Forum Activity for @dusty

David, there was a banjo player from Arkansas named Carlos "Bookmiller" Shannon.  Alan Lomax recorded some of his tunes in the late 1950s.

My guess is that someone learned a tune from Bookmiller but couldn't remember the name and just started calling it "Bookmiller's Tune" or something like that.

I just looked on Spotify and the only tune by Bookmiller Shannon is "Eighth of January."  But those Lomax recordings must be around somewhere. Maybe there's some other stuff, too.

P.S.  I could probably tab it out based on the recordings, but I won't be able to get to it for a couple of days.

Hi @maddie-myers.  I hope you're doing well.  I'm sure "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" would sound great in fingerstyle arrangement.

To get a more complete answer about microphones and cameras, you might want to join the Technology/Software/Amplifying group and pose your question there.

Yes, I think the first USB mic I ever bought was a Samson Go mic. Back then they cost about $40.  Now they are almost twice that.  They are really small and portable and have much better sound than any mic built into your computer or webcam.  Nowadays I use a Blue Yeti USB mic, which cost about $100 and is much bigger than the Samson Go. But I think the sound quality is better as well. It seems simple, but what I like most about it is that it has a big volume knob right on the front, and if you push it, it mutes you, with a noticeable red circle indicating that it's muted.  Pretty idiot-proof.

Those are only the microphones I've used, but there are lots out there.

I use several Logitech webcams, including a C920S Pro, a C925e, and a StreamCam Plus.  They are all several years old, so there might be newer models around with faster speeds.  They all produce very clear images and all have built-in microphones.  The microphones are very good for a work meeting, but not so hot for recording music.  My only advice about webcams is to make sure you get a lens cover.  Being able to glance up and know for certain that no one can see you is invaluable!

Noodling around this morning, I found the entire melody for Cat Stevens's "Moonshadow."  The only non-diatonic melody note is a G#, which we get on the middle string at the 6+ fret.  It took a while to arrange this one, partly because the rhythm is a lot more complicated than it seems.   There is just a lot of syncopation.

For example, here is the beginning of the part of the song that goes "If I ever lose my hands."  Note that after the first note come 6 straight notes that all begin on the offbeat (meaning the "and" if we count "1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and").

I could have written them all as quarter notes (or a dotted quarter for the last one), but to make the off-beat rhythm clearer, I used tied eighth notes.

This was a nice project for a Saturday. And I still got the front lawn mowed!

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.