Forum Activity for @robin-thompson

I can't go wrong with red or blue. And I'll be at Gary's Prussia Valley shop tomorrow-- I get to meet Randall McKinnon there!

My biggest complaints about the tuner I use most now (Tune Tech clip-on) are a rattling button and the tuner's not as sensitive as I'd like it to be .

Thanks, everybody!

I appreciate the replies, friends! Mark and I are thinking we'd like to get Snarks. For my part, the tuners we have just aren't sensitive enough. It's not bad when you're in a quiet place so can fine tune by ear. But lots of places aren't quiet . . .lol

Red or blue? Hmm. Seems like I can't go wrong either way. I'll be using the tuner on both mountain dulcimer and bowed dulcimers.

That looks like so much fun! (I've only watched the first video and will watch the second one some other time-- line speed tonight's not all that great.) It was impressive that so many people knew what they were doing-- and if they didn't they made it look good.

It'd be neat to learn to dance. I was raised in a church where dancing was a no-no. I learned lots of great hymns, though. And I wish I could dance. Maybe someday!

John,

I'm afraid you're on your own with this one! Perhaps you & John K should arm wrestle to settle this.
John Henry said:

One thing about moderating is it's a job we want to be boring. Free exchange of ideas and musical friendships are what we want to flourish here!

It's been really fun to see the site develop. I stumbled onto FOTMD very soon after Strumelia put it up-- if I remember right, there were yet no discussions (or maybe one), no groups, no videos.

PS-FOTMD is a Great Group!

Doug, I look forward to hearing "The Winding Banks of Nith"!

Last year, Mark and I played the open stage at Harmony Harvest dulcimer festival in Lancaster OH. How it came to be? Mark's sister, Jane, a singer/songwriter, had been asked to play a gig at Marietta College. (Thirty-plus years ago, when in college, the two of them performed together a lot.) Jane wanted to play at Marietta and wanted her big brother to play with her. Mark agreed to do so and, with that looming on his calendar, Mark said he wanted to play the open stage at Harmony Harvest. And since Harmony Harvest is, after all, a dulcimer festival, some kind of dulcimer needed to figure into it.

We practiced and played a couple tunes-- Huntin' the Buffalo and Star of the County Down -- with Mark on guitar and me on bowed dulcimer. The audience was enthusiastic and encouraging!

I'd been playing bowed dulcimer about a year and a half before getting on a stage to play. (I'd bowed a mountain dulcimer in the fashion of a bowed dulcimer for some months before getting my first bowed dulcimer.)

folkfan,

Until we put in a free-standing gas stove a couple years ago I was cold a lot of the year. Now, I go to the stove to get warm and since it has a glass front (a type of ceramic, actually) if you want to sit by it to read, you can see the flame. It's really nice how, along with some other improvements made to the house to keep heat in/cold out, last winter our highest heating bill was about $140 and we were warm.

Sharon's candles sound wonderful!

Kathy,

You'll get a beautiful, high-quality instrument in your choice of a Blue Lion. And please feel free to give us any updates in how all progresses!

Robin

Bob, I can only recall knowing of one other person who has a Jean Ritchie model BL.

As far as quality of instrument goes, a Blue Lion is of high quality. I know of one well-respected luthier who, when building his own personal instrument, sent a piece of it to Janita Baker (of Blue Lion) so she could do his inlay work.

Kathy,

I own a Blue Lion Jean Ritchie model. I, luckily, came by it used though in like-new condition. And the instrument was a custom order so is not exactly what you will see on the Blue Lion website. I play noter-drone style music on it and like its ease of play. For fit and finish, the quality of the instrument is very very good.

A photo of my BLJRitchie dulcimer can be seen here:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/photo/blue-lion-jean-ritchie-model?context=user

The dulcimer can be seen & heard on the videos of Old Joe Clark , Spotted Pony , and Arkansas Traveler from my FOTMD page here:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profile/RobinThompson

Hope this helps, Kathy! If you have specific questions, I'm happy to answer them as best as I can.

As a teenager I sang a lot and have sung very little as an adult. I wish I would've kept singing because it's fun and I can read music for singing. My ear for singing is no longer good. I go flat a lot, doggone it.

PS-(I can't sight read for playing dulcimer-- either mountain or bowed. Wish I could. Though I am glad I can play by ear.)

