Forum Activity for @paul-certo

For starters, I would avoid music written for any of the Bb instruments. This would include Trumpet, trombone and tuba, and maybe a few more.

Music for any C instrument will work, which is a lot of leeway. Guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle/violin, piano/keyboard, and I think all the woodwinds are C instruments. In some cases you may need to shift up or down an octave to reach the lowest or highest notes in the sheet. For instance, a guitar in standard tuning can play notes almost an octave below the dulcimer tuned to DAD. To play these sheets, you may have to shift everything up an octave on the dulcimer. Not really a problem. The fiddle may have more high notes, and less low notes than the dulcimer. You may find some songs require you to play an octave below the fiddle. Mandolin has the same tuning as fiddle, and the same range. This is really not an issue, you can adjust the octave. Music for the 5 string banjo may be closest to the normal range of a DAD or DAA dulcimer, but the 2nd, 3rd & 4th strings of a guitar are right there as well.

Finding dulcimer books is easy, if you are close to a festival, or a store that sells dulcimers. If not, try online. There are several places doing online/phone sales. Prussia Valley Dulcimers ,in Waverly, Ohio; Elderly Music in Lansing Michigan; and Amazon.com all carry dulcimer books. Also, the major music publishers have web sites you can check for music. Hal Leonard and Mel Bay are probably the two biggest in the US, I'm not sure who covers other countries. Looking for specific types of music can be tricky, though. Many books are written as instruction books, teaching how to play. They usually contain older folk songs, as most of these are in the public domain, meaning the author/publisher can use them without paying royalties. With modern songs,royalties must be paid. There are books focusing on some modern songs, but you pretty much have to see the table of contents to decide which books you want to buy. There are books on swing, blues, classical, rock, and probably more. A festival is a good place to look for books, as vendors will bring a lot of books on a lot of musical styles. And will probably know what is available that they haven't got on hand.

Also, maybe FIRST, try the tablature section at Everything Dulcimer. You may be able to download or print some of the songs you are looking for. http://everythingdulcimer.com/index.php Again, copyright and royalty issues may make modern songs harder to find.Tablature is in some ways better for a dulcimer player, as we sometimes require different tunings. You can learn where all the notes are, but once we change the tuning, the notes move. And some notes are lost and gained with each tuning change.

Paul

I made a little beer & wine years ago, but I don't drink enough to make it worthwhile. I can buy expensive beer for the 6 or 8 cans a I drink every year. I never did achieve high quality results, either.

Paul

I bet there was a lot of beer, the last beer would likely have been fought over. "You did what with the last beer? I'll slap the taste out of your mouth, you dern fool!" We make beer can chicken a lot, it's probably my favorite chicken recipe.

Paul

The question was not about culture, but about proper grammar. I merely put as humorous a spin on it as I could, since I know almost nothing of German, and had sufficient low grades in English to make that suspect, also! Adding something intelligent to the discussion was, shall we say, "Not my strong suit?" In a battle of wits, I'm unarmed!

Paul

I don't think English is bound by the same rules that the German language uses. At least, I don't recall any of my teachers discussing the gender of manufactured objects. Plants have male and female parts, but I never heard of a guitar neck as a phallic object. What about the carrots and parsnips in a stew? I don't think naming dulcimers is conclusive evidence, as the person selecting the name may or may not consider gender. And how would we know? I can look under a puppy to find out, but how do you judge a clam, or an earthworm? I never name my instruments, but daughter Marianne did name one of them Chupacabra. http://www.princeton.edu/~accion/chupa.html This is still inconclusive, as Chupacabra may derive from Spanish, and follow different rules than English or German. And my dulcimer never ate no goat, unless it snuck out while I was asleep! I did eat goat in a restaurant once. Was tasty, too. Maybe I'm a Chupacabras? More importantly, why does spell check not accept "snuck?" Did I spell it wrong?

Paul

PS: What if Dulcimer doesn't follow English rules, either? Is it totally anarchistic? Oh, The HUMANITIES!

The fiddler in that clip is very, very good, but she ain't a BIT funny!

I'm not sure memorize is the word I would use. I memorize lyrics, but for me, music is more a matter of getting the feel right than copying each note of someone's version. What if they wrote it wrong? Our local newspaper has a list of corrections every day on page 2. I listen repeatedly until I get the song into my head, then I work out how I am going to play the song. Tab is a starting point, and a guide when I get lost, but I take detours on any journey. I can't read tab fast enough to play in a jam with it, so I let my ears take over.

