Percussion stuff. I'm playing percussion in a small concert band, and sometimes play spoons with our dulcimer group.

It may be worth while to invest in a wire gauge if you need to replace strings. I have one like this which I occasional use on dulcimer strings.

I would guess that a relatively small number of sizes are required, so you might want to buy coils of wire. Otherwise Folkcraft and others probably have suitable choices, but "too long."

https://www.ebay.com/itm/315386837794?itmmeta=01J3DM58WKFSA07Z72Q1ZXBVB4&hash=item496e853b22:g:J-0AAOSw6eBmTuYv&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8OE2Ww6YtOA65E8nF2yJ%2FRPTX6XJJT1daeFK0r1%2Fmn3u3uEoh4n6NL%2Bdxuqnw0MydXCDemBnkiFWZHZo2jqH1xLjVWWcF6MzzxsGKQLKMgkUg82IEIG6EoaQ59uBJDDl0Jp7OxcobsxPk4FNtfgl0HMi74MyC0Ar6yYUhYjj%2BmQve7mIwIOs8JRFCu2pnasa7Z8SaTsy46Dt--vOFko1zsNlMcB5oMvhSl6k%2BILWdzhUJHdOY9c3wJ4o6nG36lXEAtq1i2sVnJEuZI7BmoFJpK1dSdtnI8KAG9ikbAXqgMBgEw2UTumzGYRGvNa8at%2Flgw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7qOlbSbZA

OK, now I understand the requirements. Just have a blacksmith or welder construct five separate cradles, each customized to fit an individual instrument and at your chosen angle. A single hanging point for each is all that is needed. Make them from heavy steel wire (8 gauge ?), paint them black, and cover the contact points with black rubber tube (1/8 in. ?).

This approach requires good craftsmanship which won't come cheap. You could by another good dulcimer for the same price.

You might also consider building some sort of angled "bookshelves" or "shadow boxes." That way you could easily take them down to play.

The closest thing I can find as a picture is on

https://www.amazon.com/Rolanstar-Bookshelf-Bookshelves-Bookcase-Organizer/dp/B0CLD2KJLK/ref=asc_df_B0CLD2KJLK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=693769995770&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12067035090039566209&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009439&hvtargid=pla-2273008037708&psc=1&mcid=c43bb487d9ec3f929b6e7a208188e8a7&gad_source=1

I ordered a set of the tuners on Ali Express for under $15 for a set of 4. I used PayPal to avoid sending a credit card number. They arrived promptly, considering their origin in China.

They ARE 4 to 1 planetary geared units. I wouldn't give them the 1 in 5 rating another buyer gave but more like a 2. They look good but the quality is poor. Two of the four had flash on the castings which should have been removed before plating and needed clearing before the retaining barrels would insert. All four were a bit jerky in turning, and the barrel threads may or may not work to full depth.

Aside from quality, they have a downside in that without making special spacers, they will not fit wood less than 0.4 inches thick, and maybe not under 1/2 inch so they aren't good for side mounting. They are described as "banjo tuners," however.

I haven't tried fitting them to anything. I'll almost certainly put them on a stick before risking any bodied instrument on them.

Research is never free, and $15 isn't a big expense.

I frequently tell people ALL NEW INSTRUMENTS NEED TO BE SET UP AFTER ASSEMBLY. On factory made instruments this is often left to the retailer, or to be done by the buyer or at their expense.

Sounds like you got great service at a reasonable price.

I've bought a number of instruments on Shop Goodwill. The dulcimers have had minor issues which were easily resolved. The violins/fiddles frequently never had the bows properly rosined. When you "buy cheap," expect that an hour's work, or more, will be needed to make a string instrument play properly.

The listing says "Banjo Tuner Tuning Key Head String Machine Peg Pegs Geared Tuners Parts Accessories Knobs Friction Set Keys Button 5String"

If there are gears in the package configuration, they almost certainly have to be planetary. Planetary gears have internal friction due to rubbing of the teeth. If the gear friction isn't large enough, the string tension will cause the gear set to unwind.

(Before I retired I taught about two weeks worth of gear design to Mechanical Engineering seniors.)

