Forum Activity for @patricia-delich

Thanks Ken. 🙏 💕💕

Patricia and Wayne, I am sorry to see the Hearts of the Dulcimer podcast ending. I have enjoyed listening to them. Thank you for all your work in producing these and making them available to the dulcimer community. Best wishes for all your future endeavors.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 54
Fiddle Tune Stories with The Bach and Beethoven Experience

https://dulcimuse.com/podcast

In our final episode, we bring you the Chicago-based group The Bach and Beethoven Experience sharing stories behind some of the fiddle tunes they played on their album An Appalachian Summer . We spoke with fiddler Brandi Berry Benson and dulcimer player Keith Collins, who have their feet firmly grounded in the classical and traditional music worlds.

This episode is the last Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast episode. We’ve been bringing you the Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast for the last 6 and a half years. Although our listenership has grown, the financial support has not. Continuing the podcast is not sustainable.

As we end this podcast, we’re proud of the 54 well-crafted episodes that expand on the history, versatility, possibilities, and above all, appreciation of this wonderful musical instrument called the mountain dulcimer.

You can listen to all the  Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast  episodes directly on our website: https://dulcimuse.com/podcast  or in most podcast apps.

Every episode has its own resource page with photos, videos, and song lists.  Here's the resource page for this episode: https://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/054.html

Thanks for listening!

Patricia Delich & Wayne Jiang

Hope you all had a happy thanksgiving!  

Thank you, FOTMD folks, for the music and your friendship!  

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I am so grateful that I have mountain dulcimers, mountain dulcimer music, and friends of the mountain dulcimer in my life.

Wishing you all a peaceful and Happy Thanksgiving. Nina

Happy Thanksgiving. Among my many blessings is all my dulcimer friends here. at FOTMD and TTAD. Enjoy the day everyone.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Well said John and Richard.

Grateful for the good things in my life. Hugs to all my FOTMD friends.

Happy Thanksgiving all. May we all be sure to reflect on all of our many blessings and truly be thankful from a grateful heart.

Have a very happy and meaningful Thanksgiving Day everyone!  Time to count our blessings.

That’s a really neat version of Brahms lullaby, what kind of amp and effects did you use?

The head design looks way off for an Amburgey.  Jethro always marked his, as far as I know.  It appears more  "modern" than Jethro's work.  And the fiddle edges are very wide.  Maybe somebody's interpretation of his dulcimers, with differences added?

I'm traveling over the next ten days, so I am away from my files. I'm working from memory here, but his looks like a kit that was offered in the late 1970s. I am going by the shapes of the peg head and the tail piece. Unfortunately I can't look through my files of dulcimer advertisements or old DPNs until after Dec. 4th.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Looking through the sound holes;  is there anything written inside?  Often the luthier identifies himself and the date.

It's lovely, nicely carved with great fiddle edges. If it is an Amburgey, it's best not mess with it- or it will drastically lose value and be ruined. Best not to strip it, paint it, or use heavy or dark varnish or put 'decorations' on it. I assume you are (hopefully) keeping its original pegs.

No identifying marks, anywhere?
What makes you think it was made in the 60s or 70s?

It is 60's to 70's very thin and light. The fret board appears to have been designed for staples but this has full frets and no evidence of the staples being replaced. Made of Walnut . The VSL is 28 overall 33. Has many features of an Amburgey but the head is different. The tuners are black ebony, and appear identical to an Amburgey. Had a peg stem for a hitch pin, which I am going to replace with brass pins. In many respects and Amburgey and in many respects not. I am making this playable again for the 21st century. Any ideas who built it? 

 DSC00563.JPG - 66KB

I made small warming pillows (like rectangular beanbags really) of cotton filled with whole flaxseed. You can microwave them for 1-2 min (be careful not to heat too long or the cotton can scorch. They stay warm longer than rice bags or other fillings, because the flaxseed contains oil which retains the heat for longer. You can use one for several years and then replace the flax filling. I like the flax also because it has a nice gentle silky feel inside the pillow. You can also put the pillow in the freezer and it will be a longlasting cool pack too. I made a smaller cooling eye pillow with flax and keep it in the freezer for when I want a refreshing eye rest.

If you don't fill the pillow too firmly, it will wrap nicely around any area you want to warm or cool. I usually heat my larger pillow 1 min then squish it around a bit and heat another 40 sec.

That’s a great idea, having something warm to wrap my hand in will help a lot I’m sure. So,while I was out shopping today I looked for a warm pack. It’s usually filled with dried lavender or wheat husks that you warm in the microwave. Managed to find one in the British version of a dollar store, and tartan too ( I have Scottish ancestry and I married a Scot). 
I have a friend who now he has seen and had a little go on my dulcimer has fallen in love (is this typical when people hear a dulcimer?), now he’s going to get his own but he asked me if there are plenty of tunes that can be played with just a noter. He asks because he has a friend who has very limited grip strength due to a medical condition. I had to admit I didn’t know but I would ask the dulcimer community. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Someone with mild arthritis shared with me a trick she does before she plays.  She heats up a towel and then slowly kneads it with her hands.  The movement and the heat loosen up her fingers quite nicely.

