Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

Second vote here for Harpmaker's Student model. I've been messing around with dulcimer for nearly 40 years; played hundreds of different instruments, and IMHO there's not a better dulcimer out there in that $100-$150 price range. I own one that he slightly customized for me a couple years back. It's my 'go to' general purpose dulcimer. Also, he has a trade-in policy if your sister eventually wants something even nicer.

Yes, you should be able to just remove the old nut & bridge. Don't take the string off, just slack them. Then put the new ones in place, set the strings in the appropriate slots and tighten up.

Then take a nickel and a dime. Put the dime next to the first fret. That's how low the strings should be there - just touching the suface of the dime. Balance the nickel on top of the 7th fret (not the 6+). That's how high the string should be there. If the strings are too high, slack them off and remove the nut. Put a sheet of 100 or 120 grit sandpaper grit side up on a flat surface like a piece of glass or a counter top and sand the bottom of the nut by pushing it back and forth 8 or 10 times. Put it back on the dulcimer, tighten up the strings and check the dime height again. Repeat as necessary until the strings just barely touch the dime. Then do the same things with the bridge and the nickel on top the 7th fret.

Got your address. I'll be back at the boat tomorrow or Wednesday (I'm housesitting for my Lady) and send the nut & bridge off then.

Kim; send me a PM with your address, and I'll send you a pre-made and slotted nut & bridge. I had to buy a package of six from Folkcraft awhile back, and have four left, adn you only need two. They should fit the slot perfectly. They will probably need sanding on the bottom to reduce the height and lower the strings to proper action height. I'll detail how to do that in my reply with the N & B.

Patty - let me see what I can find for a pine plank. I promise it won't cost two arms and a leg...

Patty - how many Pine Possum Boards do you want?

No you're not silly. My first dulcimer was a 4 string, my next a six. If you're playing Chord-Melody style there will be a bit more learning curve as you get used to fingering doubled courses all across the board. If you're playing Noter & Drone or Melody Drone style there's minimal adaptation to make.

The first thing I'd say is Buy American, not offshore - who knows where that Roosebeck thing is made. For that kind of money you can get a lot more instrument from someone like Harpmaker Dave Lynch, the TK instruments and several other builders. If you have an instrument built for you rather than buying off the shelf, you can have whatever VSL you want. I've played an O'Brien, they're good. And one of Dave's - very nice. David Beede's short VSL instruments are very nice too. And I've played others from other builders. Not played a Black Mountain, but have heard good things from people I trust, who have.

I'd also avoid Applecreek and First Act, again they're made in third world countries by people who don't know what a dulcimer is, and you may be buying trouble. Buy an instrument from a person who is also a player, not a company (although MacSpaden, FolkCraft, Blue Lion and Cripple Creek to name a few are quality builders).

Yes - even as a true novice you can hear the difference in quality between instruments. This is why we suggest you buy by ear, not by woodtypes, or shape, or bells & whistles.

Fine tuners (there are several kinds including tuning beads) are often used on instruments that have wooden violin style tuning pegs, as well those with autoharp style steel tuning pins.

Many people have trouble hitting the desired note accurately with those kinds of primary tuners. Fine tuners let them get more accurate tuning. The idea was first developed with Violins/Violas etc back in the Renaissance. Fine tuner beads are on a portion of the string which is higher at one end that the other (usually between the bridge and the tailpiece), and as you push/pull the bead along it slackens or tightens the string in very tiny amounts.

Ed - do you mean Kokopelli? That's the name of one of the Anasazi Spirit people. My dear friend Kerry Coates of Ruidoso, NM was famous for her Kokopelli dulcimer design. Although she's not building anymore, she is performing and doing a lot of other things. Check her out at www.gilamountaindulcimers.com

Sevceral others have made Kokopelli themed dulcimers as well, including Molly McCurdy, Tom Yocky and Bill Webster

What dulcimer tuning did you use to get key of G?

Mandy -- you need the tee shirt that reads Tune It, Or Die!

Third for Lisa's advice. Start with an all acoustic instrument jam, and over time see how many others you really connect with an how they might meld in terms of forming a band.

Seems to be some discussion, explanation missing above from Darwin....

Stewart Macdonald carrie economy Classic Guitar tuners, 3 on a strip, for $17.97 here:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Classical_guitar/Lyra-style_Gotoh_Classical_Guitar_Tuners.html

Luthiers Merchantile International also caries them for about the same price.

There is a wide variety available on Ebay as well; and, as Bill says, you can find them in most larger music stores for around $19-$20.

Some of those tuners may require you to pull off the plastic over sleeve on the tuning shafts, to use them on a dulcimer.

Get that puppy down to "nickel & dime" action height!

You do NOT have a 6+ fret, so don't worry about that fret/note on Lisa's picture of a fretboard.
Don't worry about equal vs just temperment; the differences between them are sublte and only applicable if you have perfect pitch or play with others (and perhaps not even then)

The keynote to which a dulcimer is tuned will not effect the do, re, mi, scale, just the notes of that scale. Tuning to C and being just vs equal temperment would not account for the differences your indicate.

