RoyB, I really can't use round noters due to soft tissue problems with my hands. The pad on my thumb (I hold the noter with my thumb on top) needs a larger point of contact than round noters offer so I use flat noters. I don't know what makes a bamboo noter hard on your fingers but round noters don't work for me. Just a thought.
Dan, I have two river cane Native American flutes made by an excellent maker in Alabama, so I'm familiar with the material. My bamboo noter slides well but feels very hard on my fingers for some reason.
Robin, maybe I'll try beeswax, or a similar material. I have some Howard butcher block conditioner that I've used on my bamboo flutes, so I thought maybe I'd try that.
I believe river cane makes the best noter. (Historically correct and indigenous) Bamboo is very similar being high in silicon content that makes them last a very long time and slide quite nice.....
I've used beeswax on noters to get them to slide real slick-- I have a small slab of it and it can just be rubbed onto the noter. Just keep your string wiped mostly clean when using it.
I've been trying out different size and material noters, mostly handmade. I have a 1/4", 4.5" long noter than came with my Apple Creek dulcimer, and I've cut a 3/8", 4.5" long hollow bamboo noter. I've now made several of those two sizes out of oak dowels. However, they don't slide as well up and down the fret board as the original two. Should I be treating the dry wood in some way - oil, stain, paint, etc.? (I've also watched Strumelia's excellent review of different kinds of noters - wish I had the carving skills to make some like the ones she shows).
Also, I'm frankly allergic to spending $7-$10 or more for a commercially made plain 5" piece of dowel, when I can buy a 36" long piece of wood for $1-$2.50, out of which I could make several. :)
That flathead looks like a Cripple Creek Aspen model. IIRC Lori is/was Bud & Donna's daughter in law; but don't quote me on that...
If it doesn't have a CC maker's label inside it may be one of their kits of this model.
Or when was Lori with the Dulcimer shop
Is this a Cripple Creek Dulcimer from about 20 years ago? Did they have a style like this with the pointed head?
Or was it by someone else but sold at Cripple Creek?
Two weeks from today, friends. :)
John Knopf made a very good replacement peg. It is great to hear the sweet voice of the John Maxwell dulcimer. Jim
Dave, this is an interesting question and subject.
I can see that you are a pretty accomplished musician. I'm afraid I can't think of examples of the kind you are looking for in particular, but it shouldn't be a hard thing to do if you have musicians who can play along with each other by ear.
I went to our site's video section, and punched in "mandolin" in the search box, and came up with this:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/jrVimeo,jrYouTube,jrVideo/1/25/search_string=mandolin
There looks like maybe a couple of examples of dulcimer and mandolin playing together in a group, but you'll have to look through them.
Sorry I can't be of more help!
Thanks much, I really enjoyed those and duh, why didnt I think of that.
cheers
Dave, this is an interesting question and subject.
I can see that you are a pretty accomplished musician. I'm afraid I can't think of examples of the kind you are looking for in particular, but it shouldn't be a hard thing to do if you have musicians who can play along with each other by ear.
I went to our site's video section, and punched in "mandolin" in the search box, and came up with this:
https://fotmd.com/search/results/jrVimeo,jrYouTube,jrVideo/1/25/search_string=mandolin
There looks like maybe a couple of examples of dulcimer and mandolin playing together in a group, but you'll have to look through them.
Sorry I can't be of more help!
When the McSpadden's owned and operated McSpadden Dulcimers, the solid soundboard was offered as an option. When Jim Woods purchased McSpadden Dulcimers the solid soundboard became a standard feature on all their dulcimers. I don't know the exact dates, but there would be two dates:
Date One - McSpaddens offered the solid soundboard option for the first time.
Date Two - Jim Woods made the solid soundboard a standard feature of all McSpadden dulcimers.
Jim Woods purchased McSpadden dulcimers in 2001, so the switch to the solid soundboard on all instruments would have occurred sometime around 2001-2002.
Hi All,
I'm new here and looking for examples of videos or audio of dulcimer and mandolin played together in an ensemble. I hope this is the correct place to put this. I love Appalachian Mandolin & Dulcimer by Butch Baldassari & David Schnaufer. My latest project shown in this video (thanks for the comments many have made) is more of an ensemble encompassing multiple genre's I'm more interested.
Thanks much for this wonderful site.
cheers,
Dave
Melanie -- send me a PM with your email address, I can't seem to get you 'friended' for some reason. I have PDFs of two of your songs so far -- Star of County Down and Wayfaring Stranger.
Thanks everyone for your input. If nothing else, this was a source of interest and curiosity. But, unless the maker chimes in, I guess this will remain a music mystery.
