Hmmm...do you play WF fast or slow? As a dance tune or a lament? If you're playing it fast, then Whiskey before Breakfast or Spotted Pony might be similar in "gait"....if you play it slow, you might want to learn Hard Times, which can be played all over the fretboard and handle key changes and anything else you throw at it. Can easily sit and fingerpick that for quite awhile!
Angel Band, Hard Times, John Stinson #2, June Apple, are some that I might add. This is a great list!
This really is pretty, Phil (can I say that about a guy's dulcimer?)...and I hope the sound is just as lovely. I like the combination of the wood used. And, yes, the soundholes say, "Give Florida a try!".
Somehow, I think Aubrey Atwater would be very amused to know we're discussing her wardrobe! I've seen her in quite a few performances and I think she always wears a skirt or a dress....something she can clog in.
If I were performing regularly, I would also keep track of what I wore, so I didn't end up wearing the exact same thing every time (unless I was deliberately going for a "uniform" look). I sang in a group where we DID have to wear the same thing at every performance...back in the 60's...but expressing yourself as an individual is a good thing, I think.
I am reminded of a little girl I taught who was puzzled by what I wore, but didn't say anything until the end of the year. My school had me on a very rigid schedule to see particular students,and this student only saw me once a week. At the close of the school year, as she was leaving, she pulled me down so she could ask quietly--and privately--"Mrs. Potts, why don't you have any other clothes? All you wear are those green pants." I then realized that since our school was so big (spread out over several buildings) she probably HAD only seen me on TUESDAYS--the day I had meetings with my troop of Girl Scoutsafter school!
I am not at all surprised that Guy is most comfortable in nice slacks and a collared shirt, well-pressed--and you look GREAT in your profile photo!
I personally think that dressing in all black can sometimes be like a black hole. Or the place where all the energy drains away to nothingness. Or, like the Japanese puppeteers, you're "not really there" at all. If you see folks looking at you with worried expressions and a furrowed brow, they may be wondering who died. And I KNOW that there are a lot of folks who dress in all black every day....we all just gotta do our own thing, I guess.
When people come to a performance, they come toSEE you and experience being there with you, not just listen to you--they can do that (the listening) with all kinds of modern technology. They want to connect with you, and some of that is about your wonderfully expressive face andhow your body interacts with the dulcimer, and some of that is about forming this image of you that they're going to keep in their head.
I ALWAYS notice what female performers are wearing on stage. It's part of the performance package, unless your audience is visually challenged. There are some outfits that just don't work. The skirt is too narrow to easily navigate the higher-than-average steps up to the stage, or the material ends up being nearly transparent (oops!)with the positioning of the stage lighting, or there's not enough give or stretch in the material and construction to move around and/or adjust stands, instruments, stools, mikes, chairs, etc. The fringed jacket--which looked so great in the mirror--ends up getting caught in your strings. You pick up your dropped music and inadvertently flash the audience. Well, you're a performer, so you know all these pitfalls. MOSTLY, folks just want you to be comfortable and communicate a sense of your personality. Comfy shoes, a flowy skirt--or slacks that fit well--and a top with maybe a simple necklace that doesn't reflect the lights into folks' eyes.....if you're a hat person, go for it, just not one that keeps your face in shadow the whole time. Mary, I can't imagine you in work boots, ripped jeans, hunting shirt and ball cap on backwards, but maybe that IS you and I just lack imagination!!!
Ditto to what Robin said! I hope things are starting to get back to normal, whatever that is!
Phil, wishing you and your wife peace and comfort as you move into your new place. 
I would probably build a different setup to get to the door, even if it was just a piece of plywood and some cinderblocks. My husband had a bad fall years ago coming out of a door that had 3 steps down and he misjudged his footing--couldn't see what he was doing because he was carrying a huge air conditioner. Accidents happen very easily, especially on snow and ice. Be careful!
Phil....did they ever set up a collection at a local bank or something? I know your community hasn't exactly bent over backwards to help....but maybe the dulcimer community could help some.
If this hasn't been set up, then send me a message with your address, please.
Wish you were closer...I have lots of extra stuff at my house.
Ellen, we have drool bibs for that....
