Forum Activity for @paul-certo

If you have trouble tuning, are your strings very old? Old strings can be a real bear to tune, and may not stay in tune. It's usually not the time, but the mileage that counts. Played a couple of hours a day, the strings may go dead in a month or less. If your strings are not very old, the next big question here is, does your dulcimer have historic/ collector value. If there is no compelling historical reason to keep the violin pegs, it's cheaper to use standard geared guitar, ukulele, or banjo pegs. One of my ukes has friction uke pegs, and I have to keep a screwdriver with it so I can tighten them when necessary. I bought a screwdriver just to keep in the case, and woe to whoever touches it! Murphey's Law states that the pegs will need to be tightened when I have an audience and can't find the screwdriver. With fiddle pegs, you won't need the screwdriver, but fiddle pegs were devised during the days of gut strings, and work best with gut or nylon strings. They were never meant for steel strings, and violins strung with steel almost always have fine tuners. My ukes both have nylon strings, and friction pegs work OK on the one that has them. If your dulcimer is giving you problems tuning, or staying in tune, and has no historical value that you plan to milk for all it's worth, you can put geared tuners on it. Try to measure the diameter of the hole opposite the knob, and find a set of tuners that fit that size hole. Putting them on is a lot easier than reaming the holes in the video above. Guitar machines will come 6 to a set, uke or banjo machines are in sets of 4. You will need a small drill bit to make pilot holes for the mounting screws. If you don't want to do this yourself, you can have it done by a guitar technician. Find a music store with an in house tech. Some stores send instruments out for work, which means more time without the instrument, and possibly a larger bill.

Here's a video that shows the steps to fitting the Knilling tuners on a violin, you may not need to do the end trimming on a dulcimer, up to you really.

Bit pricey, but may be less trouble than fitting something non tapered. And as Ken says, the process is reversible if need be.

Another thing to consider with other types of tuners is whether the faces of the pegbox are flat or not.

The easiest replacement is to use the Knilling/Perfection geared tuners which look almost exactly like a wooden peg, except they have teeni-tiny gears inside. These pegs slip right into the existing tapered wooden peg holes. To use more conventional geared tuners you may have to drill out the wooden peg holes, or at least insert a metal collet through which the shaft of the tuner runs.

If you're wanting to do this conversion to a vintage instrument, or one by a well-known builder, I would strongly suggest the Knilling/Perfection pegs, as they will not damage a potentially collectable instrument.

Frankly I've not had much problem with wooden tuners. I tune a bit sharp and push the peg home, then 'squeak' it down to the right note. A drop or two (no more) from a bottle of "peg dope" from a violin shop will make the pegs much easier to use

I'm not so sure this is as complicated as it seems, nor does it call for unusual or minor tunings. The whole thing can be played in plain old C ionian tuning using no extra frets and the drones sound good all through the tune.

Walter is in a normal (not minor) fiddle tuning- hear him check his tuning in the beginning. He's playing it in the key of C, even though it modulates in the 'low part', which he starts out playing first.

Tune to C-G-G (C being your bass string) and the tune's 'home base' is located on the 3rd fret, ionian mode.

Walter starts on the modulated 'low part'. That's what is confusing people, because it 'sounds' minor, leading one to think a special mode tuning is needed, but it's not. Try playing that first/low part by starting frets 5-7-8, 5-3-4... etc.

The high part goes back to the root C major feeling, and he plays in the upper octave starts by using frets 10-11, 10-11-12...etc. You can also play it in the lower octave, starting on fret 3, but then it will sound yet lower than the other part. It's kind of nice with that real high part, gives it some punch.

Some folks might choose to start the tune on the high/major sounding part, and if Walter had done that it would have probably been easier for people to figure out. It would have been a more 'predictable' way to play this tune. But it's pretty cool and more fascinating to start it on the modulated quirky sounding low part.

