The notes are the letters A through G, then begin again with A. There are some sharps and flats along the way as well.
Depending upon which note you start with, the tuner will show D, then E, then F, then F#, then G, G# and A. Be sure to only turn the tuning peg when the string is vibrating.
Hope this helps.
Strings are not expensive. As Robin states, try a set and change back and forth and see which ones suit you and your playing style. You should be able to find some which will tolerate moving between DAA and DAd and be quite satisfactory in sound in either mode.
It's going to be a wonderful time. Looking forward to seeing many of you there.
Susie
If you don't get some responses, the Folkcraft folks are great to deal with. They will answer the phone or call back if you need to leave a message.
Wmacky, you have purchased a beautiful instrument. Congrats. I saw it on ebay but did not pursue it.
I have purchased 5 dulcimers over the years which appeared that someone purchased, looked at, and put in a closet waiting for the "some day" when they would learn to play. But never did. One even had the pick and noter stick still sealed in a little envelope. So long as they have been stored where there is not extreme temps or humidity, one can find some good buys in this scenario. Usually the dulcimer will need new strings, and sometimes some care of the fretboard as frets will sometimes oxidize a bit over time.
I know you are looking forward to many years enjoying your dulcimers. It sounds like your DAD (dulcimer acquisition disorder) may be at bay for a while. Thankfully, that disorder is not harmful, unless it makes the spouse unhappy.
Congratulations on your purchase. That is a beautiful dulcimer. I know you will enjoy it for a long time
So sorry for your losses Jeannie. Glad you are finding the heart to play again.
David, Sally Ann is such a beautiful can. I know she brings you much joy.
Which model of Dulcimore Dan's is that one? It sure is a nice looking duclimore.
What a gorgeous black cat. I know he is a wonderful companion for you. He is so fortunate to have such a good owner.
My bad. The name the lady gave me was spelled incorrectly. It is Jim Trantham. Now I can give her some information.
A friend has been shown a dulcimer made by Jim Trantham. She asked me if I had heard of him. Sadly, I have not. Thought I'd ask if anyone knows of him. She seemed hesitant to purchase without knowing a little bit.
Thanks all.
I purchased a Walnut Valley dulcimer in Early 1993 and kept it until 2017. I sold it to a lady in our club who wanted it. Then I found one nearly like it earlier this year that appeared to have been bought but left unplayed in its case. So I now have a Walnut Valley once again. I really like the Walnut Valley. It is quite versatile. I have played it noter drone and with 4 equidistant strings using the noter. It sounds good in multiple modes and tunings. I don't think you would be disappointed with a Walnut Valley.
David D
Great job on the fine tuners.
James Jones sells a great hard case. Here is the link.
https://www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/appalachian-dulcimers-ac
David D. It looks in your initial pictures like the fine tuner for the bass string is down where the strings curve under the end of the fretboard to anchor. So you may need to only get 2 made to match.
That's pretty significant. Glad it worked for you. I may have to get some for some of my older dulcimers.
Don't know why the pictures loaded vertical. They were horizontal on my file on the computer from which I loaded them.
I recently found on ebay a "used" Mountain Valley Dulcimer Smokey River model. I prefer to call it "second hand" rather than used. This dulcimer came in a hard side case (chipboard) and appears to have been unplayed. I'm guessing someone purchased this intending to learn to play and then it was set aside.
There is not a mark on it. No indications the strings have ever been pressed down to the frets. No pick marks. It's made of beautifully grained book-matched walnut. I'll change out the friction tuners for some planetary tuners I have on hand harvested from another dulcimer. The real plus for me is that this '91 modern era dulcimer has a nice, clear, bright sound, which is what I prefer. I can see it becoming the dulcimer I use when playing with the dulcimer club where they like to use capos and other more modern playing styles.
My very first mountain dulcimer was a Mountain Valley Wildwood Mountain model, so this is a nice find for me.
Dulciana, I agree that price seems a bit high. I did buy one made in '91 from an auction locally that was like new. The pick and noter were still sealed in a little kraft paper envelope. It appeared to have been purchased and never played. If you find one like that, the $300.00 would make a good starting point to bargain for a selling price. Another concern to consider is if someone stored an unused instrument in a not so instrument friendly environment; such as a hot attic, a damp basement, or a non climate controlled rental storage unit. As for the plywood back, the quality of the plywood which McSpadden used was the very best and very stable over time. I would not allow that fact alone to cause much hesitation.
I would think a price $225.00 price range would be more reasonable.
Fortunately for those of us who look at used dulcimers, many were purchased and left largely unplayed. Sometimes someone picks one up at a yard or estate sale or a family member disposes of the estate without knowing a lot about a dulcimer. They can be real treasures when we find one.
Perhaps the concern is more about letting the dulcimer community know and hoping it understands than anything internal to their production practices.
For many years McSpadden's policy was to set up all standard dulcimers in DAA, with setup in DAd available on request. That has now changed. Below is an excerpt from an email I received from Jim Woods at McSpadden.
"...we have just this month changed that policy. Now well over 90% of our standard dulcimer are sold in DAD tuning so we have yielded to the pressure and made that the default setup. I’m still working on getting that news out to the dulcimer community. Trying to implement a change like that in a policy that has been in place for 56 years doesn’t go smoothly."
The student dulcimer has found a home. Thanks everyone.
I hope Lisa's blog is read. Her call for respect is needed.
Let's all play, whether by ear or in print, a chorus of Aretha Franklin's R-e-s-p-e-c-t.
The dulcimer produces such sweet music and it is versatile enough to be played in different ways.
