lucky folks that have your family as neighbors. I understand that it's beautiful country there. Pray for where you'll be needed the most and you'll find the right spot for your family and your business of building dulcimer. aloha, irene
Being that I don't have much lap.....and don't like using a bum strap....I put 3 little clear plastic bumpers on the backs of my dulcimers. (they have sticky backs) I play on an adjustable table. Nice and loud just right. I can control volume, and bow it and hammer it....easy cheesy on the adjustable little black table that you can get at Walmart. Daughter in Hawaii has a white adjustable table and that worked just right too. A dulcimer is ALWAYS set up in my living room so I can just stop and play anytime I want....
You can try those little plastic bumpers and take 'em off if you don't like them. You can keep them on even while playing your dulcimer on your lap. The old style of many dulcimers had wood permanent ones on the backs like many of the dulcimer makers are making now a days. aloha, irene
I've just spent the last hour viewing Randy's youtube videos. And he plays those babies hard....and those frets last 8 years? wow. I'd like to learn more about this way of making frets. I like the staple frets that Dan puts on his dulcimers too. It would be cool to try different kinds. I love what I learn here!!! aloha, irene
wayyyyyyyyyyyy cooooooooooooool bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuue. aloha, irene
Another option is to get some Banjo tuners. I did put on some ukulele tuners on a small dulcimer and it looks good on that one....but your dulcimer here looks pretty big and to balance out the size of things, you might consider banjo tuners that are pictured in the above photo as you open this site. I just finished dulcimer #29 today and these are what I used. I like them very much. If you get them straight from China...cheap...and you don't know what you're getting. If you get them from a music store, if they don't work like you want them to...can take 'em back. I ordered them from a place in Kentucky...got 'em in 4 days. happy about that. $59.00. yep, you'd have to enlarge the holes. Where is this dulcimer made? aloha, irene
this is coming along GREAT.....congratulations. you've not put the frets on the fretboard yet? hummmmmmm. Will you put frets on another piece of wood THEN put that part on the dulcimer with glue? ahhhhhhh, there are soooooooooooo many ways to make a dulcimer. A JOY FOR SURE. aloha, irene
Yeah Patty.....you were surely inspired to get that dulcimer. JUST BEAUTIFUL. and to use the cheap piano stand. Can you lower it to a height that you can sit down and play too? I use those cheap black Walmart adjustable stands and put it at the lowest level and have several of these parked at my kid's houses in Utah when I go there often to be with them and play music. I love the noter/drone style and the sound. There are many tunings for modes that will be useful to learn...but stick to Daa or Cgg and then branch out. Oh joy to learn that lovely dulcimer you just got. Congratulations on your recovery and living in Oregon, you'll find many others to play music with. A beautiful state to live in. aloha, irene
Where ever it was made, all the joints are tight and looks great that way. Good you replaced the tuning gears and strings. Now the "taste is in the tasting"....of the pudding. HOW does she sound? Have you checked with a tuner? first fret and 7th fret octave in tune the same? that's a good indicator that it's done good in the "fret department". I've gotten a few dulcimers that frets are NOT TRUE...and I'm going to rip out those frets and make new fret board and put 'em on it....making sure the VSL fits the frets and be in tune. a project for another day. This dulcimer would be really cute some added flowers and tole painting. aloha, irene
NOTERS AND DRONERS.....YEAH, you all expressed how I feel about what I love to do on the dulcimer. I'm soooooooooo grateful to have found others that like playing this "traditional style". Thank you for sharing your thoughts here and expressed so well. Today I just finished, and tuned him up, another Box Dulcimer. yep, I made only 3 strings on him because I only had 3 banjo tuning thingies in my shop. Ha. I like playing both 2 or one melody string. (I'll have to try a bacon sandwich.) personally, I don't like playing in Dad because I lose those 3 lower notes. there's so much I love about dulcimer and playing it....aloha, irene
Thanks Skip....I will explore your idea with some other very good carpenters in this area. aloha, irene
OH I LOVE THIS SITE....that is what I need to two dulcimers that I got at weird places. Now that I know how to tune dulcmers...and hear and SEE it with my phone tuner....I want them ALL in tune. nope...some were never fretted properly. Great suggestions here and one of them is going to work. THEN I can loan out these dulcimers with happiness that my students will be playing in tune. aloha, irene
ahhhhhhhhhh, like it very much!!! Possum board is not permanently attached. So depending on the group playing with, in need of a louder sound....the "board" is there. I wanted to look at it up close, but that option was not there. I still like playing my dulcimers on a little low table, but I'm a chunky granny....so I have more control of what I can do with a dulcimer on the table....instead of on my lap. ha. Beautiful luthery!!! (I don't know how to spell it, but I can sure recognize good work when I see it here or in person) aloha, irene
