Forum Activity for @dusty

That's very touching, Butch.  Thanks.  Even though you don't sing the words, the music is so soft and sensitive that it fully captures the spirit and mood of the song.

As many of you likely know Maddie MacNeil passed away last Sunday. At the behest of AShley Ernst from Dulcimer Players News I (and others) made videos honoring her. Mine took a little while, 'cuz I wanted to get it right. Also, because I wanted Doug Berch to play on it. Doug and I have spoken many times about Maddie and how important she was to him, how he might not have become a musician if not for her. But also, this song is right for the times we're living in, so it's a sing-along. Maddie would've wanted it that way.

I'll post this on the video page too.

Hello! Three months later, I have really enjoyed getting to know this instrument. I used Bradley Laird’s eBook as my first guide and have enjoyed working with it. A few weeks back I noticed to my “horror” that the strings were progressively worse pinging the frets, almost like they worked further into the grooves in the nut. Perhaps it was because of the varied tunings/tensions I was using. I ended up using a couple thicknesses of blister pack plastic to build back maybe half of my original action adjustment and it now seems a lot better. I have been lingering in a minor DAC tuning because I am dwelling at the end of the eBook on a couple of songs in that key as I try to better listen (during and after) to the sound being made. And I really, really have been enjoying this as an almost daily activity, sometimes obsessively 😀

It will not be a surprise to hear that I think I need another one, for any number of excuses that I can dream up😂 But the thing is, I think the one I have has a nice sound, especially if I hit the tuning just nice. I have found that if I tune the bass string the tiniest bit on the flat side, where the tuner still shows it in tune, but it just got there sorta thing, then the other strings are more accurate when tuning to itself. Oh yeah, My wife knows how much I enjoy this and she is quite impressed with my progression (perhaps the thousandth time in a row for the same tune, not so much), so she will likely understand the need for dulci #2 to hold me over when I can find someone well regarded in western Canada that could redo the fret and nut and to whom I can send or bring it. Just last night I pointed out all the dulcimers on Jeff Hame’s wall when I played a video for her🙄 If “sustain” means how long the instrument will sit there for a long period of time with all the strings holding a nice chord, then this thing is pretty good IMHO.

And of course anytime I hit the record button, It doesn’t work out quite as well😀

IMG_2068.MP4 - 3.3MB

That's a beauty, John. Nina

Beautiful work, as always, John.  Is that from the instrument we saw -- and you measured -- two years ago in Lexington?

To answer the question, I really don't know if this will be at Berea.  If I sell it soon, it won't be, and if Berea doesn't happen, it might not be.  I plan to go to Berea one way or another, and if it's unsold then, I 'll bring it along.  Thanks for the interest!

ohhhhhhhhhhh, very nice.   I'm asking the same question.  Will we see it in Berea?   I'm making a dulcimer in my shop to take with me there.  I'm sure hoping it's going to happen.  Everything else has been cancelled.   hrumph.  aloha, irene

That's a nice one. John! Is this going to a customer, or will we see it at Berea?

Folks, here's something to get your mind off the (         ) today.  This is "Generations", it's name was taken from Psalm 90:1.  A poplar replica with ebony pegs.  Will Singleton, Jean Ritchie's uncle, made some 90 years ago.   

No reason you couldn't use guitar bridge pins; but they do take up more space than simple metal pins.  Make room for 4 pins though.  Two strings on a pen is no better than 4 on a peg.  Single pegs are not good.  Multiple smaller pegs tend to look too crowded though .  There are other tailpiece solutions but not ones that would readily retro-fit to a McSpad and look aesthetically pleasing.

There just isn't any real selection of sexy metal pins out there to choose from for making string pins.  I just use small finishing nails; others use escutcheon pins, or dedicated string anchor pins like those from Folkcraft, StewMac and other 'parts' places.  That's about it.

Jan, I hope you are able to get an accurate diagnosis whether COVID-19 or something else!  

I'm glad you were able to get tested, Jan.  Good luck!

Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 46 
The Deep Sounds of Neal and Coleen Walters

https://dulcimuse.com/podcast

We spoke with Neal and Coleen Walters, a husband and wife musical duo who have been playing music together for more than 5 decades. Neal is well-known for his deep voice and his dulcimer and autoharp playing. Also featuring music from The Mill Run Dulcimer Band and Doofus.

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/046.html  

Thanks for listening!