I hate to judge a person' skills, but is it possible you're reading your tuner wrong? Where you indicate D# and C# etc are those a D or G that are just one the sharp side of C or D, or are they truly a C# and a D#. I have trouble with the sequence at the start of yours where you call them A C D D# F. That is the open A plus frets 1, 3, & 4. Seems almost impossible to me to only a half step note increase (D to D#) with very reasonable spacings shown between the frets.

A C D D# F G A B D E F# G# C# D# F# your dulcimer
A B C# D E F# G A B C# D E F# Lisa's chart

Well, bill, I don't know from A C D D# ... but if you tune the melody string to A, and don't get a reasonably clean do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do scale when fretting up from the 3rd fret to 10th fret, there's not much you can do except wall hang it as a unique piece of folk art. I'd hate to mess up that nice carving on the fretboard by taking out frets and re-setting them at different locations.

"...don't know what to do with the scale..." Huh? If it sounds good, you play it -- after you lower the action about a foot and a half . All that will take is some serious sanding and re-cutting of string notches. Nothing wrong with a 24"-25" VSL. You can still tune it DAA, but you'll want to check a string gauge chart to make sure your've got appropriate gauges.

Definitely not a kit! What an unusual design. So much body aft of the bridge, and such a large single sound hole. Very interesting. I hope you can eventually post a sound cut so we can hear it.

That old? Yeah, I think a mild Murphy's solution wetting a rag to wipe with, and then wipe dry, would be just fine. Not sure you'd need lemon oil after though... And a dab of 3-in-1 in the gears, if they are open or you can remove the covers, will not hurt anything either. Show us a picture. I'll bet it's an old Hughes kit; they were pretty good kit instruments back in the day. That's what I started with about 40 years ago. Sure wish I still had it...

Those are Tuna Forks, Robin, used when one eats Tuna, not Tuning. With Tuning you use chopsticks, of course.

FF I bought one recently, a Seiko SAT501. I think I paid $16 for mine before shipping, although you'll see them listed for over $25. Check Ebay and Amazon. I like this one because it not only shows you which octave, but has an audio signal as well.

"Suitable preparation" - hire three guys at 50 pounds per hour, eight hour minimum.

I like tung oil as a non-glossary finish - takes about 4-5 coats over a day or two.....

Good on ye! Shellac does give a nice finish, whether properly frenched or not. When you're ready to string a play, let us know.

French polish? You are as sucker for punishment, aren't you! That's a lot of work! Good luck. Most of us just paint on a couple coats of something and call it good.

Advice - find some location that is as lint/dust/everything free as possible that has superior ventilation so you aren't inhaling too much shellac aroma.

Hurrah! Hurrah! Hurrah! Three cheers for John re-tuning!

Not sure why anyone would want to "save re-tuning" (it's dead simple, only one string). But changing tab from DAA to DAd is easy-peasy John, as long as it's melody line tab. Chord-melody tab (showing notes fretted on all three strings) is a bit harder.

All you have to do is subtract 3 from each melody line number... and if the DAA tab has a fret 9 being played it becomes a 6+ in DAd, not a 6.

If however, you have chord-melody tab, you'll want to consult a Chord Wizard like the one at www.strothers.com

That's DAd... the D and A are from the same octave; the d is from the next higher octave. Tune the bass to D. Fret the bass string at the 4th fret and tune the middle drone to that note (A); fret the bass string at the 7th fret and tune the melody string to that note (d).

If you don't like the tightness of DAd, you might try tuning down to CGc... both Ionian Modal tunings, using the same tab, but key of C will have much less string tension. Getting correct gauge strings may also help. Time will help you develop calluses, but lowering that action is the best all around cure.

Baritone dulcimers normally have more interior volume than a regular dulcimer, not less . Wider and deeper equals more volume for the same body length. Guess which one you should string as a baritone....

That tangle of strings isn't tooooo bad; I've seen worse. The two far strings should attach to the two far pegs; likewise the near string and near pegs. Yes that is a Zero fret.

Third, that action isn't just "high"... it's OUTA FREAKIN' SIGHT!!!!

As far as fixing the slightly too tall action , I would suggest sanding the bridge down to the bottom of the existing notches -- it can be sanded in place or removed for sanding. Use a flat hardwood sanding block to get a nice flat surface. You can use the melody and bass strings, still attached, as a kind of guide to mark how much to take off after that. Build a much wider temporary bridge, to hold the strings at the proper height at the 7th fret. It can sit in front of the old bridge. Tighten the bass and melody strings on the temp bridge, and them mark where the strings touch the sides of the in-place bridge. Then you can sand/cut the old bridge down to slightly (1/32") higher than the marks. File ( with a triangular needle file), do not saw, new notches. The notches only have to be slightly deeper than the diameter of the strings...

This dulcimer has a zero fret and not a Nut?

28.375" VSL without the correct gauge strings, would NOT like going up to DAd. Personally I'd start, as JohnP suggests, with new strings put one. one at a time.