Paul

I knew that, but I had to locate better advice. Here's some:

Paul

You can put pepper spray in one of the pockets, just in case of Bear trouble. Don't spray against the wind.

Paul

The pants leg is useless without some sort of cushioning inside it. Hiking is always accompanied by such things as steep or wet slippery ground, partially buried rocks and tree roots, loose gravel and small branches. Tripping is a lot easier than we always think. You need pants large enough to allow for some type of cushioning inside. Foam can be purchased in sheets at fabric stores, and cut out to fit your instrument. Or, buy a package of bubble wrap. It comes in a roll, I get it at the local Drug Store, but I think other stores and shipping stores carry it as well. If you need larger pants than your size, you can cut out the inseam of both legs, and sew them together to make one tapered bag. While you're sewing, make some straps and sew them to the bag to attach it to your backpack. Plastic trash bags don't last long when walking through bushes, even without thorns. Twigs and such have a habit of tearing the bags apart. I tried using doubled plastic trash bags for my sleeping bag once, and it lasted one day.You might want a layer of cloth between the bubble wrap and the dulcimer, in case the varnish is sensitive to the plastic. You won't know until it's too late. Use an old pillow case for this, or light weight old pants. Put the trash bag inside the cloth bag, or use some type of oilcloth to make the bag, rather than old pants. A yard or two of oilcloth and some strap material from the fabric store, an old pillow case,and a package of bubble wrap to me is all you really need. Put the instrument in the pillow case, wrap it in the bubble wrap and trim off the excess. Then make a bag big enough to fit, with wiggle room to let you push the wrapped dulcimer into the bag.

Paul

Tuned to DAAA, you are tuned for the Key of D. The D scale starts at the 3rd fret of the melody strings, which are most likely two strings very close together. These are fretted either with fingers, or with a noter, and used as one string. Try the scale from that point, and you will find that the correct notes are all in their places. Traditionally, the other two strings were left open as drones. They provide the harmony. I can't say for sure why the scale was not begun at it's root, but it actually works out to our advantage that it is done in this way. Many songs require us to play some notes below and some above the 1st note of our scale. Placing the root at the end of the fret board would require us to find some notes on another string. As your dulcimer is tuned, you would need to go to the 4th string for those notes.Placing the D closer to the center of the fret board gives us room to go both up and down from the D. This is one of the most common tunings, and a fine place to start learning.

Paul

If you play in dulcimer jams, you may find most songs are played in D. If you go to jams with fiddle or banjo players, you will find that most songs are played in specific keys. As said above, these usually are dictated by where the tune falls easily on the fiddle, or in some cases, on the banjo. Bluegrass players tend to use the same keys as OT players, though a few keys that seldom are used in OT jams also come up. Song circles are more likely to have a wider variety of keys, as many players change the keys to suit their own vocal range. This can cause a lot of re tuning, as each person in the circle chooses the song & key in turn. I tend to take more than one instrument to song circles. Sunday I found myself using F several times, as there were a few ukulele players there. F is a common uke key. Not one I usually use on guitar or banjo, but we adapt with a capo. I don't think I ever tuned a dulcimer to F. I capoed the guitar for one song, and retuned the banjo for a couple. I didn't have a uke or dulcimer with me Sunday. I've seen a few harmonica players with a bag or box full of different harps. Seems even a chromatic harmonica still favors one or two keys, and doesn't do so well outside of those two.

Rock jams are very conscious of keys, as most players seem to believe in capturing the exact arrangement they heard on the radio, down to the last note of the solos. I never felt compelled to work that hard at learning a song, myself Are you fully confused now? Adapt to the jams you go to, but make sure you enjoy yourself.

Paul

I wouldn't try it, even the .009 sounds unlikely at 27". Banjos are around that length, and usually use a .009" or .010" 1st & 5th strings. We tune the 1st to D or E in most tunings. The 5th is a lot shorter, mine is about 211/2", so tuning it to G and A is fine. But at 27.25", it won't make it. Even an .008" may not last long, if you strum hard. I don't know if anyone markets a .007", but you could check with Just Strings, or some string company web sites. A better idea would be to set up one dulcimer as a baritone. You would use heavier strings, and tune lower instead of higher. And we all need another dulcimer, don't we?

