Forum Activity for @beth-hansen

Thanks for the advice! I managed to play along a little on a couple of songs, I let them know I was in the key of D, and they let me know what chords they were using. I also managed to play about four songs, though I messed up on each and every one, I got through them OK. I swear I play them all flawlessly for the cats about a dozen times a week! Funny thing is, when I picked up my dulcimer to practice later, I was all thumbs.

It was a really fun time, so I'll just keep practicing and look for any opportunity to play in front of people.

This helps me (but it may not help you). My brain sort of thinks backwards sometimes. Anyway I recognize a bunch of guitar chords by sight just from watching guitar players play (and I play a bit too). So if I have my banjo or my dulcimer I'm watching the guitars in the room for the chord changes.

Good luck!

Beth,

Knowing I, IV, V chords in the keys of D, G, C will take you far. Listen for the chord changes and key off whoever looks to be the most solid rhythm player.

Have fun!

PS-My guitar-playing husband helped me with this. :)

A friend of mine is hosting a party room at our local Science Fiction & Fantasy Con which includes a music circle. Everyone else will be playing the guitar, and I will be playingmy mountaindulcimer. I do have extra frets, 1 1/2 and 6 1/2, and I know basic chords. And I do have a capo.

Any suggestions on how I can play along?

Quinn, thanks for that link, but I think the one referred to as not working is the one in the original post. Kyle Daniel Mills posted a link to research paper he wrote on C.N. Prichard, but that link no longer works. Back in November I visited CN's grave and place one of the copies I made of his dulcimers on the stone and took a picture. It was a memorable moment.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I too would like to read this paper, but I got a "file not found" message as well.

Nicholas, here is a link to a portion of Ralp Lee Smith's book, Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions, in which he describes information on CN Prichard who made the Huntington WV dulcimers, http://books.google.com/books?id=AKQ6k9EwD-kC&lpg=PA57&ots=... . I have pictures of the census records Ralph mentions on my page.

Nicholas Rickford Grant said:

The link to this file give me a "file not found" message. Anyone know the current link or how to get a look at the paper? It sounds interesting.

Thanks

Kyle,

Thank you for making your research available online. I've printed off a hard copy so I can read it tonight or tomorrow.

Greg

Kyle,

Hope you're able to put together more pieces of the Prichard; you've got the makings of a thesis.

Gotta tell you what a thrill it was for me to hear you in a jam outside Halliehurst one night. Just not enough noter & drone players jamming in old-time! I'll not be at Spring Week at Augusta--will be making a couple trips to North Carolina for music doings in April & May.

Hey, Kyle, great to see you back here! As you know, I enjoyed reading your paper at Augusta last summer (and hearing you play!) and I look forward to learning more about further research. (It must have taken a fair amount of digging to uncover information about when CN Prichard first came into contact with the dulcimer!)

Thanks for posting this Kyle, very interesting. I always wondered about those 'upside-down' hearts.

For it is written:

He who knows not, knows not

He who knows not that he knows not ...

... is a not knows .......

I'd rather be a "beginner" than an "ender" any day!

I, also, think of myself as a "learner". And I'm always learning about new things that I hadn't, yet, discovered that I didn't know. Ya know?!

Thanks Strumelia, Ive been wondering how I was going to tell when I was no longer a beginner. Now I dont have to worry about it any more, I will always be a beginner. Now its just a matter of to what degree.

I think that we are beginners as long as the amount of what there is yet to learn is larger than what we already know...and that's certainly true for me! And maybe we are all simply 'learners'. May we never stop learning until we die...

We all were beginners once upon a time...

Hi Van

Thanks for the input I'm a beginingplayer and having a great time trying to learn to play. The dogs howl, the cats run and hide and friends dont come by much any more, but I'm having a great time.

I couldnt agree with you more about the people at McSpadden, I've called them a couple of times and they were very helpful. I just wish that they had a dealer in my area.

Thanks Ken, Boy am I getting an education.

Ed - neither friction nor geared tuners should "be an issue". Those are not wooden tuning pegs, which occasionally can be an issue if you aren't used to them; they are top of the line metal pegs nearly as quick and accurate as geared tuners.

Hi Geekling. Thanks for the info and advice. The seller is asking $200.00 for the Dulcimer with hard case and original sales document. The tuners are an issue and I couldnt tell for sure in there picture if they were friction or geared but with the info that you have given me I'm sure they are friction. They say it is signed and dated 1991.

Thanks again everyone

Ed

Age isn't a prob. they usually mellow out and just sound better with age.

Thanks everyone for the input andas I expected, everyone seems to like thier McSpadden Dulcimers and the service.

and Barbara the one I was looking at wasn't on e-bay, but thanks for the info and the link.

My very first dulcimer was a walnut hourglass McSpadden. My daughter has it now. It has the most beautiful resonant voice one can imagine, and is so smoooooth to play. An excellent choice!

And their after sales service is as good as you'll find anywhere.

[edit] not surprising really ... they more or less define the highest standards for volume manufacturers

john p

You usually cant go wrong with a McSpadden. Everyone I have heard that has one loves them.

Can anyone give me any info on this dulcimer, good, bad, or otherwise?? I am new to the dulcimer world and could be classified as a pre beginner Thanks

Wow, folkfan, looks like you could be in for several years' worth of fun exploring that site! :)

Found this site when looking for some sheet music.

http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/index.html

I'm going to have to go back and spend several days just browsing. Wheeeee

Yes certainly,

John mentioned A aeolian in his post, which is probably the one A tuning it would be difficult to reach - but e,e,e,e A ionian, e,e,d,d A dorian and e,e,d,d A mixolidian (6+) should be fine with the 0.010s he has fitted.

