Forum Activity for @strumelia

What songs were you taught in kindergarten/grade school?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I thought it would be interesting to hear about the songs we were taught when we were very little, in kindergarten through the first few years of grade school, like up to the age of around 10.  
Did certain songs 'stick' with you through your life in meaningful ways?  
What were YOUR early impressions and experience in learning songs as a small child in school?

updated by @strumelia: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM

Had an idea

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It makes sense to include FOTMD so it can be searched.  I don't know whether I'll remember to do it or not.  ;)

I play this on the melody string in Ddd, Gdd and DAA; either Fingerdancing or Noter & Drone.

 

One I Love -- Jean Ritchie

All of my friends fell out with me

-5--5--5-----5----3--23---2---1

Because I kept your company

--75-----8--7-----5----345--5

But let them say whatever they will

-7---8---8-----7---5-3-4-----5----5

I love my love with a free good will

1--1---5----5----3--3-23----2----1

 

Chorus

One I love, two she loves

3---2---1----3---2-----1
Three she's true to me

 

0-------0-----01--2--1

 I worked out melody line tab for One I love several years back;  let me see if I can find it or write it out again.

Had an idea

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I had an idea  that I was thinking of earlier .   Not sure if this is the right forum  or not, but here  goes : To make it easier  to find fellow members  videos  on YouTube ,  could I suggest using Fotmd in the searth terms  people use when posting  a  clip?  It is a suggestion for whatever  it is worth, and one I will be adding onto my videos  when I get home from work on Monday . 

May be a question for the ages? We know it is a Homer without question, he made mistakes from time to time, he may have missed a label. There were many years he was making six or seven pieces a week! Let me know if you want to "add" it as is to the registry....

 

dulcimoredan@gmail.com

My guess is that the dulcimer could be a more recent Ledford rather than an early one.  He was often asked for his 'old style' 3 strings with staple frets even at a time when most players wanted 4 string dulcimers with guitar frets.  I have no idea why there's no label?  Is it possible the number is scratched or pencilled on the inside somewhere?

I've just wound up a guitar business.  We would badge and number all our guitars.  But sometimes we got the numbers and letters out of sequence when we stamped them (it is easy to do if you are a bit dyslexic !); sometimes I'd allocated batches of numbers to an assistant but then they didn't use them all; sometimes customers wanted a special number; sometimes customers didn't want the badge on the outside so we hid it internally or didn't fit one at all; sometimes we wrote the number in pencil internally rather than stamping the headstock; sometimes folks wanted no markings on the guitar.  In years to come anyone trying to trace the lineage one of the 1200 or so guitars I produced could well find anomalies in about 5% of cases.  So I'm not too surprised that a Ledford without a label has turned up - musical instrument workshops are a little more 'organic' than say an aircraft parts factory!!!

 

It is possible the label was lost, I'm not aware of Homer "not" labeling any of his pieces. The staple frets dates it back a little ways, if you study the registry you may be able to guesstimate a date line of the latter part of the use of them. I say latter part because we know about when he started using "hearts", and about when he started "full" fret.

http://www.backroombluegrassband.com/hlccbweb/instruments/instruments.htm

 

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

Not a huge Elvis fan but am in the middle of reading Last Train to Memphis: the Rise of Elvis Presley. I plan to read the far more depressing sequel, Careless Love: the Unmaking of Elvis Presley next.

New Bill Berg dulcimer

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

Thanks, Marg, I really am enjoying it! Hard to believe such sound and quality can be had for less than $200...with free shipping, too!

 

Steven

New Bill Berg dulcimer

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

Seems like someone else just got a Bill Berg dulcimer.

Hope you enjoy it 

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

I'm reading 'Depression Fallout'  and 'Bloody Mary' - about Henry VIII's eldest daughter.

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

Seed catalogs !!!

