Forum Activity for @nate

Information on luthier Larry Wilson?

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Haha, well while I'm definitely no expert in the standard behavior of woodworkers, but I do know that a lot of people have a grandfather who built a handful of dulcimers for friends and family, and when those get sold, it can be almost impossible to find info about them. 

You do make a very good point. Dulcimers can come in different intonations (such as meantone or Just-intonated), or have a bridge setup for a tuning with a specific gauge of strings such as DAA, or AEA, so buying from an obscure luthier increases those risks.

Information on luthier Larry Wilson?

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

After trying to dig a bit, I came across several woodworkers with the name Larry Wilson, but couldn't find anything specifically about dulcimers from any of them. Whoever he is, he doesn't seem to have much online presence. I think it's somewhat common for skilled woodworkers to build a couple of dulcimers for fun, which then end up in circulation with very little info about their builder. I wonder if this may be like that.

updated by @nate: 08/30/23 03:08:49PM

FANS OF NATE

OFF TOPIC discussions

Okay backup plan. You are the minister of propaganda, all you have to do is comment under my songs that you enjoyed them. So far your service has been admirable!

FANS OF NATE

OFF TOPIC discussions

Well then its settled, Robin. You are the enforcer! Your job is to bounce the undesirables. I'll leave it to you to determine which shins you want to kick, and the full brunt force of FANS OF NATE (which I think is just us) will descend on them! 

Introduce Yourself!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I am guessing the satisfaction of restoring your instrument only added to the joy of playing it!

Welcome

-Nate

I only see original post in a discussion, not replies..?

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

 
Haha sucker, I didn't even pay yet! 

Seriously though that page got a big grin out of me

FANS OF NATE

OFF TOPIC discussions

Of course Robin, though we might need some treasure first. Sadly, I think this may be one of those times where the real treasure is the friends we made along the way....

I only see original post in a discussion, not replies..?

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

 
I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a fansite today

I only see original post in a discussion, not replies..?

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

I'm not saying you should convert the entire platform into a massive fansite dedicated to how cool I am, but......well actually that is exactly what I'm saying.

I only see original post in a discussion, not replies..?

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

To be honest, I find the separation of Groups and Discussions kind of confusing. Im never really sure where I should be posting. I've also gotten confused a few times when I click on a group discussion from google search, and it doesnt show the replies because I'm not in the group. For non-members this is probably very confusing. For what it's worth I'm not great at navigating this site but I think it is very well put together considering just how much information is packed into this place!

A Test for Tone-Deafness!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hey Dusty! I noticed that I was able to improve quickly at the test, probably because it used the same tone each time. I also went from 28-31 after retrying. I think your math is right that 1-64th corresponds to 1.5 cents. Not that it matters for me. Being able to tell one tone is a cent and a half higher than another would be much more helpful if I also knew which one is the correct tone. XD

A Test for Tone-Deafness!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

A test to determine how well you can discern subtle differences in pitch. I always assumed that I had poor pitch perception, but apparently I can detect a 1-16th of a note difference reliably! If anyone else would like to take this test, I'd love to know what you score!
https://www.themusiclab.org/quizzes/td
Nate

Frank Bond Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

On a serious note though, I am quite curious about what would compel someone to remove frets from the fingerboard...it strikes me that the frets are removed from the outer ends of the instrument. Is the dulcimer 'bowed' downward such that the bridge and nut are lower than the center of the fretboard? Maybe the frets were removed to prevent buzzing? If so, the repair might be a touch more complicated. Is the fretboard level for it's full length?

Frank Bond Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Haha I found the misunderstanding about 'missing frets' amusing. Surely you guys must be aware that a  truly traditional dulcimer only has 3 frets to an octave. This was increased to 7 during an early surge in popularity known as the "vival" hundreds of years before the 1.5 and 6.5 were later also added during a period called the "re-vival."

How does your pet react to your Dulcimer playing?

OFF TOPIC discussions

My cat is very indifferent to the dulcimer, but gets very concerned when I play the harmonica and hates when I play the pennywhistle. More than anything, I think he doesnt like that my dulcimer occupies my lap when he wishes he did.

Just For Fun - sayings regarding the dulcimer or music

OFF TOPIC discussions

"Folk music is high-class music. There's a lotta low-class people singin' it. Matter of fact, most so-called folk singers don't even look like folk." -Abner Jay

Sustain volume when sliding to a lower fret

Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

When I'm making a long slide with my thumb, I often pluck the string partway through the slide. Sometimes at half the distance I'm sliding to, sometimes wherever it fits into the rhythm nicely, sometimes to emphasize a specific not along the way.

