Forum Activity for @richard-streib

notsothoreau

Congratulations on your first dulcimer. I know you are excited. Best wishes on your dulcimer journey.

By the way, the DAD (dulcimer acquisition disorder) may strike at any moment. The cure is easy. Get another dulcimer. Trouble is the malady has a way of recurring at intervals.  I have found that certain instruments sound better on some tunes than others and some dulcimers seem to "prefer" one mode or tuning. Explore and have fun.

Ken,

How about a 5 gallon bucket full of sponges?

Thanks. Looking forward to it.

So sad that it is canceled. Driven as everything nowadays by the bottom line.

I am certainly open to coming. What kind of structure is anyone thinking of?

I don't do well jamming for hours on end. I never have been able to play well in a group. Too much auditory input drives my meager mind crazy somehow. I am probably not skilled enough to teach anyone anything so I'd be soaking up info from others. Sure would like to meet some of the folks from FOTMD.

Susie,

Length overall      36"
Width lower bout  7"
Width upper bout   5.5"
VSL   28.75"
Depth of body including top and back     1.75"
Width of fretboard    1.5"

Hope that helps. Perhaps you'll get a response for a newer instrument in case the measurements have changed in the intervening years.

I have no experience with the micarta overlay.

Richard

So well said, Strumelia. Great thinking, understanding and putting it into words.

Sounds exciting. Let us know what kind of response you get.

I agree Strumelia. So glad for all the responses. They reinforce what I had thought was correct. What a versatile instrument we all love.

1-5-5 tuning can be DAA or CGG or others where the middle and melody strings are a fifth above the bass string.

Glad to hear it John. Look forward to meeting you.

Wow. I thank all of you for your comments. I guess I wasn't confused after all. While I have not done as much research as many of you have done, it did seem odd that this gentleman insisted that DAdd was the "traditional" and only tuning for the dulcimer.

What a great community we have here on this forum.

I prefer noter drone style of play and have thought for several years that the "most traditional" sound would be produced in 1-5-5 tuning. However in discussing this with a person who has played and built dulcimers for more than 30 years, I have been told that the most "traditional" sound has to come from DAdd tuning.

Also somewhere recently I have read that DAA is really a mixolydian tuning not ionian.  So I feel confused. Can one of the members here with more experience and knowledge help me understand this?

Thanks.

Looking forward to meeting all of the FOTMD family who can attend. Should be great fun.

Thanks Ken and Dan. Just wanted to know. I am planning to attend if all goes well.

Does any one know if this event has dulcimer vendors?

Thanks

Thanks Ken and Ken. I would like to go. Wanted to see what sessions might be offered. Glad to hear there was good input via facebook (I don't do facebook). Hopefully that influence will be felt.

Does anyone know if some of the sessions will have noter drone emphasis?

Gale, you have gotten lots of good responses. I have a condenser mic made, according to the box for vocals (lavalier clip on) or an instrument microphone.  It comes with a pinch type clip for a guitar sound hole. 

Ron Ewing  ( http://www.ronewingdulcimers.com) sold me mine probably 10 years or more ago. He made the clip-on apparatus for the dulcimer, which looks a lot like his capos, just longer to span the body of the dulcimer. Sounds great though it takes some experimentation to find the sweet spot for mounting it. It is a pretty nifty set up.

It runs on one AA battery. The power pack attaches to your belt, pocket or music stand. You will need a cord with female XLR on one end and 1/4" male fitting on the other to attach to your amp. I use a cheap (legacy) karoke amp which has a cassette deck and it sounds pretty good. I am sure it could sound better with a higher end pre-amp and amplifier.

 Mic 3.jpg - 52KB

Ken,

I did not see any sessions listed yet. Do you know what kind of sessions may have been offered in the past years?

Thanks

Ralph Lee Smith has his second edition of  Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions out now which is a good resource on the history of the dulcimer and good information on some of the early builders. His website is http://www.ralphleesmith.com/Books___CDs.html.

Kevin Messenger, John Knopf, and Dan Cox, all members here make dulcimers in the pre revival style and know a good bit about some of the early builders. There are many builders of modern instruments all across America and some in Europe as well.

rockncactus,

New River dulcimers out of Asheville, NC came with an optional wooden case which had rounded corners. The one I saw was made in the '90's.

