I'm think I'm probably not understanding you then Dusty.
The second part certainly sounds do-able and obviously avoids the sort of problems that arise when using a capo.
It's the first part I don't get, Are you sugesting that you use the lever in play, rather than just when tuning/setting up. If so I don't understand how that works.
john
Hi Dusty,
I think there is a danger of misunderstanding what the semitone levers do. As I understand it, the harp is a diatonic instrument, and the levers don't add any extra frets. What they do is rearrange the pattern of intervals and are, in essence, movable frets. It's easy to see this as changing pitch but the reality is that you are doing the equivalent of moving the frets about.
For example, if you are set up to play a tune in C Ionian then it is not possible to play a tune in C Dorian without some sort of re-tuning. On a dulcimer you would do this by re-tuning your tonic to a position that gives you the right pattern of intervals. On a harp you would do this by leaving the tonic where it is and adjusting the set of intervals that follow from it. That is, you would flip the 3rd and 7th.
I have seen something like this on a banjo, no idea if this is used for tuning purposes, mainly it seems to be used to get a bend effect on notes.
john
Thanks for that Dusty, I think I really liked her best in the early years.
From a later concert : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPrJNKJcRrs in 1983.
"A Case of You" starts at 19m 24s and is followed by "Carey".
I was lucky enough to get a back stage pass, great night.
john
An old mate of mine had a wonderful scrapbox, not so much for the thin section stuff, but all the bits for tailblocks, scroll heads, nuts and bridges etc..
You could always give him a bell and he'd usually come back with "I've got just the piece for that".
Sadly, no longer with us.
john
Another thing I've noticed with too many wraps is that you can get yourself in a situation where winding on more string forces the lay up against the side of the pegbox and actually starts to push the peg out making it slip.
I've always taken the string through the hole, brought it back up to the top and down through the hole again before tightening, works well for me. I've seen people actually knot the string onto the hole, but this can be the devil getting it off if you ever need to make a quick change.
john
Playing by ear is an extension of singing or whistling to me, so depends on having something in my head already.
I've never been convinced by plain fret order without already knowing the tune, or a sound clip to go with it. It's more useful as a 'refresher' or aide memoire
Just as an experiment, see what you can make of this :
345545565543
34543454
345545565543
36543
Apparently a very simple tune that only uses 4 notes(do,re,mi,fa) but if you've never sung it before you may find it hard to know what you're supposed to do with the numbers.
Folks don't sing enough, and that includes me.
john
Beginner - someone who needs help learning a tune.
Intermediate - someone who doesn't need help learning a tune.
Advanced - someone who needs help finding tunes to play.
Expert - guitar boy.
john
Sorry if you found that overkill John, to me everything you need to know is contained in that one table, you can dump anything else you've dragged in from the chromatic world.
Are you sure you understand how to tune a dulcimer, and not just learnt a couple of rules of thumb ?
It's a two stage process, first you tune the melody string, then you tune the drones accordingly, why are you expecting the keynote to turn up on the drones(although it usually does), it's the melody string you tune.
SMN is not a precise system by any means, it purports to be a 'one size fits al' but it's not.
Here's the SMN for Pretty Saro :
as you can see this shows a single setting, but can be translated in to the diatonic world in 3(or 4) different ways. DAD, DAA, DAG,( DAC) and thats without any transposing.
One reason I try not to talk in modes when it is more accurate to talk of gapped scales.
john
Hi John,
This starts to get very complicated if you apply chromatic theory. Trying to squeeze 7 modes into 2 scales gets confusing.
Diatonic theory would say that the modes are based on intervals and, as such, are independent of key. All this means is that the tunings are relative, not absolute. You only need to tie things down to an absolute pitch if you are singing or playing with others.
Here is a chart that is based on intervals :
The 6+ fret comes from superimposing a second fretboard a fifth above the first.
IOW by adding 4 to the home fret you will get an alternative home fret that uses the 6+
e.g Ionian 3+4 (-7) = 0 can be played from the Mixalydian position with a 6+
Mixalydian 0+4 = 4 can be played from the Dorian position with a 6+
Dorian 4+4 (-7) = 1 can be played from the Aeolian position with a 6+
Aeolian 1+4 = 5 can be played from the Phrygian position with a 6+
etc.
john
The thing to get hold of is that the drones don't define the keynote, rather the keynote defines the drones.
The basis for n/d tunings is the Home fret, this is invariably the fret that the tune ends on. and is where you tune your keynote.
IOW, if you tune the melody string to D and then play an Ionian tune, you will be ending on a G, what your guitarist hears.