Paul

My sassafras dulci is 22 years old, and the smell is still there, though not nearly as strong as it was it was in 1990. A little extra humidity seems to bring the smell back somewhat, a couple weeks in Waikiki helped mine. Mine is all sassafras, it sounds nice, but it doesn't take well to hard strumming. It responds better to delicate strumming, and to finger picking. Other factors besides wood type may be part of that.

For the record, it's the music wire that is made by only a few companies. It is used by a lot of companies to make strings, and some of these string makers make strings for other companies to package and market. I doubt if strings sold under an instrument brand name are actually made by those companies. Gibson, Fender, and Martin all sell strings, but I don't think any of them make strings.

I'm sure Ron would answer your questions, and advise you on string gauges for other tunings. He's here: http://www.ronewingdulcimers.com/ Part of the high pitch is from the short scale length, the string gauges may not be too far from what we use on bigger dulcimers.

Don't scratch it, just sniff close to the sound holes. My sassafras dulcimer still smells of root beer after 22 years, though not as strong as when it was new. As soon as I open the case I get a whiff of it. It looks a little pale for sassafras, though.

Paul

Robin, you are correct that the modal songs are almost all in G or A. Except when dulcimer players get together sans fiddle and banjo players. I have known a number of dulcimer players to play Old Joe Clark, Shady Grove, Cluck Old Hen and other tunes in D. Fiddler and banjo players cringe at this, as some of these songs are uncomfortable in the wrong key. I used Old Joe as an example simply because I have seen it played in D in a number of dulcimer jams.

Skip, your 646 chord is a C major, but the melody note for Old Joe at this point requires a C on the melody string. 646 in DAA gives you CGG, with a G on the melody note. You can play a chord backup to someone else playing the melody, but you can't get your melody unless you play the whole melody on the bass string. If you practice this, it can be done. It's an incomplete chord, missing the 3rd, E, but with only 3 notes available, we use partial chords a lot. If we intend to use one of our strings for melody, the 2 that are left end up playing partial chords pretty often. Any time the melody uses a note that isn't part of the chord we have a partial chord playing with that note.

Paul

More rarely used, but all in keeping with the above, are the aeolian and dorian modes. These are two minor keys(the 3rd, Mi, is flatted.) The only difference between aeolian and dorian is, again as in ionian/mixolydian, the 6th is flatted in dorian and natural in aeolian. So similar changes occur, slightly complicated by the flat 3. With new notes in the scale, new chords are possible, and some we had before are unavailable. That's why we use modal tunings to play songs in different modes. Playing with drones we simplify this by not needing to look for chords to harmonize the melody. But our DAA or DAD chord players will clash with our DAG or DAC drone players. This is why Tabs always tell us what tuning we need with the tab. Standard sheet music is written with the idea that we have chromatic instruments. Modes are not noted anywhere in SMN. The chords, if they are written above the music, are the best indicator of the mode we need to play the song. We then need to know what chords are possible in a given mode.

Paul

Here's the problem: When you tune to 158, the ti flat note is at the 6th fret. But when you change that tuning to 155, the 6th note of the scale is now at the 1+ position. If you don't have the 1+ fret, you can't play mixolydian songs in the ionian tuning. You will find some mixolydian tunings that only use 5 notes of the scale, but one of those 5 notes will always be the 6th note of the scale. I challenge anyone to find an exception to this. Further, mixolydian songs, when harmonized with chords, use a curious chord built from the seventh note of the scale. In the key of D mixolydian, this odd chord is C major. Modern music theory tells us the key of D contains no C major chord. The ionian scale of D has a C#, so there is no C major there. The ionian chord in this case is C# diminished. It contains C#, E, and G. Modern music theory calls this a DISCHORD, rather than a chord. When the DAA player plays this dischord against the DAD players C major chord, the true meaning of cacophany really shows through. Put this into a true mixolydian song, such as Old Joe Clark. In DAD, we have a true C major chord to play at this point in the song, and it harmonizes perfectly. DAA players need the C natural at the 1+ or 8+ fret to make this C chord. Lacking that, most use A major, or A7. But either of these contains the offending C# note. If either of these is played against the DAD players C major, the C and C# clash. The strongest dissonance in music is to be 1/2 step away from correct. In other words, the C# is more dissonant than D would be in the same situation. And in DAA or DAD, one of the drones is D. That's why the drone doesn't clash with the C major chord. Adding a D to the C chord makes it a C suspended 2. A little jazzy, but not dissonant. The other drone is A. A added to the C suspended 2 gives us C6 susp. 2. Again, jazzy, but not truly dissonant. It doesn't clash. This is why I said yesterday that when playing chords it could cause problems. The drones are D and A in either tuning. No clash at all.