Perhaps additional friction is adjustable, just as on traditional friction pegs. It would be nice if we could access the installation instructions, but they might not be in usable English.

IS A PUZZLEMENT !

There are some tuners which appear to be planetary on Ali Express for under $15 for a set of 4. The only review gave them a rating of 1 out of 5. Anyone want to risk ordering them and reporting back?

https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804893006078.html?src=google&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=708-803-3821&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&src=google&albch=shopping&acnt=708-803-3821&slnk=&plac=&mtctp=&albbt=Google_7_shopping&gclsrc=aw.ds&albagn=888888&ds_e_adid=&ds_e_matchtype=&ds_e_device=c&ds_e_network=x&ds_e_product_group_id=&ds_e_product_id=en3256804893006078&ds_e_product_merchant_id=108902014&ds_e_product_country=US&ds_e_product_language=en&ds_e_product_channel=online&ds_e_product_store_id=&ds_url_v=2&albcp=19235666539&albag=&isSmbAutoCall=false&needSmbHouyi=false&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgFXrUvs90KP-kPcSvqLyy7rHekyiQDsj8o3i9XTEbR55V5L3Zu18MhoCHkAQAvD_BwE&aff_fcid=2f0caf44291a45238b3f743bdc657b33-1717598814106-09948-UneMJZVf&aff_fsk=UneMJZVf&aff_platform=aaf&sk=UneMJZVf&aff_trace_key=2f0caf44291a45238b3f743bdc657b33-1717598814106-09948-UneMJZVf&terminal_id=47c494e9bbda4caf8033935b2dddd1b1&afSmartRedirect=y&gatewayAdapt=glo2usa

It may be that the tuners on your instrument were not correctly installed. I looked ans some Amazon ads for these instruments, and they have the thick round part which is in the groove on your instrument on the outside, and only a washer and nut on the inside.

See the tuners on these two ads.

https://www.amazon.com/Roosebeck-DMCRT4-4-String-Mountain-Dulcimer/dp/B006GVLT3Y/ref=m_crc_lf_rg_d_t1_d_sccl_3_3/137-3203011-0015343?pd_rd_w=jiiG6&content-id=amzn1.sym.fe77186e-e843-43d6-98bc-9f11dffb90ae&pf_rd_p=fe77186e-e843-43d6-98bc-9f11dffb90ae&pf_rd_r=WB1M7368613PAJEQA5RY&pd_rd_wg=lnXPn&pd_rd_r=4cc26045-876c-4550-b1d2-e1605ef0aefc&pd_rd_i=B006GVLT3Y&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Roosebeck-Mountain-Dulcimer-4-String-Fretboard/dp/B076564C5C/ref=pd_ci_mcx_pspc_dp_d_2_t_3?pd_rd_w=tU68I&content-id=amzn1.sym.568f3b6b-5aad-4bfd-98ee-d827f03151e4&pf_rd_p=568f3b6b-5aad-4bfd-98ee-d827f03151e4&pf_rd_r=EN347QDZGAK4X4P433KW&pd_rd_wg=tDlKX&pd_rd_r=7ee66d5e-6b16-4b7d-980b-109ad02e2a8d&pd_rd_i=B076564C5C

Looking at photo img-20240604-210414-914.jpg it seems clear to me that the problem is the result of putting fancy tuners of some sort on an instrument designed for simple ones. The large angle of the bass string lead is pulling the nut toward the melody side. Replacing that one tuner could go a long way toward a fix.

Strings should run as straight as possible above the nut, with any pull on a tuning peg toward the outside. With a slot in the head for the strings, any fastener on the inside makes the string lead worse.

The nut would not be moving if it was thick enough to wedge itself in the groove which positions it, that is a precision issue. I might be that simply putting one or more pieces of paper of tape on the head side of the nut might create the necessary friction. You could also make a new nut.

I like NateBuildsToys' spacer suggestion also.

Super glue is the simple patch solution, and maybe the best..

" .... Apparently, he strung them with Black Diamond guitar strings....."

"Dulcimer strings" have only been sold for 20 years or so. Before that your major choices were guitar or banjo strings or piano wire. I believe that banjo strings were the general preference.

"......  The frets appeared to be staples..... "

Staple frets were common before 1950, and are still used on "reproduction instruments" made by several of the members of this forum.

