Forum Activity for @dusty

who to buy strings from ?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

For the record, I've never had the "mess" Steve did with the ball of strings fromJust Strings. I just remove one at a time and the ball stays intact. It is quite compact, in fact, much more so than the individual strings in a packet. I keep it all in the ziploc bag they come in.

In general, steel is steel and strings are strings. The quality will not vary from one retailer to another, but there are variables for wound strings that might be a matter of personal preference. I prefer the tone of bronze wound strings to nickel strings, for example, but I would not say that they are better, merely that I prefer the tone.

I do indeed buy bulk wound strings and have done so from both Just Strings and Folkcraft. However, I try to buy as much as I can from my local music stores. You never know, but you might find yourself in a bind, with a workshop or gig the next day, and you need a string or two. If there are no brick-and-mortar stores around, you will be up that proverbial creek without a paddle. Strings are cheap, so even though it costs a little more, I buy as much as possible from my local music stores. Plus, you might just meet someone interested in the dulcimer.

Babs, remember that for people who play in a drone style, the only string they have to think about is the melody string, so new tunings really mean that the key note (or home note or tonic) is in a different place on that melody string. Obviously, in that style of playing, switching tunings is wholly different than it is for those of us who play cross string and with chords. In my playing, for example, I never think of a note in isolation; I think of chord positions and see the melody out of those positions.

I play other instruments, too, such as the guitar and mandolin. I have no trouble switching from one to the other even though they are tuned completely differently and chord shapes are completely different. I think something similar is at hand for those people who are proficient playing in many different tunings. They simply learn different places to find notes on the fretboard. Their brains flip a switch when they switch tunings in the same way that I flip from guitar to mandolin.

I have not gotten there, I must admit. I almost always tune 1-5-8 and after 5 years I find I am still getting to know the fretboard. (Only a couple of weeks ago, for example, did I find the 8-6+-5 E chord!) This limitation to my playing is mostly on purpose. I want to know the fretboard well enough that I can accompany other people playing a song that I don't know and without recourse to tab or other music. I can do that on the guitar and mandolin and am working on being similarly proficient on the dulcimer. I would love to be playing a song when someone says "take a few verses, Dusty" and be able to improvise something melodic and fun for a while. But I can't quite do that now. Maybe at some point I will surely experiment more seriously with other tunings, but my goal right now is to know the fretboard in a 1-5-8 tuning. I am not "afraid" of other tunings in the sense that I will occasionally play around with one or take a workshop on DAc tunes or something like that, but I still consider my main "work" on the dulcimer to be getting better aquainted with the fretboard in a 1-5-8 tuning.

High or Low tuning dulcimer.

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Noah, you are certainly right that a lot of people are afraid of changing tunings or changing strings, but I am confused by parts of your question. Referring to the key of A or G does not tell us how exactly you are tuned, which leads to Strumelia's essential question.

And there are laws of physics that rule over any propaganda. Given any specific VSL and any specific gauge string, there is a limit to how low or how high you can tune that string.

I would also add that the perfect VSL is dependent on your playing style. If you are playing in a droning style, longer VSLs are less troublesome than they are for people who play chords. I play cross string and chord a lot and I find 28-1/2 is about the upper limit for me. I simply can't finger certain chords with a VSL longer than that.

ginger or 26 vsl

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Monica, if you have not been playing long, give it some time. Chording involves using and stretching muscles in your hand and fingers that you might never have used before. It may be that a 30" dulcimer will always be too long, but I doubt if you will have trouble with anything 27" or less after you've been playing a while.

Dulcimer use in folk/rock bands

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Right you are, Ken. I don't think there would have been a California dulcimer scene back in the 1970s had it not been for Joni and Richard.

Here is Joni:

Here are Richard and Mimi:

Here is Cyndi Lauper:

Ken, you'll be happy to see that Faria is using a noter. And I have to smile when Pete Seeger asks "What key? D?"

By the way, many years ago Neal Hellman put out a book in which he transcribed every dulcimer tune by RichardFaria. The book is long out-of-print, but Neal has made a pdf available online free of charge. Follow the links in his blog called LiberatingFaria .

Dulcimer use in folk/rock bands

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I wouldn't call it folk/rock, but Cyndi Lauper has been playing dulcimer on stage and TV for the last few years.

FYI: this is the website entirely devoted to the 1-3-5 tuning: http://www.mountaindulcimer-1-3-5.com/ .

Folk Music Resources

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Good idea for a forum, Ken. Thanks!