I "amen" the appeal to respect others of our forum no matter their choice of playing style, use of TAB or SNM or memory. Let's just all have fun and enjoy the dulcimer in the way that appeals to us and allow others the same without disrespect related to their playing method or style.
The widow of my best friend has asked me to help dispose of her late husband's student dulcimer. It will be a gift to someone (child or adult) who wants to learn to play but who does not have and cannot afford a dulcimer to start out on. The dulcimer has been played very little and looks new. It comes with a padded soft case and I will cover shipping cost for a needy learner within the 48 continental states. It is an Apple Creek ACD100 tear drop shaped model with 24.25", VSL just right for a smaller handed person or one whose hand has limited mobility.
I would like to suggest that the recipient learn to play the dulcimer and when they no longer need this instrument that they would consider passing it on to another needy learner.
Thanks for reading this.
Mine would be Amazing Grace. I can never get over how amazing God's grace is.
That is a nice looking dulcimer. How does it sound?
I have a June Apple dulcimer. It doesn't have the light silvery sound of the J.E. Thomas reproductions that I own. Nor does it have the resonant sound of the larger bodied dulcimers. The sound falls somewhere in between. You could probably describe it as a balance between the two. Keep in mind that Carl and his staff at June Apple Dulcimers manufacture several different models of dulcimers and dulcimer ancestors. The June Apple model has a somewhat smaller size than other models made by June Apple, so it's not surprising that the sound is somewhat closer to traditional than it is to guitar-like. June Apple also makes a larger-bodied dulcimer. I don't have personal experience with the larger model, but I would assume that its sound is more resonant and similar to other dulcimers with wider, deeper soundboxes. In short, the difference in sound is more a combination of volume and resonance. Everything else being equal, smaller-bodied dulcimers have less volume and less resonance. Larger-bodied dulcimers have more volume and more resonance. Other factors to consider are the type of wood used, particularly the soundboard (top), and the thickness of the top, back, and sides. I'm not a builder. A builder would be more qualified than I to describe the various factors affecting the sound of any given dulcimer.
The dreaded malady DAD is currently in remission. So glad my bank account was not quarantined. I have recently come into possession of June Apple model dulcimer from June Apple Dulcimers. This model is copied from the shape and size of the Huntington dulcimers. It sports book-matched walnut back with decorative stripe, walnut sides, book-matched top of Western Red Cedar, Wenge fretboard overlay. It has snowflake design sound holes as well as snowflake position dots. As @banjimer notes in his post the sound is not as silvery as the Thomas reproductions but it is not as resonant and mellow as the larger bodied modern dulcimers. The tone is in a word "sweet". It is not an overly loud instrument with its tone quite well balanced across the spectrum. Craftsmanship is superb. I have it strung with 3 strings since I prefer a single melody for noter style playing. It has notches for double melody and for 4 equidistant. Fretboard is taller for noter playing. It sounds so good I can't imagine a lot of change after it "plays in" some more.
Sally Ann will be four months in a few days. For some reason she thinks she's the boss.
So, David, Sally Ann is a cat. If she is like our cat, she IS the boss. Tis the nature of house cats.
I really like bamboo for a noter. A very nice thing is that one can get the diameter desired without any woodworking other than cutting to length and sanding or filing away any tiny splinters where it is cut.
Some dulcimers' fretboards are too low for me as I hold my noter underhand and drag my knuckles on the top of the dulcimer. So do I restrict myself to custom-made dulcimers (I wish) with a taller fretboard or do I improvise?
The dulcimer budget runs thin after a while so I improvised. I made what I call a stacked noter of bamboo. It works for me on the lower fretboards and is considerably cheaper than a custom-made dulcimer.
I have not used them on a dulcimer. On paper they stay on well so long as the page is not handled multiple times per day. On the dulcimer I would not think there would be any kind of consistent "trauma" to them to dislodge them. When the time comes to remove them permanently some lemon oil will remove the vestiges of the sticky glue.
Avery Dennison, the label company, makes some removeable labels. You could get some and cut whatever shape you want. If you want circles use a hole punch, then use the "waste" dots for your markers.
Sandi,
Our tastes change and methods may change over time. Sometimes we add something different. Sometimes we change to a different way of playing. How wonderful the versatility of this special instrument which we all love.
Sandi,
That little Wren sounds might good. Liked your playing
Glad you got the noters and like them. One of the members here turned me on to using bamboo or river cane as some call it.
Do you like your Feather dulcimer? Thinking about Jay model from Peter. It will fit in my motorcycle trike trunk.
I concur with Ken and Kusani. The sound and feel of every dulcimer can be very personal and fit one player better than another. It would be best to try the one you wish to purchase before spending the money. That is not always as practical as one would wish. Even 2 identical custom-made instruments by the same builder can sound a bit different played side by side.
I have owned/played McSpadden and Blue Lion. They are both excellent and sound great. But they are worlds apart in sound, not at all in a negative way: just different. I like the sound of Warren May's dulcimers but have only strummed one in his store in Berea, never owned one.
Blue Lion sometimes has a vendor space at some festivals and sometimes there are McSpadden resellers/dealers at some festivals so that may be an option for trying each of those. I do not know if Warren sells at festivals or not. I know the last festival I attended had a couple of people come by just to shop the vendors though they did not register for the festival.
Deciding on another dulcimer is always a process and the careful buyer weighs lots of factors over time to make the best decision. If only one could buy all three and then decide and send the others back.
Best wishes on making your decision.
I have access to bamboo and will be glad to send you some noters if you like. Send me your address etc.
That's one beautiful cat. I know you will enjoy her. Thanks for adopting a rescue.