I'm not so sure this is as complicated as it seems, nor does it call for unusual or minor tunings. The whole thing can be played in plain old C ionian tuning using no extra frets and the drones sound good all through the tune.

Walter is in a normal (not minor) fiddle tuning- hear him check his tuning in the beginning. He's playing it in the key of C, even though it modulates in the 'low part', which he starts out playing first.

Tune to C-G-G (C being your bass string) and the tune's 'home base' is located on the 3rd fret, ionian mode.

Walter starts on the modulated 'low part'. That's what is confusing people, because it 'sounds' minor, leading one to think a special mode tuning is needed, but it's not. Try playing that first/low part by starting frets 5-7-8, 5-3-4... etc.

The high part goes back to the root C major feeling, and he plays in the upper octave starts by using frets 10-11, 10-11-12...etc. You can also play it in the lower octave, starting on fret 3, but then it will sound yet lower than the other part. It's kind of nice with that real high part, gives it some punch.

Some folks might choose to start the tune on the high/major sounding part, and if Walter had done that it would have probably been easier for people to figure out. It would have been a more 'predictable' way to play this tune. But it's pretty cool and more fascinating to start it on the modulated quirky sounding low part.

I suspect it's dorian, try DAG for key of D, or DGB for key of G.

Abbey, if you expand John's video to full screen, it'll give you a good idea of how to play the tune.

Well, DGd tuning didn't sound too good with a noter. Not bad with chords tho'. So I got out the Jim Good archtop, put it Jim's G tuning (high b G d dd) and tried it and it's not bad. So, I bow to the wisdom of Randy and Dave using the 155 tuning!

Abby, there have been at least 3 books of fiddle tunes: 2 by Lois Hornbostel (a member here,) and one by the late Jean Schilling. I'll check them tonight and see if that tune is in either of them. There are a lot of books which have some fiddle tunes, Neal Hellman has several, Leo Kretzner, and others.

Rob

Ok... I found the sheet music on-line, in G. So I'm going to try to tab it out in DGd tuning.

I knew it! Forgot that Dave has already posted Lost Girl. Says he tunes Fcc....yeah....it's just real nice huh?

I love this song!....& tried to play it several times without coming up with a version I'm happy with. It's a simple tune but has complex phrases....if that makes any sense....easy for the fiddle but hard for me on the dulcimer. I'd wager Dave Rogers could play a nice version of it on the dulcimer though.... : )....

It's a G tune and I have the best luck with the phrases with my melody string tuned to G and the first note is open.

So....I'd start by tuning DGG?...to play it in G. With a 3 string dulcimer I can't get enough 'bitterness' happening to suit me....the tune has a winsomeness I can't capture.

And by the way you can play the bejesus outa them spoons!

Here are the members from Australia. http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/members/?q=Australia

You might also try posting on the Everything Dulcimer list of Dulcimer Makers. http://everythingdulcimer.com/

Hi Roberta,

What a surprise! I have a Musical Traditions from the company in Sandpoint, Idaho. Mine is a cherry hourglass shaped dulcimer. I could take some pictures and email them to you if you would like them. I mailed the anchor pins late yesterday so they probably went out in this mornings mail from the post office. I think you should have them Tuesday or Wednesday at the latest.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Congratulations, Roberta!

I encountered a Musical Traditions cherry dulcimer while I was in college, and it looked and sounded just beautiful. I wasn't aware that there were any kits out there, but I would have snapped one up in a minute if I found one!

Good luck on your search. If there are any measured drawings of the parts, they could be reproduced fairly easily by a woodworker or luthier.