In another discussion Robert Schuler pointed me to the Snips and Clips website of penny whistle tunes. Lots of those tunes work on the dulcimer, of course, too.

Well, Charley, I hope you get better fast and start enjoying your new musical toy. Let us know how it goes.

Tenor guitar players?

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

James, my understanding is that the tenor guitar is tuned to fifths, usually CGDA or GDAE. AndGDAE is exactly how a mandolin is tuned, though an octave higher than a tenor guitar). So you might seek out mandolin tab for tunes. Even if you tune CGDA, you could still use that tab; you will simply be in a different key. But chord charts and tab for the mandolin are certainly more popular on the internet, so you might look for that stuff instead of limiting yourself to lessons on tenor guitar.

Look what I've been up to! BEWARE - dulciporn

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Wow, that's great, Mandy. The dulcimer looks great, and I really like seeing all the pictures of the process. Good job! I look forward to hearing it, too!

I did blush a little, seeing a naked dulcimer.

Ken, I definitely suggest checking out videos. I came to the dulcimer from guitar and mandolin and learned my first dozen songs or so from YouTube videos by Bing Futch and Stephen Seifert and others.

There is really only one book specifically on technique: Mike Casey's Hands-On Dulcimer: Developing Technique through Exercises and Studies.

Otherwise, for nice arrangements of Irish tunes in a soft, fingerpicking style, I would recommend books by Linda Brockinton and Nina Zanetti.

Neal Hellman also has a book of Irish tunes, and he has a whole bunch of books out there on Shaker tunes, Beatles tunes (that's a really tough one that I don't recommend), music of the world, and more.

Steve Eulberg has a nice book out there that includes a wide variety of English and Celtic tunes, including some from Scotland. I think it's called Another Jig Will Do.

Maybe others will disagree with me, but since you are already experienced with other stringed instruments, an instructional method book will be too basic for you. Dig around YouTube and when you find a really good player whose music you would like to play, and then check out their websites to see if they have any books out there.

I bought the David Schnaufer DVD a while back, but while I was waiting for it to arrive I learned his version of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" just from watching the YouTube video. You could probably do the same.

One other thought: both Stephen Seifert and Steve Eulberg have online subscription "schools." Seifert's is called The Dulcimer School and Eulberg's is called Dulcimer Crossing. In both cases, you pay a monthly fee and have access to a whole range of resources. I have only seen samples of Dulcimer Crossing lessons, but I learn a flatpicking version of "The Wind that Shakes the Barley" from it. I am much more familiar with the Dulcimer School and although I wish Stephen were more active on there, there is an enormous amount of material there, from beginner lessons to phenomenal classical or jazz pieces that I don't know if I'll ever play. There is video, audio, pdf downloads of tab, and more. It might be worth joining one or another of those online schools and spending a month digging around to see what interests you. You can always cancel your subscription. Both of those guys are not only great players but understand the diatonic fretboard and are experienced and thoughtful teachers.

Ken, if you already play other instruments (especially stringed instruments) and you understand basic music theory, the more important question is what kind of music you want to play on the dulcimer. Do you intend to play noter/drone, do you want to flatpick fiddle tunes, fingerpick O'Carolan tunes, or something else?I played guitar for many years and although I have some instructional books, I learned a lot more by watching videos than beginner books.It is not clear to me that a book designed for a real beginner, meaning someone with no experience, is what you need. But I'm sure people could recommend good books or DVD lessons if you could indicate what kind of music and what kind of playing style you are interested in.

An Unofficial History of Westphalia Waltz

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this.

help me name that fiddle tune -- please!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks, Brian. I had heard of that app or another just like it but I assumed incorrectly that it was for pop music and would not be helpful for traditional music. However, I just checked it out on my Android phone (where it costs $4.63, by the way) and it states that it is specifically for "traditional Irish, Scots, Welsh, and Breton music." It sounds pretty cool. Does it actually work? There are so many common phrases in these old tunes and so many variations of individual tunes, I am a bit skeptical.

help me name that fiddle tune -- please!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Well check out the big brain on Rob!

That's it! I used to play that one on the mandolin about 20 years ago, which is why it was in my head.

Thanks so much!

Thanks also to Bob. I had worked through some of the hornpipes on the slips and snips page, and Ricketts was coming up, so I would have found it eventually.