The bulk of Niles' work was before the beginning of the popularization of "folk music" about 1950. He was very much an academic musician based at UK. I suspect that he liked to be the center of attention and performed accordingly.

I'll go along with three "keys" to being a folk instrument:

(1) Not usually encountered in a standardized form, with variations limited to size and materials.

(2) Not formally taught in conservatories (or equivalent) over a multi-year period.

(3) Not typically used to play from written scores in standard notation.

Using an instrument to play "folk music" doesn't make it a "folk instrument." Mozart played the country music of his day rather well, as I recall, and I think he jammed as well.

Things get complicated, though. I think the Russian Balalaika is still probably classified as a folk instrument, although it fails all three of my tests.

I managed to find and stream the show on West Virginia Public Broadcasting's Passport listings last night. My route was a search for "Ritchie" and it was way, way down on the list. I think the actual title may be "Mountain Born," with a 1996 copyright date.

It is well done. A "musical biography," not a concert piece.

Well, Bill did a lot to spread the "dulcimore" labels with his books and festivals. I wasn't trying to suggest that he originated it.

There is also "How to Make and Play the Dulcimore by Hines, Chet" from 1972 with several copies currently on eBay.. Again, I think, an attempt to create a trade identity. There were other other "how to make/play a dulcimer" books.

Our local (deceased) guru Patty Looman did an LP with "Dulcimore - Sweet Music" as the title, but that was the hammered variety, and dulcimer was used in the description. She was, by the way, a school teacher as well as a dulcimer teacher.

The label "dulcimore" is sometimes used in the manner of a brand or trade name - i.e. "Dulcimore Dan." His instruments are sold as Dulcimores and should be referred to as such.

Some responsibility might be placed on Bill Schilling and his friends. There are some very well educated and skilled people in that bunch. See the Dulci-More webpage https://www.dulcimore.org/

Dulci-More: Folk & Traditional Musicians is a club that started in January 1993, at the First United Methodist Church of Salem. The purposes of the club are to have fun with folk-style music and to share that music with others. The club meets at 7:00 pm on the first Tuesday and Third Tuesday (note: it was the third Wednesday until January, 2000) of each month just off the sanctuary by the Unity Classroom of the First United Methodist Church of Salem, 244 South Broadway, Salem, OH 44460 (see calendar link for summer meeting locations). All levels of acoustic instrumentalists and singers are always welcome at the meetings to jam, to learn, to listen, or to perform. Meetings are generally run as song circles with most songs or tunes chosen from the Dulci-More Public Domain Songbook with everyone joining in, .....

They are MORE than dulcimer players.

As I have said before, I think much of this confusion is probably from SPOKEN language being moved into print.

"Mountain Mahogany" is virtually unknown to those of us living east of the Rockies.

I have some nice, short, Black Cherry planks seasoning in the barn. I split them from short (roughly 30 inch) segments of a fallen tree with a froe.

Maybe you can finish this today, but why Mountain Mahogany? I should think a limb of Swamp Mahogany would work as well.

In addition to differences in spelling, there were differences in pronunciation of the name of our instrument. This almost certainly resulted in differences in how it was written.

Some of our earliest references to the instrument come from estate and sales records in county courthouse archives. I can imagine that one of these might well have resulted from a visit to a deceased's home. Looking over the fireplace, the local says "One pit-chuh of the fahm, one of Unkel Har-rah, an' a dulcimah." The town raised attorney writes "1 large painting - $4, 1 small portrait - 45¢, 1 dulcimer - $1.25" the later based on his knowledge of the King James bible, not the object. The written note is in pencil and later transcribed in ink to the public record book.

I can imagine the use of "dulcimore" as having come from the early 1960s folk culture through some proponent in Brooklyn or Grenwich Villiage calling his pride and joy a "Dul-sim-o-wah."

Oral language variations are what they are.

Do we actually have any evidence for early use of the name "dulcimore" by our pioneer scholars? Jean Ritchie's first work is "The Dulcimer Book." Skimming through Ralph Lee Smith's "The Story of the Dulcimer" (2nd ed.) I don't see the word. I don't have a copy of Allen Smith's "A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers" at hand, but his preference is clearly shown in the title.

