Forum Activity for @dusty

Hi Catherine.  First, I moved your question from the Site Questions Forum, which is intended for questions about this site (how to upload pictures, how to start a forum discussion, etc.) to the General Music Discussion Forum.  There is also a Group called "Help Me Learn This Song" which would be a good place to ask this question.

Secondly, I don't know the specific video you mention, but you can find the melody for Freight Train in either DAd or DAA.  If you play in DAA, the melody would start on the 7th fret and begin 7 - 5 - 4 - 3.  If you play in DAd, it would start 4 - 2 - 1 - 0 and then move to the second to the second fret of the middle string.

If you are playing with chords, the key to that song would be using a  2 - 2 - 2 F# chord for the "please don't tell them" part.

If someone doesn't beat me to it, I'll try to post a video or some tab later on.  (I'm still at work right now.)

Yeah, it was a good turnout today.  And it was the first time my mom had seen me lead a workshop.  I keep a dulcimer in my parents house for when I visit. If she wants to join again I should make her play along!

Happy International Appalachian Dulcimer Day, everyone!  The online workshop I run monthly met today.  @Lisa_C was kind enough to capture a screenshot. We had over 30 join, including my mom!  You can see my dulcimer and shiny balding head in the upper left-hand corner

Lots of folks know the North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association from the Fall Festival in November, but they also organize a couple of smaller annual events, and this year they have invited me to offer three online workshops on May 2.  You can find out more, including how to register at https://www.ngfda.com/dusty-thorburn-day .

Although the three workshops are organized in increasing order of the complexity of the arrangements being taught, there will be something for every player in each of them.  For example, while beginners might concentrate on accurate fingering to convey the basic melody, more advanced players can work on embellishments, adding "filler" strums or arpeggiation, and so forth.  Many of the arrangements will also come with a more complex version, a harmony version, or a version in another key, with the goal of providing something of interest to everyone regardless of playing level.

This is going to be a lot of fun, and I hope some FOTMD members might join the festivities! Perhaps I'll see you on my computer screen then!

Send a personal message with any questions.

Neal Hellman's dulcimer chord book published by Mel Bay used to be the standard.  I don't change tunings that much, so I never had a use for it, but you can still find new and used copies all over the place.  Here it is directly from Mel Bay: https://www.melbay.com/Products/94662/dulcimer-chord-book.aspx .  It was printed in a long, narrow format to fit in a dulcimer case.

@johnnyb, I am pretty sure that C5 is a typo.  It is supposed to be D above middle C, not C above middle C.  If you look at the arrangements for that tuning (Welladay, O Mistress Mine, All in a Garden Green, Now Robin Lend Me Thy Bow) the tab clearly says ADD for the open strings.

Additionally, she details exactly what string gauges she uses, and the lightest is .009.  You could probably still use a .010 if you wished.

(I didn't even remember that I had this book squirreled away in a file cabinet, but there it was!)

Is that for the C5?

I have to admit that I was getting dizzy trying to make sense of all those tunings.    I don't think we can fully answer your question without knowing the VSL of your dulcimer.  You might consult the Strothers String Gauge Calculator to determine the ideal string gauges.  

A string should be able to tune one whole note up or down, so I would suggest establishing the ideal string gauge for G#3 for the bass, D4 for the middle, and C#4 for the melody.  With gauges established for each of those, you should be able to tune to the other tunings.  With one exception.  That c5 may indeed need a different string.  I don't believe a string can be adjusted for a whole octave.

And it's always a good idea to have extra strings on hand and to wear protective goggles when you retune .

That fret wire does indeed look like what is referred to as "jumbo frets," an upgrade that usually costs more (probably $200-$300 these days).  They are likely stainless steel and last longer than regular fret wire.  But also, because they are bigger, they require less finger strength and allow you to play much faster and with ease.  That's another reason I do not think this is a kit.  It looks like a very nice instrument.

Yes, DPN is still alive and well. The latest issue came out last month.  In fact, Fiona, the editor, is a member here at FOTMD .