Dusty--Thanks for mentioning scale positions. Since I am most comfortable playing by ear, I think in terms of scale positions and then transpose to the correct fret positions based on how my instrument is tuned (and possibly by what mode I'm playing in, but I don't actually think about modes!).
I also usually do a "tuning check" in addition to tuning individual strings with a Snark or Korg tuner. Since I'm using a 1-5-8 tuning, Icompare the open bass and melody strings with the middle string at the 3rd fret. I thencompare the open middle string with the bass and melody strings fretted on the 4th fret.
Tuned DAd, that means I first listen to eachstring playing a D, followed by each string playing an A.
If I'm playing alone, though, and don't have a tuner handy, this is a good way to tune the dulcimer to itself.
It's also a quick way to check the tuning after apiece using a vigorous strum or periodically during a long jam session.
This is great! Even with the little knowledge of the dulcimer that my husband has, he laughed and laughed as I read this to him. You've got those speeds defined just right!
Oh my! Thanks for the big chuckle in the middle of the night! I could relate to so much of this!
Hope you continue to enjoy your dulcimer over the holidays and on into 2014!
I should have also mentioned this interesting dulcimer stand I own because it is very sturdy and will also hold your music while you practice! The top part can be removed if you don't want to use it. The pegs at the top can be adjusted to fit the width of your dulcimer and there is cork on the heel rest at the bottom. Little "feet" on the heel rest keep your dulcimerslanted back and cradled between the pegs. Well-made!
It's currently on eBay, item 141132457952
Gin, I own the one by Doug Felts that Wayne Anderson recommended and I am very pleased with it. It will accommodate quite a variety of instrument sizes and shapes, the pegs are padded with something that will not harm the finish on your instrument, it's sturdy and folds for easy transporting to a class or jam. And, yes, Doug and Lee are great folks to work with!
Hope this helps!
Kevin Yeoman said:
I have my eye on a Banjammer and I feel that will be the next item to join the club.
YES! Get a Banjammer! So much fun--you won't regret it!
Mark--This would be the most comfortable, by far--even without the boat. I still don't know whythere isn't afolding chair that's as comfortable as a boat seat!
Mark Richardson said:
My kind of person... look for a chair,,, buy the boat the chair is sitting in... assuming you got the chair with the boat....enjoy...
If you want to gamble on an ebay instrument, there a Folkcraft up for auction that's still below $100.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hand-Crafted-Dulcimer-by-Folkcraft-Heart-sh...
That could be a very nice instrument, but you have no way to be sure....however, it does come with 14-day after delivery return if you decide you don't want to keep it. It has geared pegs and a 6.5 fret, a case, and a beginning instruction book, so that could be a very good deal. I think it's cherry, which has a nice "voice" and it doesn't look all banged up from the photos. I have purchased some VERY nice instruments on eBay, so if I needed another one , then I would definitely consider this for purchase. I already own several Folkcraft dulcimers, however....
Another thing to consider is Dave Lynch's Sweetwoods Student dulcimer, considered by many to be a top-of-the-line student dulcimer. FOTMD Ken Hulme says "I happen to own a Student Model by Dave "Harpmaker" Lynch. Cost is $125 plus shipping. Sound is incredible - as good or better than instruments costing twice as much. Others will tell you their preferences."
Folkfan then added to Ken's comments:
One point about Sweetwoods Instruments is that Dave does have a $100 credit towards a future upgrade that goes with his student dulcimer. He will give a buyer the $100 towards a more expensive instrument if the student instrument is returned in reasonable condition when the next dulcimer is ordered. Basically then you'd be paying $25.00 for the student as a type of rental fee.
Dave has had this policy for years but has had very few returns of the student but he's had many repeat buyers. His repeat customers say things like, "My daughter, son, cousin or friend is going to be using my student instrument", "It's perfect for taking to a festival, camping, traveling, etc." and "But I love the way it sounds".
I also own 2 of Dave Lynch's dulcimer's! I've heard many people echo the comments made by Ken and Folkfan, and my cherry Dave Lynch teardrop dulcimer is one of my top favorites--I took it to the last workshop I went to, earlier this month.
Many of us also started on cardboard dulcimers...in this case it's definitely the precision of the fretboard construction that makes these great, under $100 instruments to learn on. The cardboard box makes an adequate soundbox, and they come in different colors, as an added bonus! Mine was ordered from Backyard Music Co., I believe (It's been a long time!)
