Forum Activity for @tmbl

Thanks for your responses! Unfortunately, they won’t all fit where I’m moving to (back to a studio apartment in the city). I have medical issues and need to have better access than where I’m living now. It’s the only other home I know and I have some family there, but I’ll sure miss living in the country and having the space. I also have a lot of other instruments that take up space, so I’m trying to lessen the collection to about 1 of each type. Thank you for that info about Folkcraft. I’ll do a search on there. I tend to go for the darker wood Folkcraft, but also really love the Hickory Ridge. I never went for the zebra wood, but recently I did and was pleasantly surprised. The older Folkcraft gives me some pause to sell it because it’s an older instrument now and I have some attachment for it though it’s not my favorite. I also don’t think it’s a Gary Sager based on the signature. I wonder if anyone would know if his signatures changed at some point, but I doubt it’s his. 

Thanks, Ken. I appreciate that. Do you build for sale, as well? Do you have a web page?

Bill has been a quality builder for quite a few years.  I've played, but don't own any of his dulcimers, as I prefer the sound of traditionally-built dulcimers rather than modern-built instuments.  The builders (other than myslef) who produce traditionally-built dulcimers today make fantastic replicas of original instruments with the traditional high-silvery sound.

Thank you for your help! I took off the strings and wiped her down with a damp rag last night. Already so much better.

Yes, I thought at least the nut was very thin, but also I can see that the bridge is odd. Looks and feels like plywood. I have room to widen the groove and install a regular bridge, but I don't think I have room to install a more sturdy nut. Maybe I can insert a sheet of brass of appropriate thickness? Any ideas?

Looking at the tuners, the pegs do not cross the entire valley within the neck, although there are small divots to support a longer peg. Should I replace the pegs??

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If you don't like pick noise, change your angle of attack.  Do not hold the pick rigidly vertical like this ...|... Instead, turn your wrist as you strum out and back so that the pick slides across the strings at a flat angle,  like this ///  and this \\\   but even flatter.  Robert Force likens the motion as similar to when you burn your fingers pulling off a toasted marshmallow -- and whip your hand back and forth to cool them off...   Don't strum by rotating the arm at the elbow hold the hand rigidly, but by rotating the hand at the wrist. 

Yep -- NOT  baritone.   The overall length of a dulcimer is almost meaningless -- it's the VSL -- distance between the nut and bridge -- which matters.   

I second the Howard Feed N Wax.  Those tuner knobs are yellow because the tuners are very old, they were originally white.  The tuner bodies are corroded and need cleaning along with everything else.  

As Dusty sez, both the nut and bridge are "worryingly thin" (unless they are made of brass)  and need to be replaced with something besides credit card and doorskin plywood.    The gaps can be filled with Titebond (tm) glue which can be mixed with some fine dark-wood sawdust to make it a real filler.

Second question is "Why down-size?"  After all, you only have five!!  Tune each one to a favorite tuning, like many of us do;  that's one way to avoid having to re-tune.

As Matt sez, what's the first one you grab?  

I've never heard of Hickory Ridge dulcimers, but there are hundreds, if not thousands of builders these days.  Same with "dulcimers by Gary". The only "Gary" I know of building dulcimers is Gary Sager, but I don't think he has ever signed his instruments that way.  

If you look on the Folkcraft site there should be a table telling you what those model numbers mean in terms of woods.

It is interesting to note in Cecil Sharp's 1917 English Folk Songs from the Southern Appalachians... that of all the 274 ballads he and his assistant collected from rural singers, Barbara Allen was the ballad with the largest number of distinct regional variations included in his book.

You might consider looking at Jean's The Dulcimer Book. She has a TAB for Barb'ry Ellen on page 27, along with about 12 verses of lyrics. The record you are using has the same cover photo as this book.

The TAB is in the old C-G-Bb tuning (Aeolian Mode), but plays just the same in modern D-A-C tuning. There are no chords, it is Noter-Drone in that version.

In my opinion, Jean's The Dulcimer Book. is the best single lap dulcimer book ever written. It is still in print and used copies are typically under $15 including shipping.