I'm a computer idiot and it's mostly dumb luck that I can do anything with the machine that turns out okay.

We're patient here, Dennis.

Dennis,

Paul's right-- we love to see stuff!

Dennis,

In the years I've been involved with mountain dulcimer, I've seen nothing but praise from folks who have gotten Dave's Student Model. In the dulcimer world, there are a few makers who offer entry-level instruments that would put instruments of other types costing a lot more to shame.

Enjoy your Sweet Woods!

PS-Dave's a nice guy, too!

Lisa!!! You've been holding out on us. Doggies, that sounded good!

I can't for the life of me bow a decent drone on my bowed dulcimers on any consistent basis. For my own amusement, I'll keep trying, though.

Since YOUR jouhikko is already a star, your own stardom can't be far behind, Strumelia! Do you have particular ideas about how you wish to use your new instruments-- say, do you plan to focus on tunes in a particular regional tradition(s) or in accompaniment to another player's instrument(s)?

Seriously, Lisa, if I ever get to your neck of the woods, I'd love to give one of those instruments a go.

Strumelia,

Wonderful slideshow! I'd love to give a pull of the bow or two on each of your bowed lyres-- they're so lovely and your case with the leather handle, forged latches, and knitted interior are neat.

In the YouTube video on Michael's website, it looks to be your new jouhikko & case that are showcased!?

It's so neat that you have Swedish ancestors, Lisa! And bowing is a ton of fun. Except for when it isn't.

PS-The discussion about being able to drag smiles should've been able to be seen by everybody but me!

Cool, Lisa! You get a few weeks under your belt and keeping the bow perpendicular to the strings will come easier, I'd bet. I have a ball bowing (my BD's) and have learned that just feeling more comfortable, relaxed with a bow in my hand helps yield better sound. Well, most of the time, anyway. lol

I can't look at jouhikkos much because I want one and don't need to feed that monster right now.

Flint, I'm listening to sample music from Nordisk Sang right now-- really fine. Thanks for the recommendation.

Lisa, I use an underhand grip on the bow for BD and have used my middle & ring fingers to make some tension adjustments.

I'll keep my eyes open for a progress report from time to time. It's a mostly wonderful experience to be a beginner.

Randy, I love fiddle music and know I couldn't play a fiddle due to neck problems. Darn trouble's curtailed my music playing-- especially MD-- over the last several weeks.

Lisa, I'll wait-- got nothin' but time.

Glad Randy started the thread because I was wonderin', too. You probably haven't had it long enough to tell much about the horsehair strings. . . Are the hairs twisted? Do they have to be replaced often? Can you buy hanks of horsehair and make your own strings?

You're right, Dusty. There is practical, rational explanation for 'magic'. lol

This has been enlightening to me, too. I didn't even own a mountain dulcimer when I got my biggest introduction to fiddle tunes at Old-Time Week at Augusta (at Davis & Elkins College in WV)-- I was there to take an autoharp class. (My husband Mark took a guitar class.) Before going to Augusta, Mark had been playing a few fiddle tunes and I'd been chording/playing rhythm behind him on the autoharp and this is how we were playing when I began to think about getting a mountain dulcimer.

Now, my autoharps are much-neglected because dulcimers (mountain & bowed) have exerted some sort of magical power over me. :)

Hi, David!

I like the sound of lots of the fiddle tunes-- they just grab me. Trying to describe why I like them would be sort of like trying to describe why I like chocolate cake. :) I'm a big fan of old-timey Appalachian music and am a 'by ear' player who doesn't play out of a fiddle songbook (although I did pick up a used one at Half Price Books last year).

PS-It's not universal, I think, that dulcimer players as a whole have a preference for fiddle tunes. ;)

James Paul,

I'll join you in hoping you can keep mobility for a long time! And although you aren't able to get out much, I'm imagining music brings you joy.

So glad you've joined us here!

Robin

Was a joy to read your post, Dusty. You'd be welcome to come form a jug band at our place!

A spirit of encouragement is one of the things (that's not really a thing) that makes FOTMD special.

Gosh, thanks, Dana!

I'm happy with whatever level of play I can achieve with any instrument I take up because it's so doggone much fun. It's important not to underestimate the enjoyment homemade music can bring to life. Paul's got it right.