Sustain volume when sliding to a lower fret

Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

I dont know much, but from my experience, moving the noter across the frets as fast as possible makes the note noticeably more pronounced than moving it slower, when you are hitting each fret along the way. I think one technique tries to give the intermittent slide where each fret along the way is heard as it slides into the next, while another technique tries to slide along the string without touching the frets for a more consistent sliding tone. I feel that denser noter material allows the sliding to be heard better. For example, a delicate touch  passing over the frets using an actual glass slide or ceramic slide seems to be the loudest for me. When pressing down to 'bump' each fret along the way, I prefer to use a dense piece of wood hitting each fret hard to excite the string. I also will sometimes pluck the string mid slide, or will lift off and hammer down with the noter to accent the note I'm ending on.

Hope this was useful

Nate

Show Us Your Pets!

OFF TOPIC discussions

Bubba

Dulcimer Players News demise

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

By my generation, popeye and similar cartoons didnt even play on boomerang. The full collection of betty boop, woody woodpecker, sailor mickey, wile e coyote, popeye, etc were DVDs at the dollar store.

updated by @nate: 07/02/23 11:59:23PM

Dulcimer Players News demise

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Lol john it does in fact make you strong to the finish. I was told once that the decimal point was misplaced on a study about the iron content of spinach, thus it was considered a miracle food with 100x the iron it actually had. Personally, I like it with some ricotta, or in a buttered curry with some squash and chicken!

Dulcimer Players News demise

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Haha, Gordon, we ate a lot of spinach and poke in Arkansas, but never without sweating it down in some lard or bacon grease. They dont call it soul food cause it's good for the body!

Dulcimer Players News demise

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Strumelia, the strange thing I've noticed is that my generation will gladly watch a 5 hour video as long as its divided into 20 parts.

In truth I definitely did imagine a tiktok style video telling three minutes of dulcimer history, with a part 2 and 3 and an endless stream of new minutes, since as you said, there is a LOT to cover.

Short condensed videos could help to reach a much broader audience, the way a magazine once could. I know it has been said a lot of times, but I think a dulcimer could easily replace the ukulele as the definitive beginner-friendly instrument for folk music/singer-songwriter music.

I value DPN as it is quite a lot. It is a deep, deep well of information at this point. I wouldn't want to lose that just to make the content more digestible, but if there were a high quality source of digestible excerpts about dulcimer content a la an Instagram video, I suspect that would really help dulcimer to become more culturally relevant. Again, I feel the instrument has so much potential that it blows my mind it's not more popular. 

PS, I hope you are right that people who value self subsistence and traditional skills will help to revive the dulcimer, the typewriter and vinyl people I could take or leave. Lol

Nate

updated by @nate: 06/30/23 07:57:27PM

Healthy Living- healthy eating, exercise, weight loss, veggie gardening, etc.

OFF TOPIC discussions

Wow Ken, I'm envious! Sounds like you've put them to about every use under the sun. My grandfather had a few mango trees on his farm and they always seemed to grow more than the whole family plus the neighbors could use!

Dulcimer Players News demise

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

To the conversation about getting young people to engage, I myself am a young person (just turned 24) and I think it would be a huge challenge to get the broader audience of young people to read any sort of printed magazine, digital or physical. Most young people prefer short videos to written text. If dulcimer had an ambassador who could output short vlog style videos showing techniques, styles, tips, history, design, players etc, that would probably be the best bet. It would be a massive undertaking for DPN or anyone else, and probably wouldn't end up worth the time.

updated by @nate: 06/30/23 12:10:07PM

What to call your dulcimer collection?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Whenever I clean up, the couch becomes the temporary home of what I affectionately refer to as "the hoarde" as they are a horde I've hoarded. haha

updated by @nate: 06/24/23 05:36:54AM

Vintage Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

It took me a bit too long to understand what I was looking at. Such a neat design, good thing you found this dulcimer and not me or else I would have glued it together without even thinking twice haha

Vintage Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I also noticed that the 'f holes' that run along the edges of the fingerboard terminate at big round holes on the side pieces. Does anyone know anything about this?
I hadnt heard of this 'floating bridge' concept until just now. I was able to find this older FOTMD post about a 'howie mitchell floating bridge' 
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/instruments-discuss-specific-features-luthiers-instrument-problems-questions/35304/dulcimer-queries


So now I understand a bit better what I'm looking at with this dulcimer, and I am very curious if it's better. I have recently been really interested in how anchoring the strings in different ways and places affects tone. 

updated by @nate: 06/15/23 01:55:58AM

Vintage Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I am a bit confused. Visually, to me the gap between the tailpiece and the box looks very jagged and rough, like when glued surfaces get pulled apart. It also looks like there is some residual glue visible in the pictures, but that might just be dust and lighting. There is a chewed up little ding on the corner where I assumed they would connect, which I assumed is what split them.