Good warm-up suggestion, @lancashire-lass !

You pointed out:  One thing that I have been doing is exercises with a softish rubber ball. I start with a minute or so of gentle squeezing gradually getting harder, then pressing my fingers, in pairs, vertically into the rubber. The whole thing takes about four minutes or until my hand feels comfortably warm. I first started doing this because I was learning the ukulele (I still am). Think it keeps the old fingers agile.

I really need to get a ball & do this.  Can well believe it helps for any musical instrument. 

Glad to hear things are working out LancashireLass!

Hi, thanks to everyone who has offered advice on this topic. Lowering the action has certainly been the clincher so, up to now I think it’s fine where it is. As for the thumb it’s very happy now so I can practice a bit longer. I’m also trying to pay more attention to my posture as that really does help, allowing the weight of my arm to depress the strings. One thing that I have been doing is exercises with a softish rubber ball. I start with a minute or so of gentle squeezing gradually getting harder, then pressing my fingers, in pairs, vertically into the rubber. The whole thing takes about four minutes or until my hand feels comfortably warm. I first started doing this because I was learning the ukulele (I still am). Think it keeps the old fingers agile.

Hi Lorilee, this is why I'm not a therapist...poor instructions that are so much easier demonstrated!  I can understand the confusion.  Don't take anything backwards as I'm sure that would hurt without helping.  Even without talk of angling (which may have started the confusion) what you're doing is pressing against that index finger which is separated slightly from the other fingers & it's pressing back.  (To be sure & not be too heavy, you could make it index finger on index finger if that makes sense.)  The finger really doesn't go anywhere, except maybe a bit up & down, definitely not back &, while toward the palm's not a problem, it's not needed.  The reason I say "a bit" is because the pressure of the two fingers cancel each other out.  The idea is for the lower index finger to be a tiny bit strong in the muscle of that hand, strengthening your thumb which uses the muscle it shares with the index finger..

Hope that makes it clearer & not even more confusing.

Lois, in the 2nd exercise are you pressing the index finger toward the back of the hand or toward the palm? Since the other hand is resisting, I can see it might be in either direction. I have very painful thumbs, but it's mostly from arthritis. I will grasp any straw that might possible help!

Scrolling through recent posts, the "Painful Thumb" caught my eye as it's an issue I've faced, not due to strings but what @Dusty-Turtle & @ken-hulme meant about muscles.  This may not fit the problem starting this forum topic, but I hope it helps others experiencing thumb pain due to muscle problems.

I've had physical (or it probably was considered occupational?) therapy on hand problems & have learned it's especially common for women.  Apparently our thumbs tend to be weaker.  There's even a book, Caring for the Painful Thumb - More Than a Splint, written by Jan Albrecht, an Occupational Therapist and Certified Hand Therapist. It's written so patients can understand with over 200 color illustrations, the book can be used by both patients and therapists. 

I bought the book, but nowadays tend to use 2 exercises I learned.  What they actually seem to do is strengthen the muscle between the thumb & index finger.  Can't give you 200 illustrations, but will try to describe what I do.  If more is needed, try your library to see if they can borrow the book for you.  (I don't expect them to own it, but inter-library loans give you access to more than they have.)  Failing that, you can find the book to buy online.

Take your hand or both hands & make a C (for the right hand it's a backward C).  Have all your fingers curled in that C formed by your index finger & thumb.  Lift the index finger & lower it a few times.  (I tend to do it about 10 times, then switch to the second exercise.)  For the second exercise, straighten your fingers out (not as straight as an L, but more of an angle -- 45 degree?); lift the index finger, press down on the index finger with your other hand, while the index finger resists the pressure; I hold for the count of 10.  If both hands hurt, switch hands & do the second exercise for the second hand.  If your hands are sore, you can gradually over time increase this until a time comes when they don't hurt. 

I'm not a doctor or a therapist, but these have helped me when my thumb gets sore.  Since, as the t-shirt says, "Old age isn't for cowards!", if anybody here or anybody you know has a recommendation of a general book of therapy exercises for various conditions, I'd love to know.  I've had various bouts for various ailments with therapy studios in the past & know there's a need for a DIY book.

Terry made instruments which can continue to sing.  I wish for comfort for all who knew him.  

Another one gone.... but not forgotten.

Terry Hennessy died yesterday, November 13, 2021, at his home. He was the builder who made Richard Farina’s dulcimer. He will be missed by family and friends and by many of us in the dulcimer world. My sympathy is offered to all. I was fortunate to be able to examine and strum the dulcimer he made for Richard.  You can read about Terry here .