Rob N Lackey said:

It's Rickett's Hornpipe

help me name that fiddle tune -- please!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks, Patty. A few notes in the A part do resemble Turkey. And yeah, Rob might now. I also think Randy Adams and Mark Gilston could probably ID the tune in a second. But I think Bob is right that it's a hornpipe, so I'm looking through that website he sent me to and hopefully I'll find it.

help me name that fiddle tune -- please!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks, Bob. Will do. What a cool resource that is! If nothing else I'm glad I posted here simply to have learned of that clips and snips page . What a great way to learn tunes for those of us who learn by ear!

help me name that fiddle tune -- please!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks, Bob and Lexie. I'll start digging around on YouTube for hornpipes and see if I can't find one that fits.

help me name that fiddle tune -- please!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

This old fiddle tune has been floating around my head like a familiar smell that you can't quite identify. Does anyone know what the name of the tune is? Help!

The first correct answer will earn my undying gratitude.

updated by @dusty: 06/11/15 07:42:26AM

Computer TAB/Music composing programs. You recommend?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I would also recommend Tabledit. It is an incredibly powerful tool that allows you to enter either tab or standard music notation, and it will fill in the other.

However, it is not very instinctive, and is therefore really frustrating when you first start using it. There is help available, and if anyone gets it, I recommend Stephen Seifert's extensive Tabledit Tutorial , which he offers free on his website. Secondly, the Arranging for Dulcimers group here is available when you have question (and you will have many!) about how to use the software. You'll notice that I've posted a few questions there myself.

There is a free version that you can use which has certain length limits, such as only songs of 16 measures or something like that. However, if only those who had success with that free version bought the software, no one would do it. As I said, it is not obvious how to make certain basic indications, such as triplets or slides or alternate endings. You will drive yourself crazy trying to figure that stuff out. However, the resources above and general Google searches will get you answers quickly. And the more you use it, the faster you get.

Using Tabledit has made me a better player by helping me connect what I play to standard music notation and basic music theory.

Concert Ukulele

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

James, I think you've mentioned that parlor guitar before. It sounds like a really nice instrument. I was in no way trying to disparage Oscar Schmidt instruments. It just seems that if you have to buy an instrument without playing it, it would make sense to stick with brands known for that instrument.

Babs, I've never really played the ukulele seriously, so I've never tried anyone's arrangements. And I don't think I could approach Jake Shumabukuro level even while dreaming. Since I played guitar for most of my life I can figure out ukulele chords and melodies pretty quickly, but I have no right-hand technique at all.

And yes, filipinouker, I have a pink ukulele that I bought my daughter a few years ago for her birthday. She has never shown any interest, but once or twice a year I pull it out and fiddle a bit.

However, at the risk of hijacking James's thread . . . I just bought a Riptide concert uke. It is not the one in the picture I linked to above, which has an acacia top, but one with a spruce top. Here's my new baby in its cozy cradle:

It only has three strings in the picture because it came with a low G string but I put on the more traditional high G, and the picture was taken in the middle of that exchange. There is another sound hole on the side facing up when you play so that supposedly what you hear is closer to what others hear. Now I just have to learn to play the darn thing.

I organized a ukulele workshop and concert by Butch Ross here in Sacramento the day after the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering and I wanted a decent instrument to use. Well, that's my excuse anyway. But if we call our instruments "tools" instead of "toys" don't they sound more justifiable as purchases?

Concert Ukulele

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

What a coincidence, Cynthia! You know what they say about great minds . . .

Cynthia Wigington said:

Dusty, I'm looking at that one too...
Dusty Turtle said:

For the record, within the next week or two I hope to buy this Riptide concert uke from a local music store that also hosts my local dulcimer group meetings.

Concert Ukulele

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

James, perhaps I'm too late to this conversation. Interestingly, I am in the same boat in that I want to buy a decent ukulele but I can't afford the really fancy ones. I Have a few ukuleles that I consider more toys than instruments.

But my gut tells me to stick with Oscar Schmidt for autoharps and get a ukulele by a one of the companies that specializes in ukuleles, such as the brands filipinouker lists.

For the record, within the next week or two I hope to buy this Riptide concert uke from a local music store that also hosts my local dulcimer group meetings.

Joe, it takes a while to get used to the 1-1/2 fret. But eventually it doesn't pose any problem. I can understand people who want to keep the integrity of the diatonic fretboard, but now that I'm used to the 1-1/2 fret I wouldn't want a dulcimer without one. I love having that flatted third and seventh so easily available by the nut.

Incidentally, notice that used the term "flatted" to mean a note lowered by half a step regardless of whether it is technically a flat note. For example, the F natural in the key of D is called a flatted third because it is a half note lower than the "normal" or "major" third of F#. It is in that sense that we say a diatonic fretboard has no sharps or flats. We mean simply that only the notes of the major scale are available.

