Forum Activity for @ken-hulme
Aeolian NotesA Mode is an octave (8 note) scale in diatonic music. Tonal music uses a 12 step scale.Modes are divided into two groups major and minor. Ionian mode is the Major Scale in tonal music - no sharps or flats. Aeolian mode is the Natural Minor Scale in tonal music. Compared to Ionian, its 3rd, 6th, and 7th notes are flatted.Modes are defined by the pattern of Whole steps and Half steps in the scale, not by the actual pitches (notes) used.Aeolian Mode (W-H-W-W-H-W-W)Aeolian mode is referred to by many people as the minor key. Aeolian intervals create the same feel as many modern blues songs. Songs in Aeolian mode have a strong sense of sadness. The final note of an Aeolian scale feels resolved in a completely different sense than the Ionian. If Dorian mode sounds melancholy Aeolian mode reeks of despair.Dorian Mode (W-H-W-W-W-H-W)Dorian is most commonly heard in Celtic music and early American folk songs derived from Irish melodies. Dorian mode sounds a little melancholy because the final note (re) doesn't quite resolve itself. The song may be over, but the singer is still unsettled.Each mode starts on a different fret:Mixolydian starts at the Open and 7th fretAeolian starts at the 1st and 8th fretLocrian starts at the 2nd and 9th fretIonian starts at the 3rd and 10th fretDorian starts at the 4th and 11th fretPhrygian starts at the 5th and 12th fretLydian starts at the 6th and 13th fretThe Keynote (A-G) depends on the note to which the open Bass string of the dulcimer is tuned. Each mode has a "traditional Keynote" (low 'do') associated with it:Aeolian A traditional tuning AEGLocrian B typical tuning Bb F GIonian C traditional tuning CGGDorian D traditional tuning DAGPhrygian E typical dulcimer tuning E Bb GLydian F typical dulcimer tuning F E BbMixolydian G traditional tuning GDgSince so many people have become D-sensitized (all puns intended) to the traditional keynotes of the Modes, here are the key of D Modal tunings:Ionian.........DAA...1-5-5Locrian.......DAB...1-5-6Aeolian.......DAC...1-5-7Mixolydian...DAd...1-5-8Lydian........DAE...1-5-2Phrygian......DAF...1-5-3Dorian........DAG...1-5-4Only Locrian and Dorian are left in their traditional keynotes.If youre tuned in Ionian mode and are tabbing out a song... If the first note is on the third fret, but the last note is on 1 or 8 then play the music in Aeolian Mode. If the first note is on the third fret but the last note is a 4, play it in Dorian.
Naming Dulcimers
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I've not been one to name my instruments, just my boats. However, since Harpmaker Dave created a slightly customized Student model for me - without a tuning head so that it would fit in my travel footlocker. Being"headless", it has attained the nickname ofIcabod Crane...
wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)
OFF TOPIC discussions
Well, my Lady Sally is a former Brit from Brighton, so Marmite is her "go to" spread, with Bovril a close second. Much harder to find Vegemite around these parts - you Aussies seem to want to keep it all to yourselves!
Pavlova with ginger and kiwi sound fabulous. I'd use the pink Chinese pickled ginger, if it was me....
wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)
OFF TOPIC discussions
Robin -- You'll love Pavlova - it's a fruit topped baked meringue filled with real whipped cream and topped with various fruits or berries.
Fairy Bread is white bread spread with sweet butter and topped with copious amounts of colored sprinkles.
Helen, I'll bring Marmite Soldiers and ANZAC Biscuits!!
wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)
OFF TOPIC discussions
Well, The Kilted Cook (my professional alter ego) will certain cater this shindig. I've got a 100 year old recipe for crab cakes that are to die for. I do Kahlua Pulled Pork (Hawaii'an style) and Texas BBQ Beef Brisket. Hand made cole slaw with two cabbages, jicama and daikon as well; also ranch-style BBQ Beans. Basil-Mango Shrimp Cocktails. I've also got a couple of really great vegetarian dishes (that are not stuffed portobellos!) for the true vegetarians - Southwestern Succotash with black beans, hominy, corn, squash and more; and Vegetarian Hash - a variety of shredded vegetables griddle-fried together with herbs, spices and EVOO.
