Forum Activity for @nigelbleddfa

Mosquitoes love me. My body reacts to all types of insect bites to such an extent that when I put on a shirt which had a wasp in it the resultant swelling was the size of a tennis ball. The doctor, who later treated me with steroids, called all the partners in the practice to see it. Mosquito bites are not as bad but nevertheless are a source of great discomfort. So, I have read all I can about how to avoid them.

I have lived and worked in Thailand and must have seen just about every device and method to reduce their numbers. I could write pages and pages about them but for the sake of brevity I will ask just one question about America and its mosquitoes.

None of my Thai family are bitten by them. They walk around the house with legs and arms exposed and never a sign of a bite.  One theory is that their diet is substantially free of dairy products and this makes them unattractive to the nasty little creatures.

My question is - do Americans develop an apparent immunity against mosquito bites over a period of time ? 

Glad it worked for you, Lois. 

It would appear that the software might not have worked properly but before you do any more deleting try another search for a file called - index.html

I can confirm that a search I have just made shows that such a file is on my computer and specifically relates to ED. If you do not have this file, delete everything and start again. You still have lots of time.

Lois, do a quick search for "index" files on your computer. If the copying has worked, one of them will open up the HTTrack software when it is clicked. 

Dusty is correct and the cloned website will be opened by the same software which copied it. I used HTTrack and my project was saved as Dulcimer1, an arbitrary name, and it was directed at a folder named "My Websites". When the operation had finished there were five items in the "MyWebsite" folder. Two were GIF files, one was a folder called Dulcimer1 which held many files, a file named Dulcimer1.whtt and a file called "index".When I clicked on "index" the HTTrack program opened and and a purple banner type thing opened. The project name was shown in it and when this was clicked the ED website opened up.

You will have noticed that we have all shown different figures relating to the size of the ED dowload. I believe that this is due to the fact that we are all inexperienced in using the HTTrack software. I have not checked every single item on my captured website but have no reason to believe that I am missing anything. I downloaded the ED site to my hard drive directly and think that this is preferable to downloading it to a flash drive. This is because it guarantees a connection between the download files and the HTTrack software which allows it to display the captured site.

They have arrived and look very pretty but, as anticipated they are rigid. I can discern no difference in the sound that they make individually but that may change over time.  Their dimensions are identical and they are polished. I would imagine that experienced players would adapt and use them properly but, for now, the more conventional picks, Dunlop Tortex, Herdim, Everly Star, Gibson etc make a nicer sound when I play. Nevertheless, I will persevere. I like this "dulcimer stuff". It's good, isn't it ?

 Thai Sindoro.jpg - 117KB

Thanks to all for the replies and special thanks to Robin for taking the trouble to make a new video to show the fat felt pick.

My wooden picks will be arriving on Friday and I will report back.

I really should settle for one pick and practise more. Unfortunately, I allow myself to be distracted and when I am not reading different books about the dulcimer and watching YouTube videos I find myself moving in the direction of eBay to see what is on offer.

Tonight I found wooden picks. Being married to a Thai lady it was a given that I would buy a Thai Sindora one. I decided on two very hard woods - Lignum Vitae and Ironwood - as two others.

Is anybody able to give an opinion on these, please?

This is a link to a British website which has these on sale.

http://www.gear4music.com/TimberTones

I can easily understand how your American forefathers used quills, leather and wooden noters as plastic was not available to them. Having read a lot about noter/drone playing I am surprised that I have found no mention of wooden picks and the woods used to make them. 

I would imagine that wooden picks were used and that somebody here will know about them.

Now, I really must get that thing out of its case and apply myself.

Changing strings is fine, Dusty, but having them snap is very, very dangerous. I have managed to convince my wife that this is so and she loves me so much that she would rather I bought another dulcimer than risk getting hurt. 

This works for me and I am sticking with it.

My first dulcimer was tuned DAD. I told my wife that it was dangerous to keep changing the tuning to DAA and over a period of time strings would snap and replacements would be needed. She accepted this and I bought a second dulcimer which is permanently tuned DAA. 

Do you think she will accept the "strings snapping" argument as a good reason for buying a third ? I quite fancy a nice solid walnut one.

Hello Joe,

It is quite a big job to download the entire website because you download its structure as well as its content  (tablature, articles, classifieds, etc).

I have already downloaded the site and have discovered that there are only 970 tablature files. PDF files are small and the whole lot of them take up only 82.2 MB. (I have not had the time to check the "articles".)

I am new to this forum but very experienced in forums generally having been on many, at different times, for the best part of twenty six years. As a newcomer, I am reluctant to make suggestions particularly as my announcement here of the proposed closure met with a response which I regarded as being rude. That post and my reply to it have been removed, presumably by moderators.

So, it is not for me to tell forum members what they should do. I would imagine that the site owner and moderators have already discussed the implications of the future closure and I should be grateful if they would offer some guidance on what may, or may not be, discussed here in relation to it.

Having read the banner on the "ED" site I posted a notice here. Then, I set to work cloning the website. The owner of the website had given his implied consent for copying. I used HTTrack and I believe that I now have the whole site intact on my local computer.

The figures for me were as follows :

Computer using i5 processor and download speeds of 45 Meg

Website Site = 2.3 GB

976 Folders

57,617 files.

The software is "mining" software and it does more than just download data. The data is downloaded repeatedly as the website is reconstructed on your computer. In my case I think the whole operation took just over ten hours to complete.

Thanks for the suggestions. I started with Herdim and they are not for me. I have now bought some firmer picks - Dunlop Tortex, Gibson, Everly Star, ... You name it I've got it or ordered it 

Again, thank you.