It is a tribute to the many folks who are helping and working hard to get assistance to Florida after Hurricane Milton that there have been relatively few deaths, considering the power and destruction of that storm. I also think it's amazing how residents evacuated to safer areas in time to save more lives.
I know we all wish those effected a strong recovery from these terrible weather events.

Well, first question, when you sit down and just want to play for a bit, which is your go to instrument?

A lot of questions there, ShirinSam!

Based on the string gauges, this is not a baritone. I would suggest a wound .024 on the bass, .014 for the middle, and .012 for the melody strings.  You could go up or down 1-2 on any of those and still be OK.

For the wood, I suggest a product called Howard Feed N Wax. You can get it at any home improvement store or Amazon.  Get the smallest bottle available.  A little goes a long way. You just put a dab on a clean rag and rub it in.  If the wood is really dry, it will absorb it. I usually put it on and then wipe any excess off 15 minutes later.  If you're interested in a demo, check out Bing Futch's video on dulcimer maintenance .

I do have a question about the nut. From the one picture, it looks extremely thin, as though someone replaced the original with a piece of a credit card or something. Is that possible?  If so, you might consider replacing it with something more durable.

Nice find! I'm sure your daughter will love it.

My daughter is studying Music Therapy in Fort Collins, CO and has been hinting that she'd love a dulcimer. I just purchased one that looks to be in good shape off eBay, an "Angell Dulcimer" made in 1992. Pictures below. (It looks as if another member posted pictures of this exact dulcimer a few months ago) The instrument needs a gentle cleaning/restringing, et cetera before I gift it to my daughter for Christmas.

It is 36" in length and looks as if it's made from plywood with a walnut stain. Even though the strings are oxidized and greasy, I tuned it up and played it al little -- nothing acts cracked or loose, so that's good news. Is this a baritone? How would I know -- is it the measurement from the bridge to the nut?

I did my best to measure the gauge of the strings already on it. it looks as if it's .023 brass wound, .016, .014,.014, but my caliper was having trouble holding a value -- so are those ,ore likely to be .012, .012, .016. 024? I won't need strings for a minute, but what gauges should I go for. My daughter would only be performing in small spaces, no more than a group of 5.

There is some buildup on the underside of the headstock and a few dark patches on the front. The tuner pegs were very yellow, and a damp rag wiped off what looked like nicotine residue. My current plan is to unstring, vacuum, wipe with a barely damp rag, and polish the frets. I would like a suggestion as to the best conditioner for the wood after it is cleaned and dry. 

One area that is a concern is the cute dogwood decorations. I had thought they were painted on, but actually they are decals. In the pictures below you can just barely make out the edges of the decal and see the shift in texture. I assume there's a spray lacquer of some sort over them, as I cannot feel the edges. But iI'm reluctant to use a heavy treatment on the wood because of them.

One picture shows a slight separation of one corner of the back from the headstock -- it seems secure. I might try filling the gap with a little something just so it doesn't snag on anything. 

Any tips? Insights? Warning or cautions?

Thanks,  Shirin

 back headstock.jpg - 157KB

Hey everyone, I currently have 5 dulcimers and am looking to downsize. I’m hoping to keep only one, but maybe two. I’d like some help in deciding. And if anyone has ideas on pricing, that would be an additional help. I have a bird’s eye maple and spruce from Hickory Ridge and another one that’s cherry redwood, which says HG by them. I have two by Folkcraft- one is a darker wood and model is FSHW-3629 from 2004. The other is H39W-322 from 1984. I also have a zebra wood one “Handcrafted Dulcimers by Gary” from 1991. I’m not sure of any other info about that Gary one. I created a different post asking folks if they had any info about who may have made it. I know everyone has their preferences with aesthetics and wood choices. I’d like to hear folks’ opinions and what you would do given the choices. Thank you all for your help with this. I’m really struggling in deciding here. I’d just keep all of them if I could. 

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Hi everyone! I’m hoping someone might know some information on this dulcimer I’ve had for a while now. I haven’t been able to find anything about the maker. Inside it reads “Handcrafted dulcimers by Gary” with the year inside a heart. It’s zebra wood and the bridge isn’t fixed in place. The sound is really nice. Can anyone identify the maker or anything else about it? Thank you for your help. 

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Hello.

