Forum Activity for @john-c-knopf

Hi, Alex!  Welcome to our happy little group of dulcimer fans.  Detroit weather now is overcast and pleasantly cool.  With occasional sprinkles. 

So, to answer your Question #2, I have been a leftie all my life (physically, not politically), and have always played dulcimer "right-handed", or the usual way folks play it.  I built a left-handed J. E. Thomas replica dulcimore for a guy, and found it to be an interesting experience.  He seemed happy with it-- I've heard no complaints as of yet. 

 As to Questions #1, #3 and #4, No, no and no.  Hope you have fun with our dulcimer gang!

Hi All,

I hope you're having a great weekend with better weather than here in MN.

I'm relatively new here.  I'm completely self-taught on dulcimer.  I've played for about ten years, after about fifty years of guitar and I'm a classically trained composer and music professor.  Dulcimer has become my main instrument.  My questions:

1) Because of my background in guitar, I mostly use all four left hand fingers and only occasionally my thumb.  Anyone else out there use this technique?

2) Anyone else left handed, but play right handed?  If so, do you think this affects your playing and if so how?  (I play fingerstyle, but I think my technique is unorthodox.)

3) Does anyone else spend a lot of time exploring alternate tunings?

4) Does anyone else use/like staff notation?

Thanks so much,

I am glad you have a friend with whom to learn. That will be fun and beneficial. Best wishes.

I don't use tuning apps, I use clip-on tuners of various makes and models.

For a dulcimer, you want/need one with a CHROMATIC setting. Some have settings for guitar, fiddle, ukulele, etc. and in that case you need to be sure that you are using the C setting. It's usually a very small letter and easy to miss until you understand its importance.

That same thing applies with an app. I' not aware that Fender ever made dulcimers, and I wouldn't be surprised if their all only had guitar settings

I pretty much agree with Richard's advice. I have a one of Warren's dulcimers and have no problem with the original tuners (wood).  If I were to replace the tuners I would try to find some that fit without any modification to the tapered holes. There might be some Wittner tuners that fit. I'd keep the original tuners so the next owner of the dulcimer can decide which she/he prefers. If you are looking at the dulcimer as an investment (hoping it will appreciate in value) I wouldn't change it or play it. I'd box it up and store it away. If on the other hand you bought it so that you can enjoy playing it, you should make the modifications needed to make it playable for you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The choice is yours. If you think you may want to sell the dulcimer in the future, the buyer may or may not prefer wooden pegs.

On the other hand if you have trouble tuning the wooden pegs or just can't learn to tune the wooden pegs, you will have a hard time enjoying your dulcimer. If this is the case and you want to play the dulcimer until it (or you) wears out, by all means change out the wooden pegs for something you can enjoy messing with. 

One consideration is the aging or injured hand or wrist that makes tuning wooden pegs even more of a challenge. I have several replicas of traditional style dulcimers but have mechanical Wittner tuners in those that look like ebony viola pegs. That has relieve my aggravating my wrist arthritis every time I need to tune or retune.

Most contemporary dulcimer players much prefer mechanical tuners. About the only folks using wooden tuning pegs are the traditionalists who play old time dulcimers or replicas with wooden pegs, staple frets and true diatonic fret spacing.

It is yours and after all you should do what you want with it. 

Re strings breaking:in my experience they fly away from the musician's face when breaking while playing.Tuning up new strings I  always shut my eyes tight in that last little bit to get them up to pitch.

Should I replace the wooden tuners on an older Warren May dulcimer with planetary tuners, or will this affect the collector value in the future?

Here's some background info. The Fender app looks like it's made for specific instruments, guitar and uke and one more and only displays the notes that pertain to those instruments. Dulcimers need a tuner that displays all of the notes, a chromatic tuner. I use gStrings [android]. It is quite accurate and has advanced features you can use as you learn more.

MD standard tuning, Bass- D3, Middle-A3, melody- A3 or d4.

What is the length of the dulcimer's scale? And what size string were you tuning to D (I assume D5 (293.66hz)? Were the strings visibly old (rusty or black). Is this a used or new instrument?

Got my new Dulcimer today was built in 1992 supposedly has never been played. was tuning the first strings to D They vibrated sound low octave tried to tune them higher and the string broke was using an app from my phone. Not sure if the app was working correctly or just old strings.

