Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

Are you talking about the 13 1/2 fret?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Yes, I'm at work now but will post a pic tonight

Can we see a photo, please?  The spacing of a 6-1/2 fret should be approximately halfway between fret #6 and fret #7, but slightly closer to fret #7.  There is a formula that may be used to place it precisely in the right spot.

I purchased a rather expensive dulcimer a while ago and feel one of the frets is misplaced.  It is visually apparent!.  Looking at photos from the Luthier I see most of his instruments have the fret placed correctly, but some have the same odd positioned fret as mine?  With Just intonation/ Even tmp,  Various scales, and added frets it can get confusing, but this just looks wrong?  It's the 6 1/2 fret in the second octave

Thank you for listening!

What a great video!  Thank you for sharing it!

As Dusty sez -- Join the group to see the responses...  And your dulcimette is really a 3-course dulcimer with two strings on each course... so there is a TON of music out there it depends on which genres you like to play!   I have a short VSL dulcimore made by Bobby Ratliff, on which i play (in Noter & Drone or Fingerdance) mostly Americana and Celtic folk music and ballads).

It's true that 6 String Dulcimer group hasn't been too active recently, but remember that you have to actually join a group to see the responses to all the discussions.

I'm sure there are as many responses to this question as there are personal musical styles, but I'm happy to chime in, not with specific song suggestions, but with types of songs and techniques that might be useful.

There are two different attributes to your dulcimer that might suggest special consideration. First, it is an octave instrument.  You can play the same tab as everyone else but will be one octave higher.  Sometimes, you don't have to do anything special and will blend really well. I sometimes take my dulcimette to my monthly dulcimer club and pull it out when we play Southwind, for example.  My dulcimer really stands out from and complements the rest because of the higher register.  But that higher register--and the shorter VSL that allows it--also means that the instrument has less sustain.  The strings just stop ringing (or get really soft) much faster than those of a standard dulcimer.  So one trick is just to play tunes that have lots of notes.  I actually find it easier to play fast fiddle tunes on my smaller dulcimers.  But if you choose tunes with half notes and whole notes, you will want to play a lot of arpeggios, basically playing chords one string at a time to fill in the spaces in the melody.  To see what I mean about using arpeggios to fill in the spaces, check out the version of Raisins and Almonds I posted a while back.

But your dulcimer is also a six-string dulcimer.  I have a six-string baritone dulcimette, and tend to play songs with a lot of strumming.  Fingerpicking doesn't work as well, but fast strumming is really fun with all those double strings. Think of the rhythmic role of a mandolin in a bluegrass band.  Remember, however, that you can also take off the extra strings and have a 3-string instrument.  My baritone dulcimette is currently strung only with three strings and is nice for softer, quieter tunes. In a sense, you have two instruments in one.

Good luck. I'm sure you'll find a bunch of tunes and develop your own style of playing them, something unique to you and your dulcimer.

Sorry to hear it will not be available this year. I have really enjoyed it in the past. Hope you have a blessed holiday season and a wonderful new year.

I've looked at the six strings group, but can't seem to find the replies.  I have a Ewing that I am ready to start playing on more, but was hoping for some help to find suitable tunes.   I am unhappy with some of the selections I have tried, so I'd like to have some help from experienced players.  Thank you.  I'm up for all genres.. How great thou art is amazing on this little guy by the way.

@ariane I am hoping the coming new year holds better things for you, my friend!  Hugs! 

I agree, chamois cloth works well and is less ugly than rubber shelf liner. Buy it cheaper at a car parts section, because people use it to polish/dry their cherished cars with.

@homer-ross @Robin - unfortunately this year I was not able to organize our "almost traditional" musical Advent calendar and do hope very much that I can create one in the next year with all the wonderful musicians from FOTMD and the dulcimer facebook groups.

Wishing all a peaceful Advent season

Ariane

@homer-ross We've enjoyed the Advent Calendars which @ariane has organized in past years!  This year, though, there is no Advent Calendar.  

Wishing all a meaningful holiday season!    

Another great podcast!

