What Are You Working On?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Well, I worked on playing as ambient music...I haven't busked for a while, but  about 2 months ago I was busking at Aldi, and someone asked for my card. They asked if I'd be interested in playing for a Christmas gathering that they would be hosting. I confessed my lack of Christmas repertoire, and that I'd not done such thing before,but they said a couple of Chrissy pieces and just whatever else would be fine, and that they'd be in touch. Having heard this before, and not receiving any messages up until the weekend before Christmas, I was surprised to hear from them on the Saturday, apologising for the short notice, but saying they'd lost my card and only just found it, and wanting me for Monday night. Well, I went along, was made very welcome, had a lovely time and got paid as well. I guess busking can have extra benefits. Here's the lovely tree I was stationed beside.. I hope everyone had a lovely end of 2025 and happy, auspicious start to 2025.

updated by @anne-bowman: 01/05/25 12:37:28AM

What Are You Working On?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Very true, Dusty. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year.

FOTMD needs your support

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

My pleasure, Strumelia.  I wish I had thought to donate sooner.  I think it's a good thing you did to remind folks to help out.  As with many things in life, sometimes we need to be reminded .

FOTMD needs your support

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thank you, John, for helping out here.  I've become leery of internet scams and hacks and wanted to be sure it was legitimate.  Blessings to you for a happy, prosperous and healthy new year.

Maddie

FOTMD needs your support

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Maddie, thank you so much for donating to help keep us running.  Yes, that name is me. (I don't use my real name online when I can avoid it.)
Your donation was received!  
(and thanks John, for clarifying)

FOTMD needs your support

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Maddie, Lisa is her real name.  It's OK!

What Are You Working On?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Very well said, Dusty!

FOTMD needs your support

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hi, Strumelia - I just tried to donate US$20 with PayPal and it was to be donated to a Lisa ____(??).  Then said there was a problem and try again.  Until I know who Lisa ____ is, I await your response.  Otherwise, happy to donate.  Thanks, Maddie in SW Western Australia.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FOMTD MEMBERS!

OFF TOPIC discussions

Happy New Year to all. And wishing for each of you a year of health and blessings beyond measure. And lots of beautiful dulcimer music.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FOMTD MEMBERS!

OFF TOPIC discussions

Happy New Year everyone!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FOMTD MEMBERS!

OFF TOPIC discussions

And a Bonnie Annie to you as well, Strumelia!  Your old illustrations are wonderful!

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FOMTD MEMBERS!

OFF TOPIC discussions

Thank you for the good wishes, Strumelia!  

I hope the coming year is filled with many pleasant surprises for us all!  

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL FOMTD MEMBERS!

OFF TOPIC discussions

   New Year's Eve, December 31 2024....

Here's hoping all members have a safe, healthy, and productive new year for 2025...full of personal joys like music and also the joy of kindnesses to others.

Happy New Year!!!!

 

updated by @strumelia: 12/31/24 04:37:46PM

instrument question- Stephens Lutherie/holy grail dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

@patrick If you punch your VSL into a fret calculator for guitar, the third fret is the same as the 1.5 on dulcimer 

instrument question- Stephens Lutherie/holy grail dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Does anyone know of a fret calculator that gives the measurement for the 1.5 fret? 

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Good point, Wally.
As a builder, I want my tuner to be as precise as possible to make sure that my instrument is as precise as possible. If the tuner is off, then the bridge will be off, and the frets will be off and the whole instrument will have a compounding error. 
If I were to place my bridge using a tuner that considers 9 cents sharp to be "in the green." and then also tuned my string 9 cents sharp, that could lead to terrible intonation near the end of the second octave.

I also think that our pitch perception is only as precise as the data we give it, so it's just good practice to get as close as I can, unless I have some reason not to.

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Well said Wally, well said.

As to the old saying however.....

Actually........                        Rocket Propulsion Altitude/Ambient Pressure Adjustment • Can use variable frequency expansion ratio nozzles -extendable, two-step nozzles e.g., RL-10B-2 on Delta IV 2nd stage..............

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Why are you worried about tuner precision? Electronic turners are great for many reasons, including letting folks "tune up" backstage to the same note, instead of devoting a minute or so of on-stage time, but in my opinion, a few cents difference doesn't really matter.