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

Irene, I'm glad you're introducing more people to SACRED HARP.  I enjoy singing and playing these songs, although it's a bit more challenging than some people think!  I liken it to learning the Cyrillic alphabet so you can sing in Russian and when you've got that down well, then you (finally) get to sing the English "poetry" with the tune (and the poetry is often on a different page from the music notation, making all this even harder).

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

Yes, Dusty, that's the article. There are a number of other interesting articles in the book including one on Barbara Allen, folk music in schools in an highly industrialized society, and professionalism and amateurism in the study of folk music to name a few. The book (ex-library) cost me 99 cents, but with shipping and tax I wound up paying 5 dollars.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

How did you first discover the mountain dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I saw and heard the mountain dulcimer in the fall of 1991 at Epcot Center in front of the America Pavilion. They were being shown and sold by a young man from a cart-like vendor space. He was from the Walnut Valley Dulcimer company in Burns, KS. I took a brochure home with me and after debating with myself and studying about it a bit I ordered the Wildwood Mountain model custom made for me in Feb 1993. I now have others but this is the one I play the most. It has been a great joy.

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

SACRED HARP and other books related to this kind of music as I'll be presenting how to read shape notes and then have as many that will sit in a square and sing this great music of Early America that came to us via English, Scot, Irish, German.  I love this music.  Many of our Appalachian tunes we play on the dulcimer come from this age.  and when I'm done with that next week, gonna look into some of your books that you're reading. aloha, irene

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

Ken, is the attached article by Charles Seeger the one you refer to?  Either way, I think a lot of people will find it interesting.

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

I just started Silent Prey by John Sandford. It is one of his Lucas Davenport novels. I just finished James Patterson's Cross the Line which was a Christmas present from my son and daughter-in-law. Yesterday I received Studies in Musicology 1935 -1975 which is compilation of articles written by Charles Seeger. I ordered it mostly for the article on the Appalachian dulcimer, but several of the other articles look interesting. I probably won't read the entire book.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

A trio of books by Kate Thompson, known as the New Policeman trilogy, about the happenings of a small Irish village and their interactions with the "Faeries" on the other side of The Veil.  Lots of fun and fabulous fiddle tune music at the end of each chapter.

Anxiously awaiting the Anne Grimes book.

updated by @ken-hulme: 01/26/17 07:09:00PM

What are you reading right now?

OFF TOPIC discussions

I have been reading _Younger Next Year_, and it is changing my life!!!  ~and trickling down to my husband~

How did you first discover the mountain dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

At Merlefest in 2004, heard an old fella playing what he referred to as his "Hog Fiddle". Fell in love with the sound and spent six months looking for a "Hog Fiddle". Finally rescued an old (number 3) Folkways from 1973 that someone had hanging on their wall. Used to belong to their Dad but it'd hung there for ten years, no one played it and would I like it. We negotiated a good price and I am still playing that instrument today. It needs refinishing, and lately I've gotten the idea that I'd like to build them as well. I also love to hand the instrument to kids too and watch their faces light up when they can make "music" without having to learn complicated chord forms.

Stringing a 5 string?

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

That five string should give you a rich mellow tone. Enjoy

Stringing a 5 string?

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

Thank y'all both! The rest of my strings come in tomorrow, lol, I'm itching with excitement. The one string sounds great, ha, really nice tone.

I don't know what the heck I'm going to do with five strings, but it'll be fun, I'm sure!

Stringing a 5 string?

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

That's correct all the strings go over the top of the "tuner shafts".  Bob's diagram if which string goes to which peg is spot on!

Clicking straight to the newest post on Forums

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

Ok Glenda, the new group has been created- go ahead and join it.  Have fun!

Stringing a 5 string?

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

I wind all of the strings over the top of the pegs.

Clicking straight to the newest post on Forums

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

Yes, that would be great! I'm looking forward to getting Indiana going again. I know there lots of dulcimer players here. 

Stringing a 5 string?

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

Thank you very much, Bob. Now, in the photo, the way he strung that one string under the previous peg...is that correct? It doesn't seem right to me? I thought they should go over the other pegs? I hope I'm making sense.