Frets accurately spaced to 1/16" -- .0625" may not be accurate enough.

Fretted notes being relatively sharp is not uncommon if the action is too high. Balance a nickel on top of the 7th fret. The strings should just touch it. Put a dime next to the first fret and the strings should just touch it also.

Marian; please post a sound clip so we can tell what you mean by "choppy". As mentioned, it could be several things. But with only a two month learning period, you may have opted for quantity (number of songs) over quality (several technical glitch possibilities). If we hear you we can better help you sort it out.

FWIW, there is a free download of a (limited) TablEdit version here: http://www.tabledit.com/download/index.shtml that may be of some use to you...

Linda -- the problem often is that guitar tab only gives 'accompaniment chords' (one chord per measure for example), not melody chords (one chord for each note of a melody) the way dulcimer tab is written. Creating dulcimer tab from Standard Music Notation is relatively easy and straightforward.

Bobby - I guess that's better than carrying your Tommy Gun in a violin case like the gangsters did!

Vertical is the best way to carry a dulcimer, IMHO. The head will stick up above yours, and that's OK. Slung 'messenger bag' style it'll be banging into everything. Slung diagonally across your back - 'quiver style' is OK too, but to me vertical is best.

I don't own a car anymore; where I live I can bike to almost everything I need. I ride my bike with my Bag Lady double Dulcimer bag (with backpack straps) all the time. The bottom end hangs down a bit (but not as far as the back fender) and the top is over my head.

We call them Gig Bags. Sort of like a quiver for your dulcimer. Unpadded or lightly padded. Some sort of top closure. Some sort of strap. Simple one you can make until you find one you like: Start with a pair of old sweatpants with long legs. Cut off one leg, and sew the ankle shut. Punch holes and make a draw string closure for the top. Add a strap. Yer good to go.

Dennis Waldrop's wife Elaine makes nice ones for $30. Here's the discussion:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/forum/topics/question-to-my-fellow-dulcimer-friends-about-bags

Depending on how the string slots in the nut and bridge are made, you may be able to 'just swap strings'. However you may also find that the thin melody string is not seating properly in the wide bass string slot, and that will cause problems. Most builders (and I'm one) create the nut bridge slots for right handed players unless specifically asked to set up for a left handed player. Also a wide bass string may not seat correctly in a narrow melody string slot, and that too can cause problems.

If you are going to play left-handed, I strongly recommend that you tell your dulcimer builder that you are left handed so that he or she can 'make it right'.

Why advise lefties to at least try right handed? Well, for one thing, there's no harm done if it works out good for them.

Second, there are Zero left handed dulcimers being manufacturered. And technically it's more than just swapping the bass and melody strings to convert a right handed instrument - the nut and bridge really must be tweaked as well because of the difference in string thicknesses.

Third, there is practically zero re-sale potential for left handed dulcimers.

For another thing, playing right handed makes a leftie's dominant hand do arguably the more important part of playing - getting the notes right. Strumming is a pretty automatic sort of thing and your dominant hand is, in some sense, wasted playing rhythm rather than playing notes. IMHO this is especially important if the leftie wants to do complicated fingerwork like fingerpicking.

The only issue with your GD strumming left handed, as you know, is that the dulcimer needs to be swapped end-for-end so that the head is on the right side, not the left.

You said "In most cases left handed people are advised to try to play right handed.". Yes we SUGGEST that lefties TRY playing right handed; but use whatever works for them. Obviously right handed didn't work for you. And that's OK.

There is no right way or wrong way to play the dulcimer. Just the way that works for you.

Unlike the old days, no one will beat your fingers with a ruler to force you to play right handed, the way some people were forced to learn to write right handed.

Lois;

Practicing? Sure. First you could get something like Harpmaker's Travel Dulcimer where the top flips over and stores the fretboard inside, and the result looks sorta like a wooden flute case. Fits in overheads. Great instrument.

Second you could make, or have made, a hinged solid body practice dulcimer that folded down to two lengths of 1x4 plank. Extend an lock the two pieces, tighten the strings, and play. Such a device would easily fit inside a standard suitcase. Drop me a PM if you're interested.

DT -- many dulcimers can't use fine tuners because there just isn't room (even for a bead-type fine tuner, not to mention a violin-type fine tuner) aft of the bridge and before the strings turn over the end to the string pins. Especially one the older style instruments with nut and bridge at the extreme ends of the box.

David Mitchell, Howie's son, and the publisher of his classic 1960s book

The Mountain Dulcimer -- How to Make and Play It (after a fashion)

have just made the book available to the dulcimer building and playing public as a pair of downloadable PDF files.

The book has long been out of print and only available through libraries - although the publisher says they have a few copies on hand for sale... Find the links and discussion here:

http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=28295&p=344973#p344973

The slightly different 1962, predecessor pamphletis available here:

http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=28278

These are not only fabulous resources for wannabe dulcimer builders, but also for players. Back when I got started playing, this and Jean Ritchie's Appalachian Dulcimer book were about all that were available.