this is an interesting discussion. James, find a teacher for you with your old dulcimer. You'll find it's fun to play music with others. and those stump fiddles are a kick. have fun with those too. Welcome to this site. aloha, irene
AHHHHHHHHHH, WHAT A FABULOUS THREAD. When I moved from Hawaii to Ashland, Oregon, I went to some Contra Dancing and had never seen it done in Hawaii. (of course) Loved it. For some reason, I married the ONLY TONGAN from Tonga that didn't dance. But he made up for it by playing so many instruments and that's been the best. In Ashland, there was a harp maker that played wonderful hammered dulcimer and he'd just about dance while he was playing. I so love live bands like that. thanks for sharing all about this on here. I looked at every video. aloha, irene
Well, not only does it look beautiful, but the sound is very "cool". What tuning of strings is it. and Dan....I like your smiling picture for your posts now. Looks just like you. Wonderful price for this beautiful dulcimer. aloha, irene
Hey Steve, you are in LUCK....there's a FABULOUS dulcimer/banjo/ukulele/"squeezebox"....festival in Palestine, Texas. I've been there for 3 years and some marvelous squeeze box folks come to that festival. 2 years now there has been this gal from England. (boy, is she good) she was a champion in England for several years. such a beautiful clear voice. Find out about it and you'll fit right in. AND you can get on with the dulcimer too!! aloha, irene
oh oh....I did finally find it. thanks....such interesting things we read about here. No wonder I get to bed so late. ooooooooooooops,
thanks Steven for your comments...and Thanks VERY MUCH for Pondoro for your photo of cat in the hole. cute...and yep, I've been wondering where that instrument is made. So I looked up "CLOUD NINE" on the net. no results. Can you direct me more. I've seen those played on you tube....with a quick pass by 'em....as it's usually a big group that is playing and I wanted to see more of the bass sound that I was hearing. THIS IS THE INSTRUMENT....more info please. thanks loads. aloha, irene
Thanks Ken for this link. THAT IS BEAUTIFUL MUSIC. and he was playing it soooooo cruz like. wow. It's a Stineway version of a thumb piano. I bet it is no easy picnicking to tune. aloha, irene
See........the FRIENDS OF THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER rides again. This is very good and I'll surely order one for the dulcimers that I make for others. Then they can choose that one or some kind that I make that is of Hawaiian prints and such. The price is very very good. aloha, irene
hey hey, folks, I want to see a photo of this marimbulas. Curiosity....aloha, irene
I teach a lot of new folks and only on noter drone....thanks BALLAD GAL for the tip. I just ordered that book. It will be very helpful in teaching. After my wonderful experience at Berea, Kentucky, I love playing noter/drone even more so now!! aloha, irene
What wondrous Love it this, oh my soul, oh my soul.....ends with the words, "and when from death I'm free, I'll sing on, I'll sing on................I'll sing and joyful be and through Eternity I'll sing on.......
There are other songs I'd sing, but I'd ask what tunes He knew....What psalms He and the Apostles sang and I'd ask Him to sing to me those songs. aloha, irene
MIKE & ME by Rosalys Peel. What a WONDERFUL BOOK to read when a loved one is on the edge or within the realms of Dementia or Alzheimer's. My husband is on that edge and caring for him at home is my chapter at this time in my life. I find that playing music together and Scrabble together is most beneficial to him and I'll keep that up for the rest of his life. Over 10% of our population has this disease....how to deal with it with love to them is healing to them and to the caregiver. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK. I just finished that book 2 days ago. Now for a fun one called HILO HATTIE, A Legend in Our Time by Milly Singletary. When I went to Hawaii in 1963 I saw her perform at the Kodak Show and this book tells her early story and it all brings a smile on my face. aloha, irene
When I was going to the harp conventions every year, we'd have something called, "HARP TASTING". We'd have 10-15 harps on stage with the curtain drawn. Then we would be in the audience and ONE PERSON would play the same song on all the harps one by one. We wrote down what we liked about them. Then they would pull the curtain and you could see the harps that you personally juried. I thought this very cool. Some harps looked absolutely FABULOUS, but the sound needed improvements. We'd have just some festival time just for the builders to go to and there I learned so very much. Harp making improved tremendously over the 20 years I attended those conferences. However, they got to be so very expensive attending. And so serious. Our gathering I had more fun then a barrel full of monkeys. cost was perfect. friends forever....and wishing I could meet with some of the folks before the next gathering. aloha, irene