In the real world when you take your dulcimer out of its case and try a tune it may sound fine, but the happy person next to you sounds out-of-tune. You get out your tuning meter and find you are a bit off because your strings are at a different temperature than they were the last time you played. In the old days, you would have said to the leader "Play me a D," and tuned to that, the group being more important than you.

Tune your middle A string as precisely as possible (in the green) and then test the tuning when you finger at frets, 3, 7, and 10. On many, perhaps most, dulcimers you will find you are a few cents sharp, but when you play music it sounds fine.

If you put your finger on the string and check the tuning, you may even find that it makes a difference where and how you place your finger.

On large organs, pairs of pipes are tuned with one a few cents sharp to produce a voice called Celeste, or a few cents flat to produce a voice called Humana. Slight dissonances make music more interesting.

As the old saying goes, "This ain't rocket science."

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I use the D'addario Nexxus 360.  The display is very clear and can be read in any lighting conditions unlike others that i have used in the past. As for comparative accuracy I don't know where it sits, but it's quite good enough for my use.

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

 

In general, a phone app on a modern smartphone will typically be much more precise than a clip on tuner, as the microphone quality of smartphones is higher than that of clip on tuners. One big downside to using your phone is that it picks up all background noise as well. I use an app for android called soundcorset and it works perfectly for me. Another cool thing about soundcorset is that you can adjust the pitch standard to things other than A440, which can be fun to mess around with.

I have had a couple snarks, as well as some other clip on tuners and I think they work great.  Tuners that clip onto the headstock are really convenient because they don't pick up much ambient noise, plus theyre very portable and simple. My only problem is that I always end up losing them my favorite was a cheap violin tuner that showed which octave you are in and how many cents off you are. I wish I could say what brand it was, but I've misplaced it lol.

Like Dusty said, just about any tuner will do the job. I really like the convenience of using my phone, but it doesnt work as well if there's a lot of wind or background noise.

A while ago I compared several different tuners and found that the cheap generic ones that came for free with instruments I've bought are frequently off by a few cents. Even that really shouldn't matter though.



updated by @nate: 12/30/24 10:37:22PM

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hi John.  I think there are a few different issues with tuners.  One is the accuracy of the gizmo inside.  My guess is that all of the common tuners are more accurate than our ears are.  However, a second issue is how information is presented to you. One tuner, for example, might have 5 lights in between a C# and a D.  But another tuner might have 10 lights in between those tones.  So mathematically, the one with 10 lights will be able to display the tone twice as accurately.  That means what your Snark considers "in tune" might be twice the range of another tuner, making it less accurate functionally.

If you poke around the internet, you will generally be told that the most accurate tuners are the strobe tuners.  Second are those needle tuners (which is probably what your app is).  The best small strobe tuners are made by Peterson.  The original was the Peterson Strobo Clip, but that is pretty big. I actually have one for sale in the For Sale Forum .  Then Peterson came out with a smaller version, the Strobo Clip HD .  The smaller one is slightly less accurate but is much easier to read.  I also have one of those.

But I personally think the best tuner out there in terms of accuracy and display is TC Electronic's UniTune Clip On .  It is not as flexible as the Snark, but its display is much more accurate.  It's hard to describe why that's the case, but basically there are two sets of lights to follow. One is probably about as accurate as the Snark, but then there is another fine tuner set of lights to get you even closer.

For guitarists, TC Electronic also makes a PolyTune tuner that can assess all your strings at once. It's pretty wild. I have one of those on one of my guitars, but to be honest, I think the UniTune is all that anyone should need.

It's also worth mentioning that I use several of the D'Addario tuners, both the headstock tuners and the violin tuners , the latter of which can straddle the dulcimer fretboard. Both of those have a lower profile than the Snark, Peterson, and UniTune, but they are probably no more accurate than the Snark.  They're just small. You can probably see one next to the nut on most of the videos I've posted.