The chords follow the scale, and each mode is it's own scale. Only one note is changed as we go from Ionian to Mixolydian, the C# of the Ionian becomes the C natural of the Mix mode. But the common A chord from the D ionian scale is no longer available. We now have three chords we didn't have in the ionian mode: C major, instead of C# dim Am instead of A major, and F# b5 instead of F#minor. The chord harmonies of this mode use the chords available with this mix scale, though I can't recall seeing the F# b5 used in folk music. A lot of mix mode songs in the key of D use only 2 chords, invariably it is the D and C chords. More often, mix songs will use 3 chords, the D, G, and C chords. The Am is somewhat more rare. A 2 chord Ionian mode song in the key of D will use D and A or A7. 3 chord songs will use D, G, and A/A7. (I am speaking predominantly of folk music, Jazz based songs are the rattle snakes of music; they go where they want and no one tries to stop them! )

Paul

It can work, but it can have pitfalls for players who don't understand modes. I have seen players use DAD tuning while playing from DAA tabs. This doesn't work at all. The melody is in G, while the drones or chords are in D. The harmony clashes even when no other instruments are present. Add a chord playing guitarist, mandolin,etc, and it really sounds terrible. This is partly due to the mistaken idea that a few extra frets will make the dulcimer do anything without ever using a different tuning. It will do a lot, if the correct arrangement is used, and the correct extra frets are installed to make the notes available. But a 6+ fret won't make DAA play a mixolydian melody in D.

Paul

Some of us use multiple tunings, sometimes to play different modes, sometimes because we find some songs don't suit our vocal range in certain keys. I can't sing Canary keys with my bullfrog vocal chords. Some songs suit me in G, some work better in other keys. But we can only loosen our strings so much before they stop sounding clear notes. We can only tighten them so much before they break. This limits what keys we can use and some players have multiple dulcimers set up with different string gauges for this reason. The lure of buying additional dulcimers has it's own appeal, of course.

Paul

I usta be wash & wear, but I'm showing a certain amount of wrinkles these days, so something may be changing. I always rinse after showering, the soap feels unpleasant if I let it dry.

Paul

Mr. Certo? Is Ma here, with a wooden spoon? I get my molasses from the grocery store, sugar cane won't grow in Ohio, I think we're too far north. My yard won't grow anything but weeds, deer and groundhogs. Well, there is a black walnut behind the garage, but I digress. I never had home made molasses, I always lived in the city. But I use it in pumpkin pie, and other assorted pastry stuff, whether the recipe tells me to or not. I use honey the same indiscriminate way. That comes from the grocery, also. Mrs. Wanda is allergic to bee stings, so keeping bees at home is likely to get me in hot water.

Paul

I tend to put a little nutmeg in the fried apples, along with cinnamon. We usually use part Granny Smith and part Macintosh, as that's how Mrs. Wanda likes 'em. She doesn't use nutmeg, as that ain't how she was raised. (WVa) I was grown and married before I ever had fried apples, so when I started making them I concocted it a little different. I lean towards brown sugar, as well. Left to my own, I'd probably use molasses, too.

Paul

Oahu, Ken. We have friends there. The jamming will be non stop, except for when we eat! There's a dulcimer club on the Big Island, I think it was on the Kona side.

Paul

For the Kahlua Pork, we use baby spinach, since Ti leaves and banana leaves are unavailable in Cleveland. Possibly at Jungle Jim's, in Cincinnati, but not in Cleveland. We usually cook it in a crock pot, but the oven works fine, too.In Hawai`i, no BBQ sauce is used with Kahlua Pork, but if you want it, any kind you prefer is fine.