SUCH a beautiful dulcimer.....I wish I could have heard it played all by itself. NEXT YEAR, we need to have some of these dulcimers show cased....played and we write down what we loved about them. the sound, the high part, the color, the inlay, the teaching of INLAY....oh, my I loved my time there in Berea!!! aloha, irene
I think using those pegs would be very nice looking. I think they are a "pretty penny" though per each one. maybe I'll switch to making only THREE STRINGS and then I can look at using those geared pegs. beautiful dulcimer....I need to get to a specialty wood shop. yep yep. aloha, irene
Oh Wow, what a great discussion. I'm going to try the lower on some of the other duclimers. And I've found that I really do like ONLY 3 STRINGS. I'm so grateful for all I learn on this site. Aloha, Irene
WOAH.....that shows some great playing....no comment on the kid smoking a cig. sigh. I'm going to watch that again. I loved that rough kind of singing....that's not his "first rodeo." aloha, irene
I'm all excited to be there. I did have a little trouble using the website you send us to fill out and let you know we're coming. I sent you an email...hope it gets there. aloha, irene
I really enjoyed that video and the art and the dulcimer playing. all well done and thought provoking. Beautiful art. I loved the cheering of children when things went 'viral". aloha, irene
For spooky...."Now Anne Bolin was once king Henry's wife, until he had the headsman bob her hair, ah yes, he did her wrong long years ago, and she comes up the night to tell him so, with her head tucked underneath her arm, she walks the bloody tower, with her head tucked underneath her arm at the midnight hour....etc.
There are several in the mournful and sad....1.The Silver Dagger (a man comes to court a girl and her mother's sleeping with a silver dagger.....her daddy was a handsome devil...)...2. The three brothers in Scotland, one had to turn robber to support the other two....3. (I forgot the name,words go)..."I sold my flax, sold my wheel, to buy my love a sword of steel, that he may in the battle wield, Johnny's gone for a shoulder. Shul shul shul a rue...."
I loved singing all of these songs, drove my mother crazy as she was a classical piano teacher. I was a Joan Baez fan. aloha, irene
ahhhhhh, thanks Robin. thanks for looking at us when we only had 8 at home. That was my first dulcimer, and my first bowed psaltery. All grown up now....youngest one there was three...now 33. sigh. I loved raising our big family and they all still love each other...music being a huge part in raising our family. They all play one or two instruments and all sing. An play a LOT of games in more ways then one. ha. We're going to have another family reunion this August. aloha, irene
When Susan got this beautiful dulcimer, her son found it at an Estate Sale, it was sooooooooo beautiful and made with great care. SUCH A DEAL....$150.00. I estimate it's worth to be about $600.00 plus. She had the right strings on it then. She moved to Arkansas and got in with a group (a great group, I'm sure) that only did DAD tuning. She was told to take off a string on each set, and she learned the chords and can keep up with the group....but when she played at home, didn't like the sound 1/2 as much. I think she didn't get the right set of strings when she replaced the strings. They were not an octave apart as suggested Ken...So I'll text her and ask the VSL and then she should be able to string it up. Her sweet husband strung it last. What I was wondering also would be if anyone knew of any dulcimer club there in San Antonio and via that...............someone could give her advice and or sting it up right with the right set of strings. I bet if she went to a music store there, she'd get some help as well. I'll get back with you on the VSL. thanks soooooooooo very much, aloha, irene
I have a "fairly newbie" QUESTION for my newbie friend that took her dulcimer to San Antonio and wants to know if there are any dulcimer folks there? She will be there for one week, and her dulcimer needs the right gage of strings. She has a 6 string one and loves to play noter drone style. I told her tonight that I'll post this question to my friends here. I check daily sometimes twice daily, so I'll be a looking. THANKS. aloha, irene
I play a lot of instruments as I wanted to teach our children the joy of knowing many instruments and we did a lot of caroling at Christmas time. So when I got the dulcimer over 30 years ago, I got Jean Richie's book and one night I thought I was doing really well, and played for almost 2 hours....then I got this shout out from my husband in the bedroom, "LEARN ANOTHER INSTRUMENT!" I still laugh at that one. I found the remedy for that scene. I brought home a very old autoharp (it had typewriter keys) and he picked it up as if he played it for years. I bought him a new autoharp. We began playing together and that changed everything on him liking or disliking the dulcimer sound. However, he doesn't like the minor keys. Polynesians don't do a lot of minor songs....almost none for the Tongans. We play our music daily. He's taught me to play by ear by him choosing the songs 1/2 the time. It is such a JOY to play music with each other. I posted on this site in one of the other discussions of our family playing for a little T.V. show with 8 of our 14 children 30 years ago in Hawaii. It's on youtube somewhere. ha.
