Forum Activity for @dusty

Those fresh red clover sprouts look so light and delicious!

Sorry, Nathina, I have no idea. You might contact him directly.  Luthiers are usually delighted to hear their old builds are still out there being played.

Jim's been making dulcimers under the Mastertone name for probably several decades.  Every one I've ever seen had 5 strings.  I've never played one, but Jim has a good reputation.

Lois, I think your observation is correct.  The activity in any most groups tends to come in waves.  Nothing for some time and then a cluster of activity around a certain topic.

I also think people don't think of the groups often enough and just post in the General Mountain Music Forum or the Beginner Forum rather than finding a group that fits their post better.

Thanks, @susie.  I failed to click the "read more" to get the full story. I was wondering about lacewood since I have a lacewood Modern Mountain dulcimer, but portions of that Rizzetta looked like it was glowing a bit more. 

Interesting that the frets are mean-tempered.

Certainly a unique and beautiful-looking dulcimer.

Wow, that's a beautiful and unique dulcimer. It looks like the strap button on the lower bout is also a pickup jack, but that placement is kind of weird.  The angle just looks like a strap could come off it pretty easy.  Do you think the wood is koa?  It has that translucent, hypnotic look.

Anyway, if someone wants to buy me that dulcimer for Christmas, I would gladly accept it! Or, if that's too much, just get me one of Bob Stephens nylon-string dulcimers and you can save $7000. See how I'm looking out for your finances?

@traildad, you're full of inspiration:

I went down to the orchards,

The most plentiful in all of the land.

But instead of basket of fruit

I just got a bucket full of sand.

Down at the local tavern

The barmaid carried pints in her hand.

But when she brought me my order,

It was only a bucket full of sand.

I got to play the Ol' Opry,

Joining Dolly Parton and her band.

But the roadie didn’t give me my Martin,

He handed me a bucket full of sand.

@traildad, remember, as is explained in the link that Strumelia posted, that you can choose to "follow" discussions both in the Forums and in the Groups, and then you can choose to receive an email notification when someone posts.  That way you don't need to check in to the site and look at "latest activity" to see if someone has added something. You can also choose to receive a notification when someone creates a new discussion in a Group to which you belong or in a Forum topic area that interests you.

Nathina, it's really hard to comment on dulcimers without seeing and hearing them.  And what one person thinks of as bright or mellow might not be what your ears here.  I would suggest listening to dulcimer music posted here and on YouTube and Soundcloud.  Most of us indicate the dulcimer we are playing and the tuning we use, and if we don't, ask.  Then you can hear for yourself which luthiers make instruments that appeal to you. 

For what it's worth, I have never played or even seen a Gardener, but I own two Ewing dulcimers.  However, neither is a full-size instrument. One is an octave dulcimer and one a 3/4-size instrument that Ron calls a "baritone dulcimette."  I love both of them for their balanced and clear tone and the responsiveness of the fretboard.  Ron's dulcimers are of very high quality and his baritones in particular enjoy a fine reputation.

I agree with Robin, Nathina, that these kinds of comparisons are hard to make.  Not only is there something subjective about one's preference for a particular builder or another, but with older instruments so much depends on the condition of the specific instrument.

To illustrate how subjective this can be, I bought a used Blue Lion at a very reasonable price because the person who owned it didn't like the sound. She played mainly in a drone fingerdancing style and found the bass string was too loud and drowned out the melody.  But that loud, bassy sound is exactly what so many of us love about Blue Lion instruments.  (And now I have three dulcimers even louder than that one!)

@paulpossinger, to reply to a post someone left in a discussion, such as that regarding your beautiful Keith Young dulcimer, you do not want to comment on their profile page.  Instead you want to click the link in the email that takes you to that discussion.  It should say something like "To see and respond to the new post, click ...."

That link will take you to the discussion itself, such as your Keith K. Young Concert Model .  Once in the discussion you can post in the comment box or, if you want to respond to something specific someone said, you can click the little speech bubble icon in the upper-right hand tools in their comment, and that will quote their comment in the new comment box, where you can add your commentary.

I hope that helps. It's easier to do than to explain.

Howard Rugg is a member here. I would contact him directly.  He kept very meticulous records.

I don't think you can draw conclusions about vintage Capritaurus instruments based on his newer work, though.

One thing to keep in mind is that Capritaurus used to sell kits, so it's possible someone else made a dulcimer from a Caprituarus kit.  Again, Howard would be able to explain the differences and maybe even identify an kit Capritaurus from a photo.

Good question, @traildad.  There is obviously a field for "style or instrument" but no way to edit that field.   We'll have to wait for @strumelia to chime in.  Most of us upload audio files to Soundcloud first, which has a different set of fields, all of them editable.

