Of course we could consider the earliest authenticated dulcimer with a date of….drum roll please…John Scales, Jr. August 28, 1832 which could also coincide with play your dulcimer on front porch day…which that dulcimer will be 190 years old this summer. In ten years it will be two hundred years old..big celebration..
I wasn't trying to start a debate about dates. Every day is dulcimer day in my life. 
I do wonder how those "national" days get formalized. I bet if we just decided on a day and then created a Wikipedia entry on National Dulcimer Day, it would become a thing. We could encourage instructors and luthiers to offer discounts. Maybe Quarantune could organize a concert on that day. Who knows?
Either date sounds good to me. Actually sounds as good as a dulcimer...Robert
I agree with Ken. I like Thomas' birthday of March 19 (1850).
Not to detract from Jean's fame as a popularizer of the dulcimer, I suggest March 19 as that is the birthdate of James Edward (Uncle Ed) Thomas who built the early hourglass style mountain dulcimer. Didn't Jean's father play one of Thomas's dulcimers?
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
That's exactly what I was thinking, @steve-c !
February 11 is National Guitar Day. When is National Dulcimer Day? I vote for December 8. Anyone know why?
Jean Ritchie was born on December 8, 1922….is a possibility. Is that what you were thinking?
February 11 is National Guitar Day. When is National Dulcimer Day? I vote for December 8. Anyone know why?
Thanks for the great photo!
The headstock, with its 6 strings and sturdy long shape, reminds me of a large version of French epinettes. This fellow is obviously interested in early instruments and their history. I see another headstock in the making on the table- perhaps for a 4 string dulcimer. How sweet those tiny heart sound holes are!
Is that a vielle on the table in the photo? Lovely! I love the very old sounds such instruments produce.
I'm glad that you found and shared that photo. Like Dusty I would enjoy hearing him play that instrument.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I would love to hear him play that instrument, which has partial frets such that the middle strings are chromatic but the bass and melody strings are diatonic.
Thanks for sharing.
Found! It has been so easy that the criminologist in me (I work in that sector) feels disappointed ;)
The luthier is Alfonso García Oliva, from Navajeda, Cantabria, although in his web he has no information about dulcimer, I hope he will correct it soon (I intend to answer him to check prices, although it is true that for the moment I can't afford a new dulcimer, but it's good to have an idea).
He showed first a rebec (not a medieval fiddle) before the dulcimer, and then to the surprise of the presenter and the audience, a nice 6-string dulcimer and strummed a few chords.
I'll see if I'm able to upload a screenshot of the dulcimer.
And hopefully it will get people's curiosity piqued!
It's good to know the folks in Spain had a brief exposure to the Appalachian dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Good night!
First of all, I would like to explain that in the public TV in Spain there is a channel, La 2, that although it doesn't have a large audience, it has interesting contents, and a travel program that many people watch (one of the presenters goes with an adorable dog).
Well, I was watching this program and one of the presenters was in Cantabria (in the north) and went to visit a luthier (I didn't catch his name but I promise I will find out sooner or later).
They presented, I think, a medieval violin, and talk a few about it, and immediately the luthier brings out a beautiful dulcimer, and briefly explains that it comes from the Appalachians but its origin is European, you hear some sweet and beautiful strumming.... And immediately they change the scene and it does not appear again.
But for a few seconds we could see a dulcimer on TV in Spain, in a relatively successful program!
I hope that those few seconds will make him known, and I promise to find out the name of the luthier.
The program was broadcasted yesterday (I saw a replay), in their networks they have not mentioned neither the dulcimer nor the luthier (neither the program itself nor the viewers) but I hope it has touched people's hearts. Mine for sure, I jumped off the couch so much that even my dog was surprised!
I have owned two custom builds from Dave at SweetWoods. Each was skillfully crafted, with a well balanced full sound and easy playing.
A friend had one of Ron Gibson's Barbara Allen models. It was a work of beauty with rich wood, excellent craftsmanship and a wonderful sound. It was perhaps slightly louder than some modern dulcimers.
I've owned and played one of Dave's instruments for years, and I've done one or two "authorized repairs" on instruments of his which live here in Florida, rather than having the owner ship the idulcimer to Missouri.
Although Dave told me last month that he's built and sold over 5000 of his Student models, he also builds custom instruments to your specifications. He's 'slowing down' his building career (medical issues) so if you like the look of his instruments, now is the time!. The website is a "mess" because he's moving/moved to a new server.... Drop him an email and he'll gladly work with you in any way you choose -- send you pictures, sound samples, whatever you like.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: I have moved to a new server. Unfortunately, I was not able to transfer all of my previous emails. If I have not responded to your email, please send me a reminder to Harpmaker@SweetWoodsInstruments.com. I will respond to you as soon as possible. Thank you!