LET US KNOW WHAT YOU FINALLY DECIDE ON! We're all hoping you find something that meets your newbie needs!
Thank you so much, Paul! When I get back home again I'll send in my order! This is very appreciated!
Is this duet arrangement available for purchase? I love both parts--and would like to learn both! And, Rob, if you learn them, too, we'll play a duet some day!
Interesting discussion on what people want to play when they get together to jam. Some of the songs I like were on the radio 40-50 years ago--Puff the Magic Dragon and Today (while the blossoms still cling to the vine) come to mind readily. There are a few Beatles tunes I wouldn't mind learning to play on the dulcimer (Yesterday would be one), but then that's pretty old, too. And, heck, I LIKE the songs from the 1800's and the early 1900's...the songs we sang around the campfire in Scouts and with our families. Then, of course, there are the old hymns....many of them good rousing campmeeting tunes, fun to sing AND play. There are so many of these types of songs to learn, that I don't even think about learning something you might be hearing on the radio these days....just my take on things.......
Many of us started on cardboard dulcimers. I began with a Backyard cardboard dulcimer that was a kit I put together. The fretboard was already fretted, but the dulcimer had to be assembled and the strings put on. I think a lot of people were surprised by how good a sound it had. I enjoyed learning on it and used it in jam sessions, too. Mine didn't have the 6 1/2 fret, though, and after awhile that became necessary for me.
The best thing, of course, would be to have some angel lend you their really good dulcimer and learn to play on one of the best. Then, there are inexpensive "student dulcimers" that can sound pretty good...check out Sweetwood Dulcimers by Dave Lynch. His student model sounds pretty good, and if you decide you love playing the dulcimer (what's not to love?!) then you can tradethe student modelin as partial paymenton a more high end model once you've decided you're going to stay with it.
Good luck!
Sounds like quite a trip. I haven't been to Spain since 1971. Your photo makes me think that this area hasn't changed all that much....
Colleen, I think that's a good way to go. I purchased an inexpensive one and had it shipped directly to my mother's home so that I wouldn't have to risk carrying one on an airplane...or, worse, having it checked. Sometimes, though, the airplanes end up being such tiny ones that they would make me "valet check" it, anyway, and then who knows what would happen to it.
It always amazes me how much faith folks put in the various delivery personnel to get a package from point A to point B in as good a shape as when they wrapped it. If folks would at least contemplate whether or not they could safely stand on their package, it might convince peopleto use sturdy boxes (2 is best), adequate protection both inside and outside the case, and all spaces in the box filled in with materials that maintain the sturdiness of the package. I recently received an instrument in an ordinary black zippered "envelope" type bag which was simply put in a box without anything wrapped around it. That is wasn't totally crushed in transport is mind boggling--and a miracle.
Let's remember, too, that sometimes these instruments are very much "one of a kind" and that the artistry thatgoes into a particular instrument may not be able to be duplicated, or the wood or other materials no longer available.
While my success and good fortune of receiving instruments in good shape has been nearly99%, the fewthat didn't make it are a real shame.
I hope folks can learn from others' mistakes. In forklift v poorly packaged mountain dulcimer, it's almost always the forklift that wins. 
I'm sure if you called or emailed him, he could tell you if your MMD would fit....
Cheryl Johnson said:
Thanks Jan....I forgot that Doug had stands. They look like they will hold a MMD.....I should have checked while I was at Dulcimer U and the Felts were there also but it never occurred to me....grrrrr. :)
I have a really nice one made by Doug Felts. I've been very happy with mine...it seems to adjust to all the sizes of dulcimers I own (but I don't have a MMD! Hope this helps!
And if you have a simple cardboard box more or less the correct size, you can buy the plastic handles or attach one of your own design.
I HAVE reshaped the foam of an hourglass dulcimer foam case to accommodate a Banjammer, but I spent hours on it and the end result wasn't great (needs several more hours of work).
I recently bought a 36"LL Bean zippered nylon snowshoe bag. It's deep enough to carry an instrument or two in soft cases or bags, folding stand, folding stool, music folders, etc. It has carry straps and weighs just ounces. Part of it is mesh, though, so it might not provide much protection from the weather. I got it mainly so I could transport a bunch of stuff in one trip, like to a jam. It would also work great just as a misc. gear bag to be carried in addition to your instrument in a more protective case. I have anLL Bean VISA card, so I bought it with some of my Bonus Coupons.
