The Positive Thread...
OFF TOPIC discussions
Just saw this thread; what a great idea! In between playing dulcimer, if you have Apple TV, I can highly recommend Ted Lasso if you haven't seen it. Also, here is a photo of some happy chickens!
Just saw this thread; what a great idea! In between playing dulcimer, if you have Apple TV, I can highly recommend Ted Lasso if you haven't seen it. Also, here is a photo of some happy chickens!
@alegre1
Phenomenal job, Linda. I enjoyed every page of Pluck.
Blessings,
Ethan
Hi Ethan, thank you for the kind words--your message means a lot; I'm so glad you enjoyed it! If you get a chance, please leave a review on Amazon. Every good review helps others find the book.
Happy playing! Best regards, Linda
That's a sweet video, @alegre1. Thank you.
Thank you Dusty for the kind words! Linda
really terrific @alegre1 . One of my absolute favorite things about the dulcimer, that a couple people brought up in this video, is the low barrier of entry. So many people who don't consider themselves to be musically inclined find joy in making music with a dulcimer. Many times folks have expressed to me that they don't consider themselves musical and as soon as they learn to put enough pressure on the fret to get a clean note, they're enjoying playing music. It's cool to have an ambassador such as yourself for our lovely instrument.
-Nate
That is mighty kind, Nate, but I'd call myself like the person you describe rather than an ambassador. I had given up hope of ever being able to play an instrument until I found the dulcimer in my late fifties and then it was love at first sound. I like that it will challenge me for the rest of my life but, as it does so, I still get to play songs! Best regards, Linda
Wonderful video, alegre1. Thank you for creating and sharing it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Aw shucks, thank you! I had fun making it with these friends and for the new Tn. club
It will be a delight to see how you all celebrate the day! @dusty-turtle will be with a group and, perhaps, other friends will be, too. I'll be at my usual playing location (home) with my usual playing partner (Mark).
Hi Robin and everyone who might be interested for International Dulcimer Day,
Hi Everyone, In case anyone might be interested in a "Why Play the Dulcimer" promo for your club, I've attached a link to a five minute video I made for a friend who is launching a new club in Middle Tennessee to help her attract new members. The file is too big to attach here, but here's a link from her library's Facebook page, and so I think you can save the video that way if you'd like to use it.
Happy Playing!
(Looks like you might have to cut and paste it into the URL space)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iiSRd9TtCUnwz5y2AwnEGp5j7MiTWpv6/view?fbclid=IwAR2qO49okapHt1G_C8pq6foVvjKYUUByAgSpQ_Xaknm5SBwleXxbrJr3qQU
[quote="Ariane"]
@Alegre1 - Hi Alegre, I have just seen that I did not sent you an answer to your kind post...I am very happy that you like my last year's Appalachian waltz and look forward to this year`s International Appalachian Dulcimer Day - it is just such a lovely initiative from Robin
[/quote] [quote="Ariane"]
No worries, Ariane ... your music says everything!
Yes, the 'official' International Appalachian Dulcimer Day in 2023 is Saturday 25 March. In a thread here at FOTMD, we landed on choosing the last Saturday in March as the day.
Thank you so much for this reminder!
Yikes! What year was that?
Hi everyone
People send me things and I thought you might like to take a peek and see whom you can find!
Awww…..I truly mean it! I’m enthralled!
P.S. Karen, Also, if you haven't visited the Pluck Blog yet, you might want to take a peek there. Lots of overflow that I had to cut from the book due to length, plus interesting bits discovered since then. If you're new to the Blog I recommend you start at the beginning. Best regards and thank you, Linda
Awww…..I truly mean it! I’m enthralled!
Hi again Karen, if you still feel that way by the end, I would be grateful if you would take a moment to review it on Amazon. Every review helps others find it! Best regards, Linda
Friends, Sarah Kate Morgan is joined by Megan Gregory on fiddle to play and sing a Hazel Dickens song. I first saw it last evening and enjoyed it so. So, I'm sharing it here:
Love this, and Sarah! Thank you for posting Robin
Hello, Karen, thank you for the comment. You've made my day! I am so glad you enjoy the book.
