Forum Activity for @greg-gunner

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Please remember, Bruce Ford provided a great service for all Appalachian dulcimer players. But he did not create/originate Everything Dulcimer. If I remember correctly ED was created by "Jason (?)" Bruce Ford stepped forward when someone was needed to keep the website up and running, and we should all be thankful that he did.
The new website moderator should be given every opportunity to get ED back up and running.

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I continue to check in to ED every day and make comments there when appropriate. I also tell people to check it out. It is important to have as many resources as possible to promote the mountain dulcimer and encourage people to play it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Definitely it's no competition. But because they assumed Bruce Ford's original site name, comparisons to his site are just unavoidable. ED was special, and beloved by many.  

Is the strumhollow redundant?

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

The strumhollow is certainly not redundant, in fact dozens of thousands of players pick & strum in that area. That area provides a slightly stronger and brighter tone which is precisely what many dulcimer players want. Other players will use both the strumhollow & fretboard area & some players use the fretboard area exclusively in order to get a more mellow tone and for other reasons.

It's important for us to remember there is no correct way and no wrong way. No superior way and no inferior way. If it works for you then 'your' way is what you should use.

A huge majority of dulcimers are built with strumhollows & that is driven by public demand. If nobody wanted strumhollows then builders would not build strumhollows.

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

When I said it was was just like the old ED I was referring to the design & format of the discussion forum.

I think we should all remember it's not a competition. I believe we should all be inclusive of, and supportive of, all dulcimer websites & dulcimer Facebook sites etc.

Let's spread the dulcimer 'love'.

Tips what do you bring when traveling with your dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I hope you have a case for your dulcimer as all that traveling in a car and then on the boat.  If it's an ocean you'll be living on.....stuff gets rusty and Dulcimer might swell a little being the humidity might be higher on the boat.   Where will you be going?   Not Hawaii?   (wishing)  aloha, irene

Tips what do you bring when traveling with your dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Yes, Thanks Ken. And a capo (maybe two in case I drop one overboard LOL!) 

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It takes dedicated effort to keep spammers and unpleasant offenders off a public site. Bruce did a great job running ED for so many years. When he closed down ED, he did in fact explain publicly why he chose not to turn the site over to someone else. I can respect that. 

updated by @strumelia: 05/15/20 08:36:31PM

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Indeed, it is not the old ED site. I was a moderator on that site and know the frustrations Bruce Ford experienced keeping it a safe place to discuss all things dulcimer. While he was at sea, he gave me and another person administration rights. I was overwhelmed by how much time it took to eliminate spurious material and offensive members. After he retired from the Navy and started his own business, he just did not have the time to put into ED anymore. Rather than turn it over to someone else, Bruce decided to retire the site. At least, that is how I understand it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Tips what do you bring when traveling with your dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Don't forget your tuner.... and spare batteries for your tuner.  

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I signed up for it but didn't find anything of interest on it. Sad, sad, sad :(

Now I no longer look at it.  After years of following the old ED site, it was quite a disappointment.  Does anyone know who the "administers" are who owns this new site?

updated by @ptl: 05/16/20 01:00:45PM

Tips what do you bring when traveling with your dulcimer?

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hi friends, I've traveled a lot - but this time (C-virus permitting!) we'll be driving 1200 miles to spend 4 months on our boat - on the water 95% of the time. I know all the obvious things (don't leave your dulcimer in a hot car, etc.), but I don't want to be gone 4 months, away from stores or shipping, and then find out, "oh, shucks, I should have brought ________ with me" (insert item here). I'm bringing extra strings, extra picks, digital and print tunes to play, and a strap. That's all I can think of! If you were traveling with your dulcimer for an extended period, is there something else you would bring? Thanks! I think that's all I need. I think....

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

No thank you

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Just to be clear... the old ED has not 'returned'.  It's a completely new site run by someone who doesn't identify themselves. They bought the domain name when it went up for grabs online, and they decided to use the same name of Bruce Ford's original site. They mimicked the structure of the old site's forum topics, and copied over the original site's tab collection as well.
It's a whole new and different site, using the same name Bruce Ford created. It is not the original EverythingDulcimer come back again.

updated by @strumelia: 05/14/20 10:51:45PM

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Not exactly the same as the old ED.  But the new, anonymous Admin copied the old discussion structure pretty closely,  Not much traffic yet.  But it took more than a year to get decent discussions rolling on the original ED, so there may be hope.