That is an elegant looking dulcimer, Marg.  I cannot identify the builder, but it appears to have an ebony overlay on the fretboard, which I would not expect if it were made from a kit, though certainly I could be wrong.  Have you tried looking inside the sound holes, perhaps with a flashlight?  There might be some indication of the builder there.

@razyn, I have my copy of February's DPN open to your article right now. I'll be reading it as soon as I get a break from work.  Congrats!

So sorry to hear of Bobbi's passing.  She was a dedicated champion of the dulcimer and of using music to help others.  I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to attend a couple of the SCDH fall festivals years back and one or two online in more recent years.

Ryan, I don't really create playlists on Spotify, mainly because I still believe in the concept of the album and tend to listen to whole albums at once.  I may add some names later when I remember them, but for now I can say that I have at least one album by each of the following in my Spotify "library":

Aubrey Atwater, Paul Clayton, Steve Eulberg, Mimi and Richard Fariña, Bing Futch, Neal Hellman, Joellen Lapidus, Karen Mueller, Heidi Muller, Mark Kailana Nelson, Aaron O'Rourke, Jean Ritchie, Butch Ross, Kevin Roth, David Schnaufer, Stephen Seifert, Randy Wilkinson, Nina Zanetti.

I'm sure there's more, but that's what I came up with at a glance.  Note that a lot of dulcimer players' music is not available on streaming platforms.  For example, I have some CDs by Linda Brockinton, but have not found her stuff on Spotify.

Jon, we're actually in a period of radical change in terms of electric music, and your original question here is evidence of that.  It used to be that if you wanted different sounds (distortion, chorus, wah-wah, etc,) you had to buy a separate foot pedal to achieve each one. But now there are "modeling" amplifiers that can do it all.  They can mimic the sound of a telecaster going through a distortion pedal into a Marshall amp, and you don't have to have a telecaster, a pedal or the Marshall amp!  Everything can be altered electronically.  McCafferty's fanciest dulcimers are equipped with a midi synthesizer.  You can play your dulcimer and it can sound like a trumpet or a violin or a piano or anything you want.  Of course, you have to have the computer software to do all that.

People adept at the technology  can make fully-produced recordings with rhythm sections and horns and back-up singers and everything, just using their one instrument.

Then again, I just play my dulcimer and hope that it sounds, well, like a dulcimer.  Steel strings resonating in the wooden body of a dulcimer still make the most beautiful music to my ears.

Hey Jon. Ken has more experience with Garage Band than I do and explains the basics well. You are correct that it is not a physical amp.  In the analog world, a clean amp is just an amp that provides a very clean sound (meaning with no distortion) that is best for use with guitar pedals.  In the digital world, it is more like a setting you choose for the virtual amp you use with Garage Band.  And people do indeed plug into computers, but not directly. In between you use a digital audio interface that converts the audio signal of a guitar, dulcimer, or other instrument into a digital signal that can be mixed by a computer.  I have little experience with this--and my digital audio interface has been sitting in the closet for years--but I assume you would want a clean amp in Garage Band for the same reason you would in the analog world: to start with a really clean sound that you could then play with, adding different effects.

Last summer I had the honor of being invited to Dulcimer Week in the Wallowas.  At the faculty concert, I played one or two tunes on the dulcimette before switching to a full-size dulcimer.  People in the back could not see the little instrument, so I was asked to hold it up for them, and happily, someone snapped a pic:

There are a couple of Facebook discussions about this, so some of you may know, but the great luthier Ron Ewing died a few days ago. 

Ron had been a central participant in the dulcimer community since at least the early 1970s.  His baritone dulcimers were especially appreciated, as were his smaller dulcimers, which he called "dulcimettes."  In fact, I own two of them, one an octave dulcimette and one that he called the baritone dulcimette, meaning it was tuned an octave above a baritone dulcimer or a fourth or fifth above a standard dulcimer.  Rumor has it that Ron also invented the dulcimer capo.  I doubt that's true, but he did develop the capo design that has become the standard.  Ron's website is still up at the moment, in case you would like to peruse his offerings.