By the  way, I just noticed that the spell-checker for this website flags "dulcimore" as a potential error.

You asked "what type of tuner?" I just looked at your photo, and you tuners are interesting in their own right due to the way the wood is held between metal fingers. I can't find any match on the Elderly Instrument tuners web page, and there are a lot of designs there.
https://www.elderly.com/pages/search-results?offset=456&q=tuners

Friction pegs (non-violin type) are common on banjos and ukuleles. Looking at the following web pages I identified about five basic types. Some use fiber washers while others use plastic. Yours appear to be fiber since some are more compressed than others.

All About Ukulele Friction Tuners - Got A Ukulele Beginners Tips

Banjo Tuner Tips & Tricks

Some really old high quality instruments used tapered tuning pegs, apparently designed to fit in the holes used for violin pegs. A video dealing with these is:
1920’s Martin Ukulele- What to do about the friction pegs?

One of the videos mentions screws bottoming out. That might be your problem if the wood has shrunk over the past 40 years. That could explain the left-right difference.

Richard said " If you ever disassemble one all the way take note of the order of the metal and the fiber washers on the shaft."

Perhaps at some time in the past someone took one or more of them apart and incorrectly reassembled them. If one is better than another, you might have a model to check against.

Sound pressure (SP) is measures in force per unit area, i.e. psi. Loudness is typically measured in decibels (DBA). The relationship between them is logarithmic, but also involves the base (atmospheric) pressure or AP. The SP is very much less than the AP. The math gets very messy.

If we assume that two strings double the sound pressure then I think we are talking about the log of [SP / (SP + AP)] versus the log of [2*SP / (SP + AP)] and you can't hear the difference, although it can be measured with a very, very sensitive sound meter.

I intentionally tune my double melody strings to slightly different frequencies to produce beat, not loudness. In the organ world the effect is called "vox celeste" or "vox humana."

Go with your ears, that's what music is about. 

Looking at the picture of the head which shows the pegs, I would say they were installed poorly and the strings are incorrectly installed, both in terms of the sloppy winding and on the wrong pegs.They also appear to be unevenly spaced.

Some of the holes are too big, as evidenced by the amount of peg extending through the hole and some may be too small, The pegs also look too short to me. They may be drilled in the wrong place.

Some of the string leads are incorrect. They should pull the peg into the hole, not out of it.

See the photos toward the end of 

The Best Way to Change Violin Strings [9 Simple Steps]

https://violinspiration.com/how-to-change-violin-strings/

I think a complete refit of the pegs is in order, perhaps substituting larger viola pegs for violin pegs.

Walmart has " Fas-n-Tite Brass (plated) Linoleum Nails (5/8" x #16) - 0.75 oz., Steel, $1.58 "

Those and a toothpick in the old hole might be a good choice.

Why remove the nail head? The nail head makes it easier to hold a string loop on. In addition, if you simply cut the nail head off with pliers you will have a sharp end. Half an inch in length should be enough if in a hole of the right size.

My main suggestion is Look at the other string anchors and try to match them. They might be screws, nails with heads, nails without heads, brass pins, or was it wood?

The fret markings clearly are a major feature of the claims. He states:

"In a stringed instrument, the combination, with the sounding board or base, of the separate parallel longitudinal bridge-bars, each having a group of four strings, a line of line of frets, and note-scales , and having the keys for the strings at one end of each bridge-bar set at the opposite ends of the sounding-board, substantially as herein set forth."

The drawing almost certainly has shape notes because he says:

"The note-scales may be made in characters such as are found in the “Sacred Harp” and in the “Temple Harp,” or indicated by do, re, mi, &c."

Actually, on close reading, it looks like it may only apply to the combination of the features, not to any on them singularly. Not to worry, it expired long ago. .

There are many patents for specific instrument designs which are more-or-less actually sort of trademarks. This is particularly true on "anyone-can-play-this" instruments.

I find the patent interesting because it reinforces our knowledge of many features as being broadly* known by 1880.

