Introduce Yourself!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hello, @winks! How exciting to have a Blue Lion on the way!
Forum Activity for @robin-thompson
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Dolly on mountain dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
We love Dolly. Such a wonderful performer, talented song-writer, smart business-woman, and awesome philanthropist.
Introduce Yourself!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Thanks for the welcome. I'm Kevin. Lutheran pastor for the past 45 years (I'm 70) and still fulltime pastor of a church. Been playing around with the dulcimer since I was 18 - built one from Hines' book. Decided that it is finally time to get serious about learning to really play. Have a McSpadden teardrop, a Yocky that he built for me in '04 using wood I found in an old barn (chestnut) and a Blue Lion coming this next week. The Yocky is a wonderful instrument, too bad Tom quit building dulcimers. Looking forward to being a member here.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
We were given a phone number to call. Answered at Cerner: took our shots the next day at Cerner Worldheadquarters.
No side effects.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
So happy my husband got his first vaccination today. I asked him if he felt any different (since he rarely reacts to any kind of a shot) and he said, "Not even a sore arm"; that's good news!
Healthy Living- healthy eating, exercise, weight loss, veggie gardening, etc.
OFF TOPIC discussions
In Toronto you jog every morning. 12 degrees tomorrow in KCMO. No way....of course I stroll.
Hearts Of The Dulcimer Podcast In Its 5th Year
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 50
Jim and Betty Woods: The Longtime Owners of McSpadden Dulcimers
In this episode we feature our conversation with Jim and Betty Woods, longtime owners of the renowned McSpadden Dulcimers. Over the last two decades, Jim and Betty were able to maintain and raise the reputation of McSpadden Dulcimers. In 2020, Jim and Betty transferred ownership of McSpadden Dulcimers.
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/050.html
Thanks for listening!
updated by @patricia-delich: 02/05/21 03:39:51PM
Balalaika playing video
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
I enjoyed the video. I learned a few chords on mine years ago, but now I tune it to CEA like a 3 string ukulele. Lots of fun.
Here’s a link to me playing Snowdrop on it:
FOTMD Chat Room!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Be sure to pop into fotmd's chat room now and then- you may run into a new friend! 
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
My wife and I had minimal reactions; some what of a sore arm for a day and a bit of fatigue for a couple of days. Other than that all went well. Hopefully the reactions will be mild for the majority.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Betty, your vaccine reaction sounds just like what I went through with my second shingles vaccine last year. I woke up with a high fever and my teeth were chattering for several hours even though I was covered with heavy blankets. It was no fun, but like you I felt better the next day pretty quickly. It's good that we all know what to expect when we do get the covid vaccine- particularly the second shot which is the one that really kicks your immune cells into high gear so that they will be prepared for combat if you're later exposed to the real virus. BTW there is no covid virus in any of these vaccines, so folks needn't worry at all about 'getting covid' from a vaccine. :)
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Well, husband and I got our second shot of Pfizer. He faired better than I did. We received our shot about lunch time this past Monday. I began to chill by about 7:30 that night. I took my temperature at 8:30 and it was 99.5. That's fairly high for me. At midnight my joints started aching. I got a headache and chills. I felt just like I had the flu. Next morning my temp was 101.9. I knew that taking Ibuprofen, acetaminophen or aspirin was a no no. I was temped but thought I've come this far, don't blow it now. By that evening symptoms went away and I was back to normal. My husband didn't feel bad until the middle of that night. He got chills and a fever of 99.5. He got up the next morning and was fine.
Bottom line is, I would do it all again if it meant I could stop this horrible virus that has taken so many of my friends, their friends and family. We have lost so many good people who had to die alone and that is the most heartbreaking thing I've ever experienced. No funerals allowed when I lost my 82 year old aunt who was the last of my mother's family.
The time changes soon. The days will get longer. The music will be sweeter and we will get through this. We all sound better when we play together.
Please stay safe out there.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
I've just heard of 4 families where everyone has Covid-19. I am praying they will survive.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
The father of a friend of my brother just died from COVID. He got it on work (he was a MD at a rehab hospital). The sad thing is, that he would got his first vaccination shot two days after his test result was positive 
I didn't know him and neither his family (friend of my brother not mine) but I can imagine this must be quite hard on the family.
What Are You Working On?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
@Kusani - you have built very beautiful dulcimers!
A few days ago I have heard a Macedonian folk tune in 7/8 measure and am working on it - it is quite challenging since we "West Europeans" are not very familiar to uneven measures - but I can't get that tune out of my head ...a recording will come soon 
What Are You Working On?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Thank you Ken, I just wish I had thought of the other variable you brought up re the internal volume. However even if I had, I don't have the math skills to calculate the volume of either of the two shapes. Anyway, both do sound pretty good to an amateur's ears. :)
updated by @kusani: 02/04/21 10:37:20AM
Tell us about your VERY FIRST dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Thank you Strumelia! And I'll go over to the Building group, Ken! I already started researching wood dealers in my area. Just being prepared.
