Forum Activity for @dusty

Randy makes a good point.  Diatonic frets create bumps just as much as chromatic frets do, and decent noter players seem to adjust just fine.

When you slide with a finger--which flatpickers and chorders do all the time--those bumps also exist.  But what's cool about the technique is that our ears play a trick on us. Instead of hearing each of the notes that correspond to each fret, our ears hear those slides as genuine slides, filling in all the microtones as thought there were no frets at all.  That is why a hammer-on sounds so different than a slide.  For example, when you slide from 3 to 4 and when you hammer on from three to four, you are just playing two notes.  But when you slide, our ears hear an infinite number of tones in between those two.  (Having said all this, one can slide in a precise and deliberate manner to approximate the sound of a hammer-on or pull-off, but now we're getting into nerdy nuances.)

As a flatpicking and chording player, I use extra frets all the time and wouldn't want it any other way.  But I understand the history of the instrument and respect deeply those who play truly diatonic instruments in the traditional ways.  That alone is a reason not to add extra frets.  The argument about "bumps" is less convincing to me, for I think you can adjust when you want to slide over the frets you don't need in a particular passage.

Steven, if you plan to play traditional music on the dulcimer in the traditional drone style, you don't need a 6+ fret.  You will get used to re-tuning your melody string to get the appropriate mode for each song.

If you plan to play modern music, if you plan to play chords, and even if you just plan to play a lot of tablature written by others, you will probably want the 6+ fret, which has been standard for about 50 years now.

So is it important?  No.  But you might want it.

FOTMD member @david-bennett is the one who maintains that heritage dulcimer material, and he provides links to the relevant pages in the Mountain Dulcimer History and Traditions Group.  I would encourage everyone to join that group and give that compelling stuff a read, not only in March but all year long.

OK, here's the latest version using @leo-kretzner's photo.  I had some square stickers made of something else a while back, and I as soon as I can get a discounted rate, I'll have some of these printed up.

 square IADD with yellow letters.jpg - 138KB

Yes, Leo, the other photo is one of my own.  It's a John Stockard baritone.

Here's another potential sticker.  Still playing around with the possibilities.

 IADD on Stockard with red lettering.jpg - 121KB

Leo, I stole the image from among your soundhole photos,  It was made by James A. Tranthum.

I changed the coloring and some other details, but it was pretty red in your original.

Yeah, we should probably get @leo-kretzner's permission before we start circulating that pic.  I'm trying to come up with something that can easily be made into a sticker or slapped onto a website.

It's good to know word is getting out there!   Here's another simple image some folks might like.

I held my monthly online dulcimer club today and told everyone about IADD.  About 20 people attended and they're all excited.  We meet next on the last Saturday in March, so we'll be celebrating together.  I'll try to get a screen shot and post it here.

Well I'm a child of the 70s, so this is the ad I imagine:

I wish Bruce Cockburn had played the dulcimer when I saw him in concert in the early 80s.  I would have discovered the dulcimer as a teenager instead of as a tired, middle-aged man .

Yes, the link works now, Robin.  I deleted my post since it wasn't needed anymore.

Thanks for doing all you do!

The hashtag will only accomplish anything if your comments are public and if others start using it.  By all means, @robin-thompson, go for it, and encourage others to do so.  So at the end of your short explanation (which you italicize below) perhaps you could ask that people use the hashtag when they share their stories, videos, etc.

That's really cool.  I saw Bruce Cockburn play show many years ago, but his only instrument was the guitar.  Had he pulled out a dulcimer I wouldn't have known what it was.

By the way, I moved this discussion to the General Mountain Dulcimer category since the Site Questions forum is for questions about how this site works. I hope that makes sense.

That's a nice description, Robin.  It captures the spirit of the day perfectly.

And I'm not the right person to ask about hashtags.  I can check with my teenage daughter, though.

Strumelia: Dusty, you are a mover and a shaker! 

Well, my belly shakes when I move like that dancing smiley!

Hey friends, I created a new discussion entitled International Appalachian Dulcimer Day in the General Mountain Dulcimer Forum.  Let's move our discussion (especially the posters!!) over there and leave this space for other positive news.

Thanks.

In the positive thread, FOTMD members came to a consensus that there ought to be a day dedicated to the celebration of our favorite instrument, and we arrived at the last Saturday in March as International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.

Let's use this space to share resources, outreach ideas, and photos, video, and text descriptions of celebrations of this new and special day.

