Forum Activity for @mr-woolery

A very cheap psaltery is actually sold as a Music Maker.  Look for lap harps for examples of a simple diatonic plucked psaltery.  You can also find these pretty cheap on shopgoodwill.com.  That said, they are the charming cheapie, typically not a great instrument.  There are a number of other makers of "lap harps" that are actually just plucked psalteries in a trapezoidal shape.  Being a fairly simple instrument to make, even really good makers often don't charge all that much for them.  James Jones makes one, for example.  

It looks like you already found your solution, so I only mention it here because there are times I find good information from many years back and someone in the future may be looking for ideas for an inexpensive simple psaltery.  

And I was wondering why I’d let Ron Ewing talk me into a 1.5 fret on the beautiful dulcimer he just made for me…now I know how to use it!

Steve, thanks for the clarification. I wondered because I remembered re-subscribing recently due to the loss of your database. I appreciate all the work you do to create the tabs and share them. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Oh my, I copied and updated a previous post when we lost the database, but I didn't catch that.  And I can see no way to edit the post...  No, if you're already receiving the newsletter (and I don't think many have been longer than you have!), you don't need to resubscribe.  I should have said something like, "If you don't already receive the free emailed newsletter and would like to, click..."   Thanks for catching that, Ken!

Steve, I'm already a subscriber. Are you saying I should subscribe again?

Thanks,

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I first encountered Steve Smith's TABs when someone passed one out in a dulcimer workshop. The Western NC Dulcimer Collective website lists too many to count, and they are free to download. They are impressive because they include "everything" needed for a group:

• Melody in Standard Musical Notation
• Chords
• DAaa and DAdd note numbers for both noter-drone and chord-melody playing
• Note names (as letters)
• Lyrics
• Sound files (.MP3 format) to guide you on unfamiliar or tricky numbers

His .PDF files may be a bit too inclusive for easy reading by folks my age, but a group leader can use them as a source for creation of "just number TABs" and so on.

There is certainly no other single website which offers as much music for lap dulcimer players.

Thanks for the website update. I've been going to wncdn.org for years and I encourage everyone to check out this outstanding website.

The Western North Carolina Dulcimer Collective website Newsletter Request and More Information options are working once again.  If you've tried to request the newsletter or more information and I didn't get back to you, please try again.  (One character changed in error in coding can really mess things up!) 

If you would like to receive the free emailed newsletter (or start, if you never did), click on the "Our Newsletter" and "Click here to subscribe to our newsletter" buttons at   https://wncdc.org/   .  The next free newsletter will be sent in early January.

(All newsletters from 1990 forward are also available on the website, as well as all tab and recordings of the monthly tunes.)

Thanks!

Steve Smith, WNCDC

"You can use a straightened out paper clip for the extra fret if you don't have one.  Back in the stone age, before I had 6 1/2 and 1 1/2 frets I used to use a paper clip which I attached with rubber cement so I could come off easily."

This simple statement sums up SO very well, what being a Friend of the Mountain Dulcimer is all about!

Thank you

I do understand the purist mentality though my experience and research have taught me that the "folk" never paid much attention to the view that there is a right and a wrong way to play.  A lot of folks in the past did a lot of experimenting and ended up playing whatever they felt sounded best, although there were certainly strong traditions in style which only changed when someone well respected contradicted them.  

I play Gaudete in D-A-D with a capo on the 4th fret, but you can get the melody with no problem by playing across the strings with a capo on the 1rst fret.  The easiest way to play it in noter/drone is to tune C-G-D (D in the bass), but this requires that your dulcimer has a 1 1/2 fret (so now you've had to break tradition again).  But you might want to try it as it sounds really nice.  You can use a straightened out paper clip for the extra fret if you don't have one.  Back in the stone age, before I had 6 1/2 and 1 1/2 frets I used to use a paper clip which I attached with rubber cement so I could come off easily.

Thanks for sharing! Sounds fantastic.

I’m very interested in early music. I know this sounds silly, but I feel somehow “wrong” playing it on my mountain dulcimer. I feel a bit of the “purist” vibe that I just should stick to noter and drone. I only ever play chords in my larger dulcimer group when absolutely forced upon me! They’re very accommodating otherwise and let me miter away while they struggle with complicated fingering, god bless them 😉

I know music and instruments are organic and ever evolving, and I needn’t put them in specific boxes. That being said, I’ll prob buy the psaltry from hobgoblin within the month!

I have never tried playing Gaudete (16th century), but it's pretty syncopated, so you'll have to be nimble. Plus there are two parts, which are significantly different from each other. Most versions of Gaudete are sung, but here's an instrumental where the melody is fairly easy to hear:

If you need sheet music, maybe one of these images may be of help for the version you want to play.

It suggests to me like it has enough minor notes that it'd be best played in either Aeolian or Dorian mode on the dulcimer.

Hobgoblin and Song of the Wood are just two companies that make accessible plucked psalteries. You can find other nice ones on Etsy. You may have to decide whether you want a diatonic or a chromatic one. Also the shape is varied depending on the maker, including 'hog-nosed' shaped psalteries.