I was searching information on Angell dulcimers and trying to work out the simplest way to clean one up. It looks as if I now own your sister's dulcimer after purchasing it on eBay recently!

My daughter is studying music therapy and is gaining a small collection of appropriate instruments. She has been asking for a dulcimer for some time, so I purchased one from eBay for her Christmas present. I'll be uploading new pictures as I clean her up. 

Just wanted to let you know that your sister's instrument has found a safe landing. 

Shirin 

Exploring the world of plectra is almost a hobby all by itself! I love my collection of picks, and I'm sure I am not alone in this. So many different materials, shapes, colors and thicknesses.  I sort them into different little Altoid tins.  There's even a tin in my desk drawer at work to fidget with while I'm on the phone or in a Zoom meeting.  Brings me calm comfort and joy. I have hand-made ones from buttons and coconut shell and coins.  I have an off-brand green cellulose pick that sounds the best on my dulcimer, but awful on my other instruments. I may never get used to thumb picks, but I have a few. Experiment and find the sound you want!

My dream dulcimer would be the one that I build. I have all the wood, all the luthier tools and all the supplies, fret wire, machine tuners, etc. Have all the saws, drills, sanders and all the woodworking machinery and hand tools to make all types of instruments. When I do make it I’ll send a pic. or two. Steve

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Correction. Sorry, I meant the trigger finger was on my LEFT hand.Steve.

Had “trigger finger” three weeks ago.Right hand, ring finger. Don’t shoot with that hand. Dr. gave me three options, splint w/ an ointment (antiflammatory cream), steroid shot into the tendon sheath or surgery. Splint it for 20 days. Having a hard time bending it now. Can’t play guitar, banjo and ukulele . Don’t have to bend fingers as far for guitar playing to play Mountain dulcimer. So I guess I’m meant to play the dulcimer more. Recently bought a Songbird hammered dulcimer. Have finally got the books and DVD’s I wanted. Built my own adjustable stand and made a pair of a little larger hammers. If my finger doesn’t recover to where I can play my guitar I will be playing both the Mountain and Hammered dulcimers. Steve.

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Thanks Ken. This chart is what I was looking for. Now if I can learn to play both dulcimers at the same time. Steve.

Basically everyone writes tab in their own way.  So, if guitar-like notation works for you, that's great.  Realize of course that Jean did not play chords in the guitar sense.  She played Noter & Drone style, where the middle and bass strings drone open notes and the melody note is fingered only on the melody string...  Mostly, noter & drone tablature is just written as a single string of numbers representing the melody string, one note for each note sung.   

I did find this for you, from the Ultimate Guitar site -- the chords for Jean's unique version of Barbry Allen:
BARBRY ELLEN CHORDS by Jean Ritchie @ Ultimate-Guitar.Com  

Well there's a YouTube vid that teaches DGD chords:   Dulcimer chords in DGD tuning #5 Am #mountaindulcimer with FREE chord chart (youtube.com)

There's this too:

I have two dulcimers. I want to be able to play more songs at my jam sessions. Where can I get a chord chart for the DGD tuning? I have the chart for the DAD tuning. I will bring both dulcimers in the two different tunings so I can play in more songs. Steve.

I'm glad to hear the it went well for you Ken.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Milton came ashore about 85 miles north of us, at Siesta Key in Sarsota.  Nothing here but winds, not much rain.  Lost power for about 15 minutes is all..

I purchased a dulcimer last week after wanting one for a very long time. I have been listening to Jean Ritchie's instructional record, and learning her major version of Barbry Ellen. It seemed to me like the easiest way to write out the melody she is playing on the dulcimer was to do it similar to the way guitar chords are written out, the chord written on top of the lyric that is sung. The number refers to the fret on the melody string that is pressed, the other two strings are always a drone. The slides are written the same way that they would be in guitar tab, for example 3/5 being a slide up from the 3rd to 5th fret, and 6\5 being a slide down from the 6th to 5th.

Here are the recordings I got the music from. She has a bit more variation in her melody in different verses but I decided to keep it simple for now and do the same thing for each verse. She explains her strumming variations as well which I may try and find a better way to write out another time.

