Forum Activity for @robin-thompson

Hi, Marian! To me, strumming is the most important aspect of dulcimer play. Thus, it takes time to settle-in to learning how to strum and feel comfortable strumming. (I'm always working on my strum and I've been playing about 6 years.)

I suggest this exercise: Put on any music you enjoy. With your left hand, mute the strings. With your right hand, experiment strumming rhythms with the music. It really helps one get a feel for rhythm and, over time, your strumming will improve.

Happy strummin'!

Phil, I'm thinking Carter got caught in a sting operation.

phil said:

Carter sounds like a great little dog for you Dad. I have a feeling he was not stealing that fruit, but was invited to have some too.

Woo-hoo-- another tour! I didn't know there were still any Lee's Famous Recipe places left.

Dana, seems like Carter is a helper dog for your dad! And he helps himself, too, to whatever he wants. I love dogs!

Hope you've gotten some time to re-charge your own batteries!

Hi, John! Your point about young people and music is right on the mark.

It's fascinating to me how in the video, it seems it was the singing and enjoyment of music when he was a younger man that caused hearing the music on the iPod to trigger something in the gentleman's brain. As Strumelia wrote about classical music being such a joy to her mother and continuing to be even as her body weakened. . . The languages of music can speak, move us in mysterious ways. I'm awed by this.

John E. Wood said:

Having played in nursing homes, I've experienced this. Music is really a powerfully moving force. I'm not in the healing profession but I know there are studies going on regarding the healing effects of music. And I firmly believe that encouraging young people to MAKE some kind of music has to have some upbuilding effect on their lives. The mountain dulcimer is one of the instruments well suited to making music easy for many folks who have neither the time nor the financial resources or talent to master a more complicated instrument. I'm glad to be a part of the mountain dulcimer community. Best wishes to all.

Phil, this video is powerful! Music, whether 'live' or recorded, has the power to move mountains. Recorded music-- music that sounds just as (or much like) what the older person heard when younger-- could trigger something buried in the mind. Miraculous.

Thanks a million for posting this link! I'm going to have Mark watch this video.

Hi, Val! If you can tell us who made your dulcimer, it may help with an answer to your question. The reason I say this is some individual builders had somewhat quirky yet rather consistent fret placements. If you are able to post a photo, that'd be great, too.

Pine, you've got a real piece of folk art there! Though it's not rare to see a dulcimer made of chestnut, it's not one of the most commonly used woods. American Chestnut is wood not easy to come by.

Wow, Geoff, you've got a beauty and a treasure! That headstock is exquisite. And, yes, American Chestnut got hit with a terrible blight. Builders here are happy to get the wood from old barns and buildings that have been torn down.

phil said:

Thanks Robin. Don't worry I wont give up on finding something funny to post. It makes my day to know that I put a smile on someone for a while,

Aw, gee, Phil, no harm done! As a matter of fact, I enjoyed 'em!

phil said:

AHHHh Nuts I hate to repost something

I'm on hold with mountain dulcimers for now. (Got another bowed dulcimer on order.) Feel free to catch-up to me!

phil said:

uh,, oh .... Ok you win you have more than me....... for now

Uh, Phil, I'd have to count 'em to give you an exact number.

phil said:

Sounds like you need more Dulcimer Robin. ya just can't have one.

Yikes, I don't! Maybe my diatonics got broken!

Dan Goad said:

I didn't know that you had a chromatic dulci, Robin.

Nope. Hb.

Dan Goad said:

Oh, ya found G# did ya, Robin?

Well, I know the alphabet further than G. Guess that disqualifies me.

Beth,

Knowing I, IV, V chords in the keys of D, G, C will take you far. Listen for the chord changes and key off whoever looks to be the most solid rhythm player.

Have fun!

PS-My guitar-playing husband helped me with this. :)

Kyle,

Hope you're able to put together more pieces of the Prichard; you've got the makings of a thesis.

Gotta tell you what a thrill it was for me to hear you in a jam outside Halliehurst one night. Just not enough noter & drone players jamming in old-time! I'll not be at Spring Week at Augusta--will be making a couple trips to North Carolina for music doings in April & May.

Hey, Kyle, great to see you back here! As you know, I enjoyed reading your paper at Augusta last summer (and hearing you play!) and I look forward to learning more about further research. (It must have taken a fair amount of digging to uncover information about when CN Prichard first came into contact with the dulcimer!)