Hope this helps.

Hello all, as I sit here trying to tune my diatonic and them my more modern dulcimers to somehow play “Gaudete,” I’m thinking maybe I need to add a plucked psaltry to my collection. I’ve always loved early music, used to play harpsichord. I’ve wanted to learn to play the lute since I was a kid, but the instruments and instructors are hard to come by. I think a plucked psaltry might scratch the itch. Any ideas of starter psaltries (not bowed) around $300? It needs to be good enough to not be discouraging.

also, any suggestions on how to play “Gaudete” on either my Ewing dulcimer (1.5, 6.5) or my Dan Cox dulcimore?

thanks!

Debi, so far, nobody has asked you why you want to tune the melody string to F#.
One guess I have would be: because you want to play a tune that you were told is in the key of F#? If that's the case, then you would not be able to do that while leaving the other two strings in D and A.
Another guess I have would be: that you are thinking about the tuning D-F#-A, which some people have used in the past as an 'easy' 1-3-5 tuning to play in on the dulcimer, because it allows you to play bar chords a lot. But playing in D-F#-A is not the same as playing in D-A-F#.

If you tell us your goal and your reason for wanting to retune your melody string to F#, we can much better help you.

That's it on the tuning. Usually you can go higher/lower 2 half steps with no problems. A half step is one note up/down on a chromatic scale, ie; F to F#, or B to C. D to E is a full step, D-D#/Eb-E.

Thx, to everyone that responded.  Looks like a have a bit of music theory work in my future.  Just to make sure that I'm clear,  Bass string is D (D3), Middle string is A (A3) and melody string is d (d4).  Also, if I understand correctly, you are better off trying to tune a string down rather than up and risk breaking it.

Thx again, everyone.  

Happy Holidays to all!

I'd also point out that if your dulcimer has a standard VSL (length from nut to bridge) of between 26-28", and you currently have fairly standard gauge strings on it, then if you tune UP from the note of D on EITHER your bass string (low D) or your melody string (high d) two whole steps to F#... then there is a very strong likelihood of you breaking that string with too high a tension.

You'd be better off tuning from d DOWN to the next lower F#. However, that's a lot lower than it currently would be, and many folks might find it feels too slack unless they change to a heavier string.

I agree that Dan and Skip's posts are a good thing to determine first. But i though t i'd mention about possibly tuning too high and breaking a string.

What @skip said!

You almost have it! Instead of high to low, dAD, use low to high, DAd, it is more conventional for MD. For the other part of your question, always pluck the string just before turning the knob on the tuner. That way you know when you tune in the correct direction. As far as the F# A d, that would require a string change. You may be thinking of DF#A which needs different strings also. If you are tuned to DAA, just tune down, loosen, the middle string to F#.

DAG is Dorian, DAF is Phrygian, both will probably need restringing unless you are tuned DAA.

dAF#/DAF# is not a mode.

Hi Dan,  I’m not sure how to answer that.  I believe that I’m in mixolydian when tuned dAD.  I’m trying to retune the melody string to F# and don’t know if I should tune up or down to the F#.  Does that put me into a different mode?

Maybe if we could get the mode you are trying to get to?

Hi Dulcimer Folks,

When you are retuning from to dAD (hoping I wrote this correctly) to dAF# to play a different tune,  if you have not already heard the tune, how do you know which direction to tune the string, up or down in pitch.  Hope this question makes sense.  Thx.

Hi Dusty,

Thx for your response.  The answer to your questions is :  All of the above.  Additionally, I have smaller dulcimers with shorter VSLs but a full sized dulcimer with a shorter VSL is intriguing to me.  Best wishes for the holiday season!

Debi, I've never played a Blue Lion soprano, but I have a standard Blue Lion (an old IC) and I have a dulcimer by Ron Ewing that is similar to the Blue Lion soprano in that it is generally tuned a fourth or fifth above a standard dulcimer.  

The smaller dulcimers are fun to play and also enable you to play in different keys.  I love playing fiddle tunes since the shorter scale length makes it easier to play fast.  And sometimes it is easier to sing in F, G or A instead of the C or D of a standard dulcimer.

Sorry I can't share a sound clip of the Blue Lion soprano, but I can definitely vouch for the quality of Blue Lion dulcimers in general.  Janita and Bob do great work.

Why are you interested in a soprano?  Is it for the shorter scale length?  The higher tonal range? Just because they are so darn cute?

A real beauty,  congratulations! 

Hi Folks, I’m very interested in getting some info on the Blue Lion soprano dulcimer .  Does anyone here have one or have experience playing one?  I would love to hear one, if possible.  The waitlist is over a year at this point so I’m trying to do my research in the meantime.  Thx and Happy Holidays to all!