 IMG_0376.jpeg - 114KB

I've been whipped by a string before-- it smarts.  

I re-tune a lot and would, once in a great while, break a string.  What I noticed, finally, is my string breaks occurred when I was tuning a string down.  What was happening:  the string would stick at the nut, so, when tuning down, the string was "pushing" against where the string was stuck in the nut, causing the break.  Now, when I re-tune, I put downward pressure on the strings between the tuning pegs and the nut-- -- no breaks.  

I've never had one break while playing. Wear safety glasses as a precaution.

Hey folks. I use pretty heavy gauge strings on my dulcimers and don't change them very often. So far, I haven't had a string break while playing, but I've always been kind of paranoid, since my face is directly above the strings. My fear is that the string will snap, whip up, and hit me in the eye faster than I can blink. I'm just hoping for some anecdotes about strings breaking while playing: if anyone has ever been hurt by one and where the strings tend to go when they do break.
Thanks,
Nate

I am a brass player as well. Played trumpet, French horn, and mellophone all throughout school and have recently got back into it. Here are my current instruments: a Bach TR-200 trumpet, Reynolds Contempora Pottag Model French horn, and Yamaha YMP-201 mellophone.

 PXL_20240510_202348241.MP~2.jpg - 62KB

@terry-jaye The scale in the little video sounds pretty good to my ear.  Happy strumming!  

@jennifer-landry I'm glad you were able to acquire that pretty Bill Berg instrument-- enjoy!  

Thanks for sharing your good news Jen. It's good to have you back and I hope you stay active. Let us know if you have any questions.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi everyone! I’ve actually been a member for years, and may have introduced myself years ago. But it’s been a long time since I played dulcimer as the one I had was, well, more of a wall decoration than a playable instrument. I’ve been looking for a better one for a long time that I could afford, and finally found one that arrived on my doorstep just a few hours ago. It’s a beautiful Bill Berg teardrop, that has the ability to have 5 strings but it was restored by John Keeton to have a conventional 4 string setup, with doubled melody strings and just the one bass string. You can see it in my profile pic. I’m so happy with this beautiful instrument. The action is gorgeous. I’ve only ever tried to play with a noter because of some hand health issues but the action on this is so nice and easy I may actually be able to learn some chords too! I’ll be around the forums, gleaning the wisdom of all of you more advanced players!

Jen Landry, Gardner MA

Enjoy your new to you dulcimer. Like John, over the years I've built several McSpadden kits; always for others. I'm glad to you found an instrument you like because it means you will play it often. If you need any other help let us know.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Good going!  We're happy that you got a nice dulcimer at a nice price.  To me it sounds like you bought a McSpadden dulcimer kit that was assembled by Bob Thomason. 

McSpadden makes great kits. I've assembled several over the years, and in fact i have one now that I assembled, but swapped out the walnut top it came with for a custom buckeye one that looks like birch or spruce.  Looks and sounds great.

Thank you, everyone! Checking out the dulcimer went well and I ended up taking it home. It turned out to not be a McSpadden – looks like the maker is Bob Thomason out of Georgia and the case is a McSpadden – but it's still a lovely instrument that plays well and it was a fine price. Playing it has gone well so far, too – nice rich sound.

Scroll to the bottom of this page on Terry McCafferty's website for a little information: 

https://www.mccaffertydulcimers.com/frequently-asked-questions

Rule # 2     Play it some more....

If YOU like the way it looks, if YOU like the way it sounds, it means more than ANY makers mark or vintage. A dulcimer that you like is infinitely more likely to be played and not put in the closet.

Of course if this is a hour glass, you'll need to get a teardrop too. And perhaps one with/without the extra frets, and one for....

DAS is real.

I am looking at a Barringer # 58 like new condition any input on his work and possible value?

Rule #1 for purchasing a dulcimer: If possible, PLAY IT.

Dulcimers come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and you need one which fits YOU. Even if you can barely play, putting it on your lap will help you decide whether it fits you.