Yes, the 'official' International Appalachian Dulcimer Day in 2023 is Saturday 25 March. In a thread here at FOTMD, we landed on choosing the last Saturday in March as the day.
Thank you for posting the link to the mode posts; I woke up the next morning thinking, “I should have provided a link to the first one!” I’ve bookmarked them
Hi Strumelia, When I first heard there were these things called modes, I looked them up, but didn’t understand a thing, I spent the next two years periodically buying books, watching YouTube tutorials and reading online trying to understand the concept, to no avail. Then I came across a link you provided somewhere in FOTMD to your blog, and all I can do is scream THANK YOU!!! Your explanation is brilliant and simple at the same time. ( I definitely needed simple.) I am so happy that I found your posts. If I had found them earlier it would have saved me hours and hours of wading through torturous explanations that I never understood.
best regards, Linda
In celebration of the today's #internationalappalachiandulcimerday please find my original composition called "Waltzing in the Appalachians" - I would be happy if you enjoyed it (best listened to it with headphones).
The journey with this special musical instrument started for me in 2018 - and the magic is not only its sweet sound and beautiful look but also all the very kind dulcimer players one can meet all over the world
Happy dulcimering!
Ariane
I just found your piece and absolutely love it. Thank you for such beautiful work!
I see two bushy trees in the background and they seem to form a triangle with David's dulcimer being the third point. David's arms & hands almost form a heart-- traditional symbol on mountain dulcimer.
That is very insightful. I didn't know how to interpret the tree on the far right because it appears to be cut off, but you're absolutely right. And the arms/heart connection is interesting.
What a wonderful portrait! It calls to mind his love of surfing. And the carved dulcimer on the little door is just the right touch. Thanks for the additional information, @alegre1!
Hi Robin, I am glad you caught the surfing metaphor, too. I have been struck by his feeling at home in "waves", whether of sound or water. That it was taken in a natural setting is a nod to his love of nature. (I met a woman named Karen who was good friends with him on Friday at the Blair School of Music's 75th Anniversary party. I asked her what she would tell someone about him who had never met him. She was emphatic: he loved nature. He used to write her little notes whenever he saw a mole or bunnies!)
Even the door is a kind of metaphor--the dulcimer and David are inseparable, and in order to "get" to him, all you have to do is open the dulcimer door so to speak. I am still gobsmacked by that portrait and how many layers of meaning one can find in it. What, if anything, do you make of the lone tree in the background?
Greetings everyone; since so many people on this forum knew David Schnaufer, I decided to share this latest Blog post about a little-known portrait of a legend! I hope you enjoy it.
https://www.davidschnauferpluck.com/post/a-most-revealing-portrait
I'm 2/3 through the book - it's amazing to read about so many people, in addition to David, that I've met and had no idea all that they have done in and for the dulcimer community for decades!
Okay, one question - there are comments in the book re: David being "small, thin," "gnomish," etc. I always assumed David was over 6' tall, yet I'm wondering.... Does anyone know how tall he was? Was he a tiny guy? Inquiring minds....
Hello Jill, sorry to reply so late. I queried people who knew him and they said he was about 5'7" give or take. He was fine-boned and often thin, they said, so I suspect that John Lomax's comment that he looked like a gnome was due to the fact that he was slight and had long hair that day he showed up at John's door. Once he got to know him, I don't think he referred to him that way. Later, people also referred to him as "Amish-looking" and indeed after the point in which he gave Tramp all his clothes, he supposedly only wore pants that were made for him by the Amish, and their style of shoes and shirts. Photos from earlier in his career show him in jeans and cowboy boots and either t-shirts or western style shirts. Melanie Lomax told me that in the eighties, when he "dressed up" for events he looked extremely sharp; loved clothes and had a suit she liked a lot with faint tone-on-tone paisley designs. I hope that answers your question :-D
Hiya Jill, I do the same thing re movie stars. I always imagine them to be super tall, but when you see their actual heights, they tend to be on the smaller side with some exceptions. It's strange!