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/509573?nav=bc&subrnd=0&page=... #
I have a hard case that I use with my Dulcimette when it might get banged around,like in the back of the car on a trip or something. I have no idea what it was made for, but it's well made and opens at the end (bizarre!) so I can just slide the dulcimette in its soft foam envelope/tube in and out very easily. It is 31.5 inches long.
I have also used a Hercules gear bag, long enough to carry a dulcimer and lots of music.
Anybody know who won this? Looks like an Edsel to me, in which case somebody got a nice piece of dulcimer history, even with its "issues".
Welcome to the group, Gayle! I, too, think that dulcimer players are pretty special people. Most of us are just chock full of enthusiasm for this instrument and the music we play--and we play all kinds! We come from a variety of backgrounds and music experience and live all over the world. But we're all part of the dulcimer "family". Glad to have you aboard!
My Dad's familywere coal miners from southern Illinois who had moved west from western Virginia. I've noticed that a lot of thedishes I encounter in KY are very similar to the ones I ate growing up...even though I lived in Michigan and NC! I'm so glad my mom learned how to make those traditional meals....helps keep our heritage alive!
Dana R. McCall said:
Mamaw used to cook neck bone and potatos to, when we would go over there my oldest daugther, when she was little used to ask "Mamaw you got any that good old fashion meat" lol Don't know why she called it that she was just about 5.
Sam said:Hi Jan;
We didn't add noodles but we often cooked 'backbone n ribs' in a big roaster with potatoes. We canned (cold packed) meat in home canning jars, so all the bones were trimmed pretty close ... but ... those wonderful tidbits were left on the backbone, ribs and yes, the neck bones. Settling at the bottom of the pot was what mom called 'red-eye' gravy. Sop a biscuit in that just once and you'll never forget the great flavor. Some of the fast food houses now offer a 'dippin' sauce with some sandwiches ... if they only knew !!!
Love your recipe, an' I ain't fancy.
From my mother, passed down from her father-in-law (my paternal grandfather or "Dad's Dad")
Neck Bones and Noodles
My mother simmered pork neck bones with onions and seasonings. Don't know if squirrel heads would work just as well. Either strain the broth to remove the bones or remove carefully with a slotted spoon.
The noodles are simple:
Break an egg or two into a bowl, add enough flour to make a dough that's not too tacky to roll out. Cut the rolled noodle doughinto strips or diamonds or whatever shape you like. Drop into the broth from the bones and cook til done. Serve in a bowl, garnished with salt and black pepper. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon if you feel like being real durn fancy.
Thank you for sharing this video! I have felt the power of music, myself, and feel it's as necessary to life as air and water.
How poetic!
Jeremy Main said:
All you can hear Down by the Riverside is the rustling of thousands of potential noters in the wind...
Thanks for starting this thread, Phil--it really brightened my day! And, um, yes....I'm guilty of many of these, too....
phil said:
them are funny Jan and I am not going to say how many I am guilty of
..... your favorite luthiers and music stores have higher speed dialer numbers than your friends and family.
...... your basement, garage, or barnis half-filled with long cardboard boxes, peanutsand bubblewrap "in case you ever need to ship another dulcimer somewhere".
.....you can't watch TV--especially the news and weather--withoutstrummin', picking' etc. on your dulcimer.
.....You sit in church and wonder, "Now how would THAT hymn sound on a Ban-Jammer?"
.....you lobby your local high school to include dulcimers in the marching band.
.....you double-check to make sure your dulcimers are safely secured in your vehicle and figure your passengers are "on their own".
.....there's many a thing you'd drop quicker than a bad habit, but your dulcimers getset down as gently as a newborn.
.....you need to change your will after every big dulcimer festival.
-----there's more than one broken thing in your house being held together by old dulcimer strings.
.....you can spell "Schnaufer" but have no clue as to how your great aunt's name is spelled.
I'd rather be a "beginner" than an "ender" any day!
I, also, think of myself as a "learner". And I'm always learning about new things that I hadn't, yet, discovered that I didn't know. Ya know?!
