Forum Activity for @dusty

At least here in California, John, the majority of people who picked up the dulcimer in the early 70s did so because of Joni Mitchell and Richard Fariña.  There was no pre-existing dulcimer tradition out here until people heard those two pop stars.  And many of those people are still around, playing and teaching others.

When I got my first dulcimer I was employed teaching beginning guitar to some middle- and high-school students.  I brought my dulcimer in to show them my new toy, and they all got excited because they had just seen Cyndi Lauper play one on TV the night before. But by then, Lauper was old news.  When she had her hits back in the 1980s, she never appeared with a dulcimer (nor any instrument, for that matter).  Had she done so, perhaps I would have discovered the dulcimer decades earlier than I did.

Hey now Dusty, the Nate fanclub may be small, but it has a quality few members. xD

It's a very true point though. Popular artists of the 70s played a huge role in the re-emergence of the instrument. Joni Mitchell, Emmylou Harris, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, etc. Often when you look at the comment section of tracks from that era that included dulcimer you will see people talking about how the sound stood out to them.

In modern times, Harry Styles, who was a member of the popular boy band One Direction, had a song that heavily featured the dulcimer and while his audience probably didnt notice, as a dulcimer player I definitely did.

Has the dulcimer playing of artists such as Brian Jones or Joni Mitchell or Cyndi Lauper or Dolly Parton made a measurable difference?  I don't know.

Maybe Ms. Swift should consider playing a dulcimer, if she could only sit down for two minutes in her concerts.  Attention would certainly be drawn to the dulcimer in such a situation.

Interesting question.  I'm not sure how to measure it, either.  The dulcimer was never a popular instrument. Even in Appalachia in the 19th century, it was less common, surely, than fiddles, banjos, and guitars.  The folk revival did indeed represent an apotheosis of sorts, but importantly, a lot of the people who took up the dulcimer then are still involved in the instrument. I've learned from many of them (Neal Hellman, Joellen Lapidus, Holly Tannen, etc.)

The original question references only the last 10-15 years.  Since I first discovered the dulcimer 13-14 years ago, I think my own perspective is useful here.

Until the pandemic, the number of dulcimer festivals was increasing.  And throughout that period, the number of people engaging about dulcimers online (FOTDM, ED, Facebook, etc.) has also been increasing.  In terms of the sheer number of people who own or play the instrument, I think there are more people involved now than there ever were.

And I'm not sure that the number of "commercial" builders is a measure of an instrument's popularity. First, as @Nate says, the dulcimer is relatively easy to build, and a lot of people build dulcimers for themselves or close friends. Second, and I will argue this until the cows come home and crush our tuners, we now have a small number of phenomenal luthiers making instruments that far surpass in quality of tone and playability the vast majority of instruments made in the past.  Even long-standing "commercial" luthiers such as Folkcraft and McSpadden are making much better instruments than they did decades ago, and if you add New Harmony and David Beede and Ron Ewing and Jerry Rockwell and Terry McCafferty and so many more, I think the number of outstanding dulcimers being produced is greater than ever.  Makers of some less impressive instruments have ceased, but I think that's not a bad thing.  Additionally, the market has been sufficient for low-end commercial builders like Roosbeck to enter the fray.

Having said all this, imagine if Taylor Swift would just play one song on the dulcimer in one of her concerts, I bet a whole bunch of teenage girls would get turned onto the instrument and before you can pick up your noter, there would be a NateBuildsToys Fan Club formed, their insignia a jello mold in the shape of a treble clef.

While I totally agree with you Wally, I think that dulcimer has recently rediscovered it's place as an instrument that is great for amateur builders to make for themselves. I have personally taught a bunch of people to build dulcimers. With modern tools and hardware, it's easier than ever for people to make their own dulcimers, and for people who like to build instruments, dulcimers and strumsticks are a common project.
Personally, I mainly built cigar box guitars before learning about dulcimers, and I have preferred making dulcimers since.
I think that the lack of commercial viability is also an indication of the durability or dulcimers, and the care given to them. There are probably more dulcimers out there than dulcimer players, so making new ones is best left to folks who make exceptional instruments, like many of the fine luthiers on this site.

One measure might be the number of commercial producers of dulcimers. That has certainly declined.

Certainly not my interest! I really want to know what folks who have been playing for decades think about this.
I am a young person and have not played for very long so this observation is limited. From my conversations with others, it seems that the instrument has been on a slow and steady decline since the folk revival. I think the instrument has incredible potential for a come back, but at the moment I would say that the popularity sadly seems to be on decline.

Has the popularity of and interest in the mountain dulcimer declined in the last 10 or 15 years?

@gnelson , you could also try joining our Texas Group here and creating a new thread there asking this. The group has not been active in a while, but the members of the group would likely see or get notified of any new post there, perhaps you'll get lucky.
Remember, one has to JOIN a group on fotmd in order to read the entirety of discussions and replies in the group. (Un-joining later is easy as well.)

I’m looking for mountain dulcimer players or group in Brownsville, TX during February 2025. Anyone out there?