Don't worry if you can't put it in proper tune, if one string will play you can get a pretty good sense of the tone which the body shape and size provides, and you can check for things like buzzing. Fingering each fret in order can be used to check for a warped stick or high frets. If your ear is decent, you can use Fret 7 (the octave) to roughly check fretting, nut, and bridge problems.

Generally any McSpadden, or other big name instrument, made within the past 20 years is likely to be OK if there is no visible damage, although a good look at tuners, etc. is good advice.

There are no really good price guides for used instruments except eBay and Reverb asking prices. If you can't play it, always check shipping charges, etc. since these are sometimes more than the instrument price.

Don't worry if you don't understand all this, but see if you and the instrument are a comfortable and pleasing match. You should be looking for a "lifetime companion," not a "trophy spouse." You may need more than one date, don't rush it.

My friend Richard has given you some solid advice.  Check the tuning pegs as well, for smooth turning.  And listen for any buzzing sounds as you play it.  Hopefully there won't be any, but if so, they can be fixed pretty easily.  Sounds like you found a treasure!

Thanks for asking. We are here to help each other.

Congrats. That may be a good find. Ask if kept in smoke free home. Also if stored in the main part of the house, not a basement, attic, garage, shed or rental storage unit. Check the date of manufacture. There should be a label in the melody side lower sound hole. Check that all joints are tight without any showing signs of separation. The overall finish and appearance will tell how much it may have been used. and how well it has been cared for.  I saw  one once labeled "as new" that had marks on the lower bout which looked like a cat had used it for a scratching post.  Check the strings for rust/oxidation. They can be changed easily enough. 

Regarding price: look at the McSpadden website and see what a new dulcimer sells for similar to what you are looking at. My personal standard is not to pay more than about 40-50% of the new price if the sellers dulcimer is in great shape.

If you have a dulcimer friend to go with you, sometimes 2 sets of eyes are better than one set. If you have questions about this particular dulcimer, the folks at McSpadden have always been very helpful when I have called them.They will need the info from the label (take a picture of it through the sound hole).

Personally over my time with the dulcimer, I have been fortunate enough to purchase 2 McSpadden dulcimers and one Warren May dulcimer which had been purchased but never played. Sometimes those things happen.

I am sure you will get some further responses as well. Best wishes on your find.

Apologies if this is already posted elsewhere (or should be posted elsewhere on this forum!). I just lucked out and found a McSpadden mountain dulcimer in my area for sale on Facebook Marketplace. It belonged to the seller's father-in-law and she said he kept it in mint condition, but doesn't seem to know much about the instrument. I've arranged to take a look at it on Wednesday night – what are some things I should look for to make sure it's in good shape? Thank you for any advice you might have!

Hi kids, just me Jon again. I just thought I would pass on something that I just learned from Dean Robertson. I was watching one of his videos and I noticed that he put his middle finger on top of his ring finger to do bar chords. Hey it works pretty darn good feels a little awkward at first but much easier for me to do bar chords this way, just thought I'd share.

I had never heard of Amanda, but I've become a fan if this is typical of her work.  What a wonderful tribute to Joni.
I have been a Joni fan since I first saw her in Toronto in 1964, when she was still Joni Anderson.

Dwain gave you a very good run down on the various aspects of wound strings. In the end, if you experiment with different strings, it all depends on the sound you like. It is interesting to note (pun not intended) that the sound you hear as a player is not necessarily the sound someone listening to you play hears. Strum you dulcimer strings a few times and listen. Then ask someone to strum the strings while you sit about ten feet away from the dulcimer. Does it sound the same? Is there a difference? When you play you hear the sound from above and maybe slightly behind the dulcimer. When listen from ten feet away you hear the sound from a lateral position. Another aspect is volume which drives me crazy with our dulcimer group. Folks play to hear themselves, but five feet away your can hardly hear them. Put some force in to that strumming, I tell them. It might work for a quarter of one verse of a song.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The choice of string and string size depends on the instrument you have, the voice quality it is capable of, the voice quality you want, the tuning scheme you want for its strings, and the vibrating string length ( aka VSL, the distance between the nut and the saddle).

There are various tools to help get the right string set. But there are some surprises to be gained in unconventional string choices.

No wonder you're getting brain swell!