I listen over and over to your podcasts!

Thank you for all you do.

Rather than using shelf liner try a natural shamois skin, the soft and absorbent animal skin sold for drying your car after a wash job.  I used it for years without it adversely affecting the finish on the dulcimer.

Does any one know if the Dulcimer Advent Calendar is available this year? 

I'm happy y'all enjoyed the video!   It's curious to me that Dave Garroway says and repeats the Ritchie family was in South Carolina.  Perhaps they all did gather there at a relative's home yet I can't help but mentally think they must be in Viper KY.   

It seems George Pickow's channel at YouTube has been taken down.  There were some wonderful videos-- Wintergrace , Black Waters , Blue Diamond Mines and others) done by George and Jean and I am very sorry to see them gone.

Celebrating Jean's birth and the gifts she gave the world!  

Thanks Robin. Jean was such a delight. Wish I had known her other than from history. She did so much to promote the mountain dulcimer we all love so much.

It seems I looked up the score for Wintergrace. If memory serves I found it one website that offered it for sale. I think it is still under copyright.

Thanks for this Robin! Family times are the best times!

Thanks for sharing the video link Robin. I've seen that program before, but this is the first time in color. Always interesting watching the Ritchie family.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank you for that link Robin. I had not seen that video of Jean's family gatherings before. 🎄

Happy Birthday to Jean! Thank you for sharing the video of the family Christmas. Those simple times were the best in many ways.

This morning, I searched YouTube for Jean's Wintergrace (which I believe was on George Pickow's channel) and was unable to find George's channel.  

I'm grateful for all Jean Ritchie shared with the world!  She was born 8 December 1922 in Viper, Perry County KY.  

https://youtu.be/piV-BGDHLF4 

You're correct John. I think it was in the $2,000 to 3,000 range, but I may not remember it all that well.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I don't remember this "Jeopardy!" episode, but I do recall the "Antiques Road Show" episode with the old Virginia dulcimore on it. The appraiser valued it way high, it seemed to me.

Good point, Dusty.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The trick, Ken, is to record the show, memorize the answers, and then ask someone to watch it with you.  When you yell out all the answers they'll think you're so smart!

Haha, Dusty. I'm glad they repeat those old shows. Sometimes the second or third time through I can get the right question for the answer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

If I'm only four or five months late, that's not bad.  I think of new music as anything played since the invention of the steam engine.

Jeopardy has been offering video and photo clues for years. That's nothing new. Also, this show is not new either. It was first broadcast in July of 2022.

Kwn

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Whaaaat?? I didn't think they showed picture clues on that show! Seems crazy.

As the question was asked, they showed a picture of a dulcimer, so the banjo answer was less informed than you might have thought.

That's actually pretty impressive!  Especially also considering that "mountain banjos" are actually a defined type of banjo.

On Jeopardy today:

Answer: The mountain this is the Kentucky state instrument.

Question: What is a dulcimer?

The first contestant to answer guessed a banjo, but the second one got it.

I tried the magnetic pickup route several years ago. The only drawback was the dulcimer sounded more like a guitar than a dulcimer since it only response to the vibrating string and loses a lot of the traditional  sound of a dulcimer

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/newsobserver/name/robert-bryan-obituary?id=12749920

This fellow was quite well known around Raleigh and Garner NC.  His obit mentions him as a dulcimer builder among other things.  Here's the link if anyone wants to read it.

That's a nice find @gail-a, but Howie's HD book is another thing entirely.  Not the same as the Mountain Dulcimer book and recordings we discussed all those years ago on ED.  Both book, by modern standards, are somewhat outdated in their approach to building.  Many things Howie was explaining how to calculate, for example, are commonly found today or easily acquired from on-line calculators etc.  

Found his hammered dulcimer book on the Internet Archive: https://archive.org/details/dulcimerhmitchell1971/page/n45/mode/2up

It shouldn't need much, if any 'setup".  Just perhaps a new set of strings, wiping with a damp cloth, and a couple drops of Peg Dope to make sure the pegs work smoothly.