Forum Activity for @noah-aikens

 I'm having a hard time getting it to post so here's a link - 

(edited, you're right, I HAVE..) It's showing $350, Phoenix, yes. Can't tell much about the shape though. Yes, I have a Starsong. Happened upon it at Unicoi last year. I play my Ron Gibson more than anything though, but everytime I pick it up I still say, "Wow...this is a beautiful instrument!"

I found a Modern Mountain for sale on Craigslist in Phoenix for $370...that the one?
Did you mean to say you HAVE a Starsong? Wow!

There's a MM for sale on craigslist in Arizona right now. Dusty, I thought you had a Gallier. Why did I think that? I have a starsong but I'm only 20 months in and not confident enough to show myself on here. 

Thanks, Dusty!  I should probably send Jim Fox a note and tell him how much I'm enjoying this Little Mule!  The first one I saw was at the Great American Dulcimer Convention at Pine Mtn. State Park in KY last September...Gary Sager was there and I think he sold all the ones he brought.  Either he didn't have one with a 1.5 fret or he did, but it was already promised to someone else, so I didn't get one then.  I had to think about it for about a year, trying them out whenever I saw one again at this festival or that.  But when I picked up THIS one, I couldn't resist, even though I certainly had NO intention of buying a dulcimer while at Dulcimer U this year (Craig came with me this year and was going to be bringing home the one he made from a McSpadden kit that week).  I'm glad you like the tune...it's nice to have some fun, lively ones in my repertoire!

Here's a website by Bates' great grandaughter:

http://www.abbiebetinis.com/writings_burtcarols.html

You could ask her.  But I imagine the tune cannot be freely used by others for their own compositions.

Looks good!  How is the sound?  Post a sample....

Here's a website with useful information that may help:

http://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/hymns-public-domain-and-copyright

I haven't been able to find anything about a hymn called Lynne.   Who was the author, and what what faith was the hymn composed for?  Tha would be a big help.  

Thinking about that too. 

I have been eyeing them all along, but my conservative side wins out when I have ordered the two I have. But, you know, I think I may have to make my final flute the special one with the turquoise.

My wife wrote a hymn: "Be Paitent and Be Gentle with your Faults and Failings"  see videos FOTMD.  The hymn tune she used is called "Lynne' and was written about 1940. The Rev. Bates G. Burt wrote a hymn entitled: "O God of Youth, Whose Spirit.." and then he wrote this hymn tune "Lynne" also to go with it.  Is there a way of knowing if that hymn tune "Lynne" is now in the public domain or whether it is still copywrited?

I'm thinking my next will be a HS F# mid-tone in walnut or ebonized walnut, with the turquoise. 

Congrats Jennifer, let us know when you get it. You'll be impressed with the HS flutes. Soon you'll be planning your next purchase from them.

My dad and I built a NAF! Key of A minor. Western Red Cedar.

 image.jpg - 120KB

For play music on the porch day?  Hazel (10) is out there now with her violin, and I plan to go out a bit later with my dulcimer.  Frances (6) wants to do a set fiddling around on the keyboard...  <3

Jennifer, I think you'll like the A Sparrow Hawk, it is a great start and I believe High Spirits do want to help people learn how to play NAF. Are you getting the package deal with the instructional video and a song book?

Also check out High Spirit instructional videos as was suggested, they really helped me and give good information on your new NAF.

I'd like to jump in and suggest watching the instructional videos on the HS website. I found them helpful when I began my NAF journey. 

Jennifer, if I may, the best 2 tips I could give to anyone just beginning their journey with NAF would be these:

1.  It only takes a whisper.

2.  Don't get carried away tonguing every note.

"That's about all I'm gonna say about that."(as in F. Gump)

Thank you, John!  I especially like the advice to slow down...  And OH yes to rhythm!!  ~might try the backwards thing~

In memorizing an instrumental, I'm pretty "scientific." I like to work from music/tab and I play through a piece a few times to "get the lay of the land," looking for musical phrases which repeat. I love folk songs and fiddle tunes. Most of them are pretty short and most have at least one "chunk" which repeats two or three times. So if I get that part down, I have 1/4, 1/3, or even 1/2 the tune learned. The different endings of the repetitions come next.

After that it is a matter of repetition and smoothing things out. One trick I learned which I find useful is to memorize "backwards." I'll take the last two measures and get them down, then the two measures ahead of those, then two ahead of those, all the way back to the beginning. When working on a new section, I always play through to the end. That way the new material flows into material I'm already familiar with. 

I think it is important not to speed up and slow down. If after I've memorized a piece there's a rough patch I can't play as fast as the rest, there are two things I do. I take that section out and work on it alone, pushing myself slightly to try to get it up to speed. That may take a while. If it takes two days, or two weeks (or two months!), OK, that's what it takes. Most of the time it comes in just a practices session or two. I also continue to work on the whole piece, playing only as fast as I can get through the hard parts smoothly. That way the whole piece comes together without any "seams."

Everybody has trouble with rhythm. Your metronome is a friend who won't lie to you. 

I don't sing or memorize words very much anymore, but remembering the story of the song and the rhymes always helped.

Jennifer, I predict you will be very pleased with your a sparrow Hawk A.  Congratulations on your choice.

This choice will get you off to a confidence building start, which is so important when learning NAF.  

Over the last month I've seen dulcimers for sale by Dwain Wilder, Joellen Lapidus, and Rick Probst.  If only my bank account were as voluminous as my DAD.

Wow!  That's tremendous!  I love the tone of that dulcimer and I love your playing. Thanks so much for sharing, Jan.  That's absolutely great!

