Thanks, Ken. I could probably add Lock Lomond and Auld Lang Syne right away. The others I'll have to learn first. But thanks for the suggestions.
Ken Hulme said:
Loch Lomond
Banks of the Bann
Maire's Wedding
Auld Lang Syne
Tramps and Hawkers
Thanks, Peter. I'll check out Down By the Sally Gardens. And its funny, but I just arranged a version of Leaving of Liverpool for my regular dulcimer group, but I always thought of it as English rather than Irish since it mentions Liverpool. Now that I think about it, though, it was always sung by those Irish groups like the Clancy Brothers, the Pogues, and Tommy Makem, wasn't it?
Peter W. said:
you could add
... Down by the Sall[e]y Gardens
and perhaps...
Hello good people of FOTMD. I have been asked to lead a Celtic jam at this spring's Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering . I agreed to do it only after making it clear that this would not be an Irish or Celtic "session" but would more resemble a song circle in which we focused on Celtic tunes, including many slower tunes.
The way this jam is being publicized, people are invited to bring a song to play or to learn one from the jam leader (me). And I was asked to put together a list of tunes, ideally with tab, that people could examine ahead of time. I have started that process, and added a page of Celtic Tunes Commonly Played on the Dulcimer on my website.
Please take a look at that list and let me know if I have left out any obvious tunes. I am not necessarily looking for your favorite Irish polka or Scottish lament, but rather tunes that are commonly played on the dulcimer. For example, just yesterday someone suggested that I add "Farewell to Tarwathie" and "All Through the Night." To be honest, I am not looking for anything too complicated, either, for I have to be able to play and perhaps teach any song on the list.
And just for the record, I am fully aware that the very term "Celtic" might be offensive to some in that it glosses over the differences among Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Cornish, Manx, and Breton musical cultures. No offense is intended. But from the perspective of the vast immigrant land of the U.S. of A., music from the various Celtic cultures does exhibit some shared characteristics that differentiates it from, for example, Afro-Caribbean music or Baltic music or klezmer or whatever. As a further confessional, I think so far I only have Irish, Scottish, and Welsh tunes on the list. (I ask particular forgiveness from the Breton family I lived with for 6 months in the late 1980s. Pardonnez-moi.)
I welcome any suggestions you have. And if you have none because my list is so wonderful, well I'd love to hear that too.
Well, since you're not leaving until September, we'll see you at the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering on May 30 and the Redwood Dulcimer Day in Santa Cruz on August 1, correct?
Lexie, my suggested CD is not filled with traditional appalachian folk tunes at all, but I find it to be the most relaxing dulcimer CD of the several dozen that I own: Mark Nelson's Ke Kukima Polinahe: Hawaiian and Polynesian Music for Mountain Dulcimer .
I think there is a book of tab for all the songs on the CD, but it might be difficult stuff for I've never heard anyone else play the tunes.
Babs, I don't know Bonnie's book, though it seems like it would be really helpful.
I can tell you that I developed a technique (mainly from watching Linda Brockinton and Nina Zanetti) of brushing my finger across the strings of the dulcimer. It is like an inward strum, but much softer since it is done by the finger. If you do it quickly, the strings sound in unison, but if you do it slowly, then you get a more arpeggiated sound.
But without reading the discussions of technique in Bonnie's book, I don't know if that's what she means by drag or not.
I would agree with Strumelia. If you are enjoying some of the arrangements in the book you will probably benefit from the explanations and other arrangements there as well.
Vicki, since you have a simple version of the song, I would suggest listening or watching other versions of the song to see if you can steal an idea or two.
Larry Conger, for example, does a really nice job of using some minor chords to add some "color" to the tune.And most of the filler he adds is just quick arpeggios.
For the record, I've been working on this tune for a while myself. I think it's one of most under-rated American melodies. And don't limit yourself to dulcimer versions. Again, since you already have a simple version, try to add a little spice little by little. One of my favorites is this bluesy soulful version by Norah Jones and Bonnie Raitt. You can tell from Nora's gospel-inspired organ at the beginning, that this is something special. Maybe you can steal a melodic variation, a short chord progression, or whatever.
Dana, I only now just noticed this thread, so I have just learned of your situation. I am so sorry to hear of what you've been going through. But I can tell you are facing things head on. And how wonderful is it that dulcimer music can be part of your treatment! You are spreading the joy of dulcimer music even while fighting cancer! I'll keep you in my thoughts, Dana.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 .
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/ .
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.
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.
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.
Very interesting. Thanks for sharing this.
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.
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
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.
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!
Thanks, Bob and Lexie. I'll start digging around on YouTube for hornpipes and see if I can't find one that fits.
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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
Thanks for letting us know about those videos, Ken.