Tell us about your VERY FIRST dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Sure ocean-daughter, ask away. Best to do it in another thread, not this one. If you Join the Dulcimer Building Group, I have a thread there called Sawn-Frame Dulcemore which details how I started the construction. You have to Join to be able to read and write comments on the threads. You can ask questions there if you like.
Tell us about your VERY FIRST dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
@ocean-daughter I enjoyed reading your post about your story in building your Cripple Creek kit dulcimer. :)
What Are You Working On?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Kusani:
Well, my experiment on body shape affecting sound went awry do to me forgetting one important variable. However, I did end up with a couple decent dulcimers. Both made from the same poplar board. Ebony was used for the overlay on the fretboard. Other than shape, all components and dimensions are identical.
Those are beautiful!
How to get adhesive residue off a fretboard?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Thank you all! And Strumelia, I appreciate the advice about careful application. I wouldn't have thought about that danger.
Dusty, I was concerned about the fretboard having lighter rectangles under the stickers, but that doesn't seem to be the case. So I was thankful for that!
Tell us about your VERY FIRST dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
The journey has been, and still is, very joyful and satisfying! Also, Ken, I saw your holly leaf dulcimers in a group on Facebook a few weeks ago--I commented there--and I'm hoping to try making a dulcimer or three from "scratch" one of these days. I may ask you questions about the holly leaf.
The Positive Thread...
OFF TOPIC discussions
We got a nice gift card to our local pizza place today, from a friend that Brian helped with computer issues. And they deliver! 
updated by @strumelia: 02/03/21 05:18:26PM
The Positive Thread...
OFF TOPIC discussions
I found a 25.00 gift card from back in 2007 while cleaning and decluttering today--and it hadn't expired!
The Positive Thread...
OFF TOPIC discussions
@adrianne It is nice to get to make connections such as yours with friends any time yet it feels especially important during pandemic. And welcome to FOTMD!
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Strumelia:
What are you all doing to stay healthy at home, or to keep from going stir crazy?
We have a set of stairs in our house that I normally make about 9 or 10 trips a day on, since my office is upstairs. I'm trying to double up lots of those trips now so that Im doing 15 or 20 sets of stairs in a day.
I'm also doing various yoga-like stretches whenever I can, to help counteract all the desk sitting I do.
My husband and i occasionally pull out a board game (bored game? lol) to break up the routine. Our favorites are Qwirkle, Bananagrams, and Pente.
I get out and walk every day, even in the snow. Sandie not so much, as she is in a wheelchair and asthmatic to boot. I am keeping busy online as a local official of my provincial and federal political parties, and our chorus have been rehearsing via Zoom since September. I believe I may have said so earlier ... the husband of one of our section leaders is editing two song performances together,so far, for one of those multiwindow Youtube videos, and we are going for two or three more over the next few months. Tons of fun singing my baritone part to a click track and recording myself on my cell phone.
And we finally got it together to subscribe to Netflix ... The Crown, Bridgerton, The Dig and Blown Away are all fascinating in their own various ways.
Oh, and the National Hockey League has started, with no cross border travel we finally have an all Canadian division. No spectators in the seats, but the games are good. Our Maple Leafs are doing good. No football in our apartment, though ... we do not watch the No Fun League.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
My middle brother's second ex-wife's mother succumbed to Covid late last month, in Tennessee. Closest family so far, that I know of.
Dusty, I have attended one funeral for a close friend's father, last year, by Zoom. Not easy but better than one-way streaming on Youtube. His family members could speak to it from all over south central Ontario.
As to getting any vaccination, we are at the mercy of events elsewhere ... both Pfizer and Moderna have production delays in Europe, and in Canada we have NO vaccine production. At all. For anything. The Conservative federal government under Brian Mulroney sold it off in the late 80s. And the Liberals under Trudeau the Lesser have only today announced that they will try to get something of a production going ... by a year from now if we are lucky.
Sorry for the politics intruding into this discussion, but 'fore G*d I will NEVER vote for either of those parties. End rant.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Strumelia:
What are you all doing to stay healthy at home, or to keep from going stir crazy?
I'm quite lucky since I'm working in the IT department of one of Germanys workers compensation agencys. Thus I'm not affected by the economy crisis (due to being public servant) and I'm also quite lucky that I'm able to work from home. It's quite a privilege since many people suffer from the economic impact of Covid-19 or need to work every day in factory halls or crowded open plan offices (even as public servants, we are just lucky that our agency is a kind of early adaptor in terms of E-Government).
I was never a big fan of home office (since I prefer to seperate work and private life), but actually I prefer it now not just because of Covid. Less time in rush hour traffic and I'm getting more things done due to having no interruptions
During the first lockdown last year I started to relearn guitar (since my first try as a teen wasn't so good due to not practricing) and ended up with getting a dulcimer too. So that was actually the one good thing I got from this mess.