Walnut Valley Dulcimer out of Burns, KS had an optional wooden case with the metal corner protectors like you describe. This company closed with the death of the owner in the mid '90's if my memory serves me well. Hope that helps you find the history of this dulcimer.

Bill Berg of Mountain Made Dulcimers and Blue Lion both offer very substantial wooden cases similar to what you describe. I have seen a few others over the years but don't recall which who are still alive and/or making instruments and cases.  The TKL cases out of Canada are very sturdy.

TKL Products Corp or  http://www.jamesjonesinstruments.com/mountaindulcimer/mdcases.html for these cases.

http://www.mountainmademusic.com/dulcimer.asp

http://www.bluelioninstruments.com/cases.html

Beautiful dulcimer. Best wishes on your dulcimer journey. Thanks for posting the pictures.

Thanks, Greg. Sounds like Carl is very good to work with for a custom.

Thanks Ken. That is a great explanation. 

June Apple's website describes their June Apple model as based on the Huntington design. Has anyone played one and does it have the more traditional sound or a more modern guitar like sound?

Any feedback welcome.

Thanks, everyone.

My next dream dulcimer, I think, will be a Kevin Messenger Presnell reproduction, walnut back, sides, fretboard, butternut or poplar top, natural finish, not painted, Just intonated, Perfection or Wittner tuning pegs. Its on top of my bucket list for early next year.

Pretty Betty is made of all poplar, a traditional and very locally available wood to our dulcimer ancestors who built dulcimers in the Appalachian area (Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia). She was made by Dan Cox a member here on FOTMD also known as Dulcimore Dan. The voice is bright and silvery like the traditional instruments. She is not overly loud, but the older dulcimers were primarily played in the home or on the front porch, perhaps in some of the many small churches which dot the land in Appalachia. She sings a beautiful song.

Just got this dulcimer which I named Pretty Betty, made in the older more traditional style.Nice and bright and silvery sounding.

My DAD [Dulcimer Acquisition Disorder] is now in remission but its hard to say when I may have a relapse and it comes back again.

I know someone will ask for a sound clip. I do not have the knowledge/technology to produce one and get it on the computer

 Dulcimer Pretty Betty.jpg - 53KB

Thanks, Ken.

I checked with Don Pedi  since the owner's manual has his picture on it.  Don has a dim recollection of the family perhaps selling Green River Dulcimers after Bill Walker died tragically and it could be the new owners named it New River Dulcimers but he was not sure.

Song of the Wood did not have any information. I checked with them in September when I was by there. I'll check with the Dulcimer Shop in Blowing Rock.

I have a friend who has a mountain dulcimer with the name New River Dulcimers (Asheville, NC), serial number 118, and crafted by Oliver in December, 1996.
My friend has asked me if I could find a bit about this instrument including its value.

The dulcimer appears to have walnut fretboard, with walnut bookmatched top and back with cherry sides. Bridge and nut appear to be bone. Cosmetically it appears to be in good shape with few signs of much use. It appears to have been well kept if not played much.  No signs of abuse, improper storage etc. My friend purchased it used at an instrument store in Black Mountain, NC a number of years ago.

Voice is guitar like. It has tuners which appear to be  Grover Sta-tite banjo machines. It has some "fine tuners" unlike any I have seen heretofore on a dulcimer. VSL 29.25". Overall length 37". Pictures attached.

Internet searches do not provide much information.

Anyone with any knowledge of this brand, value used etc?

 New River fine tuners.jpg - 120KB

Welcome to FOTMD. It is a great community of wonderful people. Go glad you joined.

I play noter drone.

Is the plain string the same gauge or a different gauge from the wound string?

Correction. Has anyone modified a keyboard stand to use for the dulcimer while standing to play?

Has anyone modified a keyboard to use for the dulcimer while standing to play?

I remember seeing some comments about using a plain string for the bass rather than a wound string.

Can anyone offer some enlightenment about why and also what tuning you use when you use the plain string?

Such decisions. Definitely want a traditional instrument for noter drone playing.

Thanks, Patty. Beautifully done and beautiful voice of the dulcimer.

Thanks all. I did not realize sound and video clips were so easy to find. I had never even thought to look.

Anyone have a sound clip playing a Dulcimore Dan or John Knopf traditional instrument?