Thank you friends. I do know what I am looking for vis a vis Fret layout, design and sound. Around the holidays I sold three of my dulcimers, in hopes that I might talk my wife into allowing me to have one built 
The two I kept are a Walnut TK O'Brien (which I consider a nice beginner MD) and a Folk roots D-40 from the 70's ( a beast of an instrument). I'm thinking, I'd like a closer action so that Jenny Lind may be the one, but it would be nice to be able to hold/play one prior to plunking down my cash!
I own one of David Lynch's student model dulcimers and used to suggest newbies get one for their first instrument since I think it was the best value on the market. But I haven't heard from him in a few years.
Ron Gibson dulcimers are a great value, too. I used to have a Barbara Allen baritone he made which I sold to help finance a more expensive dulcimer. It was very nice and I miss it. I also played a used Jenny Lind at a music store. I was impressed with the action and went back to get it the next day, but it was already gone.
My general advice for beginners looking for an upgrade is to be patient and develop your preferences before spending a bunch of cash. Maybe you will find you like an ebony overlay on the fretboard, or an extra fret, or the strings spaced a certain distance apart, or an internal pickup, or . . . The list just goes on and on. You have to play a while to develop those preferences, so you might want to stick with a dulcimer that's "good enough" until you know exactly what you want.
Of course, if money is not an issue, go ahead an buy several dulcimers, including a bass dulcimer to give me .
I've had several of Dave's student dulcimers and wound up selling them to students who wanted to move beyond a cardboard dulcimer. I have played quite of few of his regular dulcimers and can tell you that they are well built and a delight to play. I have no experience with Ron's dulcimers, but he has a good reputation as a builder.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Morning Friends!
Still looking for the right one, and came across Sweet Woods instruments and David Lynch. I love the look, but his website is a mess and I cant really see much of his work. Anyone have one of his MD's? Thoughts?
Also, Found Ron Gibson's site as well. I like his deep bodied Jenny Lynn models, and the fact he will build me a custom instrument. Thoughts on Ron?
Thanks Friends!
Any grouping of notes, in order to be a chord, must contain 3 or more different notes. If it contains 2 notes, like DGD, then it is a dyad and not a chord (when the two D notes mentioned are an octave or more apart, they don't become 2 different notes, they are both still D notes). In music, the term dyad is the one mostly used for 2 note groupings, though there's other terms used by certain groups of people.
It's good to know the correct terminology, so thanks for clarifying that. I would add, however, for the sake of beginners who might worry about getting it wrong, that for practical purposes when playing music in a jam session, it does not matter what you call it. A dyad works perfectly as well as a chord.
The dulcimer doesn't always provide all the notes you need for a chord, but that is no problem when you are playing in a group. You can count on the guitar, mandolin, banjo, uke and bass players to provide the missing notes. Or maybe they won't... as long as it sounds good it won't matter what notes are missing.
In other words DGD is A-OK when it's time to play a G chord ;-)
Hi, just a quick comment on a technical point.
Any grouping of notes, in order to be a chord, must contain 3 or more different notes. If it contains 2 notes, like DGD, then it is a dyad and not a chord (when the two D notes mentioned are an octave or more apart, they don't become 2 different notes, they are both still D notes). In music, the term dyad is the one mostly used for 2 note groupings, though there's other terms used by certain groups of people.
You might consider joining the Florida Sunshine Dulcimer Group here and posting your question there. The groups sometimes go dormant for a spell, but often it just takes one new person to drum up some activity and get things humming (or droning) again.
Thanks for the lead! I've joined and will give it a try!
I'm a full time resident. Will amend distance to include more people; thanks for the feedback.
Are you a snowbird? Or permanent resident?
I'm in Fort Myers, but I don't play with that evening group.
IIRC, the group that used to be in Englewood was a "snowbird" group like many others down here, which disbanded each spring when they went back north. There are a couple players I know of in Venice, and I've heard of a couple in the Rotunda. but with a 15 mile and daylight limitations you'll be lucky to find 1 or 2 players, I think.
You might consider joining the Florida Sunshine Dulcimer Group here and posting your question there. The groups sometimes go dormant for a spell, but often it just takes one new person to drum up some activity and get things humming (or droning) again.
