearly 40 years and have built a couple hundred instruments, I own one of his Student models and am very impressed with the quality of sound, not to mention the workmanship. For $125 (with a trade-in policy if you later decide on an upgraded instrument) plus shipping it is one of the best deals on the dulcimer market. Check out Dave's website:
www.sweetwoodsinstruments.com
Those black keys are for the frets your dulcimer doesn't have....
A slide is a guitar tool that presses down across all the strings, but does not actually press them down to the frets. Slides are usually, but not always, steel or glass.
A noter is a dulcimer tool that presses the melody string(s) only down to the frets. Noters are usually, but not always, wood orbamboo/cane.
A slide is sort of a wannabe noter
Those walkers are height adjustable so you can use them sitting or standing. The ones I've seen, the player uses something like a rubber band or bungee to hold the dulcimer in place "just because". Bubble gum and string might also work. There are all sorts of solutions if you put your mind to it.
Better late than never, Frank! At 68 you're just at the right age to start learning to play!
Do you have any idea how old the dulcimer is? What style? Was it a kit built, or made by Cripple Creek? If it has a pattern of aspen leaf soundholes it could be one of their higher grade models.
Generally speaking Cripple Creek dulcimers have been of very good quality. Bud & Donna Ford have built dulcimers for over 40 years. I've built a number of their kits and played several of their shop-built dulcimer and been very happy.
I understand that lately - say the last 8 months or so, something has fallen off in their QC though -- we've had a couple negative reports.
