Forum Activity for @rod-westerfield

800!?!!

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PARTY PARTY PARTY... now pass that food but on the serious side... a round of applause and congrats to our fearless leader Strumelia.. glad ya took the step and started FOTMD.. look at the family you have grown. And we will only continue to grow.. now wheres my mtn dew..

800!?!!

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Thank goodness we've hit 800! I'm starving!Robinwho's at the front of the line for the food

800!?!!

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Congrats!!! Don't you ever sleep?JohnH

800!?!!

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YAY!!!! Hard to believe!

800!?!!

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Travis Rodgers said:

I was reading a couple articles about favorite pizza toppings around the world, and found that Shrimp and Pineapple is the favorite topping in Australia. I tried it, and it's actually pretty good, so I'll bring that.

Our daughter, Gabriela, likes shrimp and bacon pizza.If you bring another, make it tomato, green pepper, and onion, please.

800!?!!

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Todd Willsey said:

That will be the hook at the end of the song. Sort of like how sale prices always sound better at $7.99 instead of $8.00. Now I have a direction to go with it, thanks. Maybe set it to the tune of "Wabash Cannonball".

Todd, it might wind up being a big FOTMD hit song. How about setting it to the tune of Petticoat Junction ? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7_-N_zTJnk And then, if that's not good enough....how about the late Dennis Hopper guest starring on Petticoat Junction as a young beat poet? LOL!

800!?!!

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Todd Willsey said:

That will be the hook at the end of the song. Sort of like how sale prices always sound better at $7.99 instead of $8.00. Now I have a direction to go with it, thanks. Maybe set it to the tune of "Wabash Cannonball".

NOOOoooooo! NOT Wabash Cannonball! Beyuck gack cough, shudders.Better Wreck of the Old 97. Or . . . in this case The Wreck of Old 799 .Michael

800!?!!

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Todd, Ol' #799 sounds better, like a steam engine or something. 800 sounds too space-age or like some ad- "the New Ginzu800 vegetable paring knife"! Be glad you are the more dignified and venerable #799.

800!?!!

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Todd Willsey said:

What's the count at? I just joined.

Todd W,Welcome. You are member number 799.Party time just around the corner.Michaelmy band: www.goodfornuthin.com

800!?!!

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Shall we reprisethe stinky cheese?We need the roomsto contain the fumes.Who're the snackerswho'll bring the crackers?(Some home-baked breadmay do instead.)

800!?!!

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Randall - just don't boil it so long and hot that it turns to sulphurous gray muck!! Cook it just long enough to go limp...

800!?!!

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We have 795 members so far today, and we are only short about $10 from reaching our $500 site rent goal for the coming year. Looks like we will make our rent goal before hitting 800 members!

800!?!!

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795 members so far....

800!?!!

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I bring butterscotch shortbread.

800!?!!

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Hmmm....I should bring some salad too. I took this photo this morning in my garden:

800!?!!

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Red Algae frybread? Okaaaaaay. I'm gonna call my friend Andrew Zimmern. Like Mikey of the commercials, he'll eat anything!

800!?!!

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Laver!!! (Porphyra Umbillicalis)JohnH

800!?!!

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'Fried lather'....?

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Ken, eggs would be great, they are good just broken over the fried laver at the last minuteI You do all LIKE laver bread don't you? Its a bit slimey I know, but as my Mother used to say "stop moaning, it's good for you!"JohnH Flint Hill said:

We'll bring eggs. And goose quill noters as party favors. We've only got three geese. I'll tell 'em they better get to work.

800!?!!

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We'll bring eggs. And goose quill noters as party favors. We've only got three geese. I'll tell 'em they better get to work.

800!?!!

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Thanks, Rod, I'll take 'em!I see Strumelia's skillets will be in use-- those 'Dutch Babies' look good!-- so can't borrow them.

800!?!!

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792 members right now.... I think I'll make some 'Dutch Babies' in my cast iron skillets, made with batter and fresh fruit. Here are some I made last year:

800!?!!