Dusty, I finally got around to making another audio clip, and it just happens to be with the "Little Mule" soprano dulcimer made by Jim Fox that I bought from Gary Sager of Prussia Valley Dulcimers while at Dulcimer U this summer.  I really like the tone of this little guy (same model as Joy W's, above)...it has a bell-like quality that really resonates with me (ha ha!)

  http://fotmd.com/jan-potts/soundcloud/219/donkey-riding

@john-gribble I've never been on a commercial flight.  So, I take your point.  :)

Yes, Robin, I agree. But I think it is great that we all arrived safely. I still don't think blasting into the air a tenth of the way to outer space and halfway around the world is such a good idea!    

We use amblesideonline, so we learn hymns, folksongs, and appreciate composers as a part of our schedule.  A long while ago I practiced some of the folk songs and hymns, but somewhere along the lines it became easier to listen and sing rather than add practice time.  I'm happy to be practicing again!  (Like David~ the loving it!)  :)

John, thank you for sharing your story. What wonderful treatment by the airline personnel. Enjoy that Amburgey.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank goodness the Amburgey arrived safely!  

Hi, Jan,

Good to hear from you, too. I do need to make (or cajole my wife into making) a 1970s hippie-style dulcimer bag. The soft shell case which I bought with my Warren May worked well in the overheads on the trip home from Kentucky and Tennessee last spring. And it is fine for around town. 

I have a Feather Wren which is my designated "travel dulcimer." It is quiet, but great for weekend trips and late nights in hotel rooms. Sometimes I put it in a sock. It fits in a small suitcase with my clothes just fine. 

My all-time favorite travel instrument is a Lapstick. It is a small electric guitar with a built-in headphone amplifier. Despite its small size and "different" appearance, it is a performance-level instrument which sounds great plugged into an amp. Yet I can stick it end-wise into most overhead bins. It doesn't take up much more space than a large bottle of booze. 

Again, thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the piece. 

Well, it's really cool (and challenging!) to practice on both tabor pipe and penny whistle, I gotta say.  

Though they have different fingering patterns to play the same tunes, there is a sort of common thread of logic between the two.  A recorder on the other would be completely different fingering learning curve.  But tabor pipe and PW do follow the same 'increment hole/pressure logic'.  That's is a very inadequate way to try and describe it, sorry.

But what it comes down to is that I think this is do-able.  When I can play a real simple tune on the tabor pipe, I can 'sort of' stumble through it on the pennywhistle, which has more holes available before blowing up into a higher register.  Very fun to compare the two.  I have the plastic G tabor pipe and the metal G pw (both 17" long), and a metal C pw.

I'm finding it easier to get clearer tones on the plastic tabor pipe, but not really sure why yet.  Less holes to worry about leaking air from maybe? 

It's a bear to wrestle through all this and sooo many wrong and squeaky notes.  But I really look forward to my practice sessions and that's the true test- am I having fun? ... yes!

Repetition, For me anyway. Over and over again. Then on to line 2,  or Measure 3, either way.  But always loving it.

Sandi -- ya messed up, girl!  All along you should have been including "music instruction" in your homeschooling curricula.  Then you'd have had plenty of practice time built in to your schedule!  And, you'd have a passel of people to jam with.

Good to hear from you, John!  Loved your account of traveling with your naked dulcimer...I will probably never think of uncased instruments the same!

I have safely traveled with a McSpadden  "Ginger" in its soft padded case in an overhead bin, as well as an even smaller Ron Ewing "Dulcimette" in a soft padded case.  This was on American Airlines flights.  The Ginger had to be counted as a personal item, but the dulcimette was part of the contents of a large tote bag.

Objectsession said

We used to tape up our empty ramen packages on the dorm door . . the *outside* of the door. Kind of a pride/shame thing I guess. 

That's what we did with demerits when I was in college (LONG before the days of Ramen noodles!!!).  We were supposed to feel ashamed that we'd gotten them, but most who got them felt like they didn't deserve them, so it was sort of an act of defiance to tape them to your door so all could see.

I (ahem!) got a few my freshman year--and, yes, I taped them to my door as was customary!

I hope music instruction is part of your homeschooling!  I learned a LOT of songs from members of my family.  If you have a section of your home used for instruction, I would start a list of Tunes We Know by Heart and add to it any time someone comes up with a tune they can hum or sing all the way through.   If they can sing the lyrics, add a star!  Keep another list on excel file and you can keep it alphabetized for quick reference.  This is something that every member of the family (age 2 or 3 and up) can join in on. Sing while you do chores, wash dishes, etc.  Helps the time pass faster, too!

Good for you, hugssandi.

Sheryl... you seem to know me too well.  heheh

hmmm

Here are a few instruments I will probably never ever play:

piano or organ

Highland bagpipes

hammered dulcimer

autoharp

standup bass

guitar

trumpet

marimba

HA HA!  ~I got a good chuckle out of that, actually, Terry~  Six kids are the reason I haven't played in a few years, but now I have older ones along with younger ones (18 - 2), and they are working me out of a job!  I've never made them watch their siblings, but when Whit came along they all just wanted to.  :)

As I make our homeschool schedule for the year I just might schedule thirty minutes a day for myself to have dulcimer time, because I enjoy it so much, and it's having such a good effect on me!  :)  ~right now still = lazy days of summer, so I am reading and playing and enjoying~  

Lisa, Good good start on the pipe and drum. Is there any instrument you cannot, or will not eventually play? I see your calendar is full.