Forum Activity for @strumelia

Dave your citera looks delightful! 

This one is mine [in case the picture is lost]

 citera1.jpg - 151KB

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/take-peek-into-one-of-the-last-studios-still-making-globes-by-hand-180976571/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=socialmedia&fbclid=IwAR0HmAWO8fs77Z4Nrm4zMbwzFAcU2-yv1XEoGMcfnZZNUi6FRCyG4PwSyyw

In the beginning of the video around 0:22 when she comes on stage you can get a glimpse of the instrument.
How wonderful this is!!  Delightful and amazing in every way!!

Love how an entire crew of men reverently bring the required playing surface to the Little Queen.   
She deserves to be worshipped. The Hungarian Bonnie Russell?.. arguably even more skilled.

BTW I want that skirt, for contra dancing. And her faceted garnet necklace. 

I have just returned to FOTMD and saw this wonderful insight into my citera which I am ashamed to say I have never done anything with since I bought it on Impulse in 2018 [Un-played and very cheap]
Mine is tuned to open G and a noter on the diatonic half of the finger board would work but how you could adjust the noter to play on the chromatic half of the board I find difficulty in imagining!
Perhaps I have found another lockdown task?

@nateprentice, I liked listening to your Soundcloud link!  Welcome to FOTMD!

Welcome Nate!   As Dusty says there are ways to keep the dulcimer more stationary.  Another option besides a strap is a stand or lap-height table like a TV tray that supports the dulcimer so that you do not have to.

Welcome to FOTMD, @nateprentice.  You might try using a strap on your dulcimer. If you keep the strap tight enough, you have a lot more control over the positioning of the instrument on your lap and don't rely on your lap as much.

Hi all!  I’m Nate Prentice from the Philly suburbs.

I’ve been playing Dulcimer for about 2-3 months so far.  I play multiple instruments, but am no expert.  For now I’m learning the keyboard and trying to get the hang of the angle of my hand on the lower frets when playing chords.  I have a short lap, so it is work.  I’m trying to create a small Xmas album as a gift to friends.  Here’s a sample:

https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/hgoZWw8ZWLrvNSSd8

Nice to meet you all. 

Nate

John, you're right that since tab has the lower notes up higher and the higher notes down lower it can be confusing for those of us who learned to read standard music notation. When I teach newbies I remind them that if you just lay tab flat in front of you, the three lines are in the same order as the strings on your dulcimer, so it's not as unintuitive as you might think at first. What's reversed is the dulcimer itself.

Most of the tab these days has both standard music notation and dulcimer tablature, so you can see the relationships between them.  I try to envision that kind of tab as bookmatched wood, as though they are mirrors of each other.

Yes, TablEdit does automatically what you are talking about.  When you put the tab into TablEdit, the software automatically identifies the corresponding notes in standard music notation.  If you don't care about saving files, you could download the free version of TablEdit.  The free versions just limits you to 16 measures or something like that.  BUt you could always print out a song and then start over, using the free version forever.

But I'm not the best person to answer your question. I can use tab or standard music notation as a reminder of how a song goes, but when I play I can't follow either one. I have to look at the fretboard and play by ear.  I can't really sight read very well at all, though that's a skill I greatly admire.

Sometimes I have found that reading dulcimer tabs can be confusing. If you use three lines to represent the three stings and say you are in a 1-5-8 tuning your lower notes may be on the middle of top line. This is the reverse of regular musical score.  I have found that if I use my chromatic tuner (Korg) it tells me what note I am sounding on the dulcimer so then I can translate this into regular musical score. It makes it easier to tell which note is really up or down. I know that there is something in Table Edit to help you here and there are probably templates that can help in translating tab to musical score or vice versa. I have found that  using the chromatic tuner is a simple way for me. Perhaps others have other suggestions?

To give you an impression of the sound I just uploaded my take on Greensleeves on lute guitar:
Greensleeves on lute guitar

The recording is quite rough and my playing has room for improvement but it should be sufficient to get an idea.

I like to rough the staple board and let it set in the shop for about a year, you will know if it's going to have any movement in it by then. I too relieve the bottom with a forstner bit.

I share my musical noise places, too, so understand.  :)

I prefer quartersawn wood, with the grain running at close to right angles to the FB. 

I also hollow using a Forstner bit, but with holes leaving 1/4" or less on either side, and nearly touching down the line, and I seldom get any warp. I've had solid boards warp in almost every direction possible.  I think a flahysawn fingerboard glued up before drilling holes helps with stability.