If you Google "true temperament frets" you see lots of guitars with the squiggly frets. Makes you feel like you poured bourbon on your cereal instead of milk.
I doubt that's what's going on with the Goodwill dulcimer.
I've seen some guitars made with slanted or curvy frets. It's an overly-complex way of avoiding a compensated bridge. A compensated bridge is a heck of a lot easier and gets the job done, maybe a tiny bit less precisely than curved/slanted frets.
I think Richard is right about the date for the switch to solid wood. If not, I just don't see that a laminated soundboard would make any difference in sound on any instrument, let alone one as small as a Ginger.
I just looked at the pictures, and I don't recall ever seeing anything like that. Maybe some weird attempt to compensate/intonate for string thickness; but 30 degrees seems 'way off the mark? If it weren't for the ludicrous 33 pound shipping weight for a $30 shipping fee it might be worth the $15 bid price just to see in person.
"Shopgoodwill" has an interesting duclimer up for auction (refer "Unbranded 4 String Wood Dulcimer"). It's obviously very old but the distinctive characteristic are the frets. Instead of being installed perpendicular to the fretboard, they are positioned at about a 30 degree (estimated) angle from perpendicular. I've never seen anything like this on a dulcimer or any other fretted instrument. What do you make of it?
If my memory is correct it was in about 1996 that McSpadden switched from laminated soundboard to solid wood. So the 2001 Ginger I would think would be solid wood. Others will chime in I am sure.
Thank you, @ken-hulme!! I suspected Star of the County Down was a minor tune. I've seen someone play it with a capo on the 1st fret. I remember hearing the Clancy Brothers playing Star. I think it was on You Tube. Thanks again for all your help! Can't wait to get going with these!
Actually, all four of those tunes can be played from DAA. Although I admit Shady Grove and Wayfaring Stranger sound much better played in Aeolian DAC (first note of the scale starts on fret 1) which (as minor tunes) is where they are intended to be played. I play primarily by ear, and don't collect tab, but I'll put those four tunes together in DAA for you.
Danny Boy is almost the perfect Ionian tune fitting between the 1st and 12th frets, ending on fret 3. I learned Star of County Down from an old Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brother's album.
One of the "things" about Noter & Drone [layers is that we're not afraid to change tunings to fit the song. We know it's only a matter of changing the pitch of 1 string! Chord-Melody players try to play virtually everything from DAd.
The noter certainly adds a certain 'flavor' to the dulcimer sound, like nothing else.
Fingerdance is much the same as Noter & Drone -- in that you play the melody on the melody string(s) only while the drones hummmm along. The sound is different because your finger absorbs sound differently than a noter does. FWIW you can't play "Noter & Drone style" by fretting with your finger. A Noter is a separate object held in the hand; not part of the hand itself. It's not just a matter of semantics but also the performance of certain techniques like slides, pull-offs, hammer-ones etc..
I've heard that earlier model McSpadden dulcimers have a laminated soundboard, and that later on McSpadden dulcimers were built with solid soundboards.
Does anyone know if a 2001 McSpadden Ginger dulcimer would have a solid soundboard or a laminated soundboard?
Thanks, Ken @ken-hulme. My very favorite Celtic-type song is Star of the County Down. I'd love to learn Danny Boy (Londonderry). As far as Americana-type, Shady Grove and Poor Wayfaring Stranger. Is it even possible to play them with DAA? I'm guessing I can with Shady Grove maybe. Thanks for the link. I'll be checking that out. Dusty has sent me Sweet Hour of Prayer for DAD. I'm fascinated with noter drone and I think I'm going to tune to DAA for a while and see how it goes. Fingerdance style sounds interesting! I appreciate any help you can give me!
Melanie -- Sorry to hear about your information overload. When I started there wasn't much more than Jean Ritchie's first book. No internet. No overload! I had to make my first dulcimer so I could learn to play it. I taught myself Noter & Drone and have stayed with it ever since. I play primarily Scottish Celtic and Americana type music.
As Dusty suggests, put down the books, pick up your dulcimer, and play. Since you want to go with N&D and Celtic and simple (yes the dulcimer really is "simple" to learn if you want to play Noter & Drone or Fingerdance style); then tune to DAA and between you and Dusty and I and a couple others we'll get you well on your way.
Don't worry about Dorian Mode or capos or anything right now. The majority of the music you want to play can be played right from DAA. Dorian and Aeolian and Mixolydian mode are "special case" tunings for a limited number of songs in the world of English and Scottish Popular Ballads as Francis James Child called them in the 1880s when he collected over 300 of them with their American variations.
