Forum Activity for @strumelia

BTW, this would be a great  ongoing thread to post in our Gig Talk! Group . 

For a while now, I've really enjoyed playing the "Tavern Song" from the Israeli movie "Sallah Shabati"...it's quite a workout playing it noter/drone.

Steven

I have been asked to play "Down in the River to Pray" with a group at church, but I've not gotten full details yet.  I hope it pans out!

So, folks on the FOTMD, where you playin' at next?

I'll be kicking it up with my band, The Mound City Slickers on the porch of the Peers Store near Marthasville, MO tomorrow from noon until 3 in the afternoon. Come on by if you're in the neighborhood.

Now tell me about you!  

Just throwing this out for the crowd. 

What's the tune you've had the most fun playing? 

For me, of course, and I'm sure for you, it changes all the time. Right now, I'd have to say that I'm having a ton of fun playing Charlie Poole's "If The River Was Whiskey", a sort of old-time country version of "Hesitation Blues". I hadn't played if for years and years, but heard someone playing it on the excellent AMERICAN EPIC series on PBS. Now I can't get it out of my head or my fingers.

It's not that uncommon to see that kind of mixed diatonic/chromatic fret arrangement on folk traditional or older dulcimer ancestor instruments- Swedish hummels, French epinettes... The practice goes far back.  There are quite a few early mtn dulcimers with the arrangement, and J.J. Niles experimented with making such dulcimers as well.  Lots of musicians like having the option for those odd extra notes, without having a completely chromatic fretboard.

It helps to be fretting with the fingers rather than a noter if you want to be more nimble in getting the 'far' non-diatonic frets.  You can play tunes with any kind of accidentals in them, and you can play tunes that switch keys midstream without retuning... quite useful.

Hi George, there are lots of cool photos, videos, etc, about limberjacks here on FOTMD:

https://fotmd.com/search/results/all/1/25?search_string=limberjack

Interesting.  I don't have a stone pick, but I use a malachite pestle, from a Mexican mortar & pestle set, as a noter.  I do have a pick made from "vegetable ivory" from the Ivory Nut Palms on Pohnpei Island in the Federates States of Micronesia, and another made from polished turtle shell (found an empty shell in the woods years ago). 

George, you sit on one end of a long thin plywood paddle, put a dowel in the hole to hold the puppet, and hold it so that the feet just touch the paddle.  Now you go to thumping the paddle, and the feet of the puppet go flying, and the arms flip back and forth.  Talented folks can beat a rhythm to the song being played by another, and the puppet will appear to dance along with it in a comical way.  It's a lot of fun, especially for young kids.

Thanks,That was buried somewhere in my brain but couldn't dig it up, now i need to figure out how to "play" it, any advice on that would be great too!! Dusty, your knowledge of all things obscure musical is impressive.

I found this, by George Orthey Dulcimer, If I'm not mistaken they were used sort of like a set of "bones", A peg was in the hole in the back, A board of some sort was placed somewhere close to lap level, and the figure was made to "dance"? Or am I off by a mile and them some?

 wood1.jpg - 78KB

While I was patrolling a fenceline at an electric company substation (that's part of my job) I noticed this rock and I thought that might make a nice pick.I took it home and polished one end with various grits of sandpaper. I like the weight and feel of it. I'm always on the lookout for noter and pick materiels!! 

 IMG_1915.jpg - 112KB

There's a few on this page: http://www.davidbeede.com/octavedulcimers.htm

Take a look at the center dulcimer in that picture at the top right.  It looks like a royal pain to build and I see that David stopped offering that option.  If memory serves, he used to call it an "evil half-breed" fretboard.  I would love to have one just to see how people react!

I think the idea is that you can play the melody string without speed bumps, while accidentals are available on other strings if you need them.  In DAA (or any 1-5-5 tuning) it would make perfect sense to a piano player: white keys on the near string, both white and black keys on the middle string.  In DAd (1-5-1) you'd find the black keys shifted up a little higher on the fretboard but still the same idea.

Come to think of it, that fretboard looks a lot like a piano keyboard.  Short frets are the black keys.  It strikes me as a perfectly logical layout for someone who wants all the notes but isn't comfortable looking at (or sliding a noter across) a fully chromatic fretboard.