A valuable site is closing shortly -

http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/tab/

Thanks, Dusty. I have tried all three colours of Herdim picks, Red, Yellow and Blue and none suits me. One Yellow pick developed a small nick at the side and had to be thrown away after only a little use. I have a number of thumb picks left over from my attempt at learning the autoharp and today received three new lots.

The new ones are Dunlop Tortex III Green 0.88, Yellow 0.73 and some Gibson Standard Guitar picks. I also have some 0.85  and 1.5 Blue Maxgrip ones. ( I have goose quills but they have been locked away together with my lovely DAA Charles Hagen dulcimer until I started making progress with DAD. )

All I need now is some peace and quiet to sit down and play. I have had three hectic days and my dulcimers have not left their cases.  Hopefully, I can strum away tonight 

Thanks, Rob, I have fallen into that trap already and am waiting for the delivery of three different picks this morning. 

The Bumble Bee is a pick made by Fred Kelly and is a black and yellow thumb pick.

Thank you, Dusty.

It does the same thing, Lois, just brings us back to where we started. Strange !

Yes, Ken, I know and that is why I tried to edit it. It seems that this forum does not encourage links to other sites. Either that or I am doing things the wrong way. If you type in the words a browser will take you there. It's interesting to see that the dulcimer is not included in the instruments discussed and my own country, Wales, is completely ignored. Nevertheless there is some good stuff there and I am prepared to forgive these omissions 

I have just downloaded the sheet music for "Hewlett" . The only tune I play properly at present is "Wildwood Flower" and that I should seek to play "Hewlett" is an attempt to bury my failed efforts to learn the autoharp, these two tunes being my favourites when others played them on their autoharps. 

It will be a long time before any of my music features on this site, possibly years, but I am having a lot of fun and will persevere.

I would imagine that reference has already been made to this site

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/

and that old hands are familiar with it. I mention it now so that absolute beginners, like myself, are aware of its existence without having to read every post on FOTMD. "Wood from the trees" sort of thing 

Great sound and beautifully played.

Strumelia's post of February 5, 2014 addresses this issue

http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.co.uk/2009/02/why-i-like-daa-tuning.html

At last I can help somebody !  I am in Wales and so is Robin Clark, a member here. Please look at his excellent videos on YouTube. They explain all you need to know and can be found by searching for Birdrock Dulcimers.

I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago. He was very helpful and patient with a newcomer like me. I have also spoken with John Henry. He was great and the two of them have shown me what a friendly forum this is. 

I have asked the seller and he says that he has no idea of the woods or the manufacturer. I thought that the five tuners might have been recognised by somebody. Now, I think I will buy a newly made one. I have been lucky enough to have spoken with two very knowledgeable members here and I am inclined to buy a dulcimer which has been specifically made for DAA tuning. I would keep my McSpadden in DAD. Two dulcimers is not too many, especially when most of you here seem to have about fifteen.

It could well be homemade and as has been already mentioned, there could be a crack in the back of it so I will not be bidding for it. Thank you.

There are no labels, unfortunately, and the item is for sale in the UK on eBay so I cannot tell if there are any cracks. 

This instrument has five tuners so I do not think it is of Eastern European or Asian manufacture. Does anybody have any idea of who the manufacturer would be, please ?

 dulc3.jpg - 92KB

Thanks for the replies. I have a lot to learn.

I am new and I am reading and watching YouTube videos in my efforts to learn as much as I can about the dulcimer. Most of the videos relating to the strumming of "modern" dulcimers, not using a noter and quill, show the user using  a loosely held triangular pick. Naturally I have tried to imitate these players but I saw a video where the player was using a Bumble Bee pick and, as I already had one of these, I decided that I would try it. To my amazement my strumming appeared to be greatly improved. I seemed to be strumming the strings in a smoother pattern than when I used my floppy Herdim. Also, the volume is so much louder than before. I am better able to concentrate on my fretting now and it seems as though I am playing better.

My question is this - Have I picked up a bad habit ? Should I persevere with the Herdim ? Thanks !

I am glad you liked them, Marsha. The Welsh national sport is rugby and the hymn "Calon Lan" is always sung by the watching crowd, especially if Wales are winning.  It is translated as "clean heart". 

I have only had my first dulcimer for three weeks. It is a 1999 McSpadden FM12CS, cherry/spruce and is absolutely lovely. The gentleman who sold it to me lined up about nine dulcimers and I wish I could have bought them all. The word "awesome" is much overused these days but the sight of all that craftsmanship on one table was just that. I am making progress albeit slowly but I have little doubt that I will be buying another from him before too long. They were all very beautiful.

I bought my only dulcimer three weeks ago. You will appreciate that I am unable to offer technical advice relating to how it should be played

I am Welsh and love Celtic music. I would like to draw attention to two pieces of music written in Wales. I really don't know if they could be arranged in a form which is suitable for playing with a dulcimer but, even if they are not, they are very beautiful and I am sure that people here would enjoy listening to them. I am not allowed to post YouTube links here and will refer to the music by description which enables a search to be made.

The first is "Dafydd Y Garreg Wen" and was written , allegedly, by David Owen as he lay on his death bed. The YouTube version I recommend is that performed by Hannah Thomas and Catrin Meek. There are many versions available but this is my favourite.

The second is "Myfanwy". I have to admit that I am totally biased as I drive past the house where the music was composed at least twice a day. Additionally, I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Davies in 1968 when I was a student at UCW Aberystwyth. He was a very nice guy. I have chosen his version as my favorite (American spelling this time).

Sadly, like Dylan Thomas, Ryan died in New York State at a very early age. I hope you enjoy these two wonderful pieces.