Forum Activity for @tonyg

Thanks for all your responses.  I try to play what I'd consider traditional style......no chords or extra frets, mostly bagpipe tuning.  However I do use a pick which I thought might somehow technically disqualify me, but I guess I'm okay.  I've also wondered how some of Uncle Ed Thomas's customers would have played, being far more isolated then we could imagine today, and no youtube, cd's, festivals, etc.to influence them.  Like old time fiddle and banjo styles varied from county to county, but perhaps even to a greater degree. I think of "fast" when I think of today's traditional players.  Dusty Turtle had a recent thread about what fiddle tunes sounded good played slow.  Personally I think a lot of tunes sound good or even better slowed down.  With all the drones in bagpipe tuning, you get a lonesome fiddle sound when played slower, and wondered if that's how some of Uncle Ed's customers played.  I've also wondered if they learned specific tunes or as I very often do, noodled around and came up with their own tunes.  Sometimes it seems like the dulcimer is playing me rather than the other way around!  Just some rambling thoughts......

Besides turkey feathers and bare fingers, was there anything else folks might have used to play the dulcimer back before picks were invented?

I think Goin' to Boston and Red Haired Boy sound good played slower.  In fact, I think a lot of music sounds better (to my ears) on the dulcimer played more slowly.  There seems to be a trend in traditional music......especially bluegrass..... that faster is better.  Personally I don't agree.  I've often wondered if the pre 1940 dulcimer players played more slowly.  I especially like bagpipe tuning played that way (esp. with a lot of slides) as it reminds me more of a lonesome fiddle.  The "angry bee" sound never conjured up a picture of someone on the porch of their cabin up some lonely holler playing their dulcimer on a quiet evening.

What string gauges do you use on your traditional dulcimers?

I've always been partial to the Uncle Ed Thomas design.

Thanks for the link John......I'll check it out.

Are there any traditional mountain dulcimer makers who still make instruments more reminiscent of old time dulcimores?

Wow....that's funny Ken......I do a very similar thing:  when I'm in bagpipe tuning, I take an uncut cap, and slide it under both drone strings which gives me aeolian and dorian.

I had an afterthought that's kinda related:  I'm most often tuned Bbb bagpipes tuning, which allows me to play either ionian or mixolydian without retuning. The only non-traditional thing I do, (since I don't use a noter) is pick up a note or two on the bass string when necessary.  Also, I can drop my melody string down a step and play either aeolian or Dorian. 

I don't have occasion to play with others, so the actual key I'm in in unimportant.  Usually I'm tuned Ebb, so I just drop the first and middle strings to a.  My question was more regarding why it's not more popular with traditional players rather than the music theory side of things.

I don't find much about Eaa mixolydian tuning and was wondering why since it lends itself to traditional no chords style playing?

I know the trend has been toward shorter scale lengths, which I suppose makes sense for chord melody style, but being a drone player, I prefer a longer scale length which for some reason sounds better to my ear.  But I was wondering what the reason is, and basically,  how does scale length affect the sound of a dulcimer?

Yeah, I'm more of a finger-dancer, rather than just using one finger.  I have used a noter, and yes, it's not that hard to still hit the middle string with your finger.  But finger-dancing came more naturally to me after years of playing chord-melody style and I never got very good with the noter.

After abandoning chord melody playing (former long time guitar player), I've been playing drone style, (but no noter though) using more traditional tunings, and have really come to appreciate the old time sound of the dulcimer.  However, the other day I tuned to DAD for the first time in a long time, and was pleasantly surprised to find how good this tuning sounds played drone style without any chords.  Since I don't use a noter, I can easily play a couple notes on the middle string when necessary.  It would seem most DAD players use chords, but I was wondering if any of you traditional players use DAD?  I guess you could say I'm becoming a  semi- traditional  player, ((no chords but no noter) using not-so-traditional chords (DAD/DGD).  Hmmmmmmm........

Robin......did you mean Ddda?

Dda........you don't hear much about this tuning.  Strumelia mentioned it in an old blog, and I was wondering if the middle string would be an unwound high d or a wound lower D like the bottom string?  Also, any thoughts or experiences with this tuning for drone style would be appreciated.  

Come to think about it, I guess it never really was what you'd call a popular instrument.  And one of my favorite quotes about the dulcimer went something like this:

"The mountain dulcimer.....that quiet, peaceful, personal instrument; meant to be played in some lonely log cabin, down some dark holler."

I believe I read that in "Four and Twenty" , a songbook which used to be included with McSpadden dulcimers.  I think Lynn McSpadden probably wrote it.  Of course, that was before the internet.

Has the popularity of and interest in the mountain dulcimer declined in the last 10 or 15 years?

Thanks Ken....I found it online and downloaded it.  And thanks to you too Dusty.

Interesting question, and one I've  thought of often.  My response would be a quote.....maybe by Lynn McSpadden, found in the "Four and Twenty" songbook they used to include when you bought a new McSpadden: 

"The dulcimer......that quiet, peaceful, personal instrument designed for playing in a lonely log cabin deep in some dark holler."

For me, nothing much has changed.

I generally keep my dulcimer tuned d-d-D.  I've  noticed when I play in the ionian mode, certain hymns like Hoy, Holy, Holy, Abide With Me, and Softly and Tenderly require the use of the 6 1/2 fret.  (I've  also noticed I can't  seem to play these same hymns in the mixolydian mode.....at least not in d-d-D tuning)  Could anyone give me the reason for this, keeping in mind I'm  not the sharpest knife in the music theory drawer?  Thanks......

Thanks guys........that helped.

Very helpful Ken......thanks very much.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like when I'm in bagpipe tuning, and I lower my melody string a full step, I can now play in BOTH Aolian and Dorian modes.  Is this right?  Thanks.......

Could anyone here shed any light on what time period historically and where geographically bagpipe tuning....(not Galax tuning))....was more commonly used?  I find it to be quite versatile and also very traditional sounding.  I much prefer it to the more commonly used ionion tuning. Thanks for any info.