My favorite quote from Pluck:
"'You do not master a musical instrument,' he insists. You learn from it. If anything, it masters you!'" - David Schnaufer
Linda, I enjoyed the book lots and will return to it again.
Thank you so much for the kind words Robin. I really appreciate your taking a chance on the book and am glad you enjoyed it. Best regards, Linda
My favorite quote from Pluck :
"'You do not master a musical instrument,' he insists. You learn from it. If anything, it masters you!'" - David Schnaufer
Linda, I enjoyed the book lots and will return to it again.
Hi Jill, I love that quote about who masters whom, too! And I had a long couple of chats with David's good friend T.J. Larkin about how he interpreted the second quote in which David said "I play the sound of the ground I walk on." T.J. said he thinks he meant that no matter where he was in the world, the music specific to that particular place was infused in and around him. . The music is in the air and in the ground. It was such an evocative image.
If you haven't seen this blogpost , you might want to read about Jan Pulsford's electric mix called "Twanging Dude" and listen to the song (link is in paragraph six). I put the lyrics in the book, but, you really have to listen to him to get the full effect! And he says that quote!
So glad you enjoyed David's story! If you get a moment to review it on Amazon, please do; every review helps others find it. Best regards, Linda
Most of the dulcimer builders who grew up in the tradition tuned their instruments for just intonation to sweeten the blending of the melody and drones. Modern dulcimer makers use a different intonation (equal temperament) which blends more readily into triads (3-note chords) to facilitate modern chord melody styles.
The older, traditional "just intonation" gives the most traditional dulcimer sound with the bass and middle drone strings ringing out a constant 1-5 drone against the changing melody. Leonard and Clifford Genn, Edd Presnell, Homer Ledford, A.W. Jeffreys, and a few others continued to use the just tempered scale, and their instruments were made with the drones in mind.
To get one of those sweet sounding "just intonation" instruments like the Glenns made, you need to find one of their instruments in the used marketplace or purchase an instrument from one of a handful of traditional builders. You will find them in the The Traditional Appalachian Dulcimer (TTAD) forum. They build beautiful traditional dulcimers based on the tried and true techniques of the Glenns and others.
Your post is so informative--thank you for posting it.
There is nothing particularly special about 'banjo strings' vs 'dulcimer strings'... except in relation to their being offered in convenient pre-packaged sets. Banjo 'sets' are geared towards banjo scale length (generally 25"-30") and standard banjo tuning: gDGBD (the last D being an octave higher than the first D, equal to a dulcimer high d).
The reason old timers and older books mention using banjo strings is not because they thought banjo strings were better suited than dulcimer strings. Rather, it's simply because there didn't used to BE many places to buy pre-packaged sets of 'dulcimer strings' in those pre-1970s days, whereas banjo string sets have been around for a lot longer and were way easier to find in music stores. Old timers were resourceful and used whatever they could get their hands on. This was pre-internet- there were no websites to order strings from- you had to either go to a music store or order from a paper catalogue using stamps envelopes and sending checks. (and then "allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery", LOL)
The truly best approach is to use a string calculator (Strothers is the current best one online) and based on the VSL of YOUR dulcimer and the notes that YOU want to tune the strings to, select the gauges you'll need for that tuning. Then buy some separate steel strings (usually loop-end) from a site like juststrings .com. Have some extras on hand for breakage. If you have a typical sized dulcimer and simply want to use typical DAd or DAA type tunings, you can buy packets of dulcimer string 'sets' and it'll work just fine in most cases. It's convenient if you don't need anything out of the norm.