The EverythingDulcimer website has returned. Whooopie!!!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I've just discovered that the ED site is now back up and running again.The discussion forum there is just like the old discussion forum. It's been back on line for several months.

I'm very happy that it's back. It was my favorite dulcimer website for years. Just go to the usual www.everythingdulcimer.com  address.

updated by @corvus: 05/14/20 08:37:17AM

Hearts Of The Dulcimer Podcast In Its 5th Year

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Congratulations! Hearts of the Dulcimer is a GREAT Podcast!

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Folks, please stay on Nate's thread topic and don't take over the thread to introduce other subjects. I have removed a few off topic posts.
Does anyone have more to add to actually answer Nate's questions?  If you have other things to discuss then please start a new thread specific to that subject in the appropriate location. And please be clear and specific about your discussion subject if you start a new thread. Thanks.

updated by @strumelia: 05/10/20 02:45:42PM

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Question posed by the original poster:

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Matt Berg wrote, in part: I may seem pedantic when referring to parts of an instrument, but really, I would like to our instrument take its rightful place as an American treasure.

@matt-berg I share your desire to see our instrument take its rightful place.  And I don't see your approach as pedantic at all.  

Finish

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Great responses. I ended up using a product called Ultra Flo Clear lacquer.  Anyway, I mentioned that my other dulcimer was louder and more vibrant and the other would never sound as good. This is funny because the more I play the duller toned one, the better I like it and the less I like the more vibrant, or I should describe it as twangy. So much so, that I actually don't enjoy playing the vibrant one. The mellow toned dulcimer is 3 inches deep. The twangy one is 2 1/4 inch. I've read that could be the difference.

updated by @gennaro: 05/10/20 08:39:09AM

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Most of us know the story of how Jean Ritchie and the 20th Century revival saved the dulcimer from the dustbin of history.

When starting to build dulcimers, I joined a different online group to share ideas.  Using the word dulcimer was like kryptonite, no responses, no comments.  I get the same reaction bringing my dulcimer to many jams,..., "oh, now we are limited", "can you play our songs".  I have also noted the lack of young people at our festivals.

Soon, we will need a 21st Century Jean Ritchie to save our instrument.

Much of this is self inflicted.  Only a few musicians play music from the last 25 years.  And many dulcimer builders insist on using terms that make them sound like they do not understand acoustic instruments.

I may seem pedantic when referring to parts of an instrument, but really, I would like to our instrument take its rightful place as an American treasure.

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I'm seeing some fingerboards stop slightly south of the last fret and a saddle or bridge like that of a violin actually afixed to the body of the dulcimer. Matter of fact, I have come to believe that only imagination limits the styles and or structure of our beloved instruments ... and that's ok. If we accrue knowledge of the instrument and it's many variations, we will pick up sufficient terminology to understand what most folks are talking about. If we don't understand, I've yet to see a builder or musician that would not take a moment to explain. 

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I guess I'll have to install some braces to my banjo head so I can properly call that little wooden thingie the strings sit on a bridge. Here I've been wrong for almost 60 years! And my violin, too! Oh, drat!

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I LOVED THIS DISCUSSION.....makes my mother's day happy.  Skip, Now I have a new name for that whatjajigger at the top and that thingamajig....great name for the bridge.  yep, I look at sites that have "walkabout dulicmers".   very beautiful instruments, but they are not dulcimers.   BUT then we could end up talking story ALL NIGHT about what is and what is not a dulcimer or dulcimore.......modern or traditional....Southern or Western....or just throw an apple at ya.  Thanks for all your comments and I learn a whole lot from ya all.   aloha, irene

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I guess y'all are discussin' that percission  string support thingamajig. You know, the one on one other end from the string tightener doohickys. Back here in the hills, we call 'em the back string lifter and the one by the string tighteners is the front string lifter.    

Don't suppose it really matters much what they're called as long as both folks doin' the discussin' are talkin' about the same part.

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I think there are two points of confusion here.  One is that dulcimers and guitars have traditionally had different construction. Whereas guitars clearly have both a bridge and a saddle, dulcimers sometimes have a saddle inserted directly in (or on, if it is floating) the extension of the fingerboard, and sometimes there is a single wooden piece (which may or may not be braced) with a broad bottom and a much narrower top, functioning as both a bridge and a saddle.  And recently many dulcimer luthiers have indeed been opting for guitar-type construction with a clear bridge and saddle.  Because of this variation, many people, myself included, almost never use the term "saddle" and just refer to the bridge regardless of whether we are referring to the part attached to the soundboard or the part with grooves through which the strings lay.  But I've been corrected by more than a few professional luthiers when I've used the term "bridge" instead of the more precise "saddle." 