Nathina, some others here would know the story better than I, and Howard Rugg himself is a member here and can fill in the details.  My understanding is that the Rugg brothers started making dulcimers under the Capritaurus name and then the dulcimer renaissance happened in the Santa Cruz area, so to keep up with demand, they separated Capritaurus from Folk Roots.  The Folk Roots dulcimers by Rugg and Jackel used some plywood and other techniques to keep costs lower and production higher.  The still had the same design, though, as the large-bodied Capritaurus dulcimers that were probably the first dulcimers made with a larger box to get more volume.  Eventually they sold Folk Roots to Folkcraft, as you know.

So are they good instruments?  Yes.  But they are probably do not compare to the high-end instruments made today, which cost a lot more and have been built on some of the design principles that the Ruggs pioneered.

If you have a question about a specific instrument, you might ask Howard. He still has records on most of the instruments they made and can often tell you the specific woods used, whether that 6+ fret was made by them or added afterwards, and more.

My understanding is that the Folk Roots line of dulcimers made by Folkcraft are made of solid wood with no ply, but they honor the large box design of the original Folk Roots dulcimers by Rugg and Jackel.  The main advantage to buying one new is that you could get exactly the features you want.  On the other hand, Howard Rugg resurrected Capritaurus Dulcimers and is making instruments again, so if the Rugg design interests you, you might see what he is offering.

P.S. I moved this discussion to the Forum on specific instruments and specific luthiers since that seemed a better fit and would be easier to find by others later on.

@don-b, Are you having a problem with your McCafferty or did you just try to test it with the nickel and dime trick? It sounds like the only buzz you are getting is from improperly fretting the strings, meaning user error.  I have a McCafferty, too, and have no problem with the action or the fretwork.  If you are getting a buzz (and it's not from your own faulty fingering), then contact Terry.  He will make it right. In general, the action on his dulcimers is very low, since flatpickers generally want low action which is conducive to fast playing, but the fretwork is impeccable, and you should not have a buzz from faulty workmanship.  I contacted him recently because the pick-up jack in my dulcimer has come loose and rattles around, and I will be sending the dulcimer to him very soon, not only to fix the jack (which he has started to glue in but only after he made my dulcimer), but also to have a custom bridge made.  He is very friendly and takes his craft very seriously.

@nathina, many years ago I started a discussion here called " Dulcimer Gender Studies " asking exactly why so many people give their dulcimers female names.  No one thought to examine the reproductive process of the trees from which the wood came.

It's remarkable how long ago I wrote that original piece. And after all this time, I am even more grateful for the camaraderie we have created here at FOTMD.  (I wonder if Strumelia knew what a community she was creating back when she first had that brilliant idea to develop this site.)

I hope you can all enjoy Thanksgiving safely this year. 

And yes, @don-grundy, let's all play our dulcimers and express thanks that we have such a fulfilling hobby, something needed these days more than ever.  Like a true companion, my dulcimer helps me celebrate when days are bright and lament when they're gloomy.

I just want to bump this discussion and point everyone to @ken-longfield's excellent obituary of George Orthey in the current (Nov 2020) issue of Dulcimer Players News.  It is very well written and contains a lot of information about Orthey's life and the instruments he built. Well done, Ken!

My guess is that they will play the role of entry-level dulcimers as people's first instruments, so there will always be a small market for them, much like the Folkcraft cardboard dulcimers.  And like some of the student-model dulcimers that some luthiers make, some people may prefer them to fancier instruments.

So pretty!

This flatwater dulcimer is definitely a good idea, although it's also a sign of how expensive dulcimers have become.  It's hard to get a newbie to invest $500 or more for an instrument they're not sure they're going to play, so the price point on this model is welcome.  I also like the trapezoidal shape as well. And most importantly, the demo sounded great.

Scott, I've attached here what I have so far.  The A part is pretty good but I don't really have feel for the B part just yet.  Because the tune is in A mixolydian you can't really play it in a drone style tuned DAd or DAA since the drones should be A and E rather than a D.  In this arrangement, the chordal accompaniment is always found below the melody, so if you just want to play single notes, always play the highest note.

And if you have suggestions for revisions, let me know.  I'm going to keep working on it and if I decide major changes are necessary, I'll re-post here.

The Squirrel Hunters.pdf - 259KB

Scott, the same thing happens to me all the time.  I hear a piece of a tune and want to learn it but then at some point realize it's way more complicated than I thought.  Once I spend hours tabbing out a long Irish tune, going note by note, and then with about two measure left I realized the melody went way down below the bass string, so it wasn't even possible to play on the dulcimer. I was so frustrated!

I have  tabbed out in a chording style playing across all the strings one of the versions of The Squirrel Hunter that I found in SMN.  It is pretty similar to Hail Against the Barn Door.  If you're interested, let me know. I'd be happy to share it so long as you understand that it's a work in progress.  When I tab out a tune I don't know that well I have to play it a bunch before I get the right feel, and then I adjust the tab based on how it felt under my fingers. I don't quite have the feel for the B part of this tune yet, so the tab will surely evolve.