It's after that you tune the drones. The idea here is to provide a constant reference to this keynote whilst playing, something that can be used to gauge the intervals being used and firmly establish the mode. The octave and the fourth/fifth give the best grounding for this and are usually chosen for the drones.
This is what makes DGD an Ionian tuning, the 'reverse' of the more conventional, and not easilly tuned, GDD
Some tunes you may want to use a cross tuning, where the drones are not where you would conventionally put them. depends on the feel you're aiming at. Regardless, the keynote is always at your Home fret.
[edit] I've recently put up a piece called 'The Curra Road'. Convention would say this is one of the minor modes, but none of the ones I tried really suited the words. I ended up using a simple Ionian tuning, but playing out of the Locrian position (Home = 2nd fret).
john
Looks very solid Kevin, think I'd have gone for a more 'comfy grip' handle though 
Like the divider idea.
john
Hi Tony.
The D and A will be no problem, the F# may be a bit slack. See how it goes,
Depending on what style of play you intend, you could take the middle string up to D and use a reverse capo at the 2nd fret.
john
Tony Brown said:
Can I tune to D Fsharp and A (1-3-5) using normal strings.
Cannot find the 1-3-5-discussion . Help please
Hi Robin,
This is probably one of those things where you need to be very specific.
Whilst it's true you can play an Ionian tune from the Mixalydian position with a 6+, the reverse is not true, you can't play a Mixalydian tune from the Ionian position.
i.e. if you have a 6 in your tab it will map up the fretboard to 8+. (Io goes 6+ => 9, but Mix goes 6 => 8+))
As the 6+ provides a second fretboard a 5th above the first the order will be
Lyd => Io => Mix => Dor => Aeo => Phr => Loc
IOW. with a 6+ you can play Dor from the Aeo position, Io from the Lyd position etc, But it's only ever one way traffic.
john
Hmmm. Couple of points here.
What you suggest is a simple way of getting to G. but only works for tunes that are gapped at the 7th. Otherwise you need a 8+ fret to give you the min7th. Many Mixalydian tunes are gapped, so you can often get away with it.
The second scale you talk about starts a 5th above the original, not a 4th. In order to use it you would need to take the DAd tuning down a tone to CGc and place the capo at the 4th fret. You can then use the 6+ to give you the maj3rd.
john
Robin Clark said:
You can make it really easy for yourself Babs. Use the TAB numbers as written - but start counting the frets from your capo. So fret 3 is your new 0, fret 4 is now 1, fret 5 is now 2 etc. So you can just play the TAB as it is witten with no differnce in the fingering pattern to playing without the capo. See using the capo as simply giving you a shorter dulcimer in a higher key!!! The tuning you are using is still a 1-5-8 tuning the same as DAd only now it is G,d,g. BTW this simplicity is only the case with a capo at fret 3 because your dulcimer fretboard has two major scales exactly the same (due to the 6+) - one starts at the nut and the other at fret 3. If you put the capo on other frets then all bets are off !!!!!!
Robin
I like Ebony or Wenge, I've had great success using Beech as well.
I use just a very light application of lemon oil to clean off the crud and moisturise the wood.
Beware very glassy finishes on fretboards, they are quite contradictory and not as fast as you may think if you have even the slightest trace of moisture on your fingers.
john
We're a fairly indisciplined lot Babs and no one minds too much if it's directly related.
You won't need a luthier to fit a strap button, just a decent carpenter. You can buy a 'guitar strap button' online and all it needs is a hole drilled in the end of the tailstock to fit the screw.
The bootlace should be fine at the scroll end.
john
p.s. see you found your way to UK & European group
The confusion is not from you Sam, it's more the confusion between names we use for different woods and timber in Europe and America.
john
Thanks Ken, they sound like grand trees, we grow them over here as ornamentals but I've never seen anything that size. Maybe in a couple hundred years time.
The colouration was mainly in the form of green or brown streaks as I remember it, Spalting we tend to think of over here as thin black lines in the wood, very common in Sycamore(a type of maple in Europe and not the same as American sycamore)
john
Would anyone care to explain exactly what this tree is for the benefit of us Europeans.
As far as I can make out this is not a poplar at all but what we call the Tulip Tree(Lirodendron). In the timber trade it's known as Magnolia.
It was imported into the UK in large amounts after the war when native spieces were in short supply and used as a replacement for 'Whitewood'.
Whitewood was the generic name for poplars, cottonwoods and aspen and used for carcass work. It machines easilly and used for small turned items like doorknobs, broom heads, chair legs and mouldings in general, and of course, matchsticks. So I guess this is what confuses us in Europe.