Joe, you can't " move " the fret because then it wouldn't work for music traditionally played on the dulcimer. You would still need the third scale position (F#) and it wouldn't be there. But you could add a 1-1/2 fret to get F natural on a string tuned to D. That 1-1/2 fret is getting pretty popular partly for that reason.

Edit: Woops! I just realized that Skip already responded with a comment on the 1-1/2 fret. Please excuse the duplication.

Joe Robison said:

Thanks to Skip, Ken and Linda for their replies. I think it's a little more clear now. What happens if you move the fret to produce F instead of F#? Probably a dumb question. Could this be why some of the old dulcimers don't play well with other instruments?

Tim, as others have explained, the first "D" refers to the bass string. The second "d" is in lower case to indicate that it is an octave above the bass D and not the exact same pitch.

Tim McNamara said:

Thanks, Linda. Just wondering if that D-A-d tuning is left to right? Also: why do you have the third string written as a lower case d?

Thanks again for your help.

An Idea

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

James: I have not objection if people want to post their Amazing Grace videos in the main video area, but I strongly suggest that we also post them as responses to that discussion asking for different versions of the song. I think there are three reasons to do so. First, although it might be easy to find the videos on January 4, when they are all lined up, after a few days when another few dozen videos have been posted it will be less obvious who participated in your fun and interesting challenge and we'll have to do a search in the video area and then look at the date posted to find out who was involved. If we all post our versions in that discussion, then we will always know where they are and they will be much easier to find since they'll be grouped together. Second, if they are all in one discussion, we can have a more coherent discussion about them, pointing out similarities and differences and so forth. If we don't have one central location for that discussion, then all we have is a separate discussion for each video. Third, not everyone checks into FOTMD nearly every day as I do (yes, I admit it, I'm a dulcimer geek). If someone reads about your idea on January 8 but would still want to participate, she or he could do so simply by posting to that ongoing discussion.

Pamela: Flint Hill already created a tutorial on how to post videos as part of the introductory material to the Call the Tune group. You can find it here . If you want to post your video in the general video area, then all you have to do is copy the URL and post it in that discussion. But the tutorial explains how to embed videos as well.

And let me also reiterate James's point about amateur videos. None of us play with as much technical precision as Mark Gilston or Stephen Seifert or with as much emotion as Nina Zanetti or Linda Brockinton. But that does not mean that we have nothing to say musically. This website is specifically intended as a place where amateurs can share their passion for our beloved instrument. I am often moved more by playing that is not perfect from a technical standpoint but is played with genuine interest and passion. In addition, I urge everyone to record themselves playing on a regular basis, even if you choose not to share those videos with everyone else. As you continue to play, you will get better, but that progress sometimes happens slowly, and unless there is some record of what you sounded like last week or last month or last year, you won't be aware of how much you are progressing. And I don't know about you all, but I find playing music so frustrating that I need to be reminded of my own progress as a way to stay optimistic about my playing.

An Idea

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I also think that would be a cool idea, James. But I note, as Robin did, that we have a group specifically designed for people to share their interpretations of common tunes. I would suggest that we post our versions of Amazing Grace onto the discussion Travis started years ago specifically on that tune, and to which many people have already posted their versions of the hymn. It will be nice to have one place to enjoy everyone's interpretation and to share ideas and encouragement. Here is a link to that existing discussion: http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/callthetune/forum/topics/ama... .

In the introductory discussion of the Call the Tune group, there is a link to a tutorial on how to post videos to FOTMD, so those who haven't yet figured out how can join the fun!

I'm going to start practicing tomorrow!

Dulcibard Page

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I'm not on Facebook, Guy, so the only kind of liking that I can do doesn't involve a click.

I do like those waterfall photos.

I was going to comment that you should post the link to your Facebook page on your FOTMD homepage, but I checked to see that you tried to do that already. However, the link doesn't work. It appears that "http://" occurs twice at the beginning of the URL.

The Dulcimer in Eastern Kentucky Videos

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks for letting us know about those videos, Ken.

New Doug Berch Dulcimer :)

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It sure looks beautiful, Susie. And if it sounds half as nice as you say, you've got a real treasure there.

"Appalachian Journey" with Alan Lomax (1991)

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I'm a music geek. I own the DVD. Had I only known then that it would be available online for free. D'oh!

Layman McSpadden?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Patty, the title of the listing now says "Lynn" but the extended description still says "Layman." My guess is that it was an auto-correct function that created the word "Layman" when the seller tried to type (or text) "Lynn."