First, let's keep things simple. 

The most common keys in old timey, folk, or bluegrass jams are C, D, G, and A.  With a standard-sized dulcimer tuned to an open D (DAA or DAd), you can obviously play in the key of D.  You can capo at 3 to play in G or capo at 4 to play in A.  And you can tune down to CGc or CGG to play in C.  (And there are other ways to get those keys as well, without switching instruments.  You could, for example, tune DGd to play in G, although if you chord and/or fret across all the strings that tuning will require some adjustments.)

So for 90 percent of your playing--even in multi-instrument jams--you only need one dulcimer.

However, I will be honest that I often bring 2 dulcimers to jams.  One a standard dulcimer and one in the baritone range.  The standard size dulcimer can usually be tuned anywhere between C and E.  The baritone can usually be tuned anywhere between F and A.  If we add the half steps in between those ranges, we get 10 keys, the only ones missing are B and Bb. And you can finagle (is that how you spell that word?) around to get those keys as well. For example. if you tune a standard dulcimer up a half step to Eb, you can capo at 4 to get Bb.

So there is no need to get multiple dulcimers for multiple tunings and multiple keys.  Even without using a capo, you can get 10 of the 12 possible keys with dulcimers in two tonal ranges. (One of my baritones can get up to Bb as well, but be careful and wear protective goggles if you try that on your own.)

However, I have several dulcimers.  Why?  I find different kinds of playing sounds better on different kinds of dulcimers.  I love my Blue Lion for fingerpicking, but don't think it sounds so hot flatpicking. I love my Modern Mountain Dulcimer for flatpicking, but find the action is too low and the strings too close together for fingerpicking.  I have one dulcimer that originally came with six strings, and it sounds great on those tunes with tons of strumming.  But playing more nuanced arrangements with lots of precise picking and lots of hammer-ons and pull-offs, those double strings just don't do the job.

So don't go buying different dulcimers for different tunings or different keys.  It's completely unnecessary. However, you may find that as your playing evolves, you develop different preferences and one or another dulcimer may be great for one tune played in a certain style but not for other tunes.  Getting multiple dulcimers to please our preferences, though, is a luxury, not a necessity.  

I drove by our neighborhood community center today and there was a long line of cars trying to enter the parking lot. Why?  They were giving out free face masks.  I don't know who sponsored that effort, but what a great idea!

I've found several SMN versions of Squirrel Hunter or The Squirrel Hunters.  They all differ in the chording and the key signature, but the actual notes are pretty stable. The fact that the chords and the key signature differ is just a function of the fact that the tune's modal and it doesn't fit the conventions of western music notation very well. In the five or six versions I've looked at so far, the first two measures center on E and B notes and then the third measure goes to G before the turnaround in measure 4.  The structure is similar to Red-Haired Boy or Salt Creek.

One challenge on the dulcimer is that the melody requires a G note in two different octaves.  I'm pretty sure I can get the melody going across all the strings in a DAd tuning an using chords to avoid that low D string. In a drone style the tune is more challenging, at least to play it in A.  I suppose you could tune EAD. The E and A would be reverse drones for the key of A and the melody could be played on the melody string starting on the 8th fret, going down to the 3 and up as high as 11 or 12. 

That's a weird tuning, though, isn't it?

That's very helpful, Strumelia.  The sheet music for Squirrel Hunter seems to be written in A mixolydian.  It kind fools you, because there are two sharps, so we dulcimer players jump up and celebrate that it's in D or Bm.  But the tune ends on an A.  I'm gonna mess around with it a spell.

The only thing I found is some banjo tab .  I can't even find sheet music for the tune.   If I get some time in the next week or so I may try to figure it out by ear.  I'll probably start on the guitar before I figure out what dulcimer tuning would work best.

Most years I complain when people put up Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving (and some even before Halloween!), but it's perfectly understandable this year.  We need something to pick up our spirits and remind us of what "normal" is supposed to be.

@b-ross-ashley, my dulcimer group resembles your folk chorus in that our move online has allowed us to bring in people from all over.  Nowadays only about half our attendees are from Northern California.  So although social distancing guidelines have taken away our abilities to socialize locally, they have opened up other ways to expand social gatherings unlimited by geography.

@Nathina, nowadays there are several really high-end dulcimer luthiers to choose from.  Such was not the case in the late 70s when Blue Lion started using fancier woods and guitar designs to build dulcimers that were louder and much more mellow-sounding than traditional dulcimers.  They simply sound really big and warm and are especially nice for fingerpicking.  Janita (half of the couple that makes them) also does phenomenal inlay work, so the dulcimers look as good as they sound.  And they are especially know for their baritone and bass models, as well as a model for jam players that uses the body of the baritone but is strung as a standard, so it has extra volume. 