I will try to get a video of me playing/singing soon :) Let me know what you think. I'm sure I'm not the first person to write out dulcimer music this way so I would be curious if there are similar methods out there as well.

Barbry Ellen Dulcimer.pdf - 18KB

The same goes for pipe organs, and probably everything else, too. There are purist enthusiasts of all instruments.  For me, there’s a line of integrity between forward-thinking and honest development of the instrument, and wandering into the territory of appropriation, turning the instrument into something it was not intended to be. I’m all for development and evolution, but not bastardization. The difference between “folk” and “legit” is the same as the difference between “jazz” and “legit.” It has to do with what may be considered “mainstream.” Jazz has become mainstream. So has a lot of folk. For ME, folk should be accessible to all who want to play, without regard to “acceptable credentials.” One’s talent and dedication will out, in the end. 

I’m not familiar with nylon tape wound, but I am familiar with metal tape wound — and with nylon wrapped flats for bass, as well as classical guitar strings. I don’t care for nylon strings. They stretch too much and require fiddling with the tuning.  I also don’t care for the sound — they’re too mellow; YMMV. If I had an issue with string squeak, I’d probably look at either nickel flats or tapes. For me, they produce a livelier tone.  

Martin uses bone on its guitars; Gibson and Taylor use a synthetic (Tusq) that they insist is better tuned to conduct the frequencies particular to guitars. Gibson also uses Micarta and Corian. Most of us would likely never really hear the difference. I bet these materials are harder than at least most woods, and likely conduct better. However, I suggest that, like all other musical instruments, it’s not really a concern of the material of one component, but the synthesis of all build factors. A bone nut will still sound bad if the total build is suspect. 

Those are good. But if you want less pick noise, you might try the Dunlop Jazz III. They’re small, so not much point. They’re a thick, mellow pick.

you can decrease the bad noises using a Dunlop nylon pick (they are grey).
They are less noisy than plastic picks (and they never brake !).
I use 0,73 for dulcimer and 0,88 for guitar.

We're in the Cone Of Uncertainty:

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The news media have heavily reported on the storm damage in the NC mountains, but other southeastern states have suffered as well.

Keep these folks in prayer as well as all of the those who assisting and aiding, paid or volunteers.

Our church has had several members go to the NC mountains. Their first hand reports tell us the damage is 10 times worse when seen in person than any of the images can show on the news. Our church has sent two trucks of commodity items so far and another one is going this coming Tuesday. The mountain people are so resilient and in spite of the damages, losses, and their personal situations generally have an attitude of "we'll get through this together."  

If  you can afford to give I suggest donations to one of the faith based organizations as they have a positive track record of getting goods to those who need it the most.

This is going to be a years long recovery and rebuild, maybe 10 years or more. May we not forget them when the news tires of reporting on this event.

@john-w-mckinstry , that is something I can really relate to-  I have not planted morning glories by the side of our sunny garage door in about five years. Have not seen hide nor hair of them in that time.  Then, just three mornings ago, Brian and I were surprised to see two giant Heavenly Blue blooms there near the ground, looking much like your picture. It surprised us as well!  Seems like an omen of some sort?  We could all use some good omens these days i think. If i see more blooms before the frost puts an end to our brave little survivor plant, i will think of you John.  

No, at 15 you're having fun!

The destruction from Helene and the subsequent flooding has been horrific. So many of the effected communities are completely isolated because of roads destroyed and all communications and power down. It's a challenge to get the massive amounts of aid needed to people under such devastating conditions- shelter, water, food, power, medical help... my heart goes out to all the families suffering. I read today that some folks are using pack mules to get help to some isolated places.
To now hear of a new hurricane forming and churning its way towards Florida, that's so awful. Is this going to be a hurricane season worse than any other in US history? Let us hope not.

:"Heavenly Blue Moment"

The other day I walked up the upper deck stairs in search of small tomatoes. When I turned the corner, I was given a "Heavenly Blue Moment".  Just ahead of me was a beautiful six inch blossom of this morning glory.  We have been waiting for two years to see one.  One year there was too much shade. This year I chose a sunny location. All my others morning glories have been in blossom for over a couple of months now. I had just about given up when, in this first week of October, I was given this "Heavenly Blue Moment"!  I was worth the waiting.

!