I've been practicing to an old country tune called "Song of the Cicada” out on the back porch, while the fireflies put on lightshows. But seriously, I’m still working on the rudiments of playing. And watching a lot of instructional videos.
Why?...Because the file attachment editor feature is not intended to function like a 'photo story album', Wout. 
Most folks would either just attach ONE file or image file, or if there were many, they'd just load the pictures onto a free photo site somewhere online and then post a single link to them in their post so peopel could go look at them in an album or webpage online, rather than attaching 15 or more separate pdfs in one post after another. OR, they'd create a new photo album in their profile page Photos area. The post attachment function is not meant to present a long photo album series of pictures named the way you want. That's why. 
I bought both of my pairs of bones at Bone Dry Music. They do have a lot out of stock, but they had what I wanted, good prices, and a lot of good information. I emailed them a question, Scott sent me a long, very informative email back.
My new bones are coming any time now, they were in stock. Good thing is that the site tells you right there whether a particular style is in stock or not. A lot of specific bones are hard to get, being made by hand by certain people only. Some styles are only available once in a while, too.
I talked to Scott last week and mentioned what you said about the American vs. European grip, and Scott said for the people he knows, it mostly just comes down to personal experimentation and choice. I have to say that of the American players i see all kinds of different hand/bones positions- lots of variety! 
We all have different size and shaped hands, so we all need different size/weight/balance bones, too I imagine! Brian's walnut ones he made for himself are way too big and clunky for my hands, I know that. They seem to fit him just right.
Yep, Scott is doing a great job. Most of my clappers and bones I bought there. At the moment most of the goods are out of stock...
BTW when I am looking good at his pictures: Scott is using the European style instead of the American style!
Oh, I really should mention this- here is the biggest/best website dedicated to bones, run by Scott Miller... BonedryMusic.com
Scott is awesome, and very giving of his time and knowledge. He offers the absolute biggest selection and learning material on bones .. anywhere .
Here's a video of Scott's energetic and joyful bones playing style at a Civil War re-enactment 8yrs ago (too bad it's fuzzy and has wind noise):
Well, some sanding (sharp edges) and French lacker will finish the instrument. Takes about 15 minutes to make...
BTW I choosed bamboo because of its round shape, which works the same as on the Dutch Clappers.
Which one?
The slots are placed to the players hand. They are used to get a better grip without much force.
I hope photo 06 shows how the index finger pusches the bell into the soft tissue of the hand, so together with the thumb it is a firm grip, also without too much force. I hope the difference between the American bones style is very clear, but fast triplets are easy to make.
The experiment isn't able to produce triplets, in fact it works like a normal woodblock, so not useful. I used liile bells too 
Why doesn't upload a browser just the way I entered the data? 
I numbered the PDF's which are telling the same story.
Maybe I forget this one?
Real Dutch Clappers & a grip to play spoons like.
Pretty self-explanatory, Wout. I think we can skip the text. Those are kind of cool, and would be real simple to make. Thanks for sharing.
Wout, Now you've gone and done it. Got us thinking about a Bones comic book hero!
Kandee, thanks for the beeswax tip! I'll be watching for Dom. 
I never finished the text in Dutch either, but I have the pictures, so I will post those and maybe we can find a text together. A kind of comic book.
Robins point about the dulcimer becomes the tuning is spot on perfect. I could not agree more... Robert.
Wout- maybe bones made from bamboo should be called "boos" heh heh
Hi Linda,
I think that the fret layout is one of the most facinating aspects of the instrument in terms of tuning the darn thing! The more frets the less retuning required and the more versatility at your fingertips. Although (going straight back to the OP) personally I like the 'playability' of having a pure scale. This is because once I'm tuned to whatever pitch or mode I'm using the instrument becomes that tuning. It's a little difficult to explain but I'm sure you get the concept. The other instruments I play are chromatic (guitar, banjo, mandolin) or have no frets (dobro, fretless banjo) but I've never been drawn towards a chromatic dulcimer. I'm not sure why that is because, logically, a chromatic dulcimer makes a lot of sense. I certainly can't say that I'm the sentimental type or tied to 'tradition' - I think it is simply because I love playing old dulcimers and old dulcimers have diatonic layouts - for the most part. I'm more than happy to have a 6+ on my Galax dulcimers (a pragmatic solution for old time session playing in the keys of D, G and A). And, going back to the OP, the tunings I like to use for galax are d,d,d,d and e,e,d,d which gives me the key od D, G and A (mixolidian and dorian).
That doesn't surprise me Linda. Again, in terms of the tunings that we like to use, if your scale is starting at the 3rd fret (as in DAA) then the position of the first two frets (the 6th and 7th of the scale) can be quite a bit flat of equal temperament and still sound OK. However, if the same dulcimer is tuned to DAd then those first two frets will sound well out of tune, particularly when playing chord shapes near the nut. A lot of old dulcimers don't sound too good tuned to DAd because of the flattened first and second fret positions. I have noted on the Leanord and Clifford Glen dulcimers that I have seen how the position of the first two frets moved over the years. On their early dulcimers these frets were placed for the natural scale starting at the 3rd fret. On the later dulcimers (once chord playing were begining to take a hold) the first two frets had moved to equal temperament but the rest of the dulcimer scale was still in a more natural intonation. Another factor is that the action on older instruments tends to be quite high at the nut and bridge (fine for noter playing) and if this action is lowered to enable chord melody playing in DAd it can throw out the intonation on the lower and higher frets necessitating the frets to be re-possitioned. Some makers, like Homer Ledford had very unusual fret placements. Ralph Lee Smith has had the frets repositioned on his Ledford to match his chordal playing style and I know a couple of other players who have done the same and believe so have many others. I've left my Ledford as it is because I really like the original Ledford layout (which is in just intonation) for certain tunings and it suits my playing style - If it didn't suit my playing style then I'd probably have moved the frets too.
