Forum Activity for @dusty

@John-C-Knopf is correct.  A six-string dulcimer is just tuned as a three-string dulcimer with each string doubled.  So if it's a standard size, DD-AA-AA or DD-AA-dd would work.

Of course, just because a dulcimer can take up to six strings doesn't mean you have to use them.  I have a six-string dulcimer but sometimes only put on three strings.

Given that true African ebony is basically impossible to obtain legally these days, more and more luthiers are looking for alternatives such as rosewood or synthetic versions such as Micarta.  If Micarta is good enough for a Martin Guitars, it's probably good enough for me.  

Basically, you want the fretboard to be really hard and really smooth.  I've read reviews that praise Micarta for both of those reasons.  According to Martin, Micarta plays faster than Ebony and will never warp.  Some people claim that it doesn't feel like genuine wood, that it feels like plastic, but that has not been my experience, and I suspect that the objection to Micarta comes from those who believe for philosophical reasons that fine instruments should just be made of wood with no synthetics anywhere.

How does the Micarta feel to you?  If you like it, then stick with it.

Micarta is basically colored to look like black ebony.  But I wonder if the stigma against it recedes, will they start making it in different colors?  How 'bout a hot pink fingerboard?

@Phroedrick, this is a hurdle you will conquer and it will cease to be a problem.  

It is rare that the nut is not secured, but a floating bridge is pretty common.  When that is the case, you will want to change one string at a time so that the bridge and/or nut basically stay in position while you put the new strings on.  You can always adjust positioning later if the intonation is off, but changing one string at a time will make things easier.

The order does not matter.

The direction the tuners tighten the strings depends on which side of the post the strings are strung on.  If the posts are horizontal, you want the strings to go over the top of the post.  If the posts are vertical, you will want the strings to go on the inside.  The fact is that it will work either way, but those are the standard conventions.

One trick to keeping the string in place is to use a capo to hold it down.  Put the loop over the brad nail or whatever is there to hold the end of the string, pull it toward the head of the dulcimer, and then put a capo on to hold the string in place while you wind it around the tuner.  I learned that capo trick from @Butch-Ross and am embarrassed that I hadn't thought of it myself.

Here is a video  of @Guy-Babusek demonstrating how to string a dulcimer, and here is a video by @Bing-Futch doing the same.

EDIT:  @Salt-Springs beat me to posting those same two videos.  Great minds . . . 

That's a remarkably pretty sound. I'm pretty sure "Array" is a brand and the instrument is called an mbira.  They are sometimes called thumb pianos and usually only have about an octave range.  I've never seen one that large before.  Pretty cool.

Looks like a great solution, especially for the price!

Hi @Silverstrings. I have an older Blue Lion I with a cherry body and cedar top. It does indeed have a big, warm sound.  I doubt the walnut is much different.  Here is an audio recording of my playing Rosin the Beau that shows off the big sound the instrument offers.  If you scour my videos and audio clips I'm sure you could find other examples, too, but I didn't have good recording equipment on some of that older stuff.

My only complaint about Blue Lion dulcimers is that the strings are set so far apart from one another.  That works great for fingerpicking, when you need your fingers to get in between the strings, but it is hard to flatpick fast with that setup.  At one point I talked to Bob and Janita Baker about making me a custom nut and saddle to move the strings closer together, but I never did that. I use the instrument now mainly for fingerpicking and use one of my other dulcimers for flatpicking.

The I model does not have the fancy inlay of the II model, but I have never been able to hear any significant difference between the two.  However, the Acoustic Jam model is a standard dulcimer built with the extra large body they use for the baritone, and that one supposedly has more volume.

If you do buy the dulcimer, or even if you ask for a sound sample, be aware that Blue Lion dulcimers have a floating bridge. When I first got mine (used from a noter/drone player) the bridge was not placed right and the intonation was off.  It's an easy fix, but you have to be aware that if something sounds "off" it is not a design or build defect.

Gail, a lot of the older books use mainly ionian tunings such as DAA (often CGG) but they do not necessary concentrate solely on noter play. I'm thinking of books like Mel Bay's You can Teach Yourself Dulcimer and Fun with the Dulcimer and TK O'Brien's Guide to Playing the Mountain Dulcimer.