Commercial strings heavier than a certain gauge will more likely be wound, which you'll notice when ordering strings online. If you have your heart set on unwound heavy bass strings then you 'may' have to buy a spool of that heavy gauge music wire and cut/twist your own unwound bass strings. It depends on just how heavy the gauge is that you want. Personally, I found heavy unwound bass strings to really hurt my fingers when fretting, so I do use wound heavy bass strings on my banjos and dulcimers. If you always play with a noter this wouldn't matter.
Thank you for such a detailed post on strings ... this is very enlightening!
Received my copy yesterday from Amazon. 19 pages in so far and I’m enjoying it 🙂 Looking forward to the rest.
I live in the Nashville, TN area and was involved with The Grand Ol’ Dulcimer Club, of which David was a founder.
I Never had the honor of being around David, but was around *many* of his students. In the stories they would pass along, it was easy to see he had a big impact on their lives and their playing.
Ethan, I wanted to let you know that the Grand Old Dulcimer Club will finally be getting together at the Tennessee State Museum on Sunday, 10 April at 1:15 for our first playout together in two years. Stephen Seifert will be leading us. I do hope you'll come and pick a little with us! Anyone else who lives in south central Kentucky or the Nashville area is most welcome.
I'm 2/3 through the book - it's amazing to read about so many people, in addition to David, that I've met and had no idea all that they have done in and for the dulcimer community for decades!
Okay, one question - there are comments in the book re: David being "small, thin," "gnomish," etc. I always assumed David was over 6' tall, yet I'm wondering.... Does anyone know how tall he was? Was he a tiny guy? Inquiring minds....
Hello Jill, sorry to reply so late. I queried people who knew him and they said he was about 5'7" give or take. He was fine-boned and often thin, they said, so I suspect that John Lomax's comment that he looked like a gnome was due to the fact that he was slight and had long hair that day he showed up at John's door. Once he got to know him, I don't think he referred to him that way. Later, people also referred to him as "Amish-looking" and indeed after the point in which he gave Tramp all his clothes, he supposedly only wore pants that were made for him by the Amish, and their style of shoes and shirts. Photos from earlier in his career show him in jeans and cowboy boots and either t-shirts or western style shirts. Melanie Lomax told me that in the eighties, when he "dressed up" for events he looked extremely sharp; loved clothes and had a suit she liked a lot with faint tone-on-tone paisley designs. I hope that answers your question :-D
I love this quote from the book…
A dulcimer resonates deep inside its owner. If it connects with a good heart, the Muse will take note and inspire the player to learn how to summon joy, overcome pain or sorrow, forge a sense of discipline, build character and community. The dulcimer will serve as a leader, a follower, and a lifelong companion on a personal musical journey that has no end as far as it is concerned, only new and satisfying experiences along the way. It’s a handcrafted escape for lonely and troubled times, a healer for the sick, a teacher of history, a catalyst for singing, dancing and expressing gratitude, and a companion for mourning.
This means more to me than you might imagine, Laurie. Thank you for the kind words.
I’ve just finished reading this book. It’s really a wonderful read. Moving at the end, tears welling up. Some of the people mentioned in this book I have either met, or have contact with through social media. I believe it should be read by all those either currently playing a dulcimer, or those simply interested in the instrument. It has changed my playing perspective. Now I’m leaning more towards learning the older tunes. I’ve also started listening to WSM on the radio. And thru Apple Music I’ve been listening to many of the recordings mentioned in this book. Thank you for writing this excellent book.
@jill-geary Thanks for sharing the Fisher's Hornpipe video-- been a long time since I've watched it. What fun!
I'm soon to finish the book and have learned lots along the way.
In case you're reading the book (or even if you aren't!) - here is the video that is mentioned re: the Barn Dance/Fisher's Hornpipe. So amazing!!!
