Friends, I offer my condolences to those of you who have had loved ones succumb to the ravages of COVID-19. Dealing with the death of a loved one can be difficult any time yet dealing with the death of a loved one during pandemic is harder still. Take care.
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.
As Kusani said, this is a vicious disease, and now a mutated more infectious strain is being found in many states.
Our extended family has lost two members to COVID. It is frustrating that some people think it is a hoax. I'm sorry. The MD will not write "hoax" on a death certificate. Those who won't follow precautions and those who think it is not real need to see the wicked suffering many people go through battling this disease.
My prayers are with all who have the disease, the families who have lost loved ones and the heroes in the medical arena treating this disease day after day.
The key is to know the finish. Plain cooking oil will work. If it is rubbed oil finish any oil my be useful. Just dry it well when finished and buff it out a little.
It is a vicious disease as all of you know. We are doing alright; many have suffered more than us. We just ask everyone follow the recommended procedures so we get through this asap. Our biggest frustration is all the 'deniers' out there that feel it is 'all about them and their freedom' and don't understand they have a responsibility to protect everyone; themselves included.
Oh my goodness Kusani, that must be so hard on your family. My condolences to you all.
Last March my wife's youngest brother was the first Covid patient admitted to Vanderbilt hospital in Tn. and put on a ventilator; he survived and is doing 'ok'. Her oldest brother passed away yesterday from Covid in Alabama. And, no we can't attend the service. We just got our second round of shots.
I lost the last remaining Aunt from my mother's family this year and couldn't go to the service. I still start to pick up the phone to check on her. Not being able to have a funeral leaves everything seem so unfinished. Sad and difficult times as Strumelia said.
Welcome ocean-daughter. Bud & Donna were my intro to the dulcimer too; over 40 years ago. I too built a kit and have gone from there. Sounds like you're having a nice dulcimer, journey,
One of those white "kitchen erasers" should remove the residue easily.
I just got a new-to-me dulcimer (it was made by Russ Green in 1995), and someone had put stickers with numbers all along the fretboard. I've been peeling them off but a lot of the adhesive stays on there. What would be good to use to get it off?
The finish on the dulcimer is shiny, but not lacquered. I don't know what Mr. Green used on his dulcimers. I've been using my fingernail to scrape the adhesive off, but I'm not sure how to make sure I've gotten every trace. And the remnants all up and down the fretboard look almost worse than the stickers.
It's such a pretty dulcimer though. :)
My very first dulcimer was a kit from Cripple Creek Dulcimers in Manitou Springs, Colorado. We were visiting friends in Colorado Springs, and went to Manitou Springs to stroll around, and came upon--a DULCIMER SHOP, oh, my!! I had always kind of wanted one. Theirs were so beautiful, with the leaves-and-vines soundholes, usually enhanced by a heart or something.
We were relatively young and kind of scared to spend $200 all in one place, so we decided to get a kit. I asked, "If I build this, will it sound good?" and Bud and Donna Ford's son assured me it would. It actually took me a couple of years to get down to building it, during which time we had two children and moved houses. (We had a toddler at the time I bought it.) It wasn't that hard except for pounding in that fret wire (the grooves for the frets were already cut, thanks be!!). I had fun designing my own soundholes, forget-me-nots with a butterfly, and I borrowed a friend's woodburning tool to draw the stems. I was so proud I had actually built my own.
I still have that dulcimer, and I played her some today (though lately I've added a few more to my flock). Cripple Creek dulcimers are a bit on the long side for my small hands, and I'm more comfortable chording on a shorter one. But my Cripple Creek is fine for melody drone, which is what I mostly do lately.
Also, I never introduced myself when I joined, so I'll count this as my introduction if that's ok! I built that dulcimer in 1996, and played kind of sporadically, then came back to it in full force last fall! I'm happy to have found this group. Hope we'll "meet" at some virtual festival sometime!
I'm sure it was a comfort to the family to know of those of you who were watching the service- and to read your messages. These are such sad and difficult times.
I attended an online funeral service today. It would be more accurate to say I "viewed" a funeral service. It was livestreamed on YouTube. Only the immediate family was live in attendance. It was so sad to see the enormous church with only a handful of people up front. And what a sad occasion for me to learn what a phenomenal flautist my cousin is as she played a piece by Bach as part of the service.
Most of the time the camera just looked down from the back, but when the organist played we got a close up looking over his shoulder, and at times the camera panned over the artwork in the ceiling, which was nice to see. But otherwise, the inability to physically comfort family and friends was sorely missed. Typing condolences in a text chat is a poor replacement for a hug.
Very cool. I wish he gave it a strum or two though!
Wild looking instrument. Thanks for sharing that, Robin.
February 17th is Ash Wednesday and I have been looking over Lenten hymns. One that I particularly like is "When Jesus Left His Father's Throne" by James Montgomery. It is in the Aeolian mode and is set to an Old English melody. You can find it in The Dulcimer Hymn Book" by Bud and Donna Ford. I plan to do this as a video on FOTMD closer to Palm Sunday:" I particularly like the verse in "When Jesus Left His Father's Throne":
"When Jesus into Zion rode The children sang around; For joy they plucked the palms and strowed Their garments on the ground..."