Favorite accessories to go with MD
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
That Snark are actually a BooJum Model 666...
Many older dulcimers, particularly in the Galax tradition, did not feature strum hollows. The shallower 'eggbeater' style of Galax strumming with a quill doesn't tend to mark the wood as much as strumming in the Kentucky tradition with a flat guitar style pick.Sho - if you're hitting the fretboard A LOT, you need to "lighten up" a bit, perhaps, so that the pick is not hitting the fretboard so much. Where you're strumming, up around 13, isn't wrong, but it's nicer not to scar the wood too much up there 8^>
I'm assuming you do the "usual" pull-offs and "hammer-ons". There's a technique that I call 'ghost-noting" where you sort of skip the strum of a particular note and let the sustain and the stopped noter play the note before moving on.Say you're playing Frere Jacques: 3-4-5-3, 3-4-5-3. 5-6-7 etc. and of course strumming every note. Play the first set 3-4-5-3 with individual strums; but on the second set, strum 3, slide to 4 and stop the noter with no strum. The sustain will sound the 4, then in tempo slide on to the 5. Not the same sound as sliding through a fret to get to another one.Here's another trick that's kinda fun - play the wrong note, then slide into the right note still in the same beat.One reason all your songs start to sound the same is that you keep hearing them. Time to learn some new tunes. More complicated. New tempos. New genres. Whatever. New Years Resolution - don't play any of your "regular" tunes for at least 3 months. Start all over fresh and learn new tunes beginning 01-01-10.
400 members coming up..
OFF TOPIC discussions
Leftover Shrimp & Andouille Alfredo on home made Fettucini.
Bobby McFerrin: The power of the pentatonic scale
OFF TOPIC discussions
Pentatonic rules!! The Natural Scale!
A W Jeffreys Jr.
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
AW Jeffreys was one of the most notable builders of the Revival period. He made over 3000 dulcimers, so yours is fairly early.
Please, please, whatever you do, have it restored, not just 'fixed'. That's a real piece of dulcimer history you have there; please don't add frets or change out the tuners or any of that sort of thing. It will have the 'high silvery' sound that those of us who love traditional dulcimers appreciate, not the mellow sound of a modern deep-bodied dulcimer.
Please don't have it re-fretted either. The fretboard may not sound accurate to more modern ears because of the way he usually fretted his instruments. They're what's called "mean intonation" rather than "just intonation". Accurate within themselves but not necessarily accurate to an electronic tuner. Not really intended to be played with other instruments.
A new nut can easily be made from hard wood or bone or horn, whatever the bridge is made from. The loose glue on one side is easily fixed using Titebond brand glue (not Elmers) and a small weight to hold the gap closed while it dries, just be careful to wet wipe up any dribbles.
If you have any other repair questions, ask over in the Making Dulcimers Forum, and we'll help anyway we can.
A W Jeffreys Jr.
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
I've not seen that type of string rod on a dulcimer before. But that is/was a very common way of attaching strings on the Finnish Kantele, Estonian Kannel and other Baltic "winged" psalteries.
Epinette des Vosges
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
There's a French Epinette site that has lots of pictures. http://epinette.free.fr/ The "epinette on top an hourglass" style is fairly common. My friend Michael King, in England, makes both the hourglass and the common "zither" shaped epinettes.
Rod - you've got two strings on your Bass course; plus two strings on the Middle Drone course, and only a single melody string? Or do you have 5 equidistant strings on that Baritone? How do you play? Chord Melody? Accompaniment chords only? Sure seems like the volume of that single melody string would get lost among all the other sounds.
Shas - basically most dulcimers have three "courses" of strings - Bass, Middle and Melody. Any course can have 1, 2, or even 3 strings. B M m is common (3 strings), as is B M mm (4 strings, doubled melody). Sometimes you'll see BB M mm for a 5 string and the two bass strings can be equally thick, or one can be a thin string tuned an octave higher than the other. BB MM mm is a six string - sometimes called a "church" dulcimer if it has a deeper and wider body for a louder sound.Then there are those wacky 4-equidistant string dulcimers which can't seem to make up their mind if they're a uke or not! They really are ideal for people who specialize in fingerpicking or flatpicking with the right hand, but cornfusin' for the rest of us!
