Eight years ago today, FOTMD opened its virtual doors for the first time.  

Thank you Lisa...

Just use the Strothers String Gauge calculator -- plug in the VSL and the notes of the open tuning you want to use (DAd, DAA, etc)  http://www.strothers.com/string_choice.html

I play mostly old-style traditional instruments with 27-28" VSL, three strings, fretting only the melody string.  I normally buy bulk 12s for the melody and middle drone, and non-wound 20s or 22s for the bass string.

I tend not to worry about VSL so much when choosing strings as I do about what sounds good on a given instrument. For the most part, I buy bulk banjo strings in .012, .014 and a wrapped .024 gauge. However, I sometimes use .010s or .011s for melody strings if that's all I have on hand.

On a beautiful Modern Mountain dulcimer I had (gee, I wish I hadn't sold that to a student a few years ago!) made of poplar, spruce and Osage orange wood, I used .011, .014, and a nickle-wrapped .022 because it was just to bright sounding with a .024. 

As always, my recommendation is that you experiment with different strings, different winding materials and see what works best for you. Strings are inexpensive and only take a few minutes to change.

I am always experimenting and curious with string gauges on the dulcimore. I am curious to what size string gauges the community uses varying on different VSL's and what conclusions they have come up with, if any.

I'll remove it- thanks Blondie!

Strumelia,

I would like my ad 'high spirits flutes' for sale removed.  I did not sell them.  Thanks!

That looks like fun! 

I ran across  Vander Woude"  dulcimers & they have the very same sound hole as my trailing/weeping/bleeding heart, what a surprise. His site directs one to Hewoud Music. Vander Woude decided to retire & his granddaughter, Victoria has taken over the business. I wrote her & she sent back this reply below. It was very sweet for Victoria to take the time to do this research - much like what has already been posted.

I hear their dulcimers are 'beautiful' & the sound 'unique'

"The meaning, origins, and history of the Trailing/Weeping/Bleeding Heart soundhole design are completely shrouded in mystery. Mountain Dulcimer lovers have been debating over it for years, but there appears to be no single concrete answers available. There are numerous theories, some of which I have included here: -Bleeding or Weeping Heart shapes are traditionally used to represent sadness or loss. For those who enjoyed playing sad love songs or wished to commemorate a lost loved one, bleeding heart soundholes would add a sentimental touch to their instrument and music. -A common theory is that they are not “bleeding” hearts but rather a depiction of “Trailing Hearts”, a flowering vine with heart-shaped leaves, also known as the Rosary Vine. Some Mountain Dulcimer builders specifically state that their design is a heart-shaped leaf and vine. -The geometrical heart shape was originally used to represent leaves (not sentiment), especially of the Linden tree. Legend says that any couple who sits under the branches of “the tree of lovers” would be in love forever. -The Pennsylvania Dutch frequently used hearts in their décor to represent love of God, family, friends, and country. The tips of the trailing hearts point heavenwards as a reminder that true love comes from God. The Mountain Dulcimer was partially based on a German folk instrument (the zither) and was commonly used as a church instrument, so this heart design is a reflection of the instrument’s roots. -The simplest theory is that the ornamental heart was born from builders experimenting with how to make heart soundholes more elegant. No symbolism was meant beyond those conveyed in standard hearts. As you can see, symbolism is mainly left open to interpretation now. Some people don't relish the thought of having "bleeding" hearts on their instrument and prefer the floral explanations. Others feel the historical meanings are more substantial. Legends and theories aside, the Trailing/Weeping/Bleeding Heart soundhole has become one of the most common and beloved Mountain Dulcimer soundhole designs. Most builders seem to use it as a soundhole design option. Its graceful ornamental shape adds a nice touch of whimsy to this beautiful folk instrument, it allows greater resonance than most soundhole designs, and the mysteries behind its origins reflect the mysteries of the Mountain Dulcimer’s true roots"

Peg holding, YEA

Hey hey, pencil eraser - rub that on & the little bits (like adding fiber to our diets) has the bass peg holding. WOW, no slipping. Has anyone else tried an eraser?