It is actually a struggle to find any two vintage dulcimer makers who actually used the same fret intonation - or even ones who were consistent from dulcimer to dulcimer!!!! Today, we can be a bit blasé when we talk about tunings and modes that we like to use on our dulcimers as pretty much any mode or tuning will work due to contemporary fretboards using equal temperament. I have quite a few old dulcimers that only actually work in certain tunings and it does make me think that there was probably a lot less re-tuning going on pre-revival than we use today.
So the tunings I like to use are the ones that work best for my playing style on the dulcimer I happen to playing. And I have a passion for playing old dulcimers, which means I am more than likely applying those tunings to a pure diatonic fretboard that's not in equal temperament.
Robin
PS - In between writing this post I'm TAB'ing out tunes in DAd chord melody for 3 workshops I'm running with Geoff Black over the weekend. I've had to go searching for a dulcimer with a 6+ that I could tune to DAd - I have some new ones in stock for the shop but have realised that, despite owning about 15 to 20 dulcimers in my personal collection, I don't actually have one with a 6+ capable of being tuned to DAd for chord melody playing at present!!!! 
Wout, sounds interesting. And there is no shortage of bamboo in my state. If you find the text, let me know. One questions: Is it in English? My Dutch is a bit rusty.
Instead of using beewax or gorilla snot or what ever, preparing the 'bones' is an option too, at least if you know how. Somewhere on my computer I have a text about making 'bones' from bamboo which allows experimenting. And is rather cheap, but you allready I am Dutch... 
BTW don't go shaving, sanding, sawing, etc on ox bones, because the dust coming from it could be dangerous to your health!
I might also suggest that this thread has run it's usefull life? Don't you think? The original OP's question has been answered fully and Ken (among others) has clearly defiend the different number of modes and tunings. (Yes I'm a big offender and am doing it again right here in keeping the thread alive). It's just it has taken a life of it's own and I'm sorry for being a part. Back to the OP, does the questioner have any remaining issues? That would be the only salient point? Sorry again, Kevin.
I like them all! Finding a sweet spot by experimenting with all the tunings is such a joy.
Sheryl, I'm a beekeeper. Send me a private message with your postal address and i'll mail you a little piece of pure beeswax.
I'm fielding multiple complaints from members who feel that some folks are denigrating other styles and types of players in their comments. I have to agree, such comments and remarks are unnecessarily derogatory and thus inappropriate.
I'd like to ask everyone here to please stick with the subject of the original post here, which is simply "What tunings I like to use, and why". The subject is not "What I don't like about other people's playing styles and dulcimers".
This goes for elsewhere on the site as well. To all: please resist continually remarking on things you disapprove of.
Ken, I'll keep looking for the beeswax candle. I'm not in any big hurry, as I am not swinging my arms around in Dom Flemons fashion quite yet. I could order the snot (sorry, couldn't resist) but I do love the smell of beezwax candles.
I'm with Robin!
When asked about a dulcimer with the 6+ fret, Jean Ritchie once replied " ...it has a different finger board, it's not quite a dulcimer anymore..."
Sheryl -- I get beeswax all the time from the Honey table at the Farmers Market just downriver, here in Fort Myers, FL with 90+ temps. I'll be stopping there tomorrow for some veg and fruits to write about in next Monday's food blog.
I'd tell you the name of that bonobo product, but this is a family oriented forum....
Wout, that's an interesting approach! I certainly do notice that if one clenches too much it produces less of the nice triplets etc...but what you say is true as well, I just never thought of it that way too.
Now lol Robin I can't go that far.
I was surprised when I had mine taken off . It's Ebony and I can't even see where he did it. I have a old one that was so off that I had to have fret one and two moved. It was surprisingly on from 3 up but 1 and 2 was a good quarter of an Inch off. That one showed bad.
How very exciting Lisa! You must really be coming along with your bones playing. I can’t wait to see your skills in that video you promised Bob. (With a few stipulations)
If a dulcimer has a 6+ then that's one too many frets for me 
Lisa, keep your bones as loose as possible in your hand. This will make you insecure about dropping the bones and will keep the movements smaller resulting in less sound. Play relaxed!
So Don and Linda, that's three of us. I gave additional frets a try when my builder suggested the addition. Bad mistake indeed. It no longer was that quaint diatonic instrument that I'd learned to love. No it now was a complicated hodgepodge and not as good as a chromatic "guitar" as it were. I ended up selling the instrument to another that wanted such a thing. I couldn't bear to have an off colored plug in place of the missing fret I guess?
I'm with you Don. I found a nice olde mcspadden that I like a lot. It had a I I/2 . I took it up there last week and had it taken out. Lol. They looked at me like o had 4 eyes.
14 Experiment a resonator.pdf - 208KB