But if you furnish more details than listed above, luthiers and musicians can give some guidance. Regarding what you did list, here's a luthier's experience with them:

80/20 bronze refers to the mixture of copper and tin in a the windings of a wound string. It can be initially bright, even bell-like, but quickly loses its brilliance. But that will depend on the tension of the string, which is determined by the VSL and the pitch it is tuned to.

Phosphor Bronze is a warm wound string that holds its warmth and brilliance over a range of tensions, though higher tension will bring out its brilliance too.

Flat-top wound strings have the winding flattened to relieve the 'zing' during quick traverses from note to note without raising the finger. Some people do not appreciate the slight loss of brilliance that results with flattening the tops of the round winding wire.

Nickel wound strings are quite a bit more brilliant than 8/20 or Phosphor Bronze.

Plain steel wire is used for higher pitches and/or to control the finger pressure needed to firmly fret the string's note. Steel strings can be chosen by gauge (measured in thousandths of an inch, in my experience), to define the tension at which a string is operating when tuned to a designated pitch.

As for XS and XT strings, that seems to be a D'Addario innovation that alters the warmth of the string with coatings. Here is a video illustrating the difference between XS and XT strings.

As for string gauge, or diameter,  these choices usually involve the pitches you want the strings tuned to (the tuning scheme), the instrument's VSL, the warmth vs brilliance you want, and the optimum finger pressure for fretting notes. All those will depend, also, on the qualities of the music instrument you are concerned about.

Hope that helps!

Only one of my current dulcimers uses a wound bass string. I have always preferred a nickel wound string when a wound string is called for.

A string is a string is a string. You don't need to pay too much attention to the instrument type on the string package:::just the gauge, and end style. Just make sure it is long enough to fit your dulcimer.

You can purchase sets that include typical sizes for the dulcimer or individual strings of the correct size and style, plain or wound. Years ago before I started getting a friend to make my strings from bulk music wire, I purchased all ball end strings in groups of 3 of each of the sizes my instruments used. It is easy to cut the ball end out of the loop, and have a loop left if you do not need the ball end. That way you do not need an inventory of both loop end and ball end in each size.

The strothers string gauge is a good place to start to help determine the gauge you need. List the VSL and the note to which you wish to tune. Some think it tends to run a bit light on the recommendations and suggest going to a slightly heavier string.  https://www.strothers.com/string_choice.html

Juststrings.com is going out of business. Another source I have used is  https://www.stringsandbeyond.com/aboutus.html

I hope this helps. Thanks for asking. That is the way to learn when you have questions.

Hey kids, here we go again. I think this musical journey is starting to hurt my head. any one out there know of a good website or link about strings.  Looks like there's 80/20 bronze, phosphor bronze, nickel bronze,  flat top, nickel wound, XS plain steel, XT plain steel, and so on. Then of course we have gauge sizes.  I think my brain is starting to swell 

You can make a stable, playable dulcimer which is only a stick. You just won't hear much without adding a sound box or putting it on a table top resonator.

The cardboard dulcimers are a good example. The structure is usually a piece of 1x2 lumber with a modest strum-hole. Once tuned and settled in, the cardboard dulcimers will often hold relative tuning for months when stored in a cloth bag, and only need a touch-up when string tension is affected by room temperature changes.

I'm not a fan of hollowed out fret boards, etc. I'm not convinced they can be proven to make better music. When I build, I like the basic stick and box construction. I think pear and hour glass box shapes, fancy woods, lots of sound holes, etc.are mostly decorative.Box size does definitely affect the sound produced.

Decoration is fine, but should be seen as such. I put ebony or mother-of-pearl dots on my simple sticks and prefer trapezoidal boxes with shaped holes to rectangles with round holes. Sometimes I paint folkish designs on the boxes.

I can appreciate fancy dulcimers just as I can appreciate an Aston-Martin car - but I drive a basic small car and enjoy playing "cheap" instruments.

That makes sense wally, thanks.

It seems there are a lot of different aspects of the build that could affect how it handles tension. Bracing, full length fretboard vs discontinuous, whether the fingerboard is hollowed, how deep the strumhollow is, how thin the boards are, how high you keep your tension, etc. 

It makes sense to me that the ends of the fingerboard would slowly and gradually bow upward, but with a quality dulcimer it sounds like the consensus is that it's negligible.