Perhaps one option would just be Stephen Seifert's Join the Jam DAA version.  You can get it as a physical book with CDs or as a digital download with MP3s.  

Edit: I just checked his website and apparently Seifert's books no longer come with CDs. Instead, you download a zip file with slow demonstrations of the 93 arrangements in the book.

When Moe Asch gave his entire Folkways catalog to the Smithsonian, he insisted they promise to keep all the records available.  That seemed like a big deal at the time, but now they are all available as downloads or as print-on-demand CDs.  And you can also get the liner notes in a pdf.  Here are the liner notes to the Paul Clayton album.

That is correct. You are using the transposition chart correctly.   Over time this will become more obvious.  We know that a 0-0-2 chord is a D chord, correct?  If you put the capo at 3 and then play your 0-0-2, you are really playing 3-3-5, which is a G chord.  Does that make sense?

Marsha, if you are only playing chords and not the melody, it does not matter what voicing of a chord you use. 

Skip is correct here, at least for the keys of G and A.  You can play the most important chords in those keys out of you DAd tuning with no capo necessary. The chords you list for that song (G C D Em) are all available to you without a capo. So you don't have to use the capo for that song.  You might, however, find it easier to use the capo and then play the simple chord shapes using open strings.  But that is a matter of your preference, not a necessity.  The capo may only  become necessary when you start playing melodies or even filler licks as well, but as long as you are only strumming chords, you should be able to play the chords for your songs in G without a capo.

@Marsha-Elliott, if you scroll down below in this discussion, I wrote a long post here addressed to Dana.  It includes a link to a document entitled "Strumming in various keys out of DAd."  That document has a transposition chart for the most important keys of C, D, G, and A.  Take a look at that document.  It might answer your question.  And if it doesn't, by all means speak up.

@Adrian-E, my understanding is that the site has gone "private" but will be made public again within a few weeks.  Members still have access but it is not open to the public and cannot accept new members while in private mode.

Hi @retomas.  It sounds like you have a really nice instrument there.  I would be surprised if no one around this site has any information for you.

FYI: I moved your post from the Site Questions Forum, which is for questions about how to use the site itself, to a Forum on specific instruments and specific luthiers.  That way your discussion will be easier to find.

And it shouldn't be hard just to reduce the size of your photos before posting. The free editing software that comes with most PCs or even most phones should be able to do that easily.  

Good for you, Andreas.  I'm sure somewhere between being a sports junkie and not moving for 15 years there is a happy medium and a healthy lifestyle.

Good for you, @Andreas-Fischer, for getting the new bike.  Don't overdo it too fast, though.  You might want to start out doing 3 km a day for a while, and then slowly increasing your distance.  I applaud your enthusiasm, but none of us would want to see you injure yourself.

Those radishes look delicious, but I'd prefer the roots to the greens.

I don't grow them myself, but this time of year I eat a LOT of fresh English peas.  I think last year (and maybe the year before that) I posted a picture of a big pile of them.  One of the local supermarkets doesn't even put them out for the public.  They sell them only to a small handful of us who buy their whole stock. By mid-summer they won't be fresh anymore, so there is only about a month when I can indulge.

And I don't do anything with them. I used to make a pasta sauce with them, but they are just so delicious fresh and raw that now I just eat 'em.  Shell 'em and eat 'em like popcorn.  Mmm. 

And I don't think it's evil to add butter to the greens. I cook chard sometimes with apple cider and bacon.  Check out the work of Samin Nosrat (Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat).  She explains clearly how fat functions as a purveyor of flavor.  If you heat up some garlic in water, the water will smell mildly of garlic, but if you cook something in that water, it will not pick up much garlic flavor. However, if you cook that garlic in olive oil or butter, those fats become infused with garlic and will pass on that garlic to whatever you cook in the them.  

Hi @Bill-s. I started a dulcimer group that has been going for about 7 years now, so I guess it's a success.  We meet monthly and only cancel meetings around the holidays when life gets hectic for all of us.

Here in Northern California, no one would hesitate to drive an hour for a dulcimer meeting, and I have some regular members who drive 2 to 2-1/2 hours to join us. Hopefully where you are in Michigan dulcimer players are a bit more common than they are here.