Often when I visit the home page I see a listing of discussion topics, many of which have a number of comments or replies associated with them.  However when I click on these entries I only see the original posting and not the full thread.  How do I get to see all the comments/replies?

Many thanks

Trevor

If Fred Flintstone played the dulcimer, he might feel right at home using your pick. Nice finds, Charles!

Steven

How cool, Charles!  Rock on!  ⭐️

I was looking for other stones to make a pick out of when I found this stone(And 12 cents). I remembered Ken H's post about his malachite noter and I thought "This might work".  After polishing I now have a stone noter and pick!  Rock music!!!  

 IMG_1918.jpg - 83KB

Yes I have that book too Stephen- it's a great book with lots of descriptive background.  

I have a great book by Almeda Riddle.  It's called 

A Singer and Her Songs; Almeda Riddle's Book of Ballads

There are currently several copies on Amazon.com at good prices.  

The Germans (Penn. Dutch) used the heart to represent 4 ideas concerning love.......love of God, love of family, love of friends and love of country at least that is what I recall from years ago.  In the old German Lutheran Liturgy which I grew up with, like the Roman liturgy the Sursum Corda is offered by the celebrant who intones........."Lift up your hearts" and the congregants reply........."We lift them up unto the Lord."    That intonation goes back to the third or fourth century according to those old dusty books I have.  The upward pointed heart may be a reference to doing that......looking to heaven the source of all true love.   (see those years of seminary have provided me with all sorts of information that would be great if I ever get on Jeopardy).  When the German settlers put hearts on all sorts of things they usually referred to love of family or community and faith.  Some have said  that upward pointing hearts meant the instrument was to be used for hymnody and celebration and the regular heart for the love of one human being for all of creation including family and friends.   Then again, maybe this is just all speculation......but it is fun to think about.

IIRC "trailing hearts" is what the Ford's called their "vine with multiple heart shaped leaves" soundhole design.

I am not even sure the design in question is usually considered a "bleeding" or "weeping" heart, both of which imply loss and sadness.  What about a "trailing" heart?  I have definitely heard that term used.  I think Ron Ewing refers to trailing hearts as a soundhole option for his dulcimers.  It might even be a reference to a rosary vine, which is sometimes called a string of hearts or trailing hearts plant.

Of course, it is very likely that there is no one stable meaning to a single image, but that different luthiers think it means different things or even nothing at all but just looks cool.

 Salt-Springs,

A true treasure

Ike and Izzy........the last two Carolina Parakeets before the species went extinct.  These sound holes were done By Kerry Coates and this is one of the last dulcimers she built.  A genuine lady and true artist.  

Kerry passed away in 2014; her passing was a great loss to the dulcimer world.

ken

( Linden leaf - a source of magical power ... "bleeding heart" - too sentimental or liberal)

Both of those meanings sound better than maybe 'sad'

thanks

Chalk will sometimes help with pegs which won't hold. Dan's suggestion of peg drops is good, too. I use "peg dope." It is actually jeweler's rouge, a very fine polish. It comes in a little tube and looks like a brown crayon or art pastel. Lightly rub the pegs with it where the pegs make contact with the sides of the holes. I bought mine in a music store which stocks goods for violin. 

I don't think water or spit are a good idea. 

kerry anderson made beautiful and unusual sound holes.  no surprize her background was art and costume design.

she is a friend and advertized my books and cd's on her website  for years.  would love to see her back

Bleeding or Weeping Hearts are also found on many tomahawk blades, as well as Pennsylvania/Kentucky longrifles.  As someone said there are as many folk tales about what that means as there are tomahawks and long rifles.  A "bleeding heart" is, of course, someone who is considered too sentimental or liberal in dealing with social situations. 

There is some indication that prior to the 14th century the heart as a geometric shape represented not the heart of sentimentality, but rather the shape of the Linden leaf, which was held by Germanic/Scandinavian mythology to be a source of magical power, or any number of other plant references.  Only in the 15th century does the heart geometric shape begin to represent love, sentimentality, and other Christian ideals.