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Robin Thompson said:

I make a decent whole wheat crust pizza in a cast iron skillet. Trouble is, only got one skillet. So, I'm thinking I'll need to borrow 199 skillets.

Robin I know there are at least 6 if not more iron skillets in our garage.. you're more than welcome to borrow them.. that just leaves about 193 more to get...

800!?!!

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I make a decent whole wheat crust pizza in a cast iron skillet. Trouble is, only got one skillet. So, I'm thinking I'll need to borrow 199 skillets.

800!?!!

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Coming up on 800 members of FOTMD pretty darn quick!

I'm bringing Grilled White Balsamic Marinated Flank Steak with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms (shiitake, mitake, crimini, & morels). I figure with 800 members, we'll need at least 400 pounds.

updated by @ken-hulme: 02/16/19 09:45:20PM

Just a note to mention that Randy Adams made a noter demonstration about his noter hold-- very much worth a look, too!

David;In addition to Lisa's N&D blog, you might want to check out the article I wrote on EVerythingdulcimer.com called "Get Noterized".Other than a noter made from very hard wood, bamboo or whatever, all you need is a pick to strum with (or not).Tunings? Generally we tune to the mode most appropriate for the song/tune. Much more music is written in the Major scale (Ionian Mode) than anything else, so an Ionian tuning (CGG, DAA, GDD) is a good place to start. The scale then starts on the third fret and runs to the 10th fret. You'll have 3 notes below the Tonic and several notes above the upper end of the scale.The whole "trick" to playing N&D well is fine finger control to keep the noter parallel to the plane of the strings (coming down flat not nose first or tail first). Also keeping the noter at right angles to the strings.Holding? There are two basic schools - Thumb on Top, and Index Finger on Top. Thumb on Top works best if your fretboard is very tall - more than 3/4", so there is room for your hand between the plane of the strings and soundboard. Use your fingers/hand as a "stop" so that the noter does not run into the middle or bass strings.Check out the references and then get back to us with more specific questions, please... We'll be glad toanswer them.Welome to The Dark Side!!!!

Hello David and welcome. In my opinion you can't go wrong if you take some time to look at Strumila's"Mountain Dulcimer Noter Drone Blog" As for tuning, well, lots of differingsuggestions might be offered, Daa or Dac spring to my mind, but you can have a lot of fun just playing around finding out what you(and your instrument) like best.Regards, JohnH
updated by @john-henry: 02/15/16 09:20:58AM

I have heard this tuning referred to as a "newer" tuning, but my family often played in this tuning. I grew up knowing about it and just referred to it as "Ward-chord" tuning because I had never seen anyone else do this.I thought my dad made it up so my mom could easily play chords to his melody. He was always looking for the easy way to do things and this couldn't be any easier than strumming open as your I chord, barring all strings at the 3rd fret as the IV chord, and barring all strings at the 4th fret as the V chord.Dad and mom always played the courting dulcimer with dad playing melody, mom playing chords, and I joined on another dulcimer usually playing harmony.When I play this style with the melody, I play the melody with my thumb as a noter and barre the other two strings at either the 3rd or 4th fret according to what chord it should be. I played this style for Steve Seiffert last fall and he had never seen anyone else play this way. His 1-3-5 style is totally different and more complicated. I just played what sounded good to me growing up and it seemed to be right to me?I wonder if I should try to do a workhop on it sometime? It is very, very simple and fun.Anyway, that's just my two cents worth.KendraPS: as I think about it, I have always said the tuning backwards from what other people say. For example I say D-D-G (G being the bass note) and most people say G-D-D (G being the bass note) I don't know why? Anyway when I tune to 1-3-5, I say it backwards as D-B-G . . . (G being the bass note)I have also heard it referred to as the "N" "B" "C" tuning because those are the notes of the chord it makes.