Playing the instruments now also keeps me from going cracy because frankly: I miss family (christmas was an exception, I visited my parents then) and friends a lot. Two friends of mine and I use to go together for a walk from time time but it's not the same. We need maintain the safety distance and we don't see anyone else, so the situation is quite annoying.
I'm really looking forward when we can go see each other again.
It will take some time though since vaccination rate is quite low in Germany at the moment. Some vaccinces are still awaiting for their approval. And the manufactures can't produce as much as were expected.
So we are in a long run too here
At least there is a good chance my mother might get it soon, since she is working in the administration of a hospital. I'm quite relieved
@strumelia This board game might be something for your next gaming sessions with your husband: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic_(board_game)
The players need to cooperate to wipe out a pandemic. If they win, everybody wins, if they lose, the pandemic (aka the game) wins. I used to play it with friends on university. It's quite a challenge but big fun.
And it's kind of fitting for the current situation in our lives :)
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Mark and I go outside and walk almost daily. We drive to a couple spots not far away to get in more challenging walks and to get out of the village for a bit.
@mary-z-cox Violet Juniper is adorable!
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
What are you all doing to stay healthy at home, or to keep from going stir crazy?
We have a set of stairs in our house that I normally make about 9 or 10 trips a day on, since my office is upstairs. I'm trying to double up lots of those trips now so that Im doing 15 or 20 sets of stairs in a day.
I'm also doing various yoga-like stretches whenever I can, to help counteract all the desk sitting I do.
My husband and i occasionally pull out a board game (bored game? lol) to break up the routine. Our favorites are Qwirkle, Bananagrams, and Pente.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
I read that most states have only managed to vaccinate between 1-2% of their population so far, so obviously we have a looong ways to go. Vaccine supplies and outreach are improving every week though.
I managed to get an appt for my first vaccine for April 15, but still, I'll have to drive to Albany almost an hour away- that's my nearest state run vaccine site. It's possible I may be able to get vaccinated earlier in some more local pharmacy or health center... if I get lucky. (I do currently qualify in NY since I'm over 65.)
But so many folks can't drive, or don't have any computer savvy to make appointments online. Here's to vaccines becoming as easily accessible as getting a flu shot by summer!
How to get adhesive residue off a fretboard?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
A word of caution- if you are using ANY kind of liquid (alcohol, oil, GooGone, etc) for this job, be very careful to not get it near the frets. If such products seep into the fret slots it can compromise the wood-to-fret grip by swelling the raw wood in the slot, and the fret may rise a bit or become loose with playing.
For any product you use to remove stickers, use a Qtip or just the tip of a rag and do not pour/drip any substance on the fretboard. Keep the substance away from the frets and don't use so much that it seeps over to the frets.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Hi Mary:
I'm about 400 miles south of you in Fort Myers. Our county sucks at getting out the vaccine(s). I'm trying to get it through our local VA, and even they haven't gotten to all the high-risk and vets 75 and up yet.
How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?
OFF TOPIC discussions
Update —our little granddaughter (Violet Juniper Hyder) came 5 weeks early on Jan 23 & she is home with her parents—she is very tiny 4 lbs 11oz .and they are allowed no visitors because she is a preemie & because of the virus—but we may be allowed to see her after she gains a pound or two . Bob & I had the 2nd Phitzer vaccine last week & we are both recovering from surgeries last week —we are a little sleepy but doing just fine & we are taking gifts & supplies over to the kids on Friday even though we can’t go inside yet .
i’ve been working on a baby quilt for Violet since it’s a little cold & rainy outdoors & have been playing my dulcimer & cello banjo a little .
As far as we have heard—Covid vaccines seem to be going well in Tallahassee & they have given out both Moderna & Phitzer & many friends & neighbors have already had 2nd vaccines . We got ours at the drive through at the health department . They gave us both right in the car—2 at a time . It was very well organized & everyone in masks & we didn’t even feel the first shot — the second one was a little heavier —but neither of us had any reactions . Everyone is still masking in Tallahassee & keeping their distance & no big events . Their are a few open places but we don’t go there right now .
If you read this—let me know where you are located & if you have got your vaccines yet?
Love & blessings,
Mary Z Cox
How to get adhesive residue off a fretboard?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
My go-to adhesive remover is (cigarette) lighter fluid, such as Zippo. If the finish is a hard one such as lacquer, enamel or metal, lighter fluid usually dissolves old or new adhesive fairly quickly, then evaporate completely.
How to get adhesive residue off a fretboard?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
I'm sure the residue from the stickers will come off eventually using any of the remedies suggested here. Just be patient. My concern would be if the wood underneath where the stickers were is a slightly different color than the rest of the fretboard. If that's not the case, you're probably lucky.
Once you have the residue off, you might try a light rub down with Howard Feen-n-Wax. I use it periodically on all my dulcimers, including the fretboards.