Tuners

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Tuners Hi kids, I hope everybody is doing well and had a good Christmas. I have a question about tuners and what your experience is with the one that you have, or the one that you can recommend. I have the Snark tuner, mainly because I don't know any better. It seems to work okay I guess.  But If I compare it to the one I downloaded on my phone the phone app says that I'm a little flat compared to the Snark. I have heard that the Peterson strobe Is a better unit what is your opinion out there. THANKS

Question for newbie on a new instrument

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

As others have said, the instrument looks very nice and was likely very well made.

To determine if the instrument is good for a beginner, I would like more information about the action and the VSL (vibrating string length).  If you plan to play in a noter/drone style, those issues may matter little. But if you play to play with your fingers, then the action or height of the strings is very important. And if you plan to play chords, then a shorter VSL will be easier (though anything in the 25"-28" range should be OK).  And as @Nate says, you will likely want to string it as a three course instrument rather than a four course instrument. It is hard to tell from the photo whether the notches exist in the nut and bridge to facilitate that.

It is hard to find a well-built dulcimer for less than $300, so the price seems fair for such a pretty instrument, but if you will be required to spend more on repairs and other modifications, it may not be worth it.

Question for newbie on a new instrument

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

The instrument has really cool decoration and definitely seems like a good deal at that price, though I'm not sure how much it would cost to repair the soundboard, per what Ken mentioned. For your question about if the instrument is well suited to a beginner, a four course equidistant setup can often be considered more difficult than a three course setup. Four string equidistant is not necessarily the easiest for a beginner, however if you are ambitious, it might be a fun challenge. Four string equidistant definitely works great for finger picking!

Question for newbie on a new instrument

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

Wow, beautifully made!  It’s worth doing what Ken has suggested and if intonation is good (which I am sure it is having been built by a good luthier), this should be a great investment.

Question for newbie on a new instrument

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

It is a beautiful mountain dulcimer!   With a bit of work from a luthier, it could be nicely set up to play.  

Question for newbie on a new instrument

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

That's a very nice looking dulcimer and appears to be well constructed which I would expect from a violin maker. A concern I have 's the cracked sound hole on the treble side, lower bout. It looks like it needs to be repaired. Wittner tuners can be put on this instrument. If the holes are too large, they can be plugged and re-drilled. If too small, they can be made larger. The dulcimer does not have a 6 1/2 fret which is popular with finger pickers, but one can be added. I think it would be a good instrument for any player with a little attention to things I mentioned. It might need an adjustment to the action and I have no idea if it is fretted for equal or just temperament. Something I would do if it were my instrument would be to get rid of the current string anchor and replace it with four screws or brass plated nails, one for each string. That will make replacing strings easier.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

One other question '78 Ascrizzi Duclimer

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

I'm sorry. Your photo is too large to see the dulcimer. I can't even read all of your post. Can you resize the photo and then repost it so we can help you with your question?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Dulcimer music tab for rounds

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

I play with a local mountain dulcimer club and we were discussing adding rounds to our music.  If you play rounds, please respond with the title(s) of your favorite rounds.  Thanks in advance.

Dulcimer music tab for rounds

Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs

I play with a local mountain dulcimer club & we were discussing adding rounds to our music.  If you play rounds in your club, please respond with the title(s) of your favorite rounds.  Thanks in advance

One other question '78 Ascrizzi Duclimer

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

Sorry, one other question-- I have had this dulcimer hanging on my wall for years. Picked it up at a barn sale for a couple bucks 20 years ago. Made by Tony Ascrizzi in 1978. Any thoughts or insights. The top is cracked and always has been. Worth repairing?

updated by @tunbridgefiddler: 12/27/24 11:32:03PM

Question for newbie on a new instrument

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

Hello,

I am considering purchase of my first mountain dulcimer (well second if you could the one I bought at a barn sale for decoration, cracked top...) 

I am new to the instrument. I currently play cape Breton style fiddle, and my primary violin was made by Canadian luthier Otis Thomas. 

I love his work, and the dulcimer I am considering was made by him as well. He thinks heade it about 50 years ago but doesn't recall who commissioned it.

Asking price is 300 plus shipping which seems reasonable I think. I'm not too concerned about the price.

I do want to make sure it's the right set up for a beginner. I'm interested in finger picking but more generally at working towards proficiency. My wife is also interested in learning but doesn't have much experience with stringed instruments.

I don't know much about dulcimers and the various set ups. Will this one work?