I started with perhaps 3 or 4 email addresses, but one of them was a woman willing for us to use her home, so that was a start.  Initially, I actively recruited people, meaning I scoured the lists of members here at FOTMD and at the defunct Everything Dulcimer website and contacted anyone within a 3-hour drive, urging them to join us.  A few months later I created a website, making sure to put certain key words on the home page (words like "dulcimer,"  "beginner," and the state, and any prominent cities in the area).  Those key words help search engines find your site, so if someone does a search for "dulcimer clubs in Michigan" or "dulcimer clubs in Flint" you want your website to pop up.  I still average about one contact per month through the website.

The trick for me was creating a structure that was interesting for both beginners and more advanced players.  What I settled on is a three-part structure.  The first hour is a free beginner lesson.  I think this is essential if you want to welcome new players or people who played a little years ago and have put the instrument down.  I tailor the beginner lesson to whoever is the "most beginnerest." So if someone has never played before, we start with the parts of the dulcimer, how to position the dulcimer on your lap, how to strum steadily, and most importantly, how to read tablature.  If no true beginners show up, I ask whoever is there what they'd like to work on, so that first hour is a free lesson for whoever shows up.

After the first hour is group play of our common tunes.  At our first meeting I brought a good beginner tune as did another member, and we also solicited ideas from others about what tunes to play.  Over time, the list of the tunes we are actively playing has evolved, but most of our group play is pretty steady.  When we first start our group play each month, I ask the other members to help me choose tunes that would be more accessible to the newbies, so that they don't get too intimidated.

The third hour is a song circle in which we take turns playing a song solo, calling out a tune for group play, or just "passing" and watching others.  This part of our gathering was requested by the beginners who wanted to hear what the rest of us were playing when we weren't playing with them. But it has also been important for more advanced players who use it as a kind of dress rehearsal for songs they are working on that might not be ready for prime time yet.  To be honest we don't always devote a whole hour to this part of our gathering, if only because our common repertoire has grown, and if we're having fun playing together, I don't want to cut us off. But I usually make time to ask if anyone has a song they would like to play for the group.  Some never do, but others are happy to share tunes they are proud of but haven't quite mastered yet.

After we had been meeting for about a year, I got a call from a music store (it's actually a ukulele mecca of sorts) wondering if we would like to meet there instead.  I hesitated at first, thinking most of us liked being out of the public eye in a private home.  But I had also grown concerned about giving out a private address to anyone who contacted me saying they wanted to join.  In the end, meeting at The Strum Shop has helped us immeasurably.  If someone breaks a string or if their instrument needs some repair, it can be handled right there on the spot.  And the exposure has also brought us new members.  If you can find an arrangement like that, I highly recommend it. 

Our gatherings have ranged from a low of 6 to a high of 22 or so, and I consider that a huge success.  And although we meet just north of Sacramento, we have one member who drives a couple of hours from Reno, another who drives that distance from San Jose, and another who makes a similar drive from Marin County north of San Francisco.  It takes dedication not only on the part of the organizer, but also on the part of the participants.  I think the biggest challenges were getting the word out and developing a structure that works for beginners and advanced players alike.  It takes some effort, so I can't tell you if it would be worth it or if you should just drive the hour to the existing group, but hopefully I've given you some ideas about how to get started if you wish.

Congratulations on your dulcimer purchase.  I hope you know that Martin is also a member here.

And even though I am in the US, when I started playing I also relied on videos by Bing Futch and others.

Garret, I don't own a Bear Meadow dulcimer, but I have two friends who have them and swear by them.  One actually owns two.  Their action rivals that of any other high-end dulcimers.  Their volume is not as great as the other really LOUD dulcimers out there (I have three that are probably louder: Modern Mountain Dulcimer, Rick Probst, and Terry McCafferty) but the Bear Meadows have a tonal balance that puts all the others to shame.  Most dulcimers tend to privilege either the high tones or the bass tones, but Bear Meadow dulcimers are just exquisitely balanced.

Dwain has posted some sound samples on the website .  Give them a listen.

Katie, there is one correction I have to make to a comment below.  In a DAd or DAA tuning on a diatonic dulcimer, you cannot play an F chord.  There is no F natural on the fretboard.  (You can get an F chord if you tune to C (CGG or CGc) and then using the same fingering you are used to for a G chord. More on that below.)  Perhaps this transposition chart will help.

