Sustain. I think longer VSLs have more sustain than shorter ones.
Remember that modern instruments often have much larger boxes than do traditional instruments, so some of the generalizations here may not accurately describe the difference between a traditional instrument with a long VSL and a modern instrument with a shorter one.
Dulcimore Dan is an I.D. Stamper fan! I.D. used those long, jangly, low-pitched strings on his dulcimers.
If you tune a 26 inch and 29 inch Dulcimore the same, the longer scale will have more tension and usually have a little better "punch" to it. I also prefer the longer scales, 36 inch is my favorite!
One thing to note is that a longer scale length/VSL usually means a physically larger instrument, which can affect tone and volume.
This is just an observation and I might be wrong about this, but to me, when tuned to the same note with the same tension, thinner longer strings seem to have a fuller tone than thicker, shorter strings.
I know the trend has been toward shorter scale lengths, which I suppose makes sense for chord melody style, but being a drone player, I prefer a longer scale length which for some reason sounds better to my ear. But I was wondering what the reason is, and basically, how does scale length affect the sound of a dulcimer?
Sometimes faults and scars make some beautiful sweet sounds.....
There are numerous tunings
I prefer Folkcraft because those have more options
I find the folkcrafts more versatile because they come in more varieties like resonator (I hope the Resonator dulcimers have the option of 4 strings with both double melody & 4 equidistant strings in the future)
Chromatic Dulcimers started out as Diatonics but they added extra frets (0.5, 1.5, 3.5, 4.5, 6.5). The original Chromatic Dulcimer was a Diatonic Dulcimer that was converted historically speaking.
For anyone interested the the Scrivner dulcimer that David Schnaufer played here is a video about it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Even though you posted the wrong profile, I enjoyed reading it. Thanks for sharing.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I enjoyed the profile. Though David Schnaufer is gone, Vince Farsetta is still making music.
Looks like I pasted the wrong link SORRY but still some interesting info. about Vince Farsetta & David Schnaufer.
Well kids I hope everybody's doing well just thought I'd pass along this link For those who are interested https://dulcinews.com/profile-vincent-farsetta/
I saw a longer part of Amanda's interview and she took up mountain dulcimer during the pandemic. The dulcimer she's playing wasn't hers but was pulled out by Jimmy Fallon and it surprised her. She said she was nervous yet dove right into California.
Incredibly talented!
Just what we need to get the kids interested!
I have to admit I didn't expect such a strong voice from Amanda.
Oh, I love "Four Organs"!
I've been listening to Steve Reich for over 20 years. Recently I did a piece with lyre and psaltery inspired by his earlier work, particularly Violin/Electric Guitar Phase and Drumming:
With a 23" scale, you'd have to use somewhat heavy strings to keep the DAd tuning from being too floppy (especially for the middle A string). What gauge strings did you put on it for that tuning?
I used just regular Folkcraft Roller Wound Strings, .011, .011, .013, .024RW & I had no problems at all. They're very gentle underneath the fingers.
The shortest scale dulcimer I make is 24". I use 12 12 14 22 strings without any problems. The nice thing about short scale dulcimers is tuning to pitches much higher then Dad...Robert
Gett'n ready for the revival..........
If you want to go to lighter strings on a 23 inch VSL, I suggest 0.011 for the melody strings, a 0.015 for the middle, and 0.023 for the bass. You could always try going down once size on each string to see if it is too floppy. For the most part, experimentation is what you need to find the right strings for you and your dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
With a 23" scale, you'd have to use somewhat heavy strings to keep the DAd tuning from being too floppy (especially for the middle A string). What gauge strings did you put on it for that tuning?
I have a 4 string Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer in DAD Tuning with the Doubled Melody String (the bridge & nut are cut to also allow for 4 equidistant strings) & what I did rather cleverly here was to use a 23 inch scale length (the shortest scale length) which keeps the tension of the strings down. A really short scale length makes the strings more flexible and easier to play.
You have a piece of Dulcimer history for sure.
Ken, that’s wonderful. What a great article! I’ll be sure to contact Ron and see if he can give me any more information. I’m starting to feel I have a real treasure with this dulcimer.
Here is a link to the Ron Ewing article in DPN. https://archive.org/details/dpn-1990-016-03/page/20/mode/1up
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
So Steve, I see a picture of that on The Mountain Dulcimer Lore FB page. Very nice!
Wow, thanks Steve! I’m really excited to actually lay hands on the dulcimer. From the looks of the photos I’ve got, I think it had been strung equidistantly.
cheers,
paula
I would guess your instrument is from the 1960's the lack of an area code on the card might indicate that.
Paula, I am a member of the Mountain Dulcimer Society of Dayton so don't be surprised if they refer you to me. I own Chet's Hogfiddle pictured in Jean Ritchies Dulcimer People book. Ron will be the best resource for you though, as he worked on many instruments with Chet. There is an article in an old Dulcimer Player News about Ron and he recounts those years with Chet.
Chet also appeared on the Grand Ole Opry and gifted a dulcimer to Roy Acuff.
I have photos but can’t seem to figure out how to post them here.
Try looking at these threads... (it depends on if you are trying to add a photo to a discussion post, or to your profile gallery):
It looks like to Mountain Dulcimore Society was founded in 1965 I assume the card included in the case with my dulcimer would date my dulcimer to being from sometime around that. I’m not sure at what point the MDS changed their name. So I at least have a broad range of between say 1964 and his death in 1977.
Wow. So young. Thank you so much Steve for this additional information. I’ll be curious to see if I can determine a date for my dulcimer. I’ve reached out to the dulcimer society of Dayton (the current iteration of the Mountain Dulcimore Society) to see if they have any additional information but I haven’t heard back yet.
(I’d try to help you with posting pictures but I’m clearly doing something wrong regarding size)
I have photos but can’t seem to figure out how to post them here.