• Four string designs
• Rectangular sound boxes
• Fret labels
• Zither/piano pin tuners
• Wire strings

*The patentee resided in the flat Mid-Georgia country, not in the hills of KY-NC-WV-VA

As to seating position, I'm only about 5' 6" tall, with short legs. My lap is horizontal when I sit in a 1950s vintage wooden folding chair, but on more modern chairs for table use my lap slopes down in the wrong direction. I carry a piece of hard urethane packing foam about 3" thick and 12" square to use as a foot rest. (That beats trying to find and carry a Sears catalog or city phone book, or hauling my own chair around.) My elbows are above the dulcimer in my lap and my forearms about horizontal.

Some short folks put their heels on the front cross bar of steel chairs and achieve about the same effect.

Time spent on working out your seating is a good long-term investment.

Given the wide variety of playing styles used on the dulcimer, I don't think there is any "proper form."

Noter-drone playing puts a very different stress on the wrist than any form of chording. Some people I have met who have hand issues find it the only way they can play. It is part of the reason I play almost exclusively in that style. I use a noter which is about 3/8 inch in diameter and about 6 inches long with my forefinger on top and the heal on the noter at my wrist.

You appear in your photo to be playing chords, so that probably won't helpyou at the present, but of your problem becomes severe, consider the noter-drone tradition before giving up.

One basic point in looking for strings. Until about 10 or 15 years ago, there were no "dulcimer strings." Ball end strings were part of the guitar string rack while loop end strings were banjo strings. Either will be more than long enough.

Just avoid violin, mandolin, and ukulele strings or you will end up with something too short.

I hypothesize that many of the early builders bought banjo strings from mail order vendors like Sears. Some would have purchased rolls of piano wire and put their own loops on it, but a roll of piano wire is pretty long and might be a lifetime supply.

Norma and I attended a good many sessions by or with Bob in the Morgantown-Fairmont-Fort New Salem, WV over the past eight or ten years. He was always good company.

We now remember not seeing him at dulcimer events over the past year or so.

We will miss him.

Ken said:
....  There probably were no Euro-trained luthiers among the Moravians, the builders to follow were trying to replicate instruments that had come from the old country....

Nor among the Germans, Scots, Irish, etc. but it is almost certain that simple fiddles were being made and played. As I have noted before, there is still a culture of "cigar box" instrument makers, many of whom are now making instruments with electric pickups. I suspect that wood from shipping boxes for various imports was used because it was available in usable "thinnesses."

I can remember 75 years ago when "orange crates" were made of rather high quality stock about 1/4 inch thick. Cub Scout manuals provided plans for making stuff from such readily available recyclables."

Ken also said "prior to that there were wood/bone/ivory inlaid frets or the tied gut frets of Lutes.  Mushroom frets weren't invented until the mid 1800s in Europe."

I can imagine using the wood from small boxes set in slots cut with a cross-cut or furniture maker's back saw as frets. I seem to recall that some match boxes had wood parts when I was a child, and you can produce small pieces of thin wood with a simple plane.

It's easy to envision hill folks as "having nothing," but the reality is that most communities had craftsmen capable of making windows and doors and their frames, country furniture, etc. as well as the occasional gift of extremely high quality. There would have been good quality saws, planes, knives, and chisels, in most of the smallest villages and on many farms.

Most hill folks went to the county, or township, seat to pay taxes, serve on juries, consult real estate lawyers, and so on. The men-folks served in the army. They didn't live in complete isolation and saw most of the "high tech" of the day.

While I have been part of a university community I have had neighbors who lived with more-or-less 1899 resources, so I have some first hand knowledge.

And we know that many of the earliest dulcimer vendors lived in towns.

It seems to me that the inquiry of "what the mountain dulcimer's role was in the area it came from a hundred odd years ago" is attaching undo importance to the instrument. It is a FOLK INSTRUMENT, something which can be made at home and used to create music.

We might ask the same question about the bones, spoons, shipping crate drums, cigar box fiddles, the washtub base, the monkey stick/Stumph Fiddle, cigar box uke/guitar, and many other musical devices. All of these have enthusiastic contemporary users and builders with forums, etc. and are used in public performances. I think all of them are also commercially produced and sold to a widespread market.