Here is a short portrait of Ron and his dulcimers that Bing Futch offered many years ago on one of the early Dulcimerica videos .

I have not found an official obituary yet, only a couple of conversations on Facebook.  If anyone has more information, please share it here.

And perhaps we can share memories of Ron or even just examples of people playing his dulcimers.

Interesting and persuasive stuff, Ken.  Thanks for sharing.

Jon, the only answer I can offer is "kinda, sorta, not really, maybe."  This is all a matter of preference.

Yes, the frets themselves get smaller on a chromatic and for playing higher up the neck, we might want a longer VSL to enable our Fred Flintstone-like chubby fingers to get in there to fret the strings.

However, the challenges of stretching to reach chords--the reason many of us prefer shorter VSLs--does not go away.  I think of the 1-2-4 A chord in a DAd tuning as the test case.  Can you comfortably fret that chord?  On my 25" dulcimer, it is very comfortable, and I can even move my thumb up to the 5th fret for melody notes while still holding down the 1 on the bass and 2 on the middle.  On my 27" dulcimer, I can fret the 1-2-4 chord, but it is a bit of a stretch, and I can't get up to that 5th fret with my thumb.  That issue is the same whether the fretboard is diatonic or chromatic.

The muscles in our fingers do indeed stretch over time, but your comfort level fretting chords is largely a function of the size of your hand, so there is no universal "ideal" VSL. 

In order to maximize your ability to finger chromatic frets higher up the fretboard, I would suggest you determine the longest VSL that allows you to fret that 1-2-4 chord comfortably.

Welcome to FOTMD, Lara.  You should indeed be proud.  Both Sunhearth and Bear Meadow have attainted the status of legends in the dulcimer community for both quality and innovation.

John, the Peterson clip-on is indeed a great tuner.  I just watched the NPR Little Desk concert with Billy Strings and his band, and they all had Peterson clip-ons on their instruments (well, except for the double bass player).

You don't have to set it up at all.  It is called a chromatic tuner because it can detect every note, not because you can only use it with a chromatic dulcimer.  Turn it on and pluck a string and it will detect the nearest note and tell you whether you are sharp or flat.  It may take a few minutes to figure out how to read the strobe, but rest assured you'll get it.

Word on the street is that the Peterson is the most accurate tuner on the market.  You made a good choice. 

Debi, I've never played a Blue Lion soprano, but I have a standard Blue Lion (an old IC) and I have a dulcimer by Ron Ewing that is similar to the Blue Lion soprano in that it is generally tuned a fourth or fifth above a standard dulcimer.  

The smaller dulcimers are fun to play and also enable you to play in different keys.  I love playing fiddle tunes since the shorter scale length makes it easier to play fast.  And sometimes it is easier to sing in F, G or A instead of the C or D of a standard dulcimer.

Sorry I can't share a sound clip of the Blue Lion soprano, but I can definitely vouch for the quality of Blue Lion dulcimers in general.  Janita and Bob do great work.

Why are you interested in a soprano?  Is it for the shorter scale length?  The higher tonal range? Just because they are so darn cute?

Impressive collection, Kendra!

I'm just trying to figure out how you tuned the fan to begin with.

Check out this article  that Lil Rev wrote in Dulcimer Players News about a year-and-a-half ago. He's got pretty simple tab in a DAC tuning.

Sorry for your loss, Jon.

A lot of dulcimer players have a natural interest in and fondness for the Child ballads, the narrative songs collected and categorized by Francis James Childs in nine volumes entitled The English and Scottish Popular Ballads . Smithsonian/Folkways has curated a playlist of 25 of these ballads, including one by our spiritual godmother, Jean Ritchie.

The Folkways website has links to Spotify, Apple Music, and Youtube: https://folkways.si.edu/playlist/child-ballads?mc_cid=fa2fdd795f&mc_eid=1abbbf21aa

The benefit of a floating bridge for the player is to be able to fine tune the intonation.  As you switch between heavier and lighter strings, for example, slight adjustments to the placement or angle of the bridge will result in better intonation.  The average player doesn't alter string gauge that much or even have an ear precise enough to hear the difference.