As long as they understand what VSL I want and how far apart I want the strings, they can call it bubble gum and I don't care.

updated by @dusty: 05/09/20 06:34:41PM

How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?

OFF TOPIC discussions

Interestingly, over the past 2 weeks I've had three people whom I had never met contact me to take online dulcimer lessons.  None of them are within 2 hours of me, and one is in another state.  Perhaps people are becoming more comfortable with distance technology or perhaps people are just deciding that they might as well learn an instrument while sheltering at home.  I don't know the reasons, but it's nice to be able to share music at this time.

@Cindy-Stammich, we've been buying groceries for my mother-in-law, too.  She tells us what she needs and we leave it outside her door.  Once or twice, just to get out of the house, she has driven over to our place for the pickup, and yes, it is so hard not to hug her, but she is so vulnerable that I would never forgive myself if she got sick because we were careless in our contact with her.  I want her to be around when we get a vaccine, or enough tests for everyone, or however this ends.

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

OK.  I'm wrong.  40+ years of being a dulcimer person and not carrying about other instruments. 

Still doesn't change the fact that the dulcimer world calls the thing with notches the Bridge, and the distance between the nut and bridge the VSL not the 'scale'. 

Dulcimers are NOT guitars and should be discussed in dulcimer terms not guitar or lute or piano terms.

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Wikipedia is an excellent starting point for researching a subject.  However, this quote is taken directly from the Wikipedia page on Wikipedia:

 

Wikipedia does not consider itself to be a reliable source   . Many academics distrust Wikipedia   [23]    but may see it as a valuable jumping off point for research, with many of the reliable sources used in its articles generally seen as legitimate sources for more in-depth information and use in assigned papers. For this reason some academics suggest ‘Verifiability by respected sources’ as an indicator for assessing the quality of Wikipedia articles at the higher education level.   [24]

 

And just for the record, in its early days I submitted two short articles to Wikipedia that were published and I regularly donate to Wikipedia.

FOTMD Chat Room!

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Just a reminder to all members that we have an excellent and friendly Chatroom right here on FOTMD.

Where does one find the Chat?  On mobile phones and tablets, go to your left hand mobile drop-down MENU, and scroll down for "Chat" near the bottom of the menu.
On non-mobile (regular) computers and laptops, look for the Chat icon button at bottom right of your screen ... it looks like this: Once you click the button, the chat window will open and you'll see more 'arrow buttons' along the left side of the window where you can minimize, widen, pop-out, or hide the chat window again.

Remember, you won't always find members actively sitting in the chat room when you visit.  But members do check in daily and they're always happy to greet newcomers to the chatroom!  Keep checking in and you'll bump into other live chatting members before long.

Often there are early morning members chatting over coffee and sharing their bird feeder photos, and sometimes there are folks chatting in the evening as well.  If you don't find anyone live there at the particular moment you visit, be sure to leave a "hello!" chat message before you leave and minimize the window ...and check back later to see if someone else responded to your chat message when they popped in too.

Our own friendly FOTMD moderator Jim Fawcett is often to be found checking in with our Chat area.  Jim's been a moderator and a new member Greeter here on FOTMD for 8 or 9 years now. Give him a high five when you're there! 

updated by @strumelia: 12/06/22 12:36:34PM

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Matt is totally correct with his definition of the 2 words bridge and saddle. Close to all dulcimers have a saddle. A saddle is a separate bearing surface and it is inserted into  a bridge (on mandolins, guitars etc). Hardly any dulcimers have a bridge, so the saddle is instead inserted into a groove on top of the dulcimers fret board just behind the strum hollow, or sometimes it just rests on the top and is moveable for intonation purposes. A tiny minority of dulcimers have a bridge that runs at a 90 degree angle to the fretboard; this bridge is usually glued directly onto to the soundboard, and a saddle is inserted into the top of the bridge.  Either way, the strings are positioned on top of the saddle. They are the facts and virtually 99.99999% of luthiers worldwide are aware of the correct definitions.

The vibrations go from the strings directly into the saddle, then into the bridge below or in the case of dulcimers into the fret board below, they are then transmitted into the soundboard, sides and back.

updated by @corvus: 05/09/20 11:54:43AM

How is the COVID-19 coronavirus affecting you?