Wow, folkfan, looks like you could be in for several years' worth of fun exploring that site! :)

Since I don't like to tune my strings more than one step north or south of home base, I keep instruments set-up for specific home base tunings. For example, from the home base DAA (1-5-5), I'll re-tune to EAA (1-4-4) for the key of A or DGG (1-4-4) for the key of G.

-Prussia Valley Music Box is tuned ddd. You'll often hear this unison tuning referred to as Galax tuning. With the 6.5 fret on this instrument, in this tuning one can play out of D and G without re-tuning. And to get a more haunting sound, I'll use a false nut under the drone strings at the first fret to raise the drones to E.

-Rod Hensley hourglass is tuned Ddd. You'll often hear this 1-8-8 tuning referred to as Bagpipe tuning. This instrument also has a 6.5 fret so one can play out of D and G without re-tuning. As with the PVMB, I'll use a false nut under the drone strings at the first fret to raise the drones to Ee.

-And the other 5 dulcimers, 4 of which are purely diatonic (no "extra frets"), are set-up for some 1-5-5 home base tuning.

Me, too, Dave. Those "imperfections" can give an instrument real character.

Thanks for sharing the photos of the treasures Keith made for you, Dave! That wormy chestnut is so cool. . .

Well, I'm jumping in again to post another. (Glad folks liked the first one and thanks, Randy, for letting us know that tune was Johnson Boys !)

Here's link to a conversation here about the following video

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/oldstyledronenoterplayers/forum/topics/tim-eriksen-riley-baugus-on?xg_source=activity

and here's the video:

Margie, though I believe this is not Turkey in the Straw , this one would have to be one of my favorites:

Wow, Kevin, that's a beauty! I've seen others have replied on your other thread about repair. To me, looks like you've got a gem.

Got my fingers crossed for you, Kevin!

Do you have any photos to post, Kevin? Someone may have knowledge of the maker yet need a photo to jog their memory. ;)

Hi, Mandy! I show my head just to torture viewers! Oh, I think the first video I ever made-- a felt pick demonstration-- has me mostly headless. I was home alone when I made that video.

Bryan,

For comfort, I prefer a flat noter to a round one and use a thumb-on-top hold. And I have to watch myself that I don't have a "death grip" on my noter.

Bobby, John Henry has special powers-- he would've known if Strumelia had opened that package!

Strumelia, I don't have to tell you you've got a treasure. And John Henry is a jewel.

Vivian, I own dulcimers by different builders. The builders, in no particular order: Jerry Rockwell, Paul Conrad (Timbre Hill), Gary Sager, the Bakers (Blue Lion), Keith Young, and Rodney Hensley. As for my instruments-- I love 'em all. And there are several more builders who make fine instruments. (In the mountain dulcimer world we're most fortunate because there are many good builders; one not need spend $$$$ to get a good, playable instrument. To me, my dulcimers are worth more than they cost.) Though each of my instruments has a different sound, they share one very important quality: they're set-up to play easily. What one is looking for in the sound of an instrument is highly subjective, though.

Happy looking!

I hope Rod's family feels comfort today.

Rest in peace, Rod. We miss you, friend.

Dave,

Thanks for your lovely musical tribute to Rod. I'm also glad you posted the YouTube link to his daughter's tribute-- it's so touching. It surely was a shock last Christmas Day to learn of Rod's death. I remember Rod with great fondness. And he was our own dear Deputy Mo.

Blessings to you & yours!

Robin

Benjamin,

If you happen to have a dulcimer with a 6-1/2 fret, you can tune the strings all to D-- either Ddd or go with all light strings and tune ddd-- and you're set for the key of D (tonic open) and the key of G (tonic at 3) without re-tuning.

Some tuners that clip on work well in a noisy setting.

Benjamin,

My main dulcimer has no 6-1/2 fret. I use DAA as my home base tuning. For A tunes, I put a false nut under the bass string at the first fret-- a quick way to change tuning to EAA. For G tunes, I go to DGG. Some tunes won't lay-out right in these tunings, so I can either sit them out or just play some basic back-up rhythms.

Benjamin,

You can play rhythm when playing back-up. I love to do this in a jam! And it's fun to get creative with rhythms. Since the dulcimer isn't loud, you can experiment. . .

I only 'knew' Jack online-- nice fellow!