Bill,  this is not quite a response to your question.  My fretboards have an intermediate step between hollow and sold.  I use a forstner bit and drill 3/4" holes every inch.  Occasionally, the fretboard will warp after drilling the holes.  So far, nothing I can't fix with careful sanding.  

I prefer that the grain runs horizontal to the soundboard.  Again, I have not done any testing of alternate grain patterns.  Now that you mention it. I will try running the grain the other way on my next build.

Well I also share my noise on other social networks and I'm a kind of number nerd (no wonder I studied Computer Science) so I'm intigrued to find out how many of my Facebook-Friends etc actually molest their ears with them

For fotmd I just uploaded the files via Audio upload. A small inconvenience but it could be worse.

Jost, don't concern yourself with the number of plays/stats on Soundcloud; I'm guessing they are really only meaningful if you are trying to make money off your recordings.  If you wish, try putting your settings there back to "Public" and if your account allows it, disable public comments.    

Thanks Robin, this explains a lot. I got 150 plays for my tracks during the first day. Would be quite flattering If it had any real meaning. So it just shows that sound cloud is better in attracting spammers then actually do something against them.
I changed the privacy setting to get more realistic stats. Sadly this resulted in invalid soundcloud links here And I can't change the url here to the new ones, so I will have to delete and readd them.
Thanks again for the answer

Jost, I have taken to disabling comments on SoundCloud.  I, too, have experienced what you describe.  

Hello everybody,

I don't know whether this forum is the appropriate one, feel free to move this to off topic.

Yesterday I started uploading sound files to Soundboard. Quite soon I got comments/mails from people who liked them/offered to give them more distribution.

Since the sound and musical quality is quite limited (due to my recording equipment and I'm just a starter) I got puzzled and looked on their profiles. Everybody of them belongs to a kind of spam network who offers "500 likes for free" or something like this.

So in my opinion they are spam bots and I reported  them to Soundcloud before blocking them.

I'm now considering limiting the message function for Soundcloud to save me the hassle in dealing with this crap. However I fear, that I might miss some legitimate messages.

So: Have anyone of you similiar experiences with soundclouds messaging? Or are people actually using the messages for communicating?

Best regards, jost.

Has anyone made  a comparison of hollowed out fretboards compared to solid ones  as far as warping is concerned? ? I know solids are quieter and it seems the hollow  fretboard would be less prone to warpage than the solid one. Also the wood grain ,  and flat sawed or quarter sawn has a lot of influence on warping.

Although I have forgotten this sometimes (I hope not here at FOTMD), what is called "The Golden Rule" is how I have tried to relate to people in person and online. I understand that most world religions and philosophies have some form of it as part of their doctrine: do to others as you would have them do to you. I try as much as I can to walk in the others shoes.

Here at FOTMD I feel we all try to do that. Thank you everyone for a delightful place to share our love of music and the mountain dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I am not familiar with the Fremont strings. I'll have to look into them.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

As I reflect on my experience with FOTMD and the folks who are associated with this site, I can say that I have felt encouragement and acceptance. I am allowed to lumber along at my own pace without denigration or derision. What a pleasure to be within a group where I am not expected to be an expert but can contribute according to my abilities. Thank you Strumelia.

Indeed, I have treasured FOTMD since I discovered this site as a friendly, encouraging oasis in the social media desert of mean-spirited ridicule.  This is a place where all are welcome, where we can share our love of this oddly-shaped instrument with too few strings and too few frets, and where, by eschewing anger and aggression, we implicitly celebrate our shared humanity. We are, as the name of the site explains, friends.

You are kindly welcomed Ken.  I took a bit of a chance, and was glad that the chance paid off.  Even with the goof up, the owner after I emailed him emailed me back and said, you were right, and agreed to partially refund the difference between what I had originally ordered and had gotten.  I'll eventually take a picture of mine, after I take it to the local shop that I have do my restringing for me.  This was sent already in low G ukulele tuning, but with D'Addario unwound low G and I prefer Fremont blackline ukulele strings.  Got turned onto those by someone on a ukulele forum and they are the cat's meow as far as I am concerned for strings.  But to each there own

To echo what Robin said, I appreciate this posting, more than you probably know or realize.  It is a testament to this site, you and the moderators to try to keep things going in a friendly, inclusive environment.  We all come from different backgrounds, but what unites us is our love of music and the mountain dulcimer (even though we all can not agree on what style or tuning is right LOL.)  I have always appreciated that fact, and that in theory we should be able to put our political differences aside at the door.  My best.