As a parallel to the current interest in the lap dulcimer, look at the cajón (Ca-HOne). It is a wooden box on which you sit and pound. In its modern version it is a Peruvian folk instrument, and you can easily pay $400 for a top grade one through Walmart's on-line shopping. You can find YouTube instruction on how to play it, ensembles, and get lessons at many music schools.

Enjoy your dulcimer, I enjoy my assortment along with other instruments. By all means, study its history. But we shouldn't make it into something of great world-wide importance.

Most of my playing is on a small 6-string dulcimer which I adapted from a Korean instrument probably made in the 1960s.

I play noter-drone in Daa, but I use octave pairs on the middle and bass - Dd-Aa-aa. I use an 0.030W on the middle A. It probably is 0.012, 0.012, 0.014, 0.030, 0.012 and 0.028W.

I like it, and it is soft enough that no one in our group notices my mistakes, or at least is polite enough not to mention them.

The dulcimer was devised for playing for one's own enjoyment, or for a few family members, not an "audience." This would probably have been in a room in a small home after the player's work was done in winter, or on a porch in the summer. Other family members often would have been reading, sewing, washing dishes, etc. 

I should have written

"Perfect pitch" is often considered a curse. I had a friend with perfect pitch who, 60 years ago, found that almost all the pianos in a good showroom were off key, and she couldn't play most of them beause they hurt her ears.

You should be able to distinguish between a whole step and a half step in American/European music. To "learn" absolute pitch shouldn't be a goal. (Some Asian and African music doesn't use European intervals based on a logarithmic scales.) Good musicians play intervals, unless of course they are "bending" a note artistically.

Digital tuners with absolute reference to frequency haven't been around very long. We didn't have precise standards in the not-so-different past. We had tuning forks and reed pitch pipes, both of which produce tones which will vary minutely with temperature. To mention only two countries, the USA and Austria (home of Mozart, Beethoven, etc.) used different pitches for the A to which they tuned.

A band from the 1920-1950 period would have tuned to the piano, if they used one, which would have been relatively tuned if it was "in tune."

A symphony orchestra tuned to whatever A the oboe played at the beginning of the concert. The oboeist might or might not have used a fork or pipe as a reference.

As the saying goes, "this ain't rocket science, it's art." "Perfect pitch" is often considered a curse. I had a friend who, 60 years ago, found that all the pianos in a good showroom were out of tune, and she couldn't play any of them.

I'm with Ken, to a large extent. Few of us "train" our ears, but "our ears learn."

We learn, I think, by having music in two forms at the same time. Playing or singing while hearing others in a group. Plying or singing while reading music as sheet music or TABs. Singing along with a record.

A set of instructions in any form may help because it is structured so that your experience is expanded, not because it is just repeated.

I've learned a lot by buying "$100 dollar instruments" on sale at $30 or so on the Shop Goodwill website and working on them.

You can't buy much of a lesson for $30.

I haven't had to try learning sound post setting yet. I don't bid on ones which are shown with the bridge out. I bought a post setting tool on eBay for less than $10.

Glad your experiment ended productively.

The general advice is NEVER TAKE ALL THE STRINGS OFF A FIDDLE AT THE SAME TIME. (Unless you are a luthier doing a major repair.)

String tension holds the sound post in place. You place the sound post and, carefully position it, with all strings loose. Tightening strings without a soundpost can break the face.

Before they were installed, the pegs were probably all the same. During set-up or a service, individual holes may have have been reamed and pegs smoothed with a sort-of pencil sharpener to improve fit and smooth turning.

I'd suggest looking at http://www.makingtheviolin.com/ before fiddling with fiddles. There are other useful violin sites, of course.

Actually "one string at a time" is good general advice when replacing strings on any string instrument, including dulcimers.

@shannmilan... My path won't work for you.

We have a local lap dulcimer group which meets twice a week in two different configurations, one for beginners in a classroom setting, one for sort'a playing as a group. My wife has attended both for about five years, I've been taking an active part for about two.

I don't practice, so my skills aren't that good, but I have acquired a LOT of knowledge, as well as becoming a technician.

I also studied violin as a kid, sung in choruses, and am teaching myself viola, arranging music for a crank organ and trying to learn to practice.

As far as "courses" goes, what courses are available to you? Unless you live near me, I can't make a suggestion, except possibly for on-line resources.