So how to use that chart?  The key issue is the relationship of a note or a chord to the other notes and chords of the same key. In the key of D, D is I chord, G is the IV chord, and A is the V chord.  If you want to play that same song in the key of G, you use the same numbered chords, so whenever you had used a D chord, you now use a G chord, whenever you had used a G chord, you now use a C chord, and whenever you had used an A chord, you use a D chord.  You can also refer to chords by their names as indicated, but I find that unnecessarily confusing.  I put that information on the chart because you will sometimes hear people refer to some of those names.

That chart can also tell you how to use a capo.  If you are tuned DAd, you know that 002 is a D chord, 013 is a G chord, and 101 is an A chord.  If you put the capo at the 3rd fret, you are now in G, but you can use that same fingering, pretending the capo is the nut, and 002 (really 335) is a G chord, 013 (really 346) is a C chord, and 101 (really 434) is an D chord.

I would suggest playing around with a capo by playing a song you know, then putting the capo on the 3rd fret and playing the same song the same way you did before. You will see that everything works the same way but you are now in a higher register and a different key. You can also put the capo at 4 to play in A, though you have to watch out for that 6+ fret.

So with a capo, you can play in the keys of D, G, and A.  To get the key of C, I would suggest tuning down a note to CGc.  Then the same thing applies. If you play 002, you are playing the I chord, meaning C chord, if you play 013 your are playing the IV chord, meaning an F chord, and if you play 101 you are playing the V chord, meaning a G chord.

That's how I would approach playing in the main keys of C, D, G, and A in a multi-instrument jam.

And these same principles can get you funkier keys.  What if a singer comes in and wants to play in F?  You don't have an F on the dulcimer in DAD or DAA, but F is the IV in the key of C, just as G is the IV in the key of D.  When we tuned DAd, we got the key of G by using the capo at the 3rd fret, so we can just tune CGc, put the capo a the 3rd fret, and we are now in the key of F.  In other words, whatever key you are tuned to, you get the IV by capoing at 3 and the V by capoing at 4.

If all of this makes you dizzy, just know that if you know the alphabet from A to G, and you can count to 8, you can figure all of this out yourself.  

Fresh peas . . .

@katiemac225, Ken has explained the central issue here.  The ukulele is a chromatic instrument, so it can play in any of the 12 keys.  The dulcimer is a diatonic instrument, so if you are tuned DAA or DAd, it will be very easy to play in D (or Bm), somewhat less easy to play in G or A, and very difficult or even impossible to play in other keys.

What does this mean in practice? I would suggest two approaches for you.

First, you might find out ahead of time what tunes the ukulele group plays.  Most groups use a songbook.  Get a copy of that book and look through it.  Find the tunes in the key of D and expect to play along with those, skipping the rest (for now).  [You can play in C if you retune to CGc or CGG, and out of your D tuning you can use a capo at 3 to play in G or at 4 to play in A.  So you can start to add the tunes in those keys as you get comfortable.]

Second, you might approach one or two of the friendlier, patient people from the ukulele group and ask if they would play with you.  It will be easier to ask one or two people to play only in D than it would be to get the whole group to change their routine.  As you get comfortable playing with those one or two people, you might then be able to join the group.

In anticipation of playing in either of those scenarios, you can practice by getting used to strumming chords and singing songs, for that's what people do in uke groups.  They either use a songbook or lyrics with chords are projected on a big screen (sometimes with a strumming pattern indicated as well) and they all strum chords and sing together.  Try that for yourself.  You might start with two-chord songs like "Jambalaya" and then move on to three-chords songs like "Jamaica Farewell" and then four-chord songs like "Let it Be" and so forth.

I can't wait to see this dulcimer!  And if you need someone to test drive it for you I'd be glad to volunteer.

Wow!  That playing is superb. He's really got the bounce in that dulcimer.  Film looks interesting too, but I could listen to that dulcimer all day.

No comment on the kid smoking a cig.

I regularly tune to C or C# when I fingerpick.  I don't use fingerpicks, but just my bare fingers, and I like the extra "give" in the strings. 