As of this past Thursday, 2. Christmas came early this year. While I still love my vintage Berg dulcimer from Mountain Made Music (the teardrop shaped one on the left in the first pic) and play it with a noter regularly, I was finding the VSL (vibrating string length, the length between the bridge and the nut) of 27+ inches to be too long for my hands to manage chords. So, on the advice of my dulcimer teacher, I started looking into shorter VSL instruments. 

After much research and discussion, I got on a zoom with Joe Collins at New Harmony Dulcimers and expected that I would be waiting 3 months for a new dulcimer as they build to spec, usually. But they showed me this one just as an example of what the short scale Pudge Pro (24”) looked like and the second I clapped eyes on it I knew it needed to come live with me. It was originally set up to be a baritone but they just changed the strings for me to be a standard DAd tuning. The back and sides are Peruvian walnut and the top is swamp ash and it’s just gorgeous. And I can make chords with it far better than with the Berg. My goal is to have a couple of songs ready to go on stage next summer at Ferry Beach, right now I’m mostly working the basics of scales and chord shapes and stuff like that. Y’all might get a video in the new year!

 IMG_0269 Medium.jpeg - 72KB

Gorgeous collection of dulcimers, Kendra. How cool that you love and play them all!  
I also am impressed at how precisely and carefully they are mounted on the wall. Good job!

Wow, a beautiful display! I bet it will bring joy to your heart every time you walk in the room.

Looks like it works great Kendra. It is so special that each one has a special place in your heart. Thank you for continuing to play and teach in the traditional way. To my ear that is THE sound I think of when I hear "mountain dulcimer."

Impressive collection, Kendra!

I think you found a very nice way to display them. They really fit well together on the walls. Good job. I wish I had the wall space to do something like that. Thanks for sharing the photo of your collection.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Been working on a new way to display my beautiful traditional mountain dulcimer collection. Bob and I installed slatwall and it is perfect! I could not get my whole collection on the walls (I have several more)…but the slatwall will allow me to easily rearrange them, or add something new.  I am keeping the dulcimers that I regularly tour with and teach with in their “ready to go” bags. 

My oldest dulcimer belonged to my grandmother, made in 1894. All the others have a very special meaning to me and are not just “collected.” I am personally connected to each and every dulcimer I have, and I play most of them regularly so they continue to sing their beautiful songs. 

The mountain dulcimer is a part of my soul and I have been playing the dulcimer now for six decades. I will continue to preserve the traditional way of playing and teach others about the history and the importance of this wonderful Appalachian instrument until the day I die.

Fantastic powerful voice and incredible energy. She was deservedly inducted into the R&R Hall of Fame this year (2025).

The dulcimer...  "everybody who played this is dead"...

She picks up her dulcimer at 1:19:00

I've made quite a few noters for "special needs" hands...Instead of the usual 3/8 diameter, using thicker and sometimes longer noters help a lot. I have some customers that have found a great help by sizing up to 7/16, and some that are even using 1/2 inch diameters. Varied lengths as well to help in the holding and leverage. A thumb/ finger notch is also an added help.

 The thicker noters can be a bit more tricky as you go down the fret board, but the trade off of being ABLE to play seems to be worth it...

Was just now on Reddit and had a person pop up in the Mountain Dulcimer community there with questions about playing the Mountain Dulcimer with health issues in his hands that he’s working on a diagnosis for. I wanted to share the answer I gave him here, and would welcome any other insight folks might have for future reference:

” I’ve got some kind of general connective tissue disorder that runs in my family that resembles hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome but comes with a side of Dupuytren’s contracture, which I have in my right hand, so far not in my left but I suspect it will arrive eventually. I also have congenital MCP joint lock in the thumbs of both hands. So, my hands have reduced strength and flexibility all around and yet dulcimer is a dream instrument because it matches my ergonomic needs better than any other instrument I’ve tried. Some info I’ve figured out as a still beginner player:

Picking/strumming hand: I’ve got a whole collection of different picks as I’ve tried to find what works for me, as my hand flexibility decreases over time. I find I like a pick with good flexibility as it compensates for my lack of same. Dunlop nylon .46 mm are my go-to for flat picking, but they might be too small for some folks. Blue Mountain blue thumb picks for finger picking are great, and I’ve been playing around a bit with Oud picks for fast strumming, which isn’t something I do much of, as their length and flexibility makes for less hand/wrist strain for me.

Chord/noter hand: Set up of the instrument is key. I had a previous dulcimer with high action, among other problems, and it was a complete life changer when I got a dulcimer with lower, easier action. Depending on your playing style you might find a three string (no doubled melody string) easier to manage. VSL is also key - don’t overstrain your hands by trying to play an instrument that’s VSL is just too long. My dulcimer at the moment has doubled strings and it’s VSL is a little too long for me to chord easily so it’s going to be my noter/drone dulcimer and I’ll be getting a New Harmony Pudge Pro soon, which has the VSL and three string setup I need, on the advice of my dulcimer teacher.

Hope this helps!”

Sadly, we do not have Thanksgiving or an equivalent in the UK. Nevertheless happy thanksgiving to all of you.