Hey everyone, I just want to say how wonderful it is that an off-the-cuff comment I made on National Guitar Day has led to a consensus here about International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.  When I get a chance (and recover from a long day at work) I'll create a new discussion somewhere else on FOTMD specific to IADD. We can share resources like Steve C's poster and, when the day arrives, share photos, videos, or just descriptions of what we do on that day.  (IF someone wants to do that before I get a chance, please go ahead.)

This is a positive outcome of a discussion on the positive thread!

Looks great, Robin!

P.S. Someone should copyright the name "grassroots celebration" before some corporation does.

OK, folks. I think this conversation has wound down. Perhaps it's time for a vote.  Before we go there, how 'bout this:

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day: the last Saturday in March 

What think ye?  If there are serious objections, we can isolate some variables and have Strumelia set up a poll. But I wonder if we might reach a consensus.

Mostly just eye candy, Steven.  Surely the shape of the dulcimer has some effect on the sound, but it's probably so negligible no one would notice.  The type of wood also has an effect on sound, but on the list of variables that effect sound, it is way down there.  I'm sure I can tell the difference between a Pritchard replica and a Blue Lion, but I doubt I could tell the difference between a Blue Lion with walnut body and a Blue Lion with a cherry body.  Certainly whether the wood is figured or has beautiful grain patterns influences its looks, but not necessarily the sound or playability of the instrument.

Scroll pegheads look romantic but are a pain the arse to use.  Flat heads are much more practical.  A scroll head can increase substantially the time it takes to change strings.  If you like the look of scroll heads, that's a compromise you have to make, although some luthiers such as Terry McCafferty try to create the best of both worlds by combining the two .

So much of this kind of thing is in the eye of the beholder.  I like the look of ebony (or those artificial versions like micarta) overlay on the fretboard. I think the contrast between the dark black of the ebony and the lighter color of the other woods is striking.  But I also find ebony easier to fret since it's so hard. And it's also resistant to scratches, which means something to aggressive flatpickers.  So to me, anyway, ebony overlay enhances both the aesthetics and the performance of the dulcimer. 

Your question isn't dumb at all.  On some level, it's something we all have to address when buying an instrument or any product, really.  That early 1960s Dodge Dart might look better with the stripes on the side, but that paint doesn't make the engine any smoother or more powerful.  However, whether you have a slant 6 or a V8 engine probably does. Some years ago I bought an octave dulcimer from David Beede.  He used to offer the option of adding turquoise purfling on the soundboard , and I thought it looked great.  But when discussing with him whether I wanted to add it, he referred to it as "jewelry." And as soon I started thinking of it as "bling" with no purpose, I decided against it.

Hey @kevin63, I'm no expert on friction tuners, but there are products called peg compound or peg dope that you might try.  Since it appears you want to put on new strings (something we should all do more often), you might take off the existing strings first, then use a tiny bit of that stuff and work on the tuners before re-stringing. I'm sure others with more experience will chime in. 

To determine string gauge, you need to know the vibrating string length (distance between nut and bridge).  The age of the dulcimer really has nothing to do with it.  Neither does whether you have ball end or loop end strings.  You can use the Strothers String Gauge Calculator to get an estimate.  That tool errs on the light side, but it seems like that's what you want to do anyway.

No tuning is necessarily tighter than any other, but some tunings may be tight for certain string gauges.  What I mean is that whether you want to tune DAA or DAd (which would be the most obvious choices) will determine what gauge you choose for the melody string.

Since that dulcimer has no 6+ fret, it was probably tuned most of the time to DAA or CGG.  So plug one of those tunings into the string gauge calculator, indicate the vibrating string length, and see what comes up.  You will probably want to experiment and see what works best, but the calculator will give you a safe, light point to start with.

Coincidentally, @lisa-golladay, I recently asked Strumelia that very question.  FOTMD first went live on July 29, 2009.  So this summer will be lucky 13 years!

As someone who has many years of labor ahead before retirement, I would suggest that were we to pick a specific date, I would not be able to do anything special for International Dulcimer Day most years since I will be working.  That's why you won't see me at Kentucky Music Week or any of the fine dulcimer events that complain about not attracting younger people but still schedule themselves during the work week.   And if we choose a specific date, the question will always arise about why that date was chosen, which brings us full circle to the beginning of this conversation when a few of us suggested Jean's birthday.  It will be pretty lame if we have a date and no explanation for it. 

I think it important that we choose a Saturday.  If the first Saturday of spring seems too confusing to people (seriously?), then we should just choose perhaps the second (or third or first or fourth) Saturday of a particular month.  I suggested the spring because it is a celebratory time of year and marks the beginning of the festival season.  And unless you give up music for lent, I don't know why Dulcimer Day would conflict with that 6-week period of time. Maybe I'm missing something.

