Forum Activity for @nate

Your current set up has about 19-23 lb of tension per string. Strings that would give you a similar amount of tension at 22" would be ~0.030, ~ 0.019, and ~0.014.

Excellent suggestion, Ken.

Warren's phone number is on his website https://www.warrenamay.com/contact-us/

When you get the answer, please let us know what he says. I'm sure several of us who do our own maintenance will be interested in why a "bridge" might have different heights for melody and bass.

Why don't you email or call Warren and ask him? 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Even though, as Skip pointed out, the Strothers calculator tend to suggest strings on the light side, I would go with those to begin with. If you find them to be too loose, you can always move up a little the next time you change strings. You didn't say whether this dulcimer uses loop or ball end strings but strings in the sizes suggested should be readily available as singles.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

According to the Strothers string gauge calculator, .012, .016, .024. The calculator has a tendency to be a little light [~.002 or so]. It will be the same octave, D3, A3, D4.

The ones you have on the 27" seem a little large, 

https://strothers.com/string_choice.html

I would think the bass string might have been set higher to avoid the string buzzing on some of the middle frets. There were no standard "dulcimer string" sets in 2006 and he may not have found a really good size of banjo or guitar would string.

I've been learning how to play hymns on a 27" VSL mountain Dulcimer, tuned D3 bass, A3 middle, D4 melody, strings are 12,15, 24. I just received a 22" VSL mountain Dulcimer which my hand definitely likes. My question is what gauge strings should I get and I want to stay in DAD, what octave, same as my standard mountain dulcimer?

Full photo

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Hello everyone!

I have a 2006 cherry Warren May hourdrop, haven't spent too much time with it yet but noticed it has a floating bridge that is wedge shaped. I restrung a few days ago and I'm assuming the "lower" end of the bridge goes under the heavier bass string- is this correct? What's the advantage to this wedge shape vs a flat-top bridge? A have a recent May that has a floating bridge that's even on the top. 

if it matters, it's tuned to DAA and has no extra frets 😉

 IMG_3491.jpeg - 105KB

You might also find  Gates of Song  useful.  

https://www.transcontinentalmusic.com/PDS-Gates-of-Song-(Congregational-Edition)-75907

It is published by Transcontinental Music, a major published of Jewish music of many kinds.

My primary interest in "Jewish Music" is to be inclusive in performances during holiday periods like Christmas/Chanukah and Easter/Passover. I have a number of things like The Dreidal Song in my crank organ collection along with Jingle Bells.

I wasn't surprised to find that there is a book called Union Hymnal for Jewish Worship available as a .PDF at archive.org. This was produced by American "reformed" congregations, and as a result, all lyrics appear to be in English, and some of the tunes are by non-jewish composers like Mozart. 

At a first glance you would be hard pressed to tell from a single page that it wasn't from any American protestant hymnal. They are four-part arrangements.

https://ia801507.us.archive.org/34/items/unionhymnal00cent/unionhymnal00cent.pdf

Hymnary.org has several listing for books with lyrics in Hebrew and Yiddish. One example is
https://hymnary.org/hymnal/CZNS1909

Brown University has a page on Yiddish sheet music with a lot of sheet music.
https://library.brown.edu/cds/sheetmusic/yiddish/

I found that via the Hebrew Union College page on music resources.
https://huc.edu/libraries/free-online-resources/free-online-resources-music-resources/

The resources are there.

I posted mine & Mark's contribution for PMOTPD on the main video feed.  I'll just include a link here in this thread, too. 

https://youtu.be/x-7Qkd8lQOk?si=T1S9dTdNu47q5nW8

@randy-adams I'm glad you were able to work in drones-- love it!  

@david-bennett I enjoyed your Amazing Grace!  

Happy strumming to all! 

My entry

https://youtu.be/bUqqfYr9lk4?si=cj2weKOFh8enIECK

Here's mine Robin hot off the press. 

I think Burt Kahn who is a contributor of dulcimer songs on dulcimertab.com has a number of Jewish songs available.  I think he lives South Florida.

Joe Besse

Just for clarification... I'm assuming that you mean "tabbed for dulcimer", as opposed to written for (composed for) dulcimer.

The request was for "Jewish worship songs." A lot of the common "Jewish songs" are holiday or folk tunes.

If you are looking for TABs for music for temple or synagogue, some of us here might be able to able to make them from sheet music, but we wouldn't have that or know what to look for.