But ya gotta have Poi with Pig! If you can find Taro root, steam, bake or boil them until tender. Peel the roots, and mash it as fine and smooth as you can. At this stage, it is known as Pa `i `ai. It traditionally was wrapped in banana leaves for storage. It would keep a long time without refrigeration, though it would often ferment a bit from wild yeasts in the air, much like sourdough starter. A lot of folks like it better after it sours a bit, since it has more flavor. To make poi from it, add small amounts of water to it, mixing it it until it is the consistency you prefer. Some people use it as a condiment with spicy foods, much like ranch dressing for hot wings. Some add seasonings to it, but most eat it as is. I prefer it with only a small amount of water, since the water dilutes the flavor. It is a very mild flavor to start with, so less water means more taste. I like the sour kind even more for the same reason.

If you didn't put BBQ sauce on the pork, the leftovers can be made into Lau lau. Cooked Kahlua pork, butterfish, and peeled & cut sweet potatoes, and a little salt & pepper are placed in a small bundle wrapped in banana leaves and steamed until the potatoes are tender. Cut up taro root can also be placed in the bundles. Butterfish is Black Cod, we use whatever codfish the local grocery has. I suspect in the old days whatever fish was caught ended up as supper, though Hawaiians built fishponds several centuries ago to raise fish in captivity. A number ancient fishponds are still visible, though not many are still in useable condition. Lau Lau is great stuff! We use aluminum foil since banana leaves are hard to find. Again, put some spinach leaves in the bundle to give it the flavor as if the Ti or banana leaves were there. If you use Ti or banana leaves, they are only for flavoring not eaten. Might make you stay close to the bathroom if you eat too much leaf. Now I'm hungry for Island kine grinds, 9 days and counting!

Paul

Uh-oh, witness protection program stuff! I won't tell the coppers, I never saw nuttin!

Paul

For now, you can leave the old string on. After the nut and saddle are adjusted to the correct height, then take the old string off and put the new set on. You will probably be loosening and tightening the string each time you check the height of the new parts. Let the old string be the test unit. If it breaks before you are done, that's still a lot of wear saved from the new strings.When sanding, be careful to hole the part straight vertical so it gets sanded evenly. And keep your fingers clear of the sandpaper. Unless your job has to do with safe cracking!

Paul

Never, but I did go to Guitar week several years ago. It's the best set up I have seen at any camp or workshop. You have a morning lesson each day with your chosen teacher. Each morning, they build on what went before, correcting mistakes as you go. They have a week to really impart some knowledge. PM classes you can choose a different teacher each day, or go practice the mornings lesson, sleep so you can stay up late jamming, etc. The teacher and classmates get very familiar by weeks end. I still correspond with my guitar teacher from 6 or 7 years ago, and am hoping to set up a lesson next month, when our passes will cross for a few days. It spoiled me for the 1 hour classes at festivals & such. Now I take very few of them, and just find someone to jam with instead.

Paul

The real issue is DAS! You have all the symptoms of it. If you aren't taking food out of your children's mouths, or leaving the electric bill unpaid to finance a second dulcimer, it isn't a real problem. But I suggest waiting to buy until you can play some songs well enough to really try out prospective 6 strings and find the one that really sounds like you want it to sound. Shop from a position where you can play enough songs, hopefully in a few different playing styles, and decide which is the right one.

Paul

You will eventually see the term "Dulcimer-Shaped Object" on posts here. I think Websters Dictionary defines that as "Junk, made in uncertain locations by untrained workers, and sold by the unscrupulous to the unsuspecting, over the internet." I suspect you may have found exactly that. It's good you had the notion to ask your friendly, neighborhood FOTMD forumites for advice. Always glad to steer you away from the unscrupulous.

Paul

How long is the scale length on the one you have? If it's too long, but is only slightly longer than 26", a 26" may not be enough change to really help you. Half an inch may not make much difference at all, but an inch might.

I have heard a number of stories about Apple Creek, mostly dealing with inconsistent quality, out of tune frets, etc. A good Apple Creek sometimes gets a decent review, but most seem to get bad reviews. I would stick with the makers recommended above.These are people who have shown to have high standards.

Paul

Players may write a song in a key they find easy to compose in, but find they can't sing it in that key. When they record the song, it may end up in a very different key. Another possibility is that the G version was arranged by another person.