I once got a used Blue Lion from someone who thought the whole instrument was "off," but I got it home, adjusted the placement of the bridge and it sounded great.  I still have it!

I would just like to add to @john-petry's timeline that Howard Rugg is making instruments again under the name Capritaurus.  He also has great records on all the instruments they built before they sold Folkroots to Folkcraft and can likely provide some details if the label inside is still legible.  He is a member here, so you could just send a private message.

Todd, that is a very fair price for a Folkcraft dulcimer.  A small group of aficionados especially treasure those Folkcraft dulcimers that pre-date the move from CT to IN (and now to MI?). I cannot vouch for the seller, but the dulcimer itself seems like a good deal.  And it comes with a good bag, too. Make sure shipping comes with insurance; even if it costs a bit more, it might be worth it for peace of mind.

Todd, I see you've found the For Sale Forum here.  That is a great place to find used instruments, although the usual caveats apply.

The reason I mentioned McSpadden in my earlier post is that McSpadden dulcimers are all good quality and eminently playable.  They are also quite popular, so if you decide to sell one later on, you won't take a big financial hit.  I see you've found a Folkcraft for sale here.  Folkcraft are also of high quality.  If you find one at a decent price, they are usually a safe bet.

You might check Craig's list for used dulcimers, but as with Ebay, the majority of instruments you find there are of questionable quality.  Reverb is another online marketplace, but the prices there seem higher. And honestly, I would suggest staying away from online retailers unless you know the maker well.

As to your question about how to get your hands on a dulcimer to try them out, I can't tell you where to go in SLO itself, but I know some people in Los Osos who have a regular dulcimer gathering.  If you wish, I could put you in touch with them.  In the LA area there are lots of players and there are a few up in the Santa Cruz area and in the East Bay.  In the summer months there are in-person gatherings you could attend when you could just ask to try out people's instruments, but not much is happening like that this time of year.

@todd-metcalf, the listing should indicate if the dulcimer is a baritone. If it doesn't specify, you can assume it is a standard dulcimer.  Is it worth $250?  I suppose that depends on the model and your interest.  David's most common dulcimer was a student model dulcimer that he sold for about $120.  They were made of poplar ply, not solid wood, but they had excellent intonation and a nice punch to the sound.  He also made fancier models, but I've never played one so I can't speak about those.  

Is this the listing ?  If so, that appears to be a student model.  I do not believe there is another dulcimer on the market currently that you can get for that price that would be as playable.  In that sense, perhaps it is worth $279.  On the other hand, we know the original purchaser paid less than half that.

David's student model dulcimer is very well made and the intonation is spot on.  It can be fun to play, with a pop that resembles a mandolin.  However, since it is not made of solid wood, it does not have the deep, rich tone of a dulcimer with, for example, a body of walnut or cherry and a top of cedar or spruce.  My guess is that anyone playing for a while would outgrow it in the search for a more pleasing tone.

With shipping, that dulcimer will cost you over $300 and does not include a bag or case.  

There is no clear right or wrong answer here.  I'm sure you would enjoy playing it, but you might choose to keep your eyes open for a used McSpadden instead.

Well let me close the circle.  @Barnjam started this thread because he found it difficult to fret the middle string, so he sought a longer dulcimer with extended range on each individual string. If you click the link to Ron Gibson's "extended range" dulcimer that @Marko provides, you will see that the strings are very close together and there is little room on the outside of the melody and bass string.  My hands are not that large, but I would find the fretboard on that dulcimer to be insufficiently wide.  Folkcraft also created a 5-string dulcimer called the MaxDAD, which was basically a standard and a bass dulcimer together.  It was tuned DADAD (not sure how to indicate the octaves there).  But their first version of it did not work precisely because the strings were too close together.  So they widened the fretboard to make it more comfortable to play.  One reason I don't own any McSpaddens is that despite the consistently high quality of the tone, the fretboard is so narrow that if you bend the bass or melody string, you often move the string off the end of the fretboard.