I don't think it's from a kit because the kit wouldn't have Lynn's signature or a serial number.

To Low Action

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Marg, this question is probably best asked in the Builders Group, but as we wait for the experts to chime in, my first question would be who adjusted the dulcimer in the past? Does it have a zero fret? Remember that the action can be adjusted at either end of the string, and that the lower the action the more accurate and even the fretwork has to be. Unfortunately, one reason for very high action, I think, is that some luthiers are simply too lazy to be precise with their frets.

It is possible to raise the bridge (or more accurately the saddle) slightly by adding a little shim underneath it, so if the action just has to be raised a little bit, that might be an option. I had that done to a baritone dulcimer I used to own and the slight buzz that had so bothered me went away. But the height of the nut might also need adjusting, so have a luthier examine the whole instrument.

I took a dulcimer to a good luthier recently. He made a few measurements and was able to tell me that the nut was the right height but the bridge was a little low. He made a new bone bridge in less than an hour while I waited at a nearby cafe. A good luthier should not merely do what you request (lower or raise the action) but examine the instrument and tell you how it ought to be set up given your preferences.

Kate, I responded to this discussion in the Chord group, and would suggest anyone interested in responding do so there as well.

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/forum/topics/help-with-transposing

I'm going to close this discussion so that we can keep everything in one place.

Thanks,

Dusty

updated by @dusty: 02/14/16 12:36:15AM

Chuck, the link is to a pdf file that Stephen Seifert makes available at his website. I just tried it and it worked for me. But I did just check out Stephen's website, and he has completely redesigned it, so maybe that is causing a problem. Another chord chart is available at Everything Dulcimer. Go to the Tablature page there, scroll down to "chord chart," and you'll see the three or four options available.

Chuck in CT said:

Hello Dusty- the link u posted doesn't take me to the chord chart. Wondering if itsmy browser or maybe itsbeen removed?

Kate, a lot of people have been playing dulcimer for many years and have no idea what notes they are playing. That's part of the beauty of the instrument: you can play it even with no understanding of basic music theory.

But of course, any little knowledge you gain will help.

Chords are indicated with three numbers. The first number refers to the fret you play on the bass string, the second number refers to the fret you play on the middle string, and the third number refers to the fret you play on the melody string. So 0-0-2 is a D chord played with the bass and middle strings open (unfretted) and the melody string fretted at the second fret.

However, two things make chording even easier than that on the dulcimer.

First, if you are tuned DAd, all your chords are reversible. So, for example, D can be not only 0-0-2 but also 2-0-0 and Bm can be 0-1-2 or 2-1-0.

Second, because we only have three strings, we cannot play complicated chords. A seventh chord technically has four notes, but we can only play three of them. And we use that principle for three-note chords, too. So often we play two notes of a chord rather than all three. So most of the time beginners will play 1-0-1 for A or A7 even though only two notes are being played.

The chord chart I link to above shows you various places around the fingerboard to play all the chords you need for this song. But if you are a beginner, I suggest playing the easiest versions down near the nut, making use of as many open strings as you can.

For D: 0-0-2

For A: 1-0-1

For Bm: 2-1-0

For G: 3-1-0

For E: 1-1-1

For A7: 1-0-3

And I know you feel alone right now, but you are in a part of the country where there actually are dulcimer players. The festival season is basically over, but keep your eyes open and you'll notice dulcimer festivals around where you can join workshops and just watch other players. There might even be a dulcimer group nearby that you can join. When I first discovered the dulcimer I played for about a year before I heard another dulcimer live other than my own. But about two years ago I started a local dulcimer group, I now have dozens of people on my mailing list, and we've been meeting monthly since then! I'm sure you'll be able to find some folks nearby as well.

Kate, are you just looking to transpose the chords to accompany your voice? If so, that's pretty easy.

The chords in the link you provided are in the key of E. To transpose them to the key of D, each chord should be lowered one full note.

E D

B A

C#m Bm

A G

F# E

B7 A7

Those chords are all pretty standard chords so you shouldn't have trouble with them. There are lots of chord charts out there, but my favorite is the one Stephen Seifert makes available at his website .

P.S. Welcome to FOTMD!

updated by @dusty: 02/14/16 08:45:47PM

One and One Half Fret

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Why not put on a temporary 1-1/2 fret and see how you like it? Get a paper clip and some tape and put it on, then play around with it. As others have said, there are some extra chords you can get with that fret, like a C chord (in DAD) down near the nut. But I like that extra fret most for playing blues. You get the lowered third and the lowered seventh right there, making the blues easy on the dulcimer.