Shas - "tune to any key you like" with the provisio that if it breaks the note is too high!Part of what that was trying to say is that if you are playing by/for yourself, and not with other dulcimers, the actual key note of the bass string doesn't matter. Jean Ritchie and a host of others have said to tune the bass string to some note that sounds good with your voice; then tune the other strings relative to that note.I jokingly call those the "incestuous" tunings - because they're "relative" to the bass string. ............... never mind...Ionian Mode - relative tuning. Tune the bass string to something that sounds good. Fret the bass string at the 4th fret and sound that note. Tune the middle and melody strings to that note. If that bass string was tuned to D, you have DAA.
I'm in the "accuracy and repeatability of sounds with ease of use" camp. Anyone who has tried to fret a fiddle, or play a trombone or other "positional" instrument knows how much work it is to get those notes right every time (or even once!). Whether the frets are made from tied on gut (lutes and early guitars), carved from wood, bone or the carved out of the fretboard itself (early ukuleles and nordic fretted zithers, any sort of 'string stop' is better than none!
I don't busk, per se - I don't put out a money collector. It's illegal here, I think. You don't see anyone doing it. But I do often play downtown in the park that runs between the two main streets. I get lots of "what is that?" as well as "Is that a dulcimer?" Always a good lead-in to explain about the instrument.Setting in the park playing is the perfect opportunity to people watch as well as get in some playing time somewhere else than home. Here near Tampa I can play outdoors pretty much year around.There is a fair amount of dulcimer activity here. During winter we have a lot of Snowbirds from New England and southern Canada, and there several active snowbird dulcimer groups connected to various condos, trailer camps and the like. But once they find out I don't play that other style, and don't play from tab that they can copy, then I'm not so welcome to their closed little groups with their focused-on-one-tuning teachers. There are only a handful of resident dulcimer players and we get together occasionally during the off season.
I think you'll get a more mellow sound using the "carved body" technique and traditional Birch. First thing you need to do is start scouting your hardwood lumber yards for truly 2" thick Birch 12" wide and 3 ft long. If you can't find 2" (also called 8 quarter) Birch you can glue a couple thinner planks up to be 2" thick... Judy D said:
I've been talking with my husband about building this, he has built me a dulcimer and a violin, so, has experience, but he's been sick and cannot build at this time. He thinks that he can maybe guide me through building one.
Best part is, he has all the things you listed that I would need!
Now another question, I like a more mellow but loud sound as opposed to a bright sound, what type of wood would you suggest to get that sound. I know some woods have a brighter sound, but not sure if I would want that. We are thinking possibly a spruce top.
Judy
I may have gotten my museum replica plans from the guy you're talking about there in Indianapolis - or his friend! Building one is not hard and you don't need many tools. A tableop drill press and Forstner bits makes hollowing out the plank easy. A scrollsaw or bandsaw to cut out the wing shape. A hand saw to cut away the thickness under the 'wing tip". And if you know someone who has those tools it's even easier!The two pictured started as a 2" thick plank of Birch, the small one 8" wide and the bigger one 12" wide, if memory serves. First you cut out the wing shape, and the "horseshoe" that holds the string bar. Then use a hand saw to cut away under the wing tip so it's not so heavy there. Use a Forstner bit in a drill press to hollow out the body. Buy the soundboard already made 1/8" thin, cut it out and drill the soundholes. Glue it on. The drill out the horseshoe and glue and peg it into place.Less work than building a dulcimer!
I've built and played other wingd Baltic Psalteries, but no the kantele. The ones I've done are Estonian Kannel - basically the same though... The ones I built were of the "hollowed plank" persuasion, not the 'build a box" type. The 12-stringed one I tuned to the same notes as the first twelve frets of my DAA dulcimer!
90 members in the Family
OFF TOPIC discussions
I've got a 20 gallon pot of Whatchagot Fish Chowder heating up out on the Lanai, and there are biscuits in the oven; y'all come on over an' we'll celebrate!
STINKAROO advice...
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Ayup! That would count as Stinkerooo advice in my book!"I was advised to put geared tuners on my Edd Presnell dulcimer."
STINKAROO advice...