Like new. Possum board, cherry, for a McSpadden Ginger (short scale) mountain dulcimer. Has a chrome strap button on each end. I never used it. New they sell for $69. Asking $40 + shipping. More pictures available. Contact Jill at: providenceV39@aol.com Ships from San Diego.

 Possum board front.jpg - 348KB

Hello Art. The nickel should be on top of the 7th fret and the dime should be sitting on the fretboard in the space between the nut and the first fret, flush against the first fret. Here are a couple of photos.

If the string is too high at the dime, you may need to make the nut slightly less tall by removing it and sanding a tiny bit off the bottom. If the string is too high at the nickel, you may need to sand a little off the bridge. Always go slow, and keep in mind that its a lot easier to take too much off than it is to put material back.

An important thing to note is that the dime will not be a useful reference if your instrument has jumbo fretwire, because the frets will be taller than the dime.

Sorry for the dead links. That should have been @ken-hulme and @ken-longfield

Can someone clarify the dime/nickel process. @ken_hulme said a nickle above the fretboard at the first fret, and a dime above the fret at the 7th. But @ken_longfield said a dime on the bridgeside of the 1st, and a nickle on top of the 7th.

Then, once you have determined that the action at the first fret is too high, how do you fix it? Lower the nut, or the bridge? Neither of mine are glued in, so I can do either. 

Thanks

Art

Oh, I love "Four Organs"!

I used “Four Organs” as an opening theme on a radio show I hosted on the Emerson College radio station, WERS, in the 70’s.  

Enjoy your newly rejuvenated dulcimer, @roue!

I remember as a teenager around 1970 the classical music station my mother always had going on the radio would occasionally play some Reich. It was so haunting and made a big impression on me.

Looks good. I'm glad this worked out for you. Enjoy playing the dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks for all the advice. I finally had time today to take the strings off, sand, and treat the wood ( howard feed-n-wax ). It's looking good as new. The scratched section of the fretboard is completely restored.

 20250125_181756.jpg - 76KB

Yeah, with dulcimer I hear very much the same kind of music Steve Reich was composing back in the 1960s and 70s:

Honestly, I think it would sound better on dulcimer because the unique harmonics dulcimer has compared to guitar. Since minimalist music is also modal, dulcimer is also perfectly matched to this kind of music.

I've actually heard of Glowhazel! They're based in VA too it turns out. Was just listening to their 2020 EP earlier, here it is on Bandcamp https://glowhazel.bandcamp.com/album/you-will-find-it-in-the-forest

Well i hope that character uploads again, because it was very cool ambient dulcimer music.

@glowhazel may not have made any posts for several years, but they last logged in here 14 months ago. I'd imagine they are still playing music of some sort.  

Interestingly Jim, leaving the clip on tuner on the instrument has become a symbol of proud naivete in some genres. The idea that a player needs regular access to a tuner is meant to be an indicator that they are very versatile, but not classically trained. Its a funny signal of authenticity that i see a lot in genres like folk punk. 

Here's a point about the damage that can be caused by leaving a clip on tuner fastened to your instrument.  There are solvents in the plastic or rubber pads on these tuners that can react with the finish on several instruments.  I tune my instrument, then take the tuner off.  During a show, I will keep it clipped to my mic stand so it's handy.  I started doing this just because I hated the look of tuners, capos or cigarettes, sticking out of the tuning head, but later a student of mine pointed out the instruction sheet that comes with the tuner the one that no one ever reads, warned against leaving the tuner on the instrument.  I have seen the finish and the decals on instrument heads scarred from the solvent in the pads.
Vinyl straps and Naugahyde couches can also do this, ruining both the instrument finish and the couch.

Glowhazel's last post was four years ago. If you do a search under the members tab above for Glowhazel you will find all of the posts and videos from this member.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

There is one guy @glowhazel that used to upload really neat ambient stuff. Sadly i dont think hes posted anything recently.

This is awesome. So meditative

I've done some custom orders of Aeolian harps just for those "ambient" tones and backgrounds.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1n8QLd3SzYomXtscwucIa7KAMWu8_p9Gv/view?usp=sharing

Welcome!

My thoughts exactly.

Hi everyone! My name is Annie and I'm a beginner mountain dulcimer player. I'm based in Richmond, VA and my first time seeing a dulcimer in person was just last summer at a tea festival in Bristol, TN/VA. Couldn't stop thinking about it for months and finally got one.

I have a background in playing acoustic guitar and electric bass, plus a little ukulele. I also tried to teach myself banjo circa 2020. I'm currently learning off of a Backyard Music cardboard dulcimer and keeping an eye on ShopGoodwill, FB Marketplace etc for an affordable wooden option. Love this recent synthesizer discussion -- I've thought for a while that dulcimer could have an interesting role in ambient music, being a drone instrument and all.

I think the biggest issue in playing along in a bluegrass jam is if they change keys frequently. Assuming you don't play other instruments as well, you may opt to bring two dulcimers- one for the keys of G and A, and another for the keys of C and D. That's what i used to do for oldtime music jams. It's not hard to tune up or down by one step to do this, OR use a capo on fret1 to do it. (I used to just tune up and down between A&G, and between D&C.) Using one dulcimer and tuning up and down over multiple steps will more quickly result in breaking strings, IMHO.