However, when I flatpick I want the strings very taught, as any extra give means the note is sounding slightly later than when you pluck it since the string bends before it makes any noise.  In other words, its harder to flatpick fast and accurately with looser strings.  So for flatpicking I tune to D and move my picking hand back towards the bridge or even tune up to D# or E.

I guess what I'm saying is that looser strings provide greater right-hand control when playing with fingertips but less control when playing with a pick.  So I adjust my tuning and my playing accordingly.

Garret, lot of individual instructors offer online lessons.  But as far as I know, those are the only two dulcimer schools online.  They share some basic similarities: both involve monthly subscriptions that give you access to a range of materials for different levels of play.  Dulcimer Crossing involves a greater variety of different instructors, for in addition to Steve Eulberg, there are lessons by Erin Mae Lewis, Nina Zanetti, Neal Hellman, Abrey Atwater, and others.  The Dulcimer School has Stephen Seifert and to a lesser extent Aaron O'Rourke.

In the interests of full disclosure, I should say that I know both Steve Eulberg and Stephen Seifert personally and am fond of them both.  Both are excellent teachers with decades of experience teaching dulcimer.  If you've been playing for a while and have a knowledge of basic music theory you may find some of the lessons "below" your needs, but that doesn't mean they are useless. I often just use the tab and the performance videos to learn tunes and skip the lessons that go measure by measure through a tune.

My advice would be to join both schools for a month and poke around a lot. You might decide one works better for you than the other.  Or you might decide that you would get more out of private lessons than you would from joining either one.  But you can always cancel your subscription anytime, so there are no long-term commitments. 

Oh, and happy birthday!

I'm sorry to hear Ken's description of the shoddy construction of the Seagull Merlin.  I have a Seagull 12-string guitar that is very nice (exceptional for the price) and made in Canada. The only Merlin I played (for a total of 3 minutes) had a slightly bigger and warmer sound than other strumsticks, but it oddly has only a 6+ and not a 6 fret. And it only has a total of 7 or 8 frets, so you only have one octave to work with.  The price is about that of a student model dulcimer, so I don't see it as having much of a purpose at all. If, as Ken states, many of them are not playable due to misplaced frets, it's a real shame.  No wonder you see so many on Ebay.

@Butch-Ross sometimes plays the dulcimer like a guitar.  He has a special dulcimer that only has half of an upper bout so that he can wrap his hand around the fretboard. Check out this video .  I think he had it custom-made, but I'm not sure.  He is a member here, so you might ask him.  If that design is something you're interested in, you might contact some of the luthiers here and see if they can make you a custom instrument.

I don't think putting heavier strings on a tin-sounding instrument like a strumstick will have more than a negligible effect. If you want a big, warm sound, you would generally need a pretty big box.

Let me add that I think your playing will be limited if you play by wrapping your hands around the fretboard. If nothing else, you eliminate the possibility of using your thumb.  Notice in the video of Butch Ross that although he plays standing up for that first tune, which mostly involves strumming chords to accompany his voice, in the next clip, which involves much more elaborate fingering, he is sitting down and playing a regular dulcimer. (You might also compare the 3rd and 4th tunes in the same video for the same contrast.)

Very moving episode, Patricia.  Thank you.

It's mostly the same tunes, but with updated lyrics.  Instead of "If you're happy and you know it clap your hands" you have to sing "If you're happy and you know retweet this meme." 

Seriously, my kid was in kindergarten about a decade ago, and the songs were basically the same as when I was a kid.  In fact, you're giving me a good idea for a "Call the Tune" for any songs for kids.  We could all share our ideas for good songs for kids.

What a cutie! I can't wait to see it when it grows up!

Sorry to hear this news. Condolences to Ruth's friends and family.

That looks like a mighty fine instrument, @Wmacky.  Really beautiful.

Congratulations, @Wmacky. I'm sure you'll make that dulcimer sing in no time.  Do you have any pictures to share?

(By the way, I think the name is Richard Beard , though I'm sure he eats bread every now and then. )

Don, others have asked this question, too, assuming that the small differences in distances between frets would pose problems.  But I've never found it to be a problem.  I do think it helps that I tend to look at the fretboard rather than tablature when I play, but I think you'll get used to whatever instruments you play.  I regularly play instruments whose VSLs range from 17" on an octave dulcimer to 28-1/2" on one I string as a baritone.