Stringing a 5 string?

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

If you are right handed the lightest (thinnest) strings go on the left side pegs starting with the one closest to the nut.  Like this:

 

Top of Peghead

3

        4

2

        5

1

______ (NUT)

| | | | | 

Clicking straight to the newest post on Forums

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

Ok, Glenda, I'm back-  

We have about +/- 60 different Groups here on FOTMD.  We do have Groups for 'some' US states, but not for others. For some subjects or areas there may not be enough interest to maintain a separate space for their activity.  Every couple of years, I go through the site's Group section and delete any Groups that have been completely inactive for over a year and that have none (or almost none) discussions, few members, and few comments.  Doing this keeps the Groups area of the site fresh.  I'm afraid the Indiana Group had been very long completely inactive and was thus deleted.

However, if you are interested in being active in, or overseeing the activity of a new Indiana Group, then I will be happy to create a new group and although i can't make you an actual site moderator, I can adjust it so that only you can create special sticky 'pages' in that group for any Indiana subject you might feel is helpful to the group members.  You could keep an eye on that group, start topics of interest perhaps, and let me or another FOTMD moderators know if there's ever a problem in the group that needs attention.

Shall I go ahead and create a new Indiana Group for you to help 'shepherd', Glenda?

Stringing a 5 string?

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

My new baby arrived today, and she's lovely! Unfortunately, the helpful man at the music store who helped pack it to ship to me, removed all of the old strings, put one new string on (he only had the one loop end available). He was also "kind" enough to glue down the floating bridge! Grrr.

Now I have no idea how to string this thing. Which string goes to what peg? Can anyone help me?

The glue on the floating peg was easy to unstick, fortunately.

Thanks for any help!

I was able to find a name and date inside. Unfortunately, I can't quite make out the name, but the date is 4-8-72.

updated by @jenniferc: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM

Clicking straight to the newest post on Forums

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

Hi Glenda!- @glenda-hubbard - I have to go out the door right now for some doctor visits for several hours, but I'll be sure to come back and respond to your Indiana group question when I return home! 

updated by @strumelia: 01/25/17 09:44:04AM

Clicking straight to the newest post on Forums

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

I used to be the moderator for the Indiana group but. I can no longer find it has it been deleted ?  Will I have to create a new one or is it in the files somewhere and I just  cant find it? I've not been on for a while and check in occasionally but would like to activate the Indians group. Not sure I'm in the right category Glenda  

 

I've Just Bought a BANJO !!!!

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

Bill- most oldtime fiddle tune banjo players I know, when playing for key of D, will either tune up to aDADE

which is referred to as 'double D tuning'. (the first lower case letter is the short fifth string)

OR, if they don't want to tune up that high they will tune to 'double C tuning' which is:  g, C, G, C, D

and then you can hook your fifth string up to 'a' and put a capo on the second fret for the other 4 strings.  That would bring you back up to double d tuning but with less cranking of the strings if starting from standard G tuning of gDGBD.

I usually just tune up to aDADE to play in D.

I've Just Bought a BANJO !!!!

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

I tune my banjo F#, D, F#, A, D (from 5th to 1st string). You can play melody on the first string just like on the dulcimer. I use a clawhammer or a two-finger style strum.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I've Just Bought a BANJO !!!!

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

I just got a Deering Goodtime 5 string banjo, how do I tune or capo to play along with dulcimers in DAD?

It has spikes for capo on 5th string.

Any help would be appreciated

Protecting skin

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Ouch !  Perhaps, when you heal a bit, you can try some fingerpicking. No picks needed.

I hope you heal quick and painlessly.

Protecting skin

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

At the end of last week I broke my wrist -- the right, dominant, strumming hand.  Can tell that, once the pain eases up, the switch to thumb picks will let me play.  Turns out to be a good idea for more than just the original reason

New Bill Berg dulcimer

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

Thanks, Ken!

 

 

Steven