Jill, thank you for the kind words about Pluck. I am just as amazed as you at how the "Fisher's Hornpipe" video stands the test of time. :-D
Believe it or not, a new version of the Cactus Brothers is still performing. If you're not familiar with their fiddle player, Tramp, he's well worth looking up: https://trampcamp.net . Here's "Redhead", one of his older compositions that I really like:
And, here's the old Cactus Brother's cover of "Sixteen Tons", another favorite. You'll see glimpses of David in the van:
@alegre1, I haven't even received my copy of the book yet, but the description moved me to tears: "David’s story brings hope through his conviction that the dulcimer and its music have an infinite capacity to unite people and ensure a lifetime of enchantment for anyone who has ever wished he or she could play an instrument."
Thanks to Jan Pulsford, I'd like to share a bit of rare 2001 audio that you might enjoy: "Twanging Dude" ... link is enclosed within the post.
https://www.davidschnauferpluck.com/post/jan-pulsford-the-twanging-dude
I’ve just finished reading this book. It’s really a wonderful read. Moving at the end, tears welling up. Some of the people mentioned in this book I have either met, or have contact with through social media. I believe it should be read by all those either currently playing a dulcimer, or those simply interested in the instrument. It has changed my playing perspective. Now I’m leaning more towards learning the older tunes. I’ve also started listening to WSM on the radio. And thru Apple Music I’ve been listening to many of the recordings mentioned in this book. Thank you for writing this excellent book.
Dave, thank you for these comments, and I'm smiling at your writing that it has "changed my playing perspective" because that is exactly what happened to me as I did the research. I started the project with a somewhat narrow focus: "Who was this guy, and what made him tick?" I ended up learning about a whole lot more than I ever dreamed thanks especially to the Dulcimer Boomers such as Doug Berch, Bonnie Carol, Neal Hellman, Bob Force, Leo Kretzner and many others ... their work and recollections taught me to elevate the dulcimer as an equal partner to its player, and to appreciate a much wider range of music than I had before I started. They were and are a group of the most admirable people for their creativity, passion, dedication, and inspiration and contributions of joy to the world. These days I think often the world would be much better off if people such as dulcimer players were running things!
I received my copy of the PLUCK book in the mail today. I'm just starting to read it. Looks to be a wonderful book.
What great photos!
In the bottom photo, it appears Alice Gerrard is in the middle of the photo, behind those jamming? Also, it's something to see Raymond Melton and Roscoe Russell in the other pictures. Nice.
Dear Robin, glad you liked the photos! I am going to nudge Rick into joining FOTMD because he has lots of historic treasures he is still finding in boxes and sharing. It makes me wonder how much gold is out there in shoeboxes that should be archived for future scholars of folk music.
One of the saddest 'Christmas' songs ever written. Joni's "River" is about regrets of a lost love. She says it's about sadness or loneliness around Christmas time.
Joni is a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors this year.
Her song River (which was on her Blue album) has just had a wonderful new animation film created to accompany it:
Hi everyone, it's really interesting to read stories from those of you with first-hand knowledge of the seventies festivals. I have been working a little every day to catalogue all the files people have shared for the Vanderbilt Archives, and yesterday came across some photos that Rick Freimuth* sent me from that time period that I think you might enjoy. I will post more if you are interested, and have posted many already and with more to come on https://www.davidschnauferpluck.com/blog
*Rick was a good friend of Keith Young's, and a young admirer of David whom he met through the Youngs.
I just ordered and I very much look forward to receiving and reading this biography! Thank you for researching and writing!
Dear Jill, it was a great pleasure to research and write because I learned so much. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did. I've met very nice people thanks to this project, and now you! Please let me know if you have any questions; I will be happy to answer.
While you wait, you might want to visit the Pluck Blog because there is and will be a lot of overflow in terms of photos, audio, documents and stories to supplement the book. Also, I've heard that people are getting together with friends to talk about it, so I just posted Book Club Discussions Starters for anyone interested. Thank you so much for writing. Best regards, Linda
[quote="steve c."]
I almost did fall off my chair back then. Lol
Well, I've had the great pleasure of getting to know Doug Berch the past two years and David, indirectly. I supposed if you had to go up against two nicer people, you couldn't have found them!