I have a Dean Markley transducer stick on pick up but sorry no volume, could check with the or sweet-water & see if there is one that comes with a volume.

Pictures, please!  If there's no photo, "it didn't happen"!!

I don't know if I explained myself correctly. I recently bought a small 1 watt amplifier that does not have a volume control button. It is small, about the size of a pack of cigarettes. What I need is a stick-on type transducer that has a volume control button that I can insert into my amp. I have looked at the Shadow stuff online, but their prices are more than double what I paid for the small amp. Someone also sent me a link to company that makes what I am looking for, except it has to be installed into the dulcimer. I need a stick-on type. Thanks for any info on such an accessory, if one exists.

Joe

Just saw a dulcimer that has chromatic spacing on the drone strings, and diatonic spacing on the melody strings. I've never seen this before. How is the chromatic spacing used? What are the limitations/benefits?

Thanks ken, I'm hoping as I get older my thumb doesn't start giving me more trouble in playing

Marg -- why not drop Bill a note, or give him a call and ask about loosening the bridge  I would suggest heating it a few minutes with your hair dryer before giving it a tap with a hammer and a wooden dowel

 (Action tended to come a little high on most of his instruments I've owned)

    Do you feel it is just a bit high on your Berg's?

I have one & using the nickel on the 7th fret it's good but I feel maybe it could go just a hair down.

    My problem is, seems the bridge is glued in. I tried lightly knocking it & didn't move, what could loosen it or should I just leave as is?

    It Plays fine but my thumb has been giving me trouble (I slide with it a lot) & thinking if it was just a hair lower, maybe I would have less pressure on my thumb.

Ideas?

Know it's been a while, but just noticed a post on Berg's.  I bought my first on Ebay in 2013, and they have been my primary concert instruments ever since.  Just bought my fifth Berg earlier today.  Of over 50 dulcimers in the 26 years I've played, McSpadden is the only brand I've bought more of, and that's just because there are more of them out there.

Bill makes great instruments: even the student models sound better than a lot of "upgrade" instruments on the market.  Action tended to come a little high on most of his instruments I've owned or handled, and could cause intonation to pitch slightly sharp in the upper register; lower the strings just a touch and it's right on the money.  

Because he doesn't have the name recognition of McSpadden or Folkcraft, used instruments usually fetch less than half their original new price, even in top condition; making second-hand Bergs possibly the best value in the dulcimer world.

That's  great, Gail! Congratulations!

Steven

My congratulations to Gail too- what a huge honor to win that!  

Way to go Gail! Congrats 

Yes, congratulations Gail.  That's just wonderful.

Thank you everyone.  I'm glad you enjoyed it.  I sure did, but my roots are in that area, so I'm prejudiced, I'm sure.  Sean, I'm not on facebook so I can't contact her through that.  I was interested because she (in the little bit she played) seemed like a very good player on what looks like a Bonnie Carol dulcimer.  

I loved this whole little movie....thank you soooooooooo much for posting it.  aloha, irene

Long ago in Hawaii, I was taking a class in Early Music with all sizes of recorders.  One cool old guy from N.Y.C. came to visit and his son was in our class.  He said that when we learn a new instrument, the things we learned on our former instruments come with us.....we can learn faster often with that former knowledge of the other instruments.  He somehow gave me permission to learn as many instruments as i wanted to learn.  recorders, harp, dulcimers psalteries banjo organ....others for the joy of it.  It keeps our spirits high and our minds learning and we'll not get Alzheimers.  Healing with any musical instrument can happen.  aloha, irene

I am somewhat “unstuck in time,” so my recollection of dates is shaky at the best of times. But I’m guessing this was 12 or 15 years ago. I attended a workshop given by Don Pedi at a dulcimer festival at Pere Marquette Park in Illinois. It inspired me in much the same way that hearing Roscoe Holcomb or Howling Wolf for the first time inspired me. I knew immediately that this man and his playing were reaching me on a very basic level. I had been playing the dulcimer for some years and knew what I wanted it to sound like but everyone I knew, at that time, who played the instrument played in a much more genteel way that didn’t do much for me.