So it's agreed then: International Hog Fiddle Day will be celebrated the second Saturday after the first Monday after the first full moon after the summer solstice.

Robin Thompson: @dusty-turtle is who got this conversation on a designated dulcimer day started. I'm curious about what are his thoughts now?

Seriously, I love how much enthusiasm this topic has generated.  It was just a thought I had when I read about National Guitar Day, but clearly the idea resonates with a lot of us.

Some of what we are debating I don't believe to be too important.  Why is Black History Month in February?  Well, it used to be Black History Week and it was dated to the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass.  But choosing the date based on those two individuals did not somehow rob the designation of the ability to celebrate Ida B. Wells or Martin Luther King.  Similarly, were we to choose Jean Ritchie's 100th birthday as the first Dulcimer Day, it would not rob us of our ability to celebrate Uncle Ed Thomas or Loraine Wyman on that day.

Nonetheless, in the interests of not alienating any of the fine members here, I have another suggestion for the day: How about the first Saturday after the spring equinox?  It would mark the beginning of the dulcimer festival season but would not be tied to any specific date or any specific individual.  Any thoughts?

When Pritchard marketed his "American dulcimer" he was clearly trying to take advantage of the nationalist fever that dominated the golden age of folklore (1870 or thereabouts to 1914).  But I agree with those who think that name strips away the regional roots of the instrument.  "Mountain dulcimer" does indeed seem to be the most commonly used term for our beloved instrument, but I would be OK with either "Mountain" or "Appalachian" dulcimer.  The Wikipedia entry uses "Appalachian" dulcimer, and that alone might be a reason to choose that term.

So my new proposal: International Appalachian Dulcimer Day, the first Saturday after the spring equinox.

Folks, if we decided on Jean's birthday, the first National Mountain Dulcimer Day would fall exactly on the 100th anniversary of her birth.  That's too cool a coincidence to ignore.

I wasn't trying to start a debate about dates. Every day is dulcimer day in my life.

I do wonder how those "national" days get formalized.  I bet if we just decided on a day and then created a Wikipedia entry on National Dulcimer Day, it would become a thing.  We could encourage instructors and luthiers to offer discounts.  Maybe Quarantune could organize a concert on that day. Who knows?

That's exactly what I was thinking, @steve-c ! 

February 11 is National Guitar Day. When is National Dulcimer Day?  I vote for December 8. Anyone know why?

I would love to hear him play that instrument, which has partial frets such that the middle strings are chromatic but the bass and melody strings are diatonic.

Thanks for sharing.

I own one of David Lynch's student model dulcimers and used to suggest newbies get one for their first instrument since I think it was the best value on the market. But I haven't heard from him in a few years.

Ron Gibson dulcimers are a great value, too.  I used to have a Barbara Allen baritone he made which I sold to help finance a more expensive dulcimer.  It was very nice and I miss it.  I also played a used Jenny Lind at a music store. I was impressed with the action and went back to get it the next day, but it was already gone.

My general advice for beginners looking for an upgrade is to be patient and develop your preferences before spending a bunch of cash.  Maybe you will find you like an ebony overlay on the fretboard, or an extra fret, or the strings spaced a certain distance apart, or an internal pickup, or . . . The list just goes on and on.  You have to play a while to develop those preferences, so you might want to stick with a dulcimer that's "good enough" until you know exactly what you want.

Of course, if money is not an issue, go ahead an buy several dulcimers, including a bass dulcimer to give me .

You might consider joining the Florida Sunshine Dulcimer Group here and posting your question there.  The groups sometimes go dormant for a spell, but often it just takes one new person to drum up some activity and get things humming (or droning) again.

@gennaro, before we can really help you, we need to figure out what exactly is up with that middle string.  If it's not out of tune, and it's not buzzing on a fret, what could it be?

I have one idea. I had a dulcimer that had a minor problem with one string. It would kind of ring out louder than the others with a very faint buzz.  The problem was not the frets, but something else a repair guy at a guitar shop diagnosed right away: the slot in the bridge and/or nut was too flat, allowing the string to vibrate.

Basically, as the string goes through the groove or slot in the bridge and nut, you want it to sit on a single point in the wood or bone or whatever the thing is made of.  Is that slot is too flat, it allows the string to vibrate and kind of ring out louder than the other strings and make a noise that is not exactly a buzz, but something less obvious but still annoying. This happens more often when the nut and/bridge are made of wood rather than a harder substance like bone.