Paul

If the gears are exposed, check the screws in each gear, and snug them up if they are loose. The gears should stay in close contact. If the gears are worn, the tuners may have to be replaced. Stewart MacDonald shows dimensions for the mounting holes on their 3 on a plate tuners, there is no universal hole spacing. The distance between the shafts, and the diameter of the shafts, also varies. If possible, you want to match all the dimensions so no old holes need to be filled, and no new holes need to be drilled. If there is a makers name on your dulcimer, that might be a good place to check for tuners and the brand of tuners that probably was used on your dulcimer. Searching for dulcimer tuners may not turn up what you need simply because most dulcimers use tuners that were developed for other instruments. There are few tuners sold as "dulcimer tuners", but a large variety of "guitar tuners." The friction pegs used on dulcimers were first used on ukulele, the 3 on a plate tuners were guitar tuners, as were most of the individual tuners used by dulcimer builders. The planetary gear tuners were developed for banjos. Dulcimers represent a small market, by any standard you use to compare it to guitar or banjo production. A lot of dulcimer makers use separate tuners as they can buy them in quantity and not have a problem getting odd numbers to build a 4 or 5 string dulcimer. 3 on a plate tuners don't divide well for 4 or 5 string instruments.

Paul

Are these tuning machines, friction pegs, or wooden violin pegs? If they are friction pegs, you may just need to snug the screw in the end of the knob with a small screwdriver. Over time, wear and use loosen them a bit, and they start slipping.

If they are carved wooden pegs, like a violin uses, they may need to be replaced, but there is also a peg compound violinists use to stop them from slipping. A music store that understands violin-speak should have this. If they are tuning machines, the gears may be worn. Finding a set that has the same dimensions can be a little tricky, but try Stewart-MacDonald, http://www.stewmac.com/ or Luthiers Mercantile http://www.lmii.com/

Paul

Dave,I don't see anything wrong with the fret spacing. It's hard to judge from a small picture, but it looks OK to me. Bill, try to get the strings to a reasonable height and see what you get. I bet that dulcimer has songs waiting to get out!

Paul

It's good to hear progress was made. It's even better since no major surgery or cash outlay was needed. I love it when a plan comes together! When do we get to hear a song?

Paul

It is possible that the bridge is not placed correctly. If it is movable, it may well have been bumped out of position before you got the dulcimer. Start by measuring the distance from the nut to the seventh fret. The bridge should be placed exactly twice that distance, so that the 7th fret is exactly halfway between the nut and bridge. You may need a slight adjustment for compensation, but start with the seventh fret exactly in the middle. Try tuning and playing, to check the string height. If the strings are too high, it not only makes it harder to play, but pressing the strings too far bends the notes sharp. If it's hard to play, try lowering the strings. Adjust the height at the nut first, then if it's still too high up the fret board, lower the bridge a little. Since your bridge is moveable, you may not have to deepen the slots, just file or plane the bottom of the bridge a little at a time to lower it. Try playing it when you are finished, and if it still plays out of tune, you may need to compensate the bridge by moving it slightly towards the nut or bridge. It may need to be slightly further from the nut at the bass string than the treble strings.

Paul

Tuning forks are less than ideal. I have never seen a set of them, but who could afford them if there were several octaves? And the weight would make me leave them home! There are online tuners you can use free of charge, if you don't have one. Great at home, but not so good if you don't carry a computer every where you go. A lot of guitar amps are now coming with built in tuners, but your best bet is still a clip on vibration sensing tuner. Tuning by ear in a group, or a noisy saloon or jam session is rough for experienced players. For a beginner, it has to be painful. The one I reach for most is a Crafters TG200H. It's small, clips on the headstock of most of my instruments, and ignores the noodling going on all around me. I also have a Korg CA 30,and a Boss TU 15. They are good tuners, but don't clip on, and rely on built in mics to hear the instrument. They work well at home where I'm in a quiet environment, or with a clip mic, or plugged into an electric instrument. They aren't as convenient with instruments that need a new tuning every several songs. The clip on stays on the instrument, ready for me to change tunings. Except on one dulcimer, with a carved head that the tuner doesn't fit! Chromatic is the only kind I want, as I use multiple tunings, so a "one tuning " model isn't practical.

Paul

With that many cats, you might as well leave the dulcimer bare. You'll never get through the house without having fur all over you.You may be building the first dulcimer with it's own fur coat!

Paul