I greatly appreciate this posting, Strumelia, more than you know.  My heart is broken by both overt cruelty and casual cruelty I see displayed elsewhere on social media by people I know, both friends and relatives.  

FOTMD has been a music home for me since its earliest days.  And I always want the best for the site-- kindness and respect and encouragement among its members!  

Take care and hugs to all!     

Thank you Strumelia, a great reminder and a wonderful message. I value this forum (and the guitar forum where I moderate), because they are safe places to talk about our love for music and instruments. At each place, the members are kind and supportive. We are lucky when we can be a part of groups like these, especially during these stressful times. Hugs back to you and to all the members.

And by reflection, I mean as in examining ourselves in a mirror.

We are all living through very trying times- both in dealing with this relentlessly long and difficult pandemic, but also through the current pandemic of political strife, division, and violence that has become a stain on our great country. It seems that intolerance and bullying have become almost as natural online as breathing.

I strive to make FOTMD an oasis where all members can temporarily escape from fighting and ridicule due to politics, religion, sexual orientation, race, or country of origin. But FOTMD does not exist in an isolated online bubble.

People sometimes forget how interconnected their online behavior actually is. When someone behaves in an unkind way on one site or network, it becomes known on the other sites they are connected to. All sites we belong to are connected and affected, and our actions on other sites can echo to represent us here as well. Ask yourself if your various online presences are reflecting the human values you want everyone to know you by. Are you a friend  to others?

It's easy to get swept up by the current of division and intolerance that has spread through our society. But please look inside yourself and see if there is room for a little more more kindness and less aggression. Can you reach out and give a friendly hand to someone instead of belittling them? Can you bring someone closer rather than push them away? We each need to look inside ourselves. I hope for this new year that our goodness and kindness will shine and prevail.
Stay safe, and hugs to you. 

What a cool instrument James! Enjoy playing it. I think they sound really good. Thanks for sharing your new acquisition.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Dusty, I get it.  I am stretched between playing a few instruments, so I have to take time for specific instruments.  Example was I had out my Kala tenor guitar for the first time in a while the other day.  So I am juggling between playing dulcimer, tenor sized ukulele, 6 string guitar and 4 string guitar.  Even before the whole pandemic I hardly went out, and the fact is we don't have cable tv - just basic Hulu, Netflix and Amazon Prime, so I'm not beholden to practicing at a certain time.

That's pretty cool, James. And if you take it rafting, you can always use it as an oar, too!

I have a couple of ukes, but I have to confess that I rarely play them.

I went to the site, James-- those instruments are just doggone cool.  Have lots of fun with yours! 

I got it yesterday.  It was actually supposed to be the carbon gold model, but there was a boo-boo and they sent along the wrong uke, but you know, I like this translucent color.  I emailed them earlier and told them I would take store credit or something and use it for a shirt or some stuff from there merchandise page.  Another company I had heard of was KLOS guitars that also does ukes, and they do black colored carbon fiber travel guitars and ukes.  I went with Outdoor just because I wanted to see what this all was about, as I actually have 2 Kala tenor ukes that I really like.  Plus with this being so durable and having good tune, it is a perfect take to a park instrument.

I believe one should avoid keeping count after an even dozen. After a dozen it does it really matter? 

I also believe that no one can call you a 'collector' unless you have more than a dozen of something.

James do you have it yet, or is it being shipped?  Hey, I'm thinking with that uke, it doesn't matter if the weather is cold during shipping!

Now you've done it. I just met a woman who has 28 ukuleles. After 3 your spouse can't keep track.

James that ukulele you got looks pretty amazing. I can't believe how it is so weather proof, but sounds great. I like how it's sort of translucent.
What made you decide on the white one? Colors are always such a hard choice for me.

I wound up getting a ukulele yesterday from Outdoor Ukulele, a site I had never really heard of until I saw an advert in the side column on Facebook.  I got the tenor size, moonshine gold model.  For being of man made material, this really sounds great, and something to check into if thinking about the time when it is safe to jam with people in person again.  It didn't sound fake, had good projection and good action.  Here is a link to there site for anyone wanting to learn more https://www.outdoorukulele.com/