I'm much too heavy to trust most folding chairs, and bad knees make it tough to stand up from low to the ground chairs. Mrs. Wanda bought me one similar to this about 20 years ago, and it has been to a lot of gigs, jams, and assorted other uses. I'm going to need to recover it soon, the vinyl has some small tears and holes in it. The X frame legs are rectangular steel tubing, it isn't too heavy, and it's very stable even under my weight. Carrying a lot of weight to a jam isn't much of an issue, as I use a 4 wheel dolly. I seem to lug more than 2 dulcimers & a stool with me, usually a banjo and/ or a guitar as well. http://www.samash.com/SearchDisplay?storeId=10001&catalogId=10051&langId=-1&pageSize=15&beginIndex=0&sType=SimpleSearch&searchSource=Q&resultCatEntryType=2&showResultsPage=true&pageView=grid&searchTerm=KT7800 I don't recall the name of the seller, I think it was a mail order, but the one here is the Sam Ash chain of music stores. This is similar to mine. If you prefer a seat with a back, a drummers throne is a good starting place. Sturdy, even if you're kicking the bass & hi hat, but heavier to haul. My 4 wheel dolly is from Home Depot, and converts from 4 to 2 wheels. I can haul an amp, a guitar, a banjo, a dulcimer, seat, and a bag of mics & cables on it. If you plan to only take a dulcimer and a seat, you won't need the dolly.

I had purchased a light weight 3 legged chair in $20 range. I had to throw it away after very little use. The light weight ones might work for slight people, but me and probably Mike they'll give up pretty quickly. That's why I bought the Browning chair. It's a bit heavier but should last a long time.

The advantage of folding canvas chairs and stools is that they are lightweight and easy to haul around at a festival or campground, for jamming. They are great for walking around, stopping to visit and sit and jam for maybe an hour and then moving on again. But they are seldom comfortable for long periods of time- for hours of sitting, you really need a sturdier flat-seated chair with more support. Some folding chairs with metal frames and plastic seats are a little heavier and more awkward to carry- but are better if you need to sit more than an hour at a time.

I purchased a three legged chair similar to this one. Got mine at Target for around $20. Works great!

http://www.wayfair.com/Travel-Chair-Ultimate-Slacker-Chair-1489V-L297-K~TCR1019.html?refid=GX21919195140-TCR1019&device=c&PiID []=3936464&gclid=CM-ike-XsroCFQyZ4AodmloAJg

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I have one of the triangular shaped chairs. It is good for playing outside and carrying, but not comfortable to me for sitting for long periods of time. I got it at REI.

I have found that you have to be able to sit up straight, and also have a level lap (knees not higher than hips), in order to effectively play a dulcimer in your lap in a chair.

Hi Louis,

Mate of mine had one of those that I've given a try. I found it comfey enough, but maybe not suited to everyone.(I have the sort of build that can accommodate almost anything)

He used it for fishing though, which seemed to consist mainly of lounging on a river bank drinking cups of tea

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're going to be using a chair outside on the ground, here's a trick. Place large metal pickle jar lids or squares of plywood under the feet. They will help keep the feet from sticking into the ground. I've had a number of chairs break at the joints because the feet embedded themselves in the ground and they didn't shift when I did. Having a collapsing chair collapse under you can be embarrassing, awkward, and painful.

Louis, that chair certainly looks comfortable, but it might be more conducive to napping than playing the dulcimer.Just looking at it makesme want to curlupandcatch up on sleep.

Louis Hopkins said:

Hi I have just ordered one of these but I don't know if the same thing is available in the USA but I think it would be ideal for someone with a bad back it folds up and comes with a bag.

Mike just remember, especially with a bad back- none of these canvas folders wilol be comfy for long periods of time- you have to get up and stretch and walk around periodically. If your back is very bad, or if you are extra heavy, I'd more likely recommend a standard metal or wooden folding chair.

Mike, the bottom chair in Strumelia's post is called the quick-e-seat and it's made by GCI Outdoor. It can be bought,as Cheryl explains,through REI, Amazon, orevenMike Clemmer, who calls it best ever pickin' chair or something like that. I think it is made for birders or outdoor artists. There is a shoulder strap which also folds the chair up automatically when you lift it. Obviously, it has no arms, so you have room for your instrument. And it has a little bag probably intended to hold a beer, but it works just as well for a tuner, picks, a capo, or whatever you need. The seat of the chair is in the shape of a triangle, with one point intended to go between your legs. It is not as uncomfortable as it sounds, and you want your legs apart when playing the dulcimer anyway. The chair is very light, very portable and very convenient. It is not super comfortable, so you'll want to stand up from time to time and get the blood flowing through your legs again. I have one and take it everywhere.