I have one of the basic models that I bought years ago, and although it is no longer my main dulcimer (no 1+ fret, no ebony overlay, no pickup, etc.) I still use, especially for fingerpicking.  Other people who specialize in fingerpicking (like Nina Zanetti) also play Blue Lion dulcimers.  Janita is also a very innovative player.  She plays with four equidistant strings but tunes one of the middle strings a half note off the other (I can't remember if it's sharp or flat).  That way she can play all the chromatic notes, and does some great fingerpicking, even doing jazzy-sounding pieces that other dulcimer players could never pull off.

Congrats, @lisavb, on your new baby.  We're all excited for you.  Of the common dulcimer woods, cherry is my favorite. It always looks pretty.

Nathina, if you play the dulcimer in a traditional style, meaning it sits on your lap, the back cannot vibrate much at all.  That is one of the main reasons dulcimers have so much less volume than guitars.  The other reason is that the fingerboard traditionally lays right across the top, so the top can't vibrate much at all.  One reason some people get dulcimers with a false or galaz bottom is to allow the bottom to vibrate more, getting more volume.

But I don't see this as a choice.  Both the top and the bottom vibrate, but both are limited by the structure of the dulcimer.  If you want some proof that the top vibrates, check out this video by David Beede demonstrating his decoupled tailpiece .  Basically the more restrained the top, the brighter the sound, the less restrained the top, the louder and more mellow is the sound. If you want proof that the bottom vibrates, put it on your lap and strum a chord, then while the chord is sounding, lift the dulcimer up.  You will get a burst of volume as the bottom is allowed to vibrate.

I have one dulcimer with a pickup on the bottom and I don't like it very much.  To get a decent sound I need to play with an equalizer to get decent separation.  The internal pickup I like the best is in my McCafferty dulcimer. It's a K & K Sound twin spot piezo, so there are actually two different spots transmitting sound. Unfortunately, I don't know where those spots are, although I have to correspond with him on something else and I'll try to remember to ask.

If I am not mistaken, you have a pickup that attaches to the outside of the dulcimer.  Play around with that, putting it in different places.  I think you'll discover a lot about where the most resonant places on your dulcimer are.

@marg, you can organize your tab in folders if you wish. You don't need special software for that.  You could create one big folder that has everything and then sub-folders on holiday tunes, or celtic tunes or however you want to organize them. But you can also just use the search function, so if someone calls out "Grasshopper Sitting on a Sweet Potato Vine" you just search for "grassh" and click on that song and you don't have to remember what folder it's in.

Neither of the two people in my dulcimer group who have all their tablature on their tablets and use foot pedals organize their tab in subfolders.  They just have one big folder and either scroll alphabetically or use the search function to find tab for any given song.  And they are always much faster than the folks with their binders of papers.

I certainly don't know who made that interesting dulcimer. Several luthiers use those sheaves, though, so that might not be a revealing clue.

It is an odd combination of a very traditional, truly diatonic fretboard (with no 6+ fret) and a very modern, solid body electric.  

That's a lot to be going through, @ken-longfield. I hope everything goes swimmingly.

It rained today in Northern California. First time since the spring.  The trees and grass and shrubs are relaxed and smiling.  So are the firefighters.

Jill, you have opened up the live chat. You simply need to minimize it.  The icon with the left pointing arrow and a vertical line will do the job.

The good news: my wife started that new job this week, so now we're all working or going to school from home. Our tight little COVID circle is intact again.

The bad news: our county is moving backwards into a more restrictive set of COVID protocols (California has a 4-tiered, color-coded system).   It seems everyone gets serious about being careful and the infection rates go down, allowing us to move into a less restrictive tier.  Everyone celebrates and decides we're out of the woods, and then they get careless again, putting us back into a more restrictive tier.  

Looking at the pictures, it's possible they measured from the nut rather than the zero fret.

If you are playing noter/drone, VSL should not matter as much. For chording, a half an inch makes a big difference. The same with a buzz on a drone string. If you are not fretting it, who cares?  But it might matter if you ever wanted to sell the dulcimer, so if you bought it new, you might want to contact the builder. 

Black Mountain makes their own instruments and they do not look like those Roosebecks made overseas.

It looks like quite an elegant dulcimer, Nathina.  Congratulations!

Don't think of your initial tuning as a commitment.  Earlier today I joined an online dulcimer gathering and we used three different tunings (DAd, DAA, DAC) without changing strings at all.  And I regularly tune down to C or up to E with the same set of strings.

Ken is correct about the order in which we list the strings. You can still find older books and tab that list strings from melody to bass, but sometime (mid-late 70s?) the nonexistent Council on Dulcimer Standards decreed that we should list strings from bass to melody.  Honestly it makes no difference at all, but it is nice when we all refer to things the same way.