Forum Activity for @robin-thompson

dogs & songs

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Mary, have you ever heard John Hartford's old-timey version of "You Ain't Nothin' But a Hound Dog"?PS-The second YouTube link didn't take me to your favorite dog tune of all time. :(

dogs & songs

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Right now, I've got fiddler Rayna Gellert's Old Yeller Dog Come Trottin Through The Meetinghouse playing on my iTunes. Neat tune.folkfan, I don't know all the words to Sweet Betsey from Pike so am glad she took her dog. Of the words I know, she only had her husband Ike with her.

dogs & songs

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Lassie, Ole Yeller, Spot. . . How much is that doggie in the window? B-I-N-G-O, B-I-N-G-O. . . Whether you actually had a dog or not, many grew up watching, reading, or singing about a dog.
updated by @robin-thompson: 08/03/23 11:09:45AM

Doug Berch's cool blog

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

Doug's photo of the burning dulcimer is almost a heart-stopper. And a prompt to think.It was a pleasure to hear Doug's music at Fort New Salem WV last August!

Diane,Some of my favorites for the tuning are "Shady Grove," "Red Rocking Chair," "Roustabout," "Wayfaring Stranger".I love to play in Dag or Dac tuning!Robin

Lets have some fun and laughs..

OFF TOPIC discussions

Very cool picture, Paul!

I've never posted a picture here because, first, I didn't have a scanner. And now that we do have a machine that scans (at least I think it scans), I don't know how to scan old photos. So, ignorance is my excuse. 

Lets have some fun and laughs..

OFF TOPIC discussions

That's neat, Scott, and the route I imagine I'd take if I got into re-enactment.

Lets have some fun and laughs..

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Scott, y'all look so cool.

If I were ever to do re-enactment, is cross-dressing allowed? ( The guys have cooler clothes! )

Lets have some fun and laughs..

OFF TOPIC discussions

What a neat snapsnot, Clare! Do you play violin (or fiddle) now?

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Both Pavlova and fairy bread sound yummy!

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Helen, though I know not what Pavlova nor fairy bread is, I'll have some of each! :)

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Trouble is, I'm very fast on your toes, errr, feet, too! :D

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Okay, Carrie, put on your steel- toed shoes and let's go! :)

Carrie Barnes said:

Dosey Doe there Robin, LOL! And Congrats FOTMD and Hallie! What a great milestone!

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Hey, I grew up going to a "no dancing" church so can't dance worth a darn. It's a special occasion, though-- anybody want to be my partner? :DYay, FOTMD!

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Gonna happen soon! :)

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Cider and cheese, please, John!

That picture Lisa posted is some marvel of engineering in the world of hair styling. :)

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Patty, you can always have diced Sp*m in an omelette-- lots of eggs with little of the canned meat product. :) I'd eat it to get one of John's VA style dulcimers!The big doings at FOTMD this year will be for the 5- year anniversary of the site! Though I can't promise pony rides for all the kids, it will be a special occasion. :)

Patty from Virginia said:

Robin, I want one of those too. May be willing to eat a disgusting canned meat (supposedly) product to get one Is there going to be a special event when 5,000 members are reached?

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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John,I'd rather have one of your builds to play at the party than an original Thomas! One of your sweet Virginia beauties. . .

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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I'll bring green eggs and ham to the party! :)

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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In my eyes, FOTMD sparked a real revival in noter and drone style dulcimer play. Though it's true the style never died- out, this site has given great exposure to the use of noter play. For that, I will always be grateful to you, Strumelia, and to the many on this site who serve (sometimes unknowingly) as my teachers.

Strumelia said:

Thank you all for the very sweet comments of appreciation. It's quite nice.

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

OFF TOPIC discussions

Perfect! Did you make the aspic then let it grow its own icing? I simply MUST have your recipe! ;)

Rob, fill- in the blank: Strumelia's MacArthur Park Mold looks good enough to _______. :)

Strumelia said:

Thanks Robin! I'm calling my new original aspic recipe "MacArthur Park Mold" . lololol....

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

OFF TOPIC discussions

Strumelia, there aren't enough superlatives to describe the new aspic recipe you're working on! Don't change a thing! It looks positively, well, I'm speechless. . . LOL!