OFF TOPIC discussions

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I have a minor quibble with Matt Berg's definition of Bridge and Saddle.  From the Wikipedia Bridge (Instrument) discussion:
A  bridge  is a device that supports the  strings  on a  stringed musical instrument  and transmits the  vibration  of those strings to another structural component of the instrument—typically a  soundboard , such as the top of a guitar or violin—which transfers the  sound to the surrounding air....  Bridges may consist of a single piece of material, most commonly wood for violins and acoustic guitars, that fits between the strings and the resonant surface. Alternatively, a bridge may consist of multiple parts. One common form is a bridge with a separate bearing surface, called a  saddle    
So, the Bridge is a vertical bit which holds the string up.  Dulcimers only have a Bridge.  Guitars and such have a vertical piece called a Bridge and a baseplate called a Saddle.  

Anchor location matters.  Remember that dulcimers do not produce their sound the way guitars do.  On guitars the top is so important to the creation of sound that it is called the soundboard.  On the dulcimer, the top is a minor aspect of sound creation because it is so small an area, and it is blocked from transmitting vibration by the massive longitudinal brace we call the fretboard.  As mentioned, most dulcimers anchor the strings away from the soundboard/top.  Most guitars anchor the strings on the Saddle which is attached to the soundboard.  Strings anchored on the soundboard must supply some vibration directly to the top.  Strings anchored off the top can only transmit vibration to the top via the bridge

 

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Mounting on the soundboard produces more over and undertones.  Mounting across the soundboard produces fewer.  If you are ever in a session with a Gallier, you can hear a clear difference.

Is the strumhollow redundant?

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

I'd like to respectfully disagree with Dusty on one minor (yet still important, in my opinion) point.  While I certainly agree that one should not be "going so deep into the strings that you hit the fretboard" I do not agree that you should be "gliding along the top."  That depends on the tone you desire.  For the fullest tone, the dominant direction of the pick (or finger) should actually be *into* the fretboard (without going so deep as to hit the fretboard), rather than across the strings parallel to the plane of the top of the fretboard.  This is easier for many people to do with their fingers than with picks, and when playing individual notes or chord-melody style vs when strumming, but angling the pick as Dusty suggests actually helps facilitate this "down toward the fretboard" angle.

As always, these are *choices* available to the deliberate player.  Try adjusting the angle of your pick, sure, but also try adjusting the direction of your picking (towards the fretboard vs. parallel to the fretboard plane) and see what gives you the sound you want for the piece you're playing.  There's no "one size fits all."

Just my two cents.  :)

Kind regards,

Brian

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Here's a few confusion factors just for fun;

Consider that pressing a string on a fret creates a new VSL, so fretting at the 7th [or other] fret leaves an unplucked portion of the starting VSL. Sympathetic/mechanical vibration could cause buzzing or unwanted [harmonic] overtones on the unplucked portion. 

The ends of the string on each side of the designated/primary VSL form a sub-VSL and can be considered to produce a harmonic of the primary VSL.

The radii of the stop points are not being specified [just assumed] in association with the string properties, .020" R vs 2' R, one pretty sharp, one almost flat on an 1/8" bridge for example.

Etc. Etc. [Theory vs practicality vs experience vs opinion vs???]

Without precise conditions and measurements?????

What I hear [not very good] or do vs what someone else hears or does ends up being pretty subjective. My $95 kit sounded just as good to me as a classmates $500 custom MD.

Most all of it seems to work just fine.

VSL Breakpoint Angles, Radiuses, and Excess String Lengths

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Yes, a zero fret seems to me to be an easy way to ensure a nice radius to your nut.

Interesting I have always just used the term bridge i guess because the book i learned from (which is not a credible book) says it.

I would say though that where the strings are anchored should only matter if you assume that the portion of string length outside the VSL matters, which seems like it may not be the case. I would wonder mechanistically how it is that where the string is mounted affects anything and what it may affect?

Thomas reproductions (Messenger/Knopf/other?)

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

You won't go wrong with either. I have a Thomas built by John, and a Prichard built by Kevin. Both are wonderful.

updated by @kevin-r: 05/08/20 11:22:27PM

Thomas reproductions (Messenger/Knopf/other?)

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

A vote for Kevin here, only because I have and love one of his instruments. It's a teardrop, though, not a Thomas.