The guy who fixed my dulcimer that had this problem did so in about 5 minutes.  If you have a really small file to get into those grooves, you might just run it at an angle on either side of that groove in the nut and bridge, trying to create a single point on which the string will sit.  If you don't have such a tool, any guitar shop should be able to do this.

I don't know for sure that this is your problem, but the difficulty you have describing it sounds really familiar, and this is my best guess.

@davisjames, I took the liberty as a Moderator of moving your question here to the Forum on specific features of dulcimers and instrument questions.  The "Site Questions" Forum is for questions about how this website works.  I hope you understand.

Ron Ewing is often credited as the one who basically invented the dulcimer capo several decades ago.  I have a much fancier capo that cost about three times what one of Ron's does, but it doesn't work any better.  I'm sure Terry's are great too. I play one of his dulcimers but haven't bought a capo from him.

The David Schnaufer instructional video may not be available on YouTube.  I think I bought a DVD of it years ago.  My memory is that it was put out by Homespun Tapes.  You can find a few videos of him playing though, and lots of videos of Don Pedi playing.

For one example, here is Don Pedi playing Sally's God Mud Between Her Toes . As Dan and Ken have said, he is the absolute master of the fingerdancing approach and is a font of information about traditional tunes. His website is http://donpedi.com/ .

Jimmy, there is no single way to do this. What works best for you is what's best.

And I think you are right to work on one thing at a time.  Don't think about adding chord strums until you have figured out the left-hand fingering.

In David Schnaufer's instructional video, he demonstrates how he uses three fingers (no pinky or thumb) to move up and down the fretboard.  As he moves higher than his hand position he uses his index finger, and as he moves lower, he uses his ring finger.

Personally, I use all my fingers since I need all the help I can get!  Most of the time I approach the fretboard the way guitarists and violin players do, where you try to minimize hand movement and keep your hand in one position as long as you can, with each finger assigned a fret position.  Each position is named for the lowest fret.  So if you use your pinky on the first fret and your ring finger on the second fret and so forth, that would be called first position.  If you use your pinky on the second fret and your ring finger on the third fret and so forth, that would be second position.

However, whereas on the guitar or mandolin, each fret is of equal size, the dulcimer is missing some frets, so you might sometimes skip a fret. In second position, I might use my pinky on 1 and my ring finger on 2, but then my index finger on 3, skipping my middle finger.  Find what is comfortable for you.

Some people use their thumb a lot on the melody string, turning the thumb to the side a bit to be able to use the edge of the nail and slide around like a noter. I do that occasionally out of chord positions, but not most of the time, since using your thumb comfortably means the other fingers don't line up on the melody string as easily.

However . . . and you may not want to do this . . . once you are using your fingers you are no longer limited to the melody string, and "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean" is a good example of why.  The song begins with a big jump from 4 to 9, and even goes down to 2 on a couple of occasions.  That's a big jump. It's fun with a noter, but not so fun with your fingers.

But if you are tuned DAd, then any note on the melody string is also found on the middle string three frets higher.  So the first note of the song could be the 7 on the middle string.  That 2 on the melody is also the 5 on the middle string.  The whole song can be played between 5 and 9, which is a much easier stretch, isn't it?  Attached you'll find the melody of the tune using both melody and middle strings.  Give it a try and see what you think.

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean (melody only).pdf - 238KB

@jimmy-g, there are three left-hand techniques that can be used: hammer-on, pull-off, or slide.  They all involve moving between notes on the same string.

A hammer-on is used to move from one note to a note that is higher.  Strum or pick while fingering the first note and then push another finger down cleanly and deliberately to get the second note.

A pull-off is used to move from one note to a note that is lower.  You have to have both fingers in place first first, but then you strum or pluck while fingering the first note and then you pull off that string, plucking it slightly with the fretting finger as you let go.

A slide is used to move from a note to another note higher or lower. Fingering that first note, you strum or pluck and then literally slide your fretting finger from the first position to the second, holding your finger against the fretboard the whole time.

I think I once made a quick video explaining these techniques. If I can find it, I'll edit this post and add the link.

Edit: here is a video demo I made some years ago:

Obviously, my camcorder was not up to today's standards, but hopefully the video still has some value.

By the way, I consider these "legato" techniques rather than "slurs," but I think we are both talking about the same thing: how to smooth the transition between notes rather than rely on a new strum or pluck with the picking hand.

If you are playing with a noter, you can obviously employ the slide.  You can also employ the other techniques, too, if you rely for one of the notes on an open string.

@dtortorich, my wife uses that word all the time.  She will just ask me, "Are you dulcimering this weekend?"  She should just know that if I'm smiling, the answer is yes!