What this demonstrates, I think, is that the wideness of the fretboard and the distance between strings is an important variable, perhaps more important that VSL even, and yet it is one that gets little attention either by builders or by players.

I don't know how practical it might be to build a longer dulcimer to add more frets and perhaps get an extra octave on each string, but the issue @Barnjam is dealing with is a common one that should be addressed by builders and players as we customize our instruments.

@Skip, you are correct that the way most luthiers make their dulcimers, a longer VSL just means larger spaces in between fret wire, for the fretboard is usually fixed at a little more than two octaves (most have 17, 18, or 19 frets).  However, there is no reason that has to be the case.  A dulcimer with a long enough VSL could be configured for 3 full, usable octaves. 

I personally would have no use for such a dulcimer, but it is theoretically possible to build one.

This is an example of how different our approaches to playing and therefore our design preferences can be.  One reason I love my McCafferty dulcimer is that it has only 14 frets but an extended strum hollow, allowing the right hand a more comfortable angle and more room to play.  I also had the luthier bring the strings closer together for me, for I find it easier to play fast when the strings are closer together.  And the 25" scale length means I can fret chords with ease.

@Barnjam clearly has different needs than I.  He is seeking a dulcimer with a longer VSL to accommodate an extra octave and greater space between the strings to accommodate his large hands.

Another possibility would be a wider fretboard with more space in between strings.  Just a thought.

@old-dawg, what have you tried?  Go to this discussion to learn how to start a new Forum Discussion and then go to the For Sale Forum and post your listing.

Karen, everything people have said here is accurate.  However, you cannot harm the dulcimer by putting on lighter strings for a standard tuning and trying it out. (In contrast, putting baritone strings on a standard dulcimer might do some damage.)  I would suggest that you try it.  See if the strings sit right in the grooves on the nut and bridge.  Test the intonation, both by ear and by using an electronic tuner.  It might be that the intonation will be slightly off but you will barely notice it.  If the strings wiggle around in the nut and bridge, though, you might get some buzz that will be off-putting.  In short, all you risk by trying it is the cost of three strings.  That's still less than a lavender latte at your favorite cafe.

The question of extra frets comes down to what kind of music you want to play. If you are going to play traditional tunes in a drone style, you don't need extra frets.  You will get used to re-tuning your melody string to get the mode needed for each song.

If you are going to play with others, especially those who play chords, if you are going to join workshops and jams and learn songs from other people's tablature, you will want the 6.5 fret.  The 6.5 fret has been standard now for several decades, and most tablature assumes you have that fret.  The 13.5 fret is just the octave version of the 6.5. I would suggest getting it so that you have the same fret pattern in both octaves.  However, if you are getting one of Ron's small dulcimettes, the frets may be too small up high for a usable 13.5 fret.  Follow his advice on that.

If you want to play blues, jazz, ragtime, pop, rock, and other modern music, you may want a 1.5 fret (and an 8.5 as well).  That is the configuration on my main dulcimers now.  However, remember that we celebrate how easy the dulcimer is to play, and the more frets we add, the more complicated it gets.

And remember that you can always have frets added later on.  My advice would be to get the 6.5 and 13.5 but hold off on the 1.5 and 8.5 until you know for sure what you are doing and why you would want those frets.

@Debi, you should know, first of all, that 26.5 is not considered a "longer" scale length.  I would say "longer" would only apply when you get to 28".  Second, your fingers will stretch.  That 1-2-4 A chord might be a challenge at first to play on a 26.5" scale length, but you will be able to do it, and over time your fingers will stretch and strengthen and it will get easier.  Third, there are always workarounds for chording if you really can't reach a chord. Instead of 1-2-4, you could play 1-0-4 or 4-4-4, assuming you need that 4th fret on the melody string for the melody.  If you are only strumming chords, then 1-0-1 will work as well, or 4-4-6+.

I only use the 1-2-4 chord as an example because it is the hardest stretch of all the "normal" chords on a dulcimer tuned 1-5-8 such as DAd.  But the same principle applies to other chords and chord shapes as well.  There are always alternatives.