If you tell us a couple of your favorite Celtic or Americana songs we'll have something to work together with you. Feel free to send me a PM here so I can help you most efficiently.
PS. I know I said put down the books, but there is a little booklet/essay I wrote a number of years back called Get Noterized -- all about how to choose and use a stick to make beautiful music. You can find it here:
Ken Hulme's "Get Noterized!" Article - Strumelia | fotmd.com
Thanks, Dusty. Yes, I can tune my dulcimer and read tabs. I can play some basic chords - D, A, G. One of my dulcimers has a 6+ fret and the other a 1+. I love the traditional tunes and some Celtic which seems to be needing a different mode like Dorian or a capo. I appreciate your wisdom and any help you have!
Melanie, you deserve credit for trying to learn as much as you can about the dulcimer. Kudos to you. But you should also know that you don't have to know anything about modes or about hammer-ons or about chords to play music on the dulcimer.
Don't even worry about tunings. If you want to eventually play chord/melody and your dulcimer has a 6+ fret, then tune DAd. Don't even think about other tunings until you are comfortable playing a half dozen songs or more. If you want to play in a drone style, then tune DAA and don't think about other tunings for a while.
I just have two questions for you. Can you tune your dulcimer? Do you know how to read tablature. If the answer to both of those questions is "yes," then send me a personal message and I'll give you tab that will teach you a few simple tunes in an easy, step-by-step manner. It starts with one note per beat, only strumming out, and only fretting the melody string. Then each version adds just one extra step until eventually you are playing a song with varied rhythm and chords.
If you don't know how to read tablature, let me know that, too. I can share something that will explain it.
I strongly recommend that you think less and play more. I know it's not that simple, but my guess is that if you just start playing some of the information you've tried to learn now will eventually make sense.
Perhaps it's my senior brain but I'm getting so frustrated with learning to play my dulcimer. I began learning, wanting to know everything about this wonderful instrument, all the theory, the modes, chord progressions etc). But it just isn't clicking. I thought I wanted to play chord/melody style but I'm finding that my short fingers and slightly arthritic hands make chords difficult. I have a 26" VSL and don't want to go smaller. Then there are hammer-ons, pull-offs etc. The modes and tuning totally throw me. I've begun to think that I'm on information overload. I follow several very good dulcimer instructors, but each has their own way of doing things and seem to teach above my head at the moment. I've come to the conclusion that noter style may be a better fit for me. I've been reading up and listening to Jean Ritchie lately and I think that the traditional and Celtic style songs are what draw me in.
Does anyone have any suggestions for me to learn? I found Strumelia's blog with her suggestion to begin at the beginning of the blog (2009). That looks helpful. I really think that getting comfortable with the different tunings may be important, even if I stayed with noter drone.
I read when I first started that the mountain dulcimer was one of the easiest instruments to learn to play. I can pick out a tune by ear but I want to do so much more. What am I doing to make ti seem so difficult?
My friend Matt did a delightful interview with Aubrey Atwater earlier this year. It can be viewed here:
Ken, thanks for the information. Even after clicking around a bit on Facebook, I couldn't find a way to adjust settings as you did. I appreciate your efforts to help me, though!
Well I couldn read music notation either when I started with the dulcimer since I also started with cowboy chords on the guitar.
The good thing is that you don't need this since dulcimer tabulature is so easy to read (just press the noter or finger on the fret number of the indicated string).
I'm pleased to hear that you are making progress now, happy playing
Robin, go to it on Facebook and right click on the video to bring up settings (I think, I don't use Windows) and switch from automatic to one of the lower settings. I used 240 and it worked well.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Good, I'm glad that worked for you..........so far as being computer smarter....I just wish I was smarter in general.
Thanks for the suggestion Salt, but 4 minutes and 20 seconds seems to be the cut-off. I was able to watch the video by going in to settings and changing from the auto setting to 240p. If I were smarter at this computer stuff, it would have dawned on me sooner to do that.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Thanks, @salt-springs yet Facebook is where I've tried to watch it originally and can't proceed beyond about 4:20. Though please know I appreciate your efforts to help, though.
It might work if you try it this way...........go down about a page and a half to the July 30th post.
Thanks, Salt. I had not seen the YouTube video before.. I appreciate your sharing it. I still would like to find a way to see the other video. When I see the video of the Artisan Center and think of how many times I've been in the Cody building my heart aches. It is not for the stuff that was lost in the flood, but for the lives disrupted and livelihoods compromised. They were making such wonderful progress with the Road to Recovery through the Luthiere and Troublesome Creek Instruments.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Try the youtube link if the first one jams at 4.20
