Forum Activity for @kevin-r

John, with one exception, I am in the process of thinning the herd here.  We're thinking we're going to get a much smaller house (and no steps/next to none) someday.  Even if I don't own one of your beauties, I admire them greatly.  

I don’t know what group it’s in? I’ve joined several in the past but the comments are not within those groups. I can’t find comments or read them on something I posted...

Thanks to all for the response. Think it sounds like homeopathy and physical therapy is a good choice, so I’ll try that. Did talk to my orthopedic guy today and he, too, thinks the paraffin therapy to be a good choice. Again, thanks for the advice and your experiences. Now, if anyone knows where they do full body transplants...

I ended up buying an old “Plickett” dulcimer shaped object to keep in the car.  It’s very quiet and sturdy.  It had a trial run last night, as I ended up doing an emergency overnight respite visit with a hospice client to give the family a break.  I spent most of the night in a recliner about fifteen feet away from the open bedroom door, and plucked on my Plickett softly, to keep myself awake and pass the time, along with watching Forensic Files at low volume. 

The strings were the original super thin, rusty wire, so I swapped two out with what I had on hand, and ended up tuning it to C, g, D, with the melody string being tuned lower than the middle, as is my personal presence.  This is my favorite tuning that I use on my cardboard box dulcimer that I play constantly, too.  The lower tunings made the Plickett sound less plinky, giving a more pleasing plunk.

It’s a fun little board, and I think would survive the trunk of my car wrapped in a towel in a duffle bag this summer.

For those who don’t know, a Plickett was a small novelty dulcimer sold in the 70’s for a while.  It’s two feet long, five inches wide at the bouts, and a 3/4 inch thick solid board, with a big circle cut beneath the bridge in the back, to give it a little volume and resonance.

It’s not perfect by any means, but it beats not having a dulcimer at all by a long shot.  I suspect my cardboard box dulcimer would survive a summer in the trunk if it were in some sort of bigger box or case, but I love it far too much to try that.  The Plickett is actually small enough that I just put it in my work bag and it stuck out just a little, so I could bring it into work or field work situations with me, and not leave in the trunk at all.  Yay!  I have something to use during work breaks!

Lisa