I'm happy to report that I was finally able to get tested today! I waited in a line of cars for 2.5 hours, but was able to talk to a friend on my cell phone for most of that time. Beautiful warm day, and the first time I've been out of the house in a week! They said to expect the test would come back negative, but they did document that I currently have bilateral lung involvement--8 weeks since I first got sick!

You could check these out if you like.  I've used them with great success:

https://www.folkcraft.com/collections/building-supplies-plans/products/dulcimer-string-anchor-pins-2340171

Still at work. Glad to be working.

Still go out to stores as needed. I take extra precautions and when I get home I "decontaminate" myself and wipe down my purchases.

Glad I can help out other friends who need groceries, etc who can't get to the store/ who are struggling financially.

A friend has chickens and just today dropped off at lunchtime 22 dozen beautiful eggs (organic feed, free ranging). They taste delicious and are for myself, friends and coworkers.  So you have every right to be jealous! These eggs are very pretty too, being all different coloured shells.

Life is interesting at the moment but good. We can do much good to reach out to others. :)

My usual activities were shut down (church & church activities, volunteering, playing music with friends, going to a festival at the end of March) but I can still garden and play music at home. If I get the time! Work is busy, getting stuff done under the threat of a shutdown, who can foresee what will happen, but it's all good.  I have my worries for others, but I do not worry for myself unduly.

I'm not a big fan of the single wooden peg as a string anchor. I think wrapping all the strings around it looks ugly. Just my opinion. I use brass coated brads which I install in a line, either in a horizontal line or on a slant. I generally cut the heads off the brads so that I can use either loop or ball end strings. I like having a separate anchor for each string.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Church attendance had been a big part of my life and music but all physical churches are closed in Allegheny County PA (Pittsburgh). I went hunting and was delighted to find many churches have picked up the challenge and are worshipping digitally. I am Eastern Orthodox and found a local monastery of nuns (Transfiguration in Ellwood City PA) are You Tubing all their services, actually looks like they have been doing it for some time. What a blessing!

God bless you all and keep you safe,

Barb

Thanks for that, but having checked out some escutcheon pins, they don't look wonderful - in fact they look terrible.  So, I reckon I'll leave this solution unless I really have to go with it.  I want something a little more attractive looking.  I'm not that bothered about keeping true to a McSpadden.

I would just install the 4th string and use it. It will hold with no problem, It's pretty big and there is almost no leverage on it. If it really bothers you, cut it off, refinish and install the recommended pins. The escutcheon pins are standard for MCSpaddens, even the some of the older kits [I have one].

Thanks for that John.  Something to bare in mind, but I'm looking at something a bit more aesthetic looking.

It's been two and a half weeks since I went food shopping anywhere. I found out my favorite restaurant/deli/bakery has put up a website offering "contact free purchasing"... you pick out what you want and pay online, then the next day they email you when your order is ready and you drive there and pick up the shopping bag with your name on it, left in the vestibule with no one else around.  I made an order yesterday. When I get it home I plan to immediately transfer all items into our own bags and containers just to be extra safe. Waiting for the email sometime around midday.
I am sooooo looking forward to a couple of fresh baked croissants, loaves of multi grain and rye bread, and fresh farm eggs this afternoon... it will be such a huge treat!!  Before the VirusTimes, my husband and I would savor going for breakfast there every saturday and sunday. It was our big weekly treat and I'd dream    of their wonderful croissants.  It's been weeks since I had one, or had bread that hasn't been frozen, thawed, and refrigerated.  :)  
I know we are lucky to have food at all , of course. But this is such a nice pick me up for us during this time of endless days at home while slowly going through our supply of perishables.
Can't wait!
I feel your excitement over the fresh eggs and chicken, Dusty! 

You could easily hammer in 3 or 4 metal brads or brass-plated escutcheon pins between the slot and the present wooden peg.  You could just leave the wooden peg where it is.  Put masking tape on that area of the wood, draw a straight line and measure for the pin locations.  Then tap dents in at those 3 or 4 points, pull off the tape and carefully hammer them down to about 1/16" of the surface.  If you have a tiny drill bit, you can pre-drill the holes to keep the wood from possible splits.