I'm not too worried about compression pegs though I do wonder if they can be changed to whitener internal time tuner pegs.

Thoughts and insights appreciated!

Warmly,

Michael

Scallops between the frets

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

 

Matt, the other thing to consider is the string tension. If the dulcimer strings are under too much tension it will be hard to get them into the sweet spot. I have an excel spreadsheet that calculates the tension of any string at any pitch for a specified scale length. If you have that info send the sizes and pitches of each string and and I'll run that through my String Tension Calculator.

BTW, that excel spreadsheet is freely available to any who wish it.

Scallops between the frets

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

I purchased a fretting slot saw blade from Stewmac.  I went from dreading the fretsaw to gliding through cutting frets.

@ken-longfield Yea, cutting a dowel down sounds like a good plan.

Scallops between the frets

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

 

Thanks, Matt. That sounds like a lot less work. If you want a round top you could cut a dowel in half or sand it down. Using an overarm router and an extremely small straight cut bit you could rout out the slots for the frets. Just trying to imagine some possibilities.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Scallops between the frets

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

Well, the person I referenced did not have a problem with the scalloping with jumbo frets bending the notes.  I'm sure the extra space would make bending easier.

I play several dulcimers with different vsl.  When I move from a shorter to a longer vsl, my fingers tend to do down nearer the previous fret.  If I don't press hard enough, I get fret buzz.  //adjusting to play nearer the proper fret eliminates the buzz.  I believe this is what is meant by the sweet spot.  There is a larger space between two frets where you can press down and be sure there is no unwanted buzzing.

Like most of my builds, I like to experiment with different setups.  I have heard of scalloping, but never tried.  I will in some future build and wanted to hear thoughts on the best way to do it.

Scallops between the frets

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

From my limited experience playing the tagelharpa/jouhikko (where you press the strings with the backs of your fingers to fret notes, but there is no fretboard to press the string to), I'd guess that pressing down the strings to a fretboard that was deepened down could very easily bend the notes. Most of us are used to feeling the fretboard there with the soft pads of our fingers without necessarily 'mashing' the strings. Of course, one could also use this to purposely create bending and vibrato effects. 

I'm still not sure why scalloped frets would 'create a bigger sweet spot' between the frets (assuming one does not aggressively 'mash down' while fretting anyway). The fact that the note is created off the metal fret does not change. I always thought that scalloped frets on guitars were there to better facilitate bending the notes, as in blues or jazz playing.  ?

Scallops between the frets

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

@dwain-wilder,  Yep, his dulcimer had both scallops and jumbo frets.  To oversimplify, it think high end dulcimer players can be separated into two types, the mashers and the dancers.  The mashers slam down the strings into the fret board, the dancers press the strings down so they touch the frets, but try not to push the string into the fret board.  I can't say which is better as either type has a much better playing skill set than I do.  Good idea about the fret slots.  Scallop will weaken the top.

@ken-longfield  Ken, I was considering cutting a string of wood with chamfers on both sides and gluing them to the fret board and then cutting the fret slots.  Should accomplish the same thing.

@skip  Skip, agreed,  Any fret higher than the eight fret will need files.  

Thanks all for your thoughts.  I doubt I will get anything done for a couple months, but will post what I do, if I choose to work at it.

Scallops between the frets

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

 

Are you considering making the scallops after fretting? or before? I would recommend scalloping afterward, as any error in marking and carving to the mark would be very obvious.

I would also advise taking a step taught me by the owner of Buck's County Music Shop: chamfer the edges of the fret slot outs to the width of the fret tang's barbs, so the barbs do not pull out surface wood during fret removal —no need to heat the fret, which always risks marring the fretboard. Future repairers and re-fretters will bless you, and the scallops will be preserved intact.

As for scalloping the fretboard, do you know why higher frets weren't chosen? That would effect the sweet spot as well, without the unusual effort.

Scallops between the frets

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

For me it would depend upon how deep the scallops are. One method might be to use a variety of thickness of drum sanders. Another method would be to cut kerfs across the fretboard and then use a chisel to remove the wood left after sawing. You might need a file to smooth out the surface a little. Just a couple of quick things that come to mind.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."