I am looking for dulcimer players who live within 30 miles of Englewood, Fl., or those who are willing to travel to Englewood. who would like to get a group together to play. I am open to any day, and prefer to play during the daytime. There used to be a dulcimer group in Port Charlotte, Fl. which is just 15 miles from me. Unfortunately, the art center where they met closed. I have access to a space that we can play in. I know there is a group in Ft. Myers, but that's over an hour away and meets at night. Thanks!
I not only play the dulcimer but also draw/paint several hours each day. After awful thumb pain,I got a 10 buck thumb/wrist support on amazon, and wear it when I'm not using my left hand and when I sleep. Pain all gone after a day, but I've continued to wear it. Pain hasn't come back.
Yep -- a small triangular file belongs in every dulcimer players kit. Good catch Dusty!
Great insight Dusty. In fact, I have a banjo with a string that rings out in an annoying way- I will try this fix next time i take it out to play! I have a little nut file that has served me well for years.
Sorry about the confusion everyone. Someone has to be the most clueless member. Dusty, just this morning I noticed the mid string was sitting in a very shallow slot at the bridge. I could feel much more vibration when i put my finger on it than the others. I deepened the slot and it does seemed to have helped. The vibration at the bridge is gone. I think you're right. I'm going to consider the problem solved. Thanks for all the input everyone.
@gennaro, before we can really help you, we need to figure out what exactly is up with that middle string. If it's not out of tune, and it's not buzzing on a fret, what could it be?
I have one idea. I had a dulcimer that had a minor problem with one string. It would kind of ring out louder than the others with a very faint buzz. The problem was not the frets, but something else a repair guy at a guitar shop diagnosed right away: the slot in the bridge and/or nut was too flat, allowing the string to vibrate.
Basically, as the string goes through the groove or slot in the bridge and nut, you want it to sit on a single point in the wood or bone or whatever the thing is made of. Is that slot is too flat, it allows the string to vibrate and kind of ring out louder than the other strings and make a noise that is not exactly a buzz, but something less obvious but still annoying. This happens more often when the nut and/bridge are made of wood rather than a harder substance like bone.
The guy who fixed my dulcimer that had this problem did so in about 5 minutes. If you have a really small file to get into those grooves, you might just run it at an angle on either side of that groove in the nut and bridge, trying to create a single point on which the string will sit. If you don't have such a tool, any guitar shop should be able to do this.
I don't know for sure that this is your problem, but the difficulty you have describing it sounds really familiar, and this is my best guess.
OK if the scale length is 27" then forget everything I said.
It could be that the MD is particularly resonant to B, which makes that note 'stand out' more. Since you are trying to play the tune in Aeolion [capo at 1] mode it may work to try tuning to DAc.
After checking the link, I see I may have been confused on the scale length. The nut to bridge is 27 1/2. The actual fret board is 22 1/2.
Thanks for the advice and the link. I'll go heavier on the strings. As far as filing the frets, I'm always tinkering. It's a no name dulcimer I bought from a friend. I plugged it into an amp on a whim and it actually sounded better.
Ok well that helps a lot. 22 1/2 " is a very short scale length... practically like an epinette.
You don't say what gauge your other strings are - that would help!
But .012 for a middle string at 22-23" scale length is too thin a string for DAd or CGC... and whatever tuning you use, a string of .012 for a middle string will be rather loose... so that when a capo presses the strings even further down than the nut slot level, that middle string is likely to vibrate against frets when strummed open. It's a shame you already filed down frets, as that's a more drastic and risky solution (sort of like cutting off a table leg if the table wobbles).
All you need do here is put on strings that are more appropriate to your short scale length. A heavier set will not be lax and vibrate so much that they create sympathetic ringing against the frets. The middle string will likely need to be at least a .014, for example. How did the current set of strings get chosen?
The Strothers gauge calculator is very helpful when ordering strings: http://www.strothers.com/string_choice.html
FWIW, your described 'ringing' is not a string that is 'dischordant' (meaning a note out of tune)... it's more a noise, a wolf tone, or a buzz type issue.
Scales are 22 1/2 inches. The middle string is 12 gauge. When I play, or attempt to play the song in DAD the middle string doesn't annoy me. However when applying the capo to the first fret as advised by Mr Gilston, the middle string is tuned to B which dominates the song when strumming it opened. I would discribe it as ringing, and to my ear, annoying. There are a few others playing this on Youtube. Guess I could ask how theirs are tuned.
Also- please elaborate on what you mean about the middle string that it sounds "off" or "dischordant:
Do you mean it's actually out of tune, meaning not the right note, sharp or flat? OR
Do you mean it has a bad tone- like a buzzy sound or thuddy/twangy. Need to know this!