Strumelia said:

Robin Clark said:

Hi John,

You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret

Robin, if he does what you describe above, and also tunes the two melody strings up to ee, won't he then be able to play in A ionian?...which is more useful than just A dorian... just pondering here.

Barbara, my response to your original question is that practically speaking, I myself only really 'need' two dulcimers- one for playing in A and G, and the other for playing in C and D. That's assuming I don't 'need' any other dulcimers due to aesthetic reasons like them sounding different or enjoying playing with different fret patterns or sizes.

Robin Clark said:

Hi John,

You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret

Hi John,

You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret The end of a chopstick makes a good reverse capo(the term 'false nut' is probably a better description).

Ahh... I see that you can tune up to e with your strings so simply tune to e,e,d,d. If you have a 6+ this tuning will also give you key of A mixolidian for tunes like Old Joe Clark, June Apple etc as well astunes in A minor such as Frosty Morning, Shady Grove, Cluck Old Hen etc

Galax players often play overtwo 5th drones rather than root drones.

John - most Galax set up players don'ty try for anything except Galax tunings: ddd or ggg etc. As you've discovered those thin strings just aren't suitable for more common Modal tunings. Now you know why so many of us have multiple dulcimers. If I were you. I think I'd opt for a second dulcimer in cardboard. Leave that one with conventional strings.

Check out whatever local hobby shops there are where you live - especially those dealing in model airplanes. They will have 1/8" Baltic Birch ply, which makes really good sounding dulcimers. Using the Fretboard from a cardboard dulcimer, you can surely make a box shaped dulcimer for under $25.

Barbara, I was playing strictly in a flatpicking style but then bought a used Blue Lion from another member of FOTMD. I played it a little bit and really liked it, but one day I stroked the strings gently with my finger and the instrument just rang true. It sounds good with a flatpick, but really special with a soft fingerstyle technique. I began learning to fingerpick simply to do right by that instrument. And of course trying to fingerpick my six-string baritone dulcimette would be like fingerpicking a mandolin. Oh, maybe you could kinda sorta do it a little, but why?

Some instruments might really be versatile, but others so obviously want to be in a particular tuning or played with a certain technique that it's nice to honor those ideosyncracies. I gave up trying to play bluegrass guitar and mandolin with the accompanying obsession with playing lots of notes as fast as possible, and now my philosophy with the dulcimer is that if you have a nice sounding instrument, highlight that instrument. Pick or strum a little, let the notes ring out, and get out of the way.

Barbara P said:

Uh oh, Dusty Turtle, you're making me think that I need a designated fingerpicking dulcimer too! I sure love the way those Blue Lions look! (I see trouble ahead! LOL!) And a baritone - another type of dulcimer I sorely need!

Mandy, Usually one develops DAD or DAA which are Dulcimer Acquisition Disease, or Dulcimer Acquisition Addiction. And if you develop DAD, buy two dulcimers and call me in the morning. Or if you end up with DAA, just feed your habit.

Mandy said:

Hey Barbara,

My take on this is a little different actually. I want one of everything! By that I mean lots of different instruments. After I got my first banjo I realized within a year that it was going to stick and I needed to upgrade. So I upgraded when i could and sold off my first one to help pay for my new dulcimer. I'm getting my very own guitar as an anniversary present from my husband . Now I figure all I need is an upright bass, fiddle, and maybe a mando and I'll be all set!

I've seen this affliction you speak of called BAS (banjo acquisition syndrome) in banjo circles, MAS (mandolin acquisition syndrome) in mando circles and I suppose it's the same here DAS (dulcimer acquisition syndrome). But mine would be called IAS I guess (instrument acquisition syndrome). LOL. The great thing about any of them is that once you start playing a musical instrument you have so much fun you want MORE.

All I know is, one is NOT enough. One of these days....

Oh, and I don't even have a baritone dulcimer, so I need to add just one more . . .

I have only one for now, but I have started building a I will end up number two. If I am not careful I will have as many as I have guitars, Ok I don't have a lot of Guitars just six.

Great point there Dusty. I didn't think about that and it's true. Uh oh now you've done it. I may need a few more........

Mandy, I know what you mean, and for that reason I have a guitar, a 12-string guitar, a mandolin, a ukulele, an autoharp, a fiddle, . . .

But, I now have several dulcimers and to me they are all different instruments. I have dulcimers in at least three tonal ranges, one a true octave dulcimer and another tuned a fourth of fifth above a standard dulcimer, the latter of which has six strings and is really good for fast-paced fiddle tunes in G or A. And even my standard dulcimers seem like different instruments. The Blue Lion is clearly intended for fingerpicking, not only because it just sounds great that way but also because the wider neck makes fingerpicking easier on the right hand.I use another dulcimer entirely for flatpicking, in part because it's neck is more narrow, but also because it has a 1-1/2 fret . . .

I could go on, but I think I've made my point. Just because I have several instruments that are all called dulcimers, does not mean they are all identical. In fact, they are as different as a guitar and mandolin. And even among those of us without the disposable income to buy dulcimers just for fun, the differences among dulcimers become more obvious the more you play and you come to see them as genuinely different instruments intended for different tunings, styles of play, etc.

Mandy said:

Hey Barbara,

My take on this is a little different actually. I want one of everything! By that I mean lots of different instruments.