I have heard this tuning referred to as a "newer" tuning, but my family often played in this tuning. I grew up knowing about it and just referred to it as "Ward-chord" tuning because I had never seen anyone else do this.I thought my dad made it up so my mom could easily play chords to his melody. He was always looking for the easy way to do things and this couldn't be any easier than strumming open as your I chord, barring all strings at the 3rd fret as the IV chord, and barring all strings at the 4th fret as the V chord.Dad and mom always played the courting dulcimer with dad playing melody, mom playing chords, and I joined on another dulcimer usually playing harmony.When I play this style with the melody, I play the melody with my thumb as a noter and barre the other two strings at either the 3rd or 4th fret according to what chord it should be. I played this style for Steve Seiffert last fall and he had never seen anyone else play this way. His 1-3-5 style is totally different and more complicated. I just played what sounded good to me growing up and it seemed to be right to me?I wonder if I should try to do a workhop on it sometime? It is very, very simple and fun.Anyway, that's just my two cents worth.KendraPS: as I think about it, I have always said the tuning backwards from what other people say. For example I say D-D-G (G being the bass note) and most people say G-D-D (G being the bass note) I don't know why? Anyway when I tune to 1-3-5, I say it backwards as D-B-G . . . (G being the bass note)I have also heard it referred to as the "N" "B" "C" tuning because those are the notes of the chord it makes.

I use these 1-3-5 tunings...or variations of it....either with a noter or my fingers. I don't play any chords with these tunings just melody. Here is a tune...Trouble On My Mind....I am tuned G'GBd...key of G. I use a noter & drone that low G note f'sure. Played on a fretless cigar box dulcimer.

I haven't tried this tuning, but I already have questions. If you play noter style in DF#A tuning, your drone is a major chord, D major. This works if there are no minor chords in the song, but what happens when the song contains both major & minor chords? The third note of the chord(F#,here) defines the chord as major or minor. The I/III drone is a clear major chord. The I/IV or DA drone is an ambiguous neither major nor minor drone that can be used for either major or minor. Why? Exactly because of this ambiguity. It's neither, but contains the notes common to both. A "D" chord consists of D,F# &A. A Dm consists of D, F & A. The flatted F natural makes it a minor chord. I say flatted because the scale in D doesn't use an F natural, it uses F#, so F natural is flatted from the note that occurs in the scale. Dm doesn't belong to this key.Using DF#A tuning for chord style playing makes sense to me, as it gives you a chromatic scale, which at least in theory, lets you make all the chords you may need,if the chord notes are within reach from the melody note you need at a give point in the song. Again, I haven't yet tried this tuning, but the idea intrigues me. I may be playing with it shortly.Paul

As I said originally, I think I might try it out, when I have the time. I just wonder how it would sound with noter&drone play. What sort of chords would come out of the box?
updated by @b-ross-ashley: 02/13/16 08:09:46PM

"Do you think renaissance and nylgut ought to do the trick with a mix of down- and up-picking???"Ken, it should be GREAT to play it like that. Do you know that those 60's Kay banjos (and basses too) are much sought after and beloved by appreciators of 'down-home' vintage banjos? They have a great sound unless they have been messed up or poorly set up in some way along the line. Lucky you!

Great discussion.Just bought a 60s Kay open-back. Pot looks like pressed-wood composite, not bakelite. It's not here yet. Neck's straight, guitar-type tuners, pretty basic. Has a steel tensioner, not a dowel rod.Do you think renaissance and nylgut ought to do the trick with a mix of down- and up-picking???Was intending to get a Bill Miller skin head, but reading what Lisa wrote makes me think I got enough trouble already. We live in humidity heaven here.

What kind of tailpiece do you have? If it's an adjustable one that hangs out over the head, like a Kirschner, Presto, or clamshell, you might first want to try adjusting the angle. Lower/tighter (closer to the head) will give a brighter tone, and looser should make for a softer sound. I can do that on one banjo (clamshell tailpiece), not the other (old Elite tailpiece ca. 1910).Have you stuffed anything behind the head, inside the banjo? I get rid of overtones and dampen the sound by packing material (lately a fleece sunglasses bag, rolled up) between the dowel stick and the head.Splitting heads (skin) was too much of a hassle for me. Now I only use synthetic.I'd always go for the simplest possible solution first.