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Roger;You DON'T HAVE to play in DAd to play with others! In DAA you play the same NOTES, just not on the same FRETS as a DAd. So a DAd player trying to follow you - or you trying to follow a DAd player won't work, that's all. Just ADD 3 to the DAd melody line tab numbers - 5 becomes eight, 6 1/2 becomes 9 (the exception) and 7 becomes 10, etc.
STINKAROO advice...
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
"That stick (noter) is no good for real dulcimer playing"."You can't play with us, because you can't play our music in DAA."
The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
My second favorite to Jean's classic is The Appalachian Dulcimer Book by Michael Murphy, another long out of print but available on-line volume.
The Dulcimer Book by Jean Ritchie
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Bill - if you know the Mode, the Key doesn't matter. If you have Tab for one, it works for all...Ionian: DAA, CGG, EBB, GDD are all the sameMixolydian: DAd, CGc, EBe, GDg are all the same
Any banjo players out there?
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Paul R, said "Hmmm ... How about banjo, dulcimer, and Northumbrian smallpipes?"Been there, done that, got the tee shirt. Actually it was a set of Border Pipes, but basically the same kind of quiet Cauld Wind Pipes. When I was on Kwajalein, and the Bass Drummer for the Kwajalein Pipes & Drums, one of our pipers also played Border Pipes; and he and I would get together and play pipe/dulcimer duets.There weren't any banjos on Kwaj though - W eapons of M usic D estruction were not allowed for private ownership
Dulcimer or Guitar?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
A baritone would be a great solo accompaniment instrument if you have a reasonably low voice and played drone chords or finger chords but not the full melody.
Dulcimer or Guitar?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Cynthia;Tuning:You can tune any dulcimer, with the same normal set of strings, to DAA, DAd, CGG or CGc; maybe has high as FCC/FCf and as low as BFF/BFb. The strings are certainly flexible enough to go up and down at least one noteI don't recommend a baritone instrument for beginners because the normal baritone tuning does not allow you to play melody together with others. The tuning - AEa - uses ordinary DAd tabulature, but you're not tuned to the same key - you're in A, not D - so it doesn't sound very good if you play along with other dulcimers tuned to D. You can play guitar-style accompaniment chords along with D tuned dulcimers, but that's not the conventional dulcimer unison melody playing experience... A baritone/bass dulcimer is like a stand-up bass in a string band. It plays rhythmic "filler sound" not melodies. The dulcimer is/was originally designed as a personal melody playing instrument, not an orchestral part-playing instrument.
Dulcimer or Guitar?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Cynthia;Unfortunately if you try to listen to everyone a dulcimer does sound something like:'hourglass/teardrop/aorell body; 3/4/6/8/12 strings; doubled/equadistant; with added frets 1+ 6+ 8+ or all (chromatic); baritone/octave/-ette/bass/standard; tuned to play mode DAd DAD CGc CGC AEA DF#A DADD etc etc' and 'may be cappo'd to play....' and 'can tune CGc and play DAd on it'...and....and ..... there is the - 'great for playing fiddle tunes, mandolin tunes, etc etc'and .... 'may be bowed' .....gasp for air....Truth of the matter is, for a simple instrument it does come in a huge variety of shapes, sizes and configurations. Probably because it is more or less the last of the Western folk instruments to be of interest to a modern audience, and as a result is undergoing a wave of changes by people trying to make it fit into modern music which it was never intended to play.Hmmm... Dulcimer Classification... some thoughts.ShapeEverything under the sun! However the good news that that shape is more than 99% cosmetic . Being hourglass or elliptical or rectangular, by itself, it does not effect the sound. Pick the shape that most appeals to you.MaterialsDulcimers have been made from most imaginable woods and plywoods, lexan plastic, paper, carbon fiber, even Leggo blocks! Cardboard dulcimers are a good inexpensive introductory instrument. So are plywood or veneer dulcimers. Solid wood dulcimers are the most common and serious. Plastic instruments are mostly still novelties.Number of Strings3, 4 and 6 string dulcimers are most common. Essentially most dulcimers have 3 courses of strings - bass, middle drone, and melody. Often the melody course is doubled; sometimes the bass and melody courses are doubled; or all three course are doubled. The real odd arrangement is 4 equidistant strings a specialist setup, not for everyone.TonalityOctave Dulcimer or Dulcimette - physically much small in overall size, and normally tuned an octave higher than a standard dulcimer.Standard Dulcimer - normally tuned to the keys of C and D. Most useful for individual playing or playing with other dulcimers in unison.Barintone and Bass Dulcimers - physically about the same size as a standard dulcimer, but tuned to much lower ranges.Octave, Baritone and Bass dulcimers are essentially special purpose instruments that can be played as solo instruments or with standard dulcimers where music has been written for their parts. Not instruments particularly good for beginners. Bowed dulcimers are very special purpose instruments, although almost any dulcimer can occaionally be played with a bow.Tunings/KeysThere are eight traditional Modal tunings, and a number of other common ones. Because the dulcimer is not normally chromatic it must be re-tuned to play in different keys.The standard dulcimer is most often tuned to the key of D in the Major or Ionian Modal tuning called DAA; or the equally popular Mixolydian Modal tuning call DAd. Both tunings are equally valid, and dulcimers tuned to each can be played together. Most of us recommend beginners pick either DAA or DAd and spend a few months learning to play several songs and becoming familiar with the instrument using one tuning.Methods of PlayingTraditional - the melody of the song is played on the melody strings, allowing the middle and bass strings to drone accompaniment.Modern - the melody of the song is played by creating chords across all three course, for each note of the melody.AccessoriesCapo or Reverse Capo - these are devices for changing the pitch of some or all of the strings as an alternative to re-tuningStriker - a chopstick-like device occasionally used as an alternative to a pick.Picking A First InstrumentDepending on your budget, I think most of us would recommend that you start with either a cardboard dulcimer, or one of several "student" instruments in the $100 - $200 range from well-known builders. Ask us, we'll tell you who we think of as good builders. Avoid the Applecreek, First Act and other inexpensive instruments made in foreign countries by people who don't know or care.Hope this helps you narrow down your choices somewhat. BTW, ask the folks around here; they'll tell you've I've been messing about with dulciemrs for over 30 years, so I do have an experience and knowledge base from which I speak.
Dulcimer or Guitar?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Razyn - I'm thinking about getting the Model 3 - with the wine corkscrew and fretsaw attachments!
Dulcimer or Guitar?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Everybody pretty much knows where I stand on traditional playing style , Actually I'm thinking of having an ebony noter implanted on the end on my left index finger - the best of both worlds!!!!!As far as playing style affecting or being affected by the music, I certainly understand that. There are a couple of tunes that I Fingerdance because they sound best that way - All Through The Night, the Welsh lullaby being one.The dulcimer was invented, if you will, expressly to play the transplanted folk songs and broadsides and ballads of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany, etc. that becam the music of the Appalachians. Music which came from a dronal, diatonic, simple melody background. It was never created with the thought of playing Reggae or classical Euro, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock or anything much later than 19th and early 20th century "music of the people". That it can play all those other kinds of music without significant modification is simply amazing.I prefer to play that older music, because I happen to like it. So I have hundreds of tunes in my repertoire, but only a few that fit in with the contemporary Jam Session. Which is why I'm not fond of jam sessions, I suppose - if you don't 'play well with others' no one is really happy. I'm more than content to play the music I know and love. I'll sit in the corner, doin' my thing, and if someone wants to come over and see what I'm up to they're welcome. I agree that the social aspects of playing dulcimer are nice, but that's not why I play. I play to express myself, to myself.
Music For Healing & Therapy this the program. Many hospitals allow volunteers to come in and play for the patients.You can actually earn a certificate in the subject. There's a school and program, originally started by a concert harpist. In years past they were not particularly friendly towards dulcimers because we were a "limited, diatonic instrument". I volunteered at the hospital whe nI lived in Prescott, AZ, and had to fight like mad to participate although I was clearly more of a musician and accustomed to playing a wider range of music than anyone else who "answered the call" of a newspaper note asking for volunteers.That was 10 years ago. I would hope that the program has become less harp-centric since then.If it was me, I wouldn't want some harpist playing at my bedside - far too reminiscent of angels and I want out of that hospital alive!