Bluegrass jamming has a lot more singing though, and often the favored singing key is B-flat, which might pose a special problem for a dulcimer player. In that case you might try completely muting your strings with the left hand while strumming in a percussive way with your right hand pick... not making out-of-tune notes but instead still having fun while improving your strumming rhythm.

@wally-venable , solid information! This way I can try this without spending a ton of cash.

Buying a new fretboard will cost you more than buying a 30 year old dulcimer and involve a lot more work.

I would suggest you consider buying an instrument on ShopGoodwill for $40 or less (including shipping and tax) and adding a cheap contact mic as an easy experiment. Since you will be shaping the sound with your electronics the body quality will make minimal difference.

Most of the instruments listed today on this page should serve your purposes. (I wouldn't say that to someone looking for a good acoustic instrument.)
https://shopgoodwill.com/categories/listing?st=dulcimer&sg=&c=&s=&lp=0&hp=999999&sbn=&spo=false&snpo=false&socs=false&sd=false&sca=false&caed=1%2F22%2F2025&cadb=7&scs=false&sis=false&col=1&p=1&ps=40&desc=false&ss=0&UseBuyerPrefs=true&sus=false&cln=1&catIds=&pn=&wc=false&mci=false&hmt=false&layout=grid&ihp=true

Professional Piezo Contact Microphone Pickup for Guitar Violin
ApproximatelyUS $2.57
Free Economy Shipping from Greater China
https://www.ebay.com/itm/335756608848?_skw=piezo+pickup&itmmeta=01JJ71EA19DF3XA0WECP531VMD&hash=item4e2ca74550:g:qpUAAOSwOPtneM1U&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA8HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKn2D4rzConcs1ki1Ui1XNKWM5p388NzRr7ctDbXkTg6jyJXUfQdgUK8S78UJ8CEyq5hhXsVafRrR2CmyoZFkhZIr6ptQzZxbUkoPa1y8kHxgLFENxppmRqORstXXLebiwlUtzcON8kk%2BQ%2FCVmfqUCqAghklDiAyP--nOGKZkfYA8l4lDa4g4v%2FxSWJZRKdGKAdDheOD5n6lpYerGCVv87BKQm%2Fzn6B%2FyPhEy1mITwdBR5r9powtvrK7QZKusCtkFtvkUwgn72gmxUb%2FDk4tJ%2FXl1tCRa%2BrVCKCr5R11UoHUCw%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_6gueGRZQ

Hello Jon. In my opinion, even when playing with louder instruments the dulcimer still fits nicely into the blend and adds a lot to the overall sound. Assuming you can't use any kind of amplification and are wanting the sound of the dulcimer to stand out, it helps to consider where all the players are relative to eachother and make sure that the quieter instruments are  prominently placed where they wont be drowned out as easily.

Hi kids, just me Jon here again have a question. Not another one, yes it is true, hoping to get some kind of feedback. I have just found a bluegrass group that tries to get together once a month to jam. My question has to do with trying to play along with a  group since the dulcimer is not very loud. Is it better to just jam with other dulcimers and not in a bluegrass situation where you're trying to play with louder instruments. I hope I'm making some kind of sense anyhow. Your feedback would be much appreciated. Take care everybody, keep those fingers limber and thanks again for your opinions. 

Very cool Damon. I dont know anything about synthesizers so i look forward to hearing what kinds of unique sounds you can get from the dulcimer.

Ive been making really simple lures as a hobby for several years now. Mainly spoons and tied flies but ive also tried making a couple molds for soft plastic lures, and Ive whittled a couple from wood as well. Catching a fish on my own lure is not only a very rewarding feeling, but has also taught me a lot about what fish really care about vs what they don't.

Great point. I don't have any kind of dulcimer at the moment. Honestly, I don't think I need the solid body since all the electronics are in the synth itself. So, it might be best to find a quality used instrument, then add a pick up of any kind.

I've even thought of buying a pre-made fretboard, then build a Tennessee Music Box out of the cedar dad left me. Then I could install any pick I wanted. Just spit balling ideas.

My knowledge is in two streams.

I use and arrange in MIDI for a crank organ with multiple voices controlled by solenoids, as well as a small MIDI synthesizer module.I don't think this has any bearing on your needs.

On the dulcimer side, I have used a $10 clip-on guitar pickup experimentally on a $40 dulcimer.. That worked as a connection to a 10 watt guitar amp.

I installed a ukulele tuner-preamp with piezo under-the-bridge installation on one on my $40 Korean dulcimers. Mostly I just use it as a tuner which never falls off or gets lost. I have tested it with a couple of small guitar amps, so I know it works, but I only play for fun with acoustic groups. I have thought it may be useful when working as a dulcimer class instructor, but found my home-made acoustic Tennessee Music Box dulcimer works well for our very small classes, and is convenient for use on a table in the front of the room.

If you already have any dulcimer, try a cheap guitar pickup first.

A solid body electric is fine, but probably expensive, and will have to be custom built with a considerable wait time.

.