As @Robert-Schuler explains, it is easier to finger certain chords on smaller dulcimers, which is why my main dulcimer now has a 25" VSL.  But there is also a trade-off, as shorter strings in general have less sustain.

Don, the questions isn't as simple as you might think because VSL and string gauge both vary, so different VSLs might require different string gauges to get the same tones.

Standard size dulcimers can probably be thought of as having at least 25" VSLs.  Dulcimers smaller than that, say in the 22-24" range are usually tuned up a fourth or fifth to G or A, but not always.  A lot of people play the McSpadden Ginger model tuned DAd.

And Skip's suggestion of using a capo at the 7th fret demonstrates, you can also get DAd an octave above a standard dulcimer.  There are a few really well-made octave dulcimers out there, Ron Ewing is probably the best known builder.  

Apologies since Don and I hijacked this discussion momentarily.  It should not be about the specific scales that I play.  @Diane-R's original question is about how different people practice and how they keep up the songs they have learned.

Try the video again. I just edited the settings.

@Don-Grundy, here is a quick video I just made that demonstrates the main scales I am working on now and hints at the arpeggios as well.

Here is tab for the first scale , which goes up each string individually.

Here is tab for the second scale , which really works the pinky and goes across the strings in the first position.

I have not yet put together tab for the third scale I demonstrate that starts on the open bass string and then goes up two octaves to the seventh fret of the melody string.  Check back with me in a few days and I'll try to put something together.

In the video I mention a tune by @Mark-Gilston called "Time and Tide" which is a study of arpeggios.  It's actually a beautiful tune and calling it a study does not do it justice.  I also mention a book by @Aaron-ORourke called Faster Cleaner Better , which I have started working with for arpeggio exercises.  I should probably have started with Mike Casey's book Hands-On Dulcimer  which includes an enormous assortment of exercises for both right and left hands.

Regardless of how you start playing, I think it's important to end by playing something that you know pretty well.  To avoid the frustration that comes from trying to improve on any musical instrument, it is essential to maintain a feeling of satisfaction and confidence.  Don't put the dulcimer down when you're frustrated; rather, put it down with a feeling of joy and competence.  Make sure the last tune you play is something you know well and that gives you pleasure.

Unlike Ken, I do practice.  There are techniques or songs that I find challenging that I want to learn.  Of course, sometimes I just play and don't care about mistakes or improving. That's important, too. But when I want to focus and consciously improve my playing I always start with some scales and arpeggios to get my technique into shape.  Then I might play one song that I've learned recently, but pretty soon I start with whatever I'm working on at the moment. It might be a song or it might be a technique. Often it's a tiny section of a song, even a measure that's giving me problems, and I'll obsess on that measure, playing it over and over and over.  But as I said above, while that OCD behavior does indeed lead to improvement, it can also be frustrating, so I make sure I avoid or at least minimize that feeling of frustration by switching to a tune that I know well.

Occasionally, I review lists of songs to make sure I don't "lose" any.  Right now I have two different lists.  One is the tunes that I play with my local dulcimer group.  I don't really mind if I make mistakes with that stuff, since we play it all together, but I want to at least remember how each tune goes.  The second list is my list of tunes that I might play if someone asked me to play in front of people.  That list changes, as I add and drop tunes as my tastes and abilities evolve, but I try to make sure I can play those tunes with as few mistakes as possible.  I don't go over these lists of tunes every day, though.  Depending on how busy life gets I might only get to them once every couple of weeks.

There are some pretty fancy carbon-fiber guitars that are made specifically for outdoor extreme temperatures.  And I've played those ukuleles like the Waterman by Kala that can be used as an oar if you get stuck in a boat.  But I don't think dulcimers built along those lines would be so simple or inexpensive.

My initial thought is similar to what @Greg-Gunner and @Ken-Hulme have suggested.  Get an octave dulcimer.  They are no more than 2 feet long and can easily be transported in a small padded case and left beside your desk while you work. Then you just sling it over your shoulder, grab your lunch pail, and have a musical lunch hour.  I work from home and still sometimes play one during lunchtime!  My wife sometimes takes a shoulder bag to work that could easily hold a purse, a lunch, and an octave dulcimer.  You could do the same.