Good choice, Gordon. I wonder how you tuned your dulcimer to accompany with voice?
Good choice, Gordon. I wonder how you tuned your dulcimer to accompany with voice?
Thanks for starting this thread, John. A favorite Lenten Hymn of mine and one which can also be heard on FOTMD Video is "Lord Who Throughout These Forty Days". The words to this Hymn were written in 1873 by Claudia F Hernaman. The music used for this Hymn is St. Flavian and was published in 1563. I found it quite easy to tab this for simple finger-noter drone style for voice accompniament.
I'll start off this thread by mentioning one of my favorites: "What Wondrous Love Is This?" or shortened to "Wondrous Love" Hymnary.Org says the author is Anonymous. It appeared in "Southern Harmony" and is in 221 hymnals. I found tabs for it in "The Dulcimer Hymnal" by Bud & Donna Ford, and in "White Spirituals and Folk Hymns" by Anne Lough. Recordings of it can be heard on FOTMD Videos. Search for "What Wondrous Love is This?" by myself, John W. McKinstry, or "Wondrous Love" by Brian G. I am sure that there may be other tabs to this and other recordings too but this is a start.
Do you have some favorite Lenten Hymns and further could you share where we might find the Mt. Dulcimer music for them or hear recordings of such hymns?
John, I just created a couple of screenshots to demonstrate the process. There are only 5 easy steps. Check out the discussion I just created in the Site Questions Forum .
Hi, Strumelia, I'm only passing on the information Mitchell reported about plain steel strings. Wound strings and plain strings of different metals would respond differently, I would assume. I don't imagine anyone would have a need to tune a wound string an octave higher than "normal."
Maybe someday when I feel rich I'll try his experiment with wound strings. But they're a lot more expensive than plain strings!
There are 5 steps to creating a new discussion with a Group.
1) Join the Group.
2) Click the "+" sign at the far right of the Discussion Forum banner.
3) Choose a brief but descriptive title for your Discussion. Try to imagine someone scanning through discussions a year from now and make sure you title would adequately convey the content.
4) Write a more complete description of the discussion.
5) Click "Create New Discussion."
See the two screenshots below.
I like the idea of setting up such a thread but I am not sure how to go about it. Could you run me through the process?
Hey just an idea, people, but we have the Call the Tune Group which was intended for people to share different versions of the same tune. Someone (John? Gordon?) could start a thread on music for Lent and have people contribute different tunes. That way all those tunes could be found in one convenient place.
Great idea Gordon. Look forward to hearing and seeing your video and others who may join the Lenten theme.
I noticed in the calendar that Ash Wednesday is February 17th, the beginning of Lent and so I have been looking at Lenten hymns. To mark the beginning of Lent I have chosen a Spiritual: "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me". This video will be posted on February 15th.
I admit to having my doubts about that conclusion, John. Are you saying one could tune a low wound D bass string up to the d note an octave higher without it breaking? Not going to try that one myself. 
Good experiment to try with a wound string you want to change out anyway though.
I noticed in the calendar that Ash Wednesday is February 17th, the beginning of Lent and so I have been looking at Lenten hymns. To mark the beginning of Lent I have chosen a Spiritual: "I Want Jesus To Walk With Me". This video will be posted on February 15th.
Not to muddy the waters, but to take one element off the table, at least temporarily: hammer and mountain dulcimer pioneer Howie Mitchell wrote about an experiment he made in one of his books. Beginning with a plain (unwound) light gauge steel string he tuned it up tighter and tighter, continuously checking the pitch, until it broke. He replaced it with a heavier string and did the same thing. The thicker string reached the same pitch as the lighter one before breaking. He tried a sill-heavier string and the same thing happened. It reached the same pitch as the other two and snapped. He kept going heavier and kept getting the same result.
So string thickness makes no difference as to what pitch it can be tuned to. The gauge/tension affects tone, playability, and stress on the instrument, but not the highest note it will reach. As Strumelia points out, re-tuning fatigues the metal. Poor installation (like kinking the string while putting it on) and occasionally pinching or binding slots in the nut can also cause breakage. But the thickness of the string is not an issue.
@Ariane I am eager to hear what y'all have come up with! Such a wonderful project!
Thank you very much, my dear friend 
Opps, Ken you are exactly correct! Oh well, it's been fun building them; especially since we were not able to go Florida this month. 
[quote="John W. McKinstry"]
Hi Jill, Good to hear from you. Yes, I have posted "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in the video section of FOTMD. I take comfort in playing the old hymns and often play them as a personal meditation time.
John, I too play some of the old hymns for my personal worship and meditation. Try to do that every time I play.
Hi Jill, Good to hear from you. Yes, I have posted "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" in the video section of FOTMD. I take comfort in playing the old hymns and often play them as a personal meditation time.
Kusani -- make sure that your two shapes have the same interior volume (cubic inches), even though that means they will be different sizes. That's the only way to ensure that any tone differences you get will come from the shape not the volume. We KNOW that interior volume differences cause differences in tone -- large volumes = more bari-bass response