Mike, you can do searches on Amazon for words like: canvas folding stool chair camping...

We have also seen various folding stools and chairs for sale in Dick's Sporting Goods and in Eastern Mountain Sports stores, you could go check there or anywhere they have camping equipment.

You could go to a large camping/sporting goods store- they have all kinds of folding canvas chars that are designed to be comfortable but lightweight to carry. The chair you linked to would not work for me, since it puts my knees higher than my hips and I need a fairly level lap to play my dulcimer. We find this type of chair to be convenient for traveling/camping/music playing, and to carry when walking around at fairs and festivals while impromptu jamming in different places:

If you aren't going to be walking and carrying the chair very much, then a simple folding chair that is sturdier would be more comfortable- a metal or wooden folding chair that has a level seat and good supportive back is best. It doesn't have to be specifically designed for musicians- I think that's more of a marketing ploy than anything else.

I just keep an old metal folding chair in the trunk of the car. lt works

This is the chair I have and use regularly. I've had it for over a year now and its the sturdiest version of this chair that i've seen. It folds up small and has an attached shoulder carrying strap. You can get it at a number of places including Amazon, Rei, etc, or at Clemmer Dulcimer (no affiliation) http://www.clemmerdulcimer.com/store/index.php?route=product/produc...

And here's an earlier thread about portable chairs that might give you some good ideas as well

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/favorite-chair-for-...

We, wife and I, spend a lot of time camping in our little camp trailer. I needed an armless chair to be able to play the MD while camping. I've tried several chairs and found the Browning Dakota Camp Chair to be about good as it gets. There's one market that's about 1/2 the price but worth a lot less, I went through two of the cheap ones.. I found the Browning very comfortable to sit in either while playing for sitting around the camp fire. My wife wants one too, so I'll be buying another soon.

Here's where I bought mine. Browning Dakota Chair

I think the Alabama one was listed in August. I don't know how long the Olympia one has been in the store.

Oh, the store is Music 6000 in Olympia, WA . They are asking $280 I think. There's also one for sale on craigslist in Alabama for $400. That seller isjas34929 <jas34929@aol.com>

The Alabama seller says : Good evening from Alabama,

Good morning! -- Y'all will laugh at this one: This week is packed with family responsibilities -- no special burdens, but just a lot going on. The dulcimer is laid out on the sideboard, waiting for me to have time to get started -- it's like its 11:45 a.m. on Thanksgiving and I'm starving to get started, but the last car of family is pulling up in the driveway, and I can't launch into what I want to do just yet.

Who knew dulcimers were that alluring? This forum clan, I know. I make a strum on the instrument as I go past - a sad carrot stick to hold me over

Ellen, that's wonderful news! Sounds like you found a good support system in your friend. Walnut is a wonderful choice of wood- a very warm and resonant sound. We look forward to seeing pix. You are on your way down your musical journey!

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!

You're on your way now! Does he play as well as build? He may be able to get you started learning to play.

Success!

I called a friend, Burt, who I know as a local musician, fluent with guitar and banjo. My thought was to ask him to evaluate the pricey dulcimer at the local music store. But when I stopped by to show him some of the details, he said, "Ah, Ellen, did you know I make these? He had five dulcimers out on the table to show me and we spent an hour discussing them. I came home with a very affordable and lovely choice. It has a bright, clear sound and is made of walnut. No yucky strings either!

I feel confident that I have a suitable beginners instrument from a source that is welcoming of my questions. I'll post a picture eventually. Thank you, everyone for your encouragements and cautions. I am relieved that I didn't spend big bucks on an instrument that might have had issues.