I busked in the Toronto subway stations for years(fiddle).Amplification was allowed but I was a purist-so much so that I needed physio every couple years to alleviate the damage from playing too hard in order to be heard above the din.One quickly finds out which are the quieter station spots(corridors away from the trains) that may also have a nice echo.Fiddle projects way more than the dulcimer,both sound wise and appearance wise.I would advise a pickup and a lightweight amp you can carry in a knapsack if amplification is allowed.In Vancouver I finally bit the bullet...using backing tracks I made myself played through a small amp which I could also plug the fiddle into.It became much easier and I tripled my money. There were so few paying jobs for me at least in Vancouver that I had to do something to survive..there went purity but I had a ball making the backing tracks....Schatten in Kitchener Ontario makes a really good contact dulcimer pickup.  and there are many cheap good quality small amps that run on batteries.P.S...I dubbed all of the backing tracks onto a Mini Disc player which I then plugged into the amp.Perfect small technology.

Hatikvah (The Hope) is available in tab form on a few websites and well as in a few published tab books. I think there are few others out there, like the dreidel song, but you can do an internet search for specific songs to see what's out there.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi,

Thanks for your email.

As far as I know, there's no collection of Jewish music for dulcimer, but I'd love to see one.  I know Jessica Comeau is among players who has at least one Jewish song in her repertoire.  My setting of Hinei Ma Tov is my album Three Strings and the Truth:  New Music for Mountain Dulcimer.  It's out of print (the label folded), but it streams on many sources.  I've performed other Jewish songs as well.

I'm a composer (and Jewish) and have composed and performed a great deal of Jewish music.  Thanks for asking about this.  I hope someone rises to meet the challenge.

Best,

Is there a collection of Jewish worship songs written for dulcimer?

I think the loudest acoustic dulcimer I have is my Tennessee Music Box (TMB). It is home-built, and I described it in the thread

https://fotmd.com/strumelia/group/42/box-dulcimers

With the 1/2 inch plywood faces it is substantial enough to survive a lot of rough treatment. It might be used as a shield It has a screen door handle on one side so it doesn't need a case

There are very few dulcimers available with proper pickups installed for electric amplification. The piezo types - either built in or attached - will pick up both any bump on the dulcimer or sometimes other sounds not associated with the instrument such as passing trains.

John Knopf built a hybrid TMB about a decade ago. If you are buying, not building your own, at least exchange messages with him.

https://fotmd.com/strumelia/group_discuss/1018/electric-hybrid-tmb

Amplification is allowed if I get a license for it (which I assume many of the musicians who busk in the subways must be doing, there are tons of people with speakers!). Thank you both for your suggestions—I may look into a louder dulcimer.

Hoopla, I'm working on mine!

Friends, Saturday 30 August, is the date for worldwide Play Music on the Porch Day.  Please, feel free to post here about your PMOTPD adventures!  Happy strumming!  

@dan I hadn't thought that far ahead.  :)  I can start a thread. 

Are you going to start a thread on this?

@ken-longfield I hope you both have a delightful 56th anniversary and happy strumming!  

@dulcinina It's one of the best holidays-- a day for all to celebrate the joy music can bring to our lives! 

Thank you, Lisa.

Oh my goodness, Ken... that's both wonderful and amazing! 
Big warm congratulations to you both!  

I'll not only be playing on the porch on Saturday, but I'll be serenading my wife as we celebrate our 56th wedding anniversary that day.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I look forward to this every year. It warms my heart to know others around the world are playing their instruments. Nina

This coming Saturday, 30 August, 2025 is worldwide PMOTPD!  

I just spent nearly an hour on Nina's site. I listened to most of the videos and viewed the photos. I am familiar with black Mountain. I have family in the Asheville and Burnsville area. Yes, Damon, that is what attracted me to that style. It may be miles down the road for this old man but everyone began somewhere and it was always at the beginning. 

Very cool looks super easy to use ill definitely check that out later. Thanks for showing this

Gave it a quick look.....Sounds Amazing.....Group jam session without the guilt! We'll have to give it a go, [me n' the Mrs]

Thanks for the tip!

I'm amazed at how finger style sounds so fluid.

I don't play finger style, but my friend does Nina Zanetti does. Visit her website https://www.ninazanetti.com and you will find some good information on finger style playing. She has some free tabs you can download. If you try one or two of them you will get a feel for the style.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Nate, (and to anyone else that wishes to respond) I appears you have been playing the dulcimer for a while. I'm somewhat new at it. I have viewed several posts on "finger picking". I have been "note plucking" for a long time and found the finger picking sty very intriguing. It appears there are several "picking" patterns to choose as a person plays the piece. I have a ton of questions. Who or where can I get more info on the subject?