Vintage Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

The more I look at it the more I wonder if the dulcimer was intended to be hung on a rod. The headstock almost resembles a clothes hanger hook. I doubt well ever know, but I do like the idea of the builder having rows of their creations across a wall.

Vintage Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

@ken-hulme I cant help but wonder what the intention was, since I'd Imagine it took some effort to do. Then again, maybe the piece of wood that became the headstock was originally cut for something else, and the maker repurposed it. Ive done that with furniture pieces a couple times with some strange looks. 
@dwain-wilder Am I understanding you correctly that you are saying the string pins should be mounted to the tailpiece like in this drawing, so to not apply upward force to the break?

thanks,
Nate

Vintage Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I find the headstock really interesting. The shape of the cutout seems very specific, as if it was for a purpose. I cant imagine it would be much good for hanging the dulcimer as the notch seems really shallow. Maybe it was for hanging one specifically on a shaker peg or something like that? Also, I see a knob at the bottom for a strap, but none at the top. Anyone have any ideas? Is that type of cutout on other dulcimers as well?

Converting a 4 String Dulcimer to a 3 String

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

 I set up my 4 string dulcimers so that the inner-most of the two melody strings is equidistant with the middle and bass, and the outermost has the same distance to the edge of the fretboard as the bass string. On a 1.5" fretboard this is usually 
7/32" | 1/16" | 1/2" | 1/2" | 7/32" with the lines representing strings.
For what it's worth, removing the outer string can put you further from the ends of the fretboard, but removing the inner string can give your thumbtip slightly more space on the melody without touching the middle string. It really doesn't matter much, unless youre like me and not very precise while playing.

Benefits of longer VSL?

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Bob,
it is a pleasure to see you back, after not hearing your insight for a stretch. I would love a link to any blogs or anything similar resources about this 'octaver' 
Suffice it to say the concepts you approach with your instruments are not available to me, but provide important data and concepts for me to bastardize/appropriate

fret scale chart of a mountain Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Well whatever his question was, probably at least one person has answered it by now haha

2023 Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming online link

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

If youre not busy, hop in!

fret scale chart of a mountain Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Dwain please correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think you may have increased all those notes by an octave(or two with A5 and decreased by 1 with F3 relative to the other notes) though I am not aware of GFG being a normal tuning, perhaps you meant GDG, (one full step down from AEA or a 1-5-8 in G major?) with normal tunings being d4d4A3D3 A3A3A3D3, G3G3D3G2 which are normally notated as D-A-dd (mixolydian tuning) or D-A-AA (Ionian tuning) GDGG (baritone mixo)
Also I think you meant to say that a diatonic scale is like a piano without the black keys, not a piano without the white keys.
updated by @nate: 04/13/23 02:47:08AM

fret scale chart of a mountain Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I believe he is referring to the 1.5 and 4.5 frets, the 1.5 I think is the minor pentatonic blue note in D, both allow for the melody string to play a d minor scale, the .5 fret also helps with minor scale chords

updated by @nate: 04/12/23 11:37:06PM

fret scale chart of a mountain Dulcimer

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Are you asking for a list of fret measurements for chromatic frets? The stew mac calculator can be set to 'electric guitar' and will then show placement for all 12 frets in an octave.
Are you asking for a chart which shows scale degrees and how to fret them? I am not aware of one for chromatic, but this chart has the diatonic frets and you could add onto this yourself.
https://everythingdulcimer.com/tab/chord_chart_dad_major.pdf
For every fret that is not included on this chart, you can identify it's note, then identify the notes of the other frets you are playing and with a chart like this 
https://www.michael-thomas.com/music/class/chords_notesinchords.htm
you can determine what chords you are making with these frets. So whichever frets you have, I promise it's a pretty quick process to transcribe your fretboard into a chart of scale degrees in various keys or letter notes.

Connection Between Hammered and Mountain Dulcimers?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Do you by any chance still have this article? I am sure i could find an online resource for how to build one but I have become very fascinated with how people would convey building ideas over print. The first dulcimer I built was from a Reader's Digest "traditional skills" book. It did not explain anything nearly enough, but my un-intonated dulcimer with absurdly high action did sound so bad it made me want to actually learn about building dulcimers, out of desire to produce something better.
Anyway, if possible I'd really appreciate a photo of this article, or details that could help me find a digital copy of it.
Thanks
Nate