That first meeting with Don showed me that what I wanted to do was not only achievable, but could be thrilling and I’ve never looked back since. He and I don’t play exactly alike (he’s much better than I am, but our approaches to the instrument are completely sympatico), but I think we are heading to the same place, musically.

Added to that, Don is a genuinely nice and wise man. And I’m proud to call him my friend.

Rob, I don't know anything about Ms. Mitchell, but it looks like she does have a Facebook page. Maybe you could contact her through that.

Gail's rendition on dulcimer of "Wayfaring Stranger" at the Fiddlers' Convention in Mount Airy, NC, last weekend netted her First Place over a field of former winners (including National Dulcimer Champions!).  I wasn't able to attend, but she gave me a preview Thursday evening and it sounded like a winner to me!  Gail and I became friends after she joined FOTMD about 4 years ago and have been fortunate to meet up and share our love of dulcimers many times.  I just spent a week in NC near her home in Greensboro and was able to jam with her, Karen Smith-Gratto, and Callie Cashwell.  In a couple weeks Callie and Karen will be coming to Kentucky to share lodgings at a bed and breakfast with me at Kentucky Music Week!  I just love how FOTMD enlarges our world and helps us make new dulcimer friends from all over!  And it's even better when we get to meet up in real life!

Great film, Rob.  Thanks for bringing it to our attention! 

Way to go, Gail!

Great little film, Rob! Thanks for sharing. 

Steven

Congratulations to Gail on her win in the mountain dulcimer contest at Mt. Airy NC!  (The following article just gives a bit of the flavor of the fest.) 

http://mtairynews.com/news/51563/fiddlers-convention-possibly-biggest-ever

Found this film of Granny Riddle with Starr Mitchell playing dulcimer with her.  I'm sure I'm prejudiced, but Almeda represents the best of the ballad singer tradition in the US.  

Almeda Riddle: Now Let's Talk About Singing

Anyone know anything about Starr Mitchell today?  

Sometimes the best teachers and lessons offered are extraordinary.  One February, many years ago, I was driving back from a university hospital after visiting an elderly person in my congregation.  It was very late and in the mountains of Northern New England temperature was well below freezing and a wind driven snowfall made driving almost impossible.  As I got near to home I made a turn off a winding back road and saw something that caught my eye, (that in and of itself was a  miracle)... an odd shape, covered by a thin blanket, sitting on top of a snow bank in a miserable storm at 1:00 am.  I stopped my old beater of a car and pulled the blanket up and found a young woman who had decided that to die that night.  I had heard about her and how she had sort of showed up in town and was homeless and suffering from some sort of mental issues that made her capable of some really bizarre and violent behavior.  I took her to my office, made coffee and soup and after getting her to promise that she would not harm herself bought her a room at the one motel in town.

The next morning I picked her up at the motel and took her back to the office and did a bit of research. Prior to her illness she had been an accomplished Pianist with a slew of degree's from one of the finest universities in the deep South.  As we talked she started loosing control of her emotions and went into the next room where an old banger of a piano had sat for Lord knows how long. Her agitation was increasing by leaps and bounds and trouble was on the horizon.  This was where I got a real lesson in the power of music and one worth sharing.   

Out of that rage and violent personality disorder came the most incredible music......Mozart, Chopin...you name it it was there and while she played the anger and pain inside her began to fade...and what was a violent rage filled affect gave way and joy began to make itself known even if only for a short time.  

Here then was the lesson I learned from the "Teacher".  Music  when played with spirit and total absorption can still any storm, quiet any tempest and help heal a broken spirit.   My teacher, I would learn had been rejected by family, friends and all sorts of social agencies because of her violent tendencies.  At that time there were no mental health professionals willing to help.........we found her an apartment and she lived there for awhile.  When her rage surfaced she would show up and play until it faded and off she would go.........one day she left town and where she is now I don't know.  It has been over 30 years since I heard from her but I have always remembered those days and pray that some how she has been healed. Music heals and musicians can be technicians or healers......and the tools to heal are in your hands...when you play, dare to heal.

Some years back, one other student and I took a workshop on strumming with Jerry Rockwell.  The other fellow and I both play using noters and Jerry had us doing some strumming pattern and he improvised over what we were playing.  It was magical-- there in a cabin at Fort New Salem WV.