7 mountain dulcimers on the premises now. 1 dulcimer is on "permanent" loan to my nephew (his to keep as long as he wants it) and 1 other is on loan to my cousin. So, I own 9.PS- RIP, Rod Westerfield. He was Lisa's right hand man here at FOTMD and was welcoming to all.<3

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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We're on the countdown to how many members now? Would that be 5,000? :) Yay, FOTMD!

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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Ken, I want to sample everything!Although I know beggars can't be choosers, I have one teeny-tiny request: could you leave out the hominy? :)

wow...it's party time again... REVISITED :)

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When I joined, I had NO idea what I was getting into. :)

Deputy Mo ejects Evil Spammer while Strumelia snoozes on the job!

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:)

Deputy Mo ejects Evil Spammer while Strumelia snoozes on the job!

OFF TOPIC discussions

Something illegal happened here and I missed it???Rod, my mother thanks you for saving me from who-knows-what-goes-on when she's not around to save me first. :)Good job, Rod!

Favorite accessories to go with MD

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Opportunity's knocking, Dana!

Folkfan's advice is great.

Dana R. McCall said:

Great Gobbs of Goose Grease I've lost my SNARK!!! and my dulcimer is out of tune. It is my favorite and most valuable accessorie. I can't live without it. I need to learn to tune by ear. What am I going to do till I get another one?

Favorite accessories to go with MD

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Rosemary,A dulcimer rests on a possum board for play, allowing the back of the dulcimer to vibrate with greater freedom, thus producing greater volume.One of my favorite dulcimer accessories is a section of rubber bath mat that's placed on the lap under the dulcimer. Since I don't usually use a strap on my instrument, I like the mat for keeping the instrument from sliding onto the floor. :)

400 members coming up..

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Chili sounds great! I've got bread rising now, so I'll bring that when it comes out of the oven.

400 members coming up..

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My plate's ready and my napkin's tucked under my chin. You dish it out, I can take it! :)

400 members coming up..

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Kind folks have showered us with candy-- toffee, chocolates of different kinds, bull's-eyes, Tootsie Rolls, and more. Y'all are welcome to any we've got; I won't hold back the stuff I like best. :)

A Very Merry Christmas to all my New Friends

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Hudson shows up well in the snow! Good looking dog!

A Very Merry Christmas to all my New Friends

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I echo Randy's sentiments about here-- a wonderful site with welcoming folks! (I've got one of Randy's necklace noters on a cord wrapped 'round my wrist right now. My Prussia Valley Music Box is on my lap and I've been playing!)Happy Christmas and new year to all!

Bowed Psaltery

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

Bowed psaltery players are welcomed to join the Rosin the Bow group here at FOTMD. Please feel free to come share your music, ask questions, answer questions. . .Robin

Thanksgiving: Old Blue

OFF TOPIC discussions

Ken,When our first old dog, a beagle mix named Benny, died, we said he went to the land where the rabbits were slow and the females were short.I'm sorry Roadie died and it's good her passing was a peaceful one.

Diane, A lending library for instruments would be neat!

Hi, Diane!I am a fan of a three-row chord set-up, majors in the middle, sevenths toward the treble, minors toward the bass. I have two chromatic 'harps-- one with 21 chords and one with 15. My 15-bar 'harp is does not completely comply with the majors in the middle, sevenths on top, minors on bottom but the arrangement demonstrates a logical compromise because it's based on the circle of fifths.Sevenths toward the treble side: C7, G7, D7, A7, and EMajors in the middle: Bflat, C, G, D, AMinors toward the bass side: Fmaj, a, e, b, fsharpYou can play most of an A chord by pressing A7 & Aminor at the same time; I'd rather have an A bar, though.The disclaimer to all this is I am far, far, far from expert on autoharp. I'm a strummer and by-ear player. Autoharp music theory discussions cause my eyes to glaze over. A weakness on my part that I'm willing to live with. LOL
updated by @robin-thompson: 01/31/16 01:28:54AM

That is some tailpiece. Though I've not seen a lot of dulcimers, that tailpiece looks most unusual.

You've got a beauty, Kevin!

Wow, Kevin, how cool!