I can testify to the odd colourings in this wood, I've cut literally hundreds of miles of this stuff when I was a picture framer. And as Sam says, you can trick it up to look like almost anything :_
john
You're right Folkfan it is a Welsh lullaby, but it often gets an airing in school Nativity plays and other 'Baby Jesus' type stuff.
While the moon her watch is keeping,
All through the night
While the weary world is sleeping,
All through the night
O'er thy spirit gently stealing,
Visions of delight revealing
Breathes a pure and holy feeling,
All through the night.
john
Just found my old Xmas song list from hundreds of years ago.
Almost all are easyish in noter/drone style.
In the Bleak Mid Winter
Good Christian Men Rejoice/In Dulci Jubilo
God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman (Aeolian)
Good King Wenceslas
O Come All Ye Faithfull
O Come O Come Emmanuel (Aeloian)
LittleTown of Bethlehem
Once in Royal David's City
All Through the Night (Ar Hyd y Nos)
Silent Night
Sans Day Carol/Holly Bears a Berry/First Tree in the Green Wood
Down In Yon Forest (Aeolian or Dorian)
The Holly and the Ivy
We Three Kings of Orient Are
While Shepards Watched ... (Not diatonic so really needs a 6+ fret)
Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree (Red Flag)
Hark the Herald Angels Sing
Angels From the Realms of Glory
Away in a Manger
Christians Awake
Deck the Halls
Ding Dong Merrily on High
I Saw Three Ships
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
Wassail Song
Jingle Bells
Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
I think most of them will be playable in Ionian unless marked otherwise.
Hope this will give you some ideas for the Christmas season.
Please feel free to add to the list.
john
Hi Dana, not an artist, but spent 25 years in the business as a tech. I've seen a lot of artwork up close and personal and spent an awful lot of time working with artists, curators, restorers, owners ...
john
Thank you Dana.
These three world designs are difficult to pull off sucessfully, You've done very well.
It's always the top layer that is the most difficult to fill out fully. The bubbles help so maybe a few small ripples on the surface would add something, where the stones break the surface perhaps. How about a one of the carp just breaking the surface with a lip and causing little circles, The reflection of a cat licking it's lips.
A little photographic tip, try throwing a dark blanket over the chest. This kills the reflection off the painting, and more importantly kills the reflection on to it giving more even lighting over the surface. Reflected and raking light is your enemy on canvas.
john
Very well executed Dana.
A longer range shot showing the overall design would have been nice
john
If you're looking for good value then take a careful look at what you can find on the second hand market.
Something by a good maker that hasn't suffered damage will be the equal of anything you can buy new.
Second hand McSpaddens are a fairly safe bet, they tick most peoples boxes and have a good reputation for servicability.
john
Hello John,
I see Robin has just covered most of this, but as I have it written ...
A normal capo usually refers to one that presses down on the string, a reverse capo pushes up on the string. In either case the object is to move the position of the nut.
With a normal capo this is done by pressing down behind one of the frets, in which case that fret becomes the new nut.
With a reverse capo (e.g. a toothpick) this is placed under the string at one of the frets and itself becomes a false nut.
Normal capos extend right across the fretboard and press down on all strings, this is not always what you want, in which case using a reverse capo allows you to create a new nut on just one or two of the strings, rather than all three.
The main difference is that a reverse capo only acts on the drone(s) and allows access to the whole of the melody string, something that you won't get with a normal capo.
So strictly speaking what you have is a normal capo acting on a single string. It doesn't really matter what you call it, it's getting the mechanics behind it that counts.
john
What a great looking place Ken. Why come back
Great photo too. just where Cezanne would have set up his easle, he liked a good mountain as a backdrop.
Any walnut there, couple of trees look right from the photo,
john
Thanks for that Randy, it's what I was getting at in my first post when I talked about getting a small start and the rest of the tune falling into place.
The Curra Road I mentioned fell out very quickly with just a few repetitions once I had a start and then a few more listens to hone it up and pull it into shape, After that comes the more difficult part of holding on to it or refining it further,
john
Little tip for you Paul and Ken, there's no need to listen hundreds of times before you dive in.
Try and get the first line, or find a phrase that stands out for you and try to play that. If you can get that anchored to the fretboard then go back and listen again. You'll find that more of the tune will fall into place quite easilly once you have a start, no need to have the whole thing fixed before you try.
I used to do the writing it down thing and have scribbled sheets lying around somewhere with aide memoires and such. I don't bother anymore and just use Youtube or Spotify or something when I need to refresh my memory.
Repetitions and practice is the thing then to keep them in mind. The problem I have all the time is remembering what tunes I can play, For example someone mentioned 'Aseika Tali' not long ago, a tune I know well and could play straight off, but something I hadn't played for 40 years.
john