Bob, your dulcimers are indeed beautiful.  I like that heart inlay in the end block.  And I've always been in awe of the delicate work evidenced in nice rosette. How pretty!

bob,

Your dulcimer you are working on is beautiful. Since you mention ( Weeping Heart motifs )  in this site, I was wondering if you knew what the meaning could be for them.

    Yes, this is a nice discussion & I am so glad it has started back up. I have several dulcimers with different sound holes but my latest is a San Carrell '84 'fiddleside' with the weeping heart, or crying heart. At the moment I have it tuned to DAAA & is a bit sadder than maybe DAdd would be. I understand Carrell returned to Fla to help his ill parents in '84 & maybe only made a few dulcimers after that, could the weeping Hearts be because he was leaving TN? 

 e mail weeping hearts.jpg - 105KB

Hey, congrats Rob!  Very cool.

Congratulations Rob! How does it feel to be famous?   

Its always so interesting to see the many creative designs and elements used for dulcimer sound-holes. There are some true beauties on display on this thread that sparked my design interests with the creativity and artistry of these unique elements.

I always have liked the traditional Heart and Weeping Heart motifs and used them on the few dulcimers I have made, including my recent March's Dulcimer. Also beautiful are the various Rosettes that are on many dulcimers. I have used them in my April and May Dulcimer (as well as soon completed June's Dulcimer), tinting some with a splash of color for a nice effect.

This is a wonderful discussion!!

 March Dulcimer.jpg - 115KB

This is a cool discussion topic in which I participated back when I was a newbie, could barely play a few tunes, and only had one dulcimer. Ah, those simple days of yore!  I still have that first dulcimer, by the way.

My most recent purchase is a McCafferty dulcimer.  The inlay on the fretboard centers on the fifth fret with a wolf silhouetted against a full moon. And then for position markers (on frets 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12) there are little stars positioned in such a way as to appear random but still mark the appropriate frets.  The four soundholes are quarter moons, with one little star, as you see in this picture.  My daughter insists that only one name is appropriate for this dulcimer: Luna.  So be it.

John.... it was taken when we 1st started playing.  The 5s and 10s of the madding crowd showed up a little later.

Dulcinina.... I think it's probably just because we're a funny looking bunch.

Ken... Oh the price of fame!

DT.... We'll always keep the common folk in our hearts and minds.  

Seriously, thank you for your kind comments.

dusty,

Thanks, I wrote a message to Pristine2's homepage. Will see if he answers, several older messages, I didn't see where he answered so not sure. Hope is is well.

I place a call to Clemmer's shop, Wood N Strings. They are busy right now but when they have a minute will call me back. I will post what I find out but I like your idea of symbolic meanings of the different sound holes from ( "tall tale tellers" at FOTMD!)

marg, here is Pristine2's homepage here at FOTMD.  He clearly has not been active recently.

As you can see from the ED discussion, even the explanations for the hearts differ among different luthiers, and those explanations may indeed be particular to those individuals rather than representing some broad folk tradition.  My uncle makes autoharps with a dog footprint as the soundhole. Why?  Because the autoharp is man's best friend?  Because music has left its imprint on his soul?  No. Because he likes dogs.  According to Ralph Lee Smith, Homer Ledford began making dulcimers with diamond-shaped soundholes for two reasons: to be different than other luthiers who were using hearts, and because they were easier to cut with a simple chisel.  Practical, rather than symbolic reasons.  But he received so many requests for hearts that he went back to making hearts instead (see Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions , 2nd edition, page 116).

It would be nice to find some interesting symbolic meaning to the trailing hearts, but it might be that we have to make something up.  If that's the case, don't worry; we have enough "tall tale tellers" at FOTMD!

I had put Pristine2  in under member search & he didn't pop up. I remember he was a member awhile back. 

Some post on hearts, & up-side down ones & what is a traditional sound hole, seems there should be some meaning to what design is chosen either by the builder or the person who is ordering one - especially if the design denotes something sad, like weeping or crying. If a 'cigar sometimes is just a cigar' I would rather think the design is just a combination of f-holes & hearts.

Sounds like you have been having high temp's out in CA, stay cool - summer is here