Hunter, am I correct in thinking this is an antique banjo?If so, then the pot may be slightly out of true and not a perfect circle, which can complicate matters if you are changing types of heads. It can be done, but sometimes there are issues that need to be solved.Pot slightly warped out of true, brackets that wont fit over modern flesh hoops, odd non-standard sized pot, etc. What kind of head is on there now? Is there anything wrong with it, like holes or splitting?If the head is ok on an antique banjo, I would leave it alone. A LOT can be done to change tone by tweaking instead: your setup, string material and gauges, the tailpiece type and tension, head tension, the bridge used... I would fiddle with all those things before I changed a perfectly good functional head on an antique banjo. Even a plastic frosted 'bluegrass head' can sound old and plunky if you tweak all the other stuff just right. If it's a modern banjo, then changing the head is 'usually' less tricky.Personally, I've done it all- frosted plastic head, Fiberskin, calfskin, Renaissance, you name it, I've spent time installing them and playing on them on various +/- 18 banjos that I've owned, set up, fixed and/or tweaked. I play a lot at outside camping festivals and I did find it to be very tedious dealing with the humidity and real calfskin heads. It got old fast. Real gut strings had the same problem absorbing humidity and literally getting soft like al dente pasta (!) on rainy warm humid summer days while camping. Nylon strings had no such issue and sounded almost like gut.After much experimentation, I found that Renaissance heads gave me a sound very close to real calfskin but without any of the inherent problems. Better sound than even the Fiberskin heads. That's now what I use on all 7 of my banjos. (except the delicate 1800's antique one, which still retains its old calfskin head).

http://savethebanjos.com/Skin%20Head%20How-To.htm Here's instructions for installing the head. Another thing you might try first is a lower tuning, especially with nylon or Nylgut strings. Aquilla makes the Nylgut strings in two variations, one is tuned to a lower key, I think it's open E. The relationship is the same as G tuning, so all the fingerings are the same, but it plays in a lower key. You can also still retune for the equivalent of the double C and modal tunings, but they will be lower also. Double C would work out to A, the G modal would be E modal. I tried Nylguts on my banjo, and liked them a lot, but I really didn't try a lot of re tuning , as I mostly play in Double C. You may find nylon stretches a lot when you change tunings, and may take a bit to stabilize in each new tuning. We have Nylguts on both of our uke'sand they sound good also.Paul

What kind of head is on it now? And how much plunk is too much? The ultimate in plunk is a natural head on a gourd. If you were looking to buy a banjo, I would suggest buying a larger than normal pot, say 12" or 13 ". The standard these days seems to be 11", but partly because a brighter sound is in vogue, especially for bluegrass players. As you already have a banjo, a new head makes more financial sense.Be aware that natural heads are affected by humidity. You may find the head needs to be tightened on rainy days, and loosened in dry weather. If left too tight during dry weather it may shrink enough to split. The synthetic heads don't have this problem as they don't absorb or release moisture. This isn't a major consideration, just something to be aware of.Last time I looked, natural heads were about $50, but they usually need to be mounted to a metal ring. I think the ring is sold separate from the hide. Somewhere on the web I saw a set of instructions for doing all this. I'll see if I bookmarked it & post it if I find it.

The reason I ask what brand Hunter is that I have used cheaper Bella brand nylon banjo strings- for me they stretch and break way too easily. I've also used nylon fishing line in various cool thickness. That too stretched way to much and was forever bouncy- like playing on a trampoline.Switching to Nylagut nylon banjo strings....really good stiffer tension, broke way less often great sound and great response. For the price of a pack you can check it out. It makes a HUGE difference in giving a really old sounding plunky tone instantly. If you like them and want to keep them, then you might be smart to widen your nut and bridge slots for the two thickest strings at least- they are thicker than steel strings and ought to be seated properly in the slots for long term playing. Personally I find that switching to nylon strings will make a much bigger change to 'plunky' than changing to calfskin heads. I have tried every combination possible for many years on many banjos. I've played for years on both steel and nylon strings, and all kinds of heads, skin, renaissance, fiberskin....