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Due to this pandemic, many nursing homes have been closed down, and they no longer allow any kind of events or games for the elderly. My grandmother loved to go there with her friends and interact with others. Because this was no longer possible, she got quite depressed, and her she started feeling unwell, so we requested the help of an assistant from https://homecareassistance.com/palm-beach who now is taking care of her health.

Calvin, I assume this is the song you're referring to.  It was made famous by Glen Campbell, but Carl Jackson wrote it.

The bad news? The song is under copyright, so you won't find free tab anywhere.

The good news?  The song is definitely do-able on a dulcimer with a diatonic fretboard.

The version I link to above is played in the key of E.  My advice would be to tune your dulcimer to EBe.  You will still be in a 1-5-8 tuning, so all the chords and fingerings you know for DAd will still work.  Then you can play along with the song.  Once you have the basics of the song down, you can tune back to DAd and play it just the way you had been.

You can probably find chords and lyrics by searching the internet.  I just did a quick listen and the chords in the key of D are D, G, Bm, and A.  The structure of the song is simple, with a verse and a chorus.  The melody seems to have no accidentals, so you'll be able to get it on the dulcimer.

If we could meet down at the pub, I'm sure we could figure it out together.

One of my favorite songs is Arkansas Farm Boy. I'm searching for the DAD tabs for this song. Anyone know where I may find it or is there anyone willing to create it for me? TIA Cal

A beautiful fall day.  Sunshine. Crisp wind.  It was a joy to spend a few hours raking leaves.

Hi Dusty, thanks for your advice. I have been considering changing the strings because when I look at them closely there appears to be rust spots on them. Who knows how long my instrument was lying around in a warehouse in Romania.. I have lowered the strings, courtesy of Ken’s very clear instructions. The strings are better and my thumb is thankful 👍 for the relief, and, I have the beginnings of a cute little callous. Buzzy Strings? yes I’d go to see them too!

There might be two kinds of "soreness" we're talking about here. One is a function of the friction of the metal wire against your skin.  The second is muscle soreness from having to push down on the string.

For the first kind of soreness, I would suggest first that you use new strings.  New strings are softer and less like hard wire.  Second, I would suggest turning your thumb sideways a bit to use the edge of your nail.  Using your nail will allow you to slide up and down the string much like a noter and won't cause any pain.

For that second kind of soreness, lower the strings as @ken-hulme has suggested and rest assured that the muscles in your fingers will get stronger over time.

If you are playing mainly in a drone style, though, I would suggest using either a noter or your fingers.  Either of those techniques will allow you to play faster and also avoid the soreness that seems to be a hurdle for you now.  (I sometimes use my thumb like a noter in the way it appears you are trying to, but I am a chord player who sometimes just breaks into drone style for a verse or two. It is not my primary playing style.)

Electric tape is smooth and you can wrap a little around your thumb, slides easy & protects your thumb

Hi Ken. So I took your advice and lowered the action of my dulcimer. It’s not perfect, but it is a LOT better. I think I can remove a little more off the nut but, for now I think I’ll let the strings settle into their new position. I admit that I was nervous to do it so I’m glad to say it wasn’t as scary as I thought. If I need to do it again I won’t be so fearful 😊.

 Thank you so much.

Sounds to me like the noter is a good idea. While the thumb is used by some players to fret the strings, I'm not sure it is the best finger to start with.

To lower the action is simple.  You'll need a hard flat surface and a piece of approx. 100 grit sandpaper,  You will also need a 1p and 10p coin.  I checked the measurements of UK coins and those two will work best.  The 1£ coin is 2.8mm -- 'way too thick!  The 1p coin is 1.5mm thick and the10p coin is1.85mm.  Those are much closer to the thicknesses of a US dime and nickel.

Here's what you do:  
1.  Set the 1p coin next to the first fret.  See the gap between the strings and the coin.
2.  Loosen (but don't remove) the strings and slide the Nut out of it's slot.  It may be slightly stuck and need a sideways tap to get it moving.
3.  Put the sandpaper on your hard surface and sand the bottom of the Nut about 10-15 strokes.
4.  Put the nut back in place and tighten the strings (tight but not up to tune).  Check the gap between the coin and the strings.
5.  Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 until each string just touches the coin.

Once that is accomplished, it's time to move down to the 7th fret.  Balance the 10p coin and see the gap between coin and strings.   Follow Steps 2, 3, 4 and 5 above, checking the gap each time between the balanced 10p coin and the strings. 

Finally bring the strings back up to tension and play!

Hi Ken, thanks for the information. I tried it last night and the action does seem a bit high. I might just have to ‘bite the bullet’ and try to adjust it myself.