I have an 80s 4 string McSpadden dulcimer that was finished off by a previous owner, who converted it to a 3 string instrument.  I'm in the process of converting it back to 4 strings.  My problem is, there is only one string anchor pin made of wood.  To my mind this really doesn't seem sufficient nor mechanically sound enough to accommodate 4 strings.  I just need to know how many anchor pins I can realistically replace this one with.  I think there's enough room for 3, 2 for bass side strings and one for the 2 that are tuned at the same pitch.  Also, I have loads of guitar bridge pins, and was wondering if I could use these in place of wooden or metal ones.

So, I'm throwing this out there for advice/suggestions etc 

Thanks in advance  - DoC 

 _DSC2370.jpg - 288KB

The CEO is buying us lunch today!!!

Over the past lotsofyears, I've been shifting books that I find here and there about the house, over to a bookshelf (several, actually) for "books I intend to read someday."  I'm a retired LIBRARIAN, so I don't just willy-nilly go out and buy books.  They seem to come to me anyway....For many years I have been unable to sit and concentrate on a book, so I practically wear out the pages by going back and reading and reading through, once again, what didn't "take hold" the first time.  Or second.  Or third.  I don't listen to audio books for the same reason, and I find kindle, etc., aggrevating when I try to find my zoning out place.  Over the last month, I've read 4 books, which is remarkable for me.  I've read 2 memoirs, a novel, and a book on writing.  Now I'm turning to "Fifty Things That Aren't My Fault", a book of essays by Cathy Guisewite, creator of the cartoon "Cathy."  Time for a some much-needed humor.

I felt like a conquering hero when I returned home this morning with a couple dozen eggs and some chicken.  Neither had been available anywhere nearby for some time.  I got the last of the eggs and the grocer admitted that he was having trouble getting them.  Doesn't make sense. Restaurants are closed or only serving take-out and the farmers' markets are all closed. You would think there would be plenty of eggs available for retail sale.

You're correct, @Tom-McDonald, you can't really jam using any of the teleconferencing software since the feed is not immediate and different attendees have different upload speeds as well.  But it does appear to work on your end if you mute your mic and play along with someone else. What I'm planning is just a circle in which we take turns sharing a tune or two. 

The book has been out for a few years now. But right now it's only available as a download (my printer is in quarantine too).

Online rounds don't work because there is a latency when you stream or video conference. That'll change someday, but we're not there yet.

I've got one jam group scheduled on Skype and another on Zoom in the next week or so. Test runs so far show that the what works is for the leader to play and while everyone else mutes their mic and plays along. Otherwise the lag is too much. Hoping it works out.

Yeah, the Zoom version of my local dulcimer group scheduled for Saturday already has 15 attendees, which is too much, I think, but I didn't have the heart to turn anyone away. After this first time I might do a couple each month but cap them at 10.  

My family and I do not appear to be infected yet. My wife and I still have our jobs.  We haven't run out of toilet paper yet. I feel pretty lucky.

Like Robin, I never had the pleasure of meeting her, but her books deserve to continue her legacy.  Just went to her website & see the self-published books are no longer available.  Let's hope Mel Bay keeps her other works in print for a long time.

Good for you!!!  I attended my weekly yoga class via Zoom last weekend.  Happy playing!  (We just got fully locked down here in WA state, no gatherings of any kind/size.)  I tellya, when I get out my dulcimer and/or my guitar and start playing, it *really* takes me away from all the worry/stress of current events.  So glad I stumbled into learning the dulcimer a little over a year ago.

Dusty -- your last paragraph sounds like the plot for the Brit TV series Fortitude which we watched on Amazon (and it's still there if you need something to binge watch).

I love rounds.   This is a good one and when is your book coming out?  When raising our 14 children in Hawaii, we did soooooooooo much music.  While in the car, I learned that kids don't argue when they are singing.  So we have a raft of rounds.  There used to be fuguing Tune societies in England.  marvelous tunes.   It's really fun to play these on recorders.  When teaching the dulcimers, I start them off doing rounds.  As I read more about folks that are able to meet "on line" somehow, (how cool is that?)....I bet rounds could have a good go at it that way. aloha, irene

In my book "13 More Tunes Almost Nobody Plays" is the Peace Round by Jean Ritchie. I learned it from Maddie. I was a big jam session at O'Hurley's general store in Shepherdstown, VA and Maddie was there. She had been singing and jamming all night and when she got up to leave, everybody said, "Oh, Maddie sing just one more song." So she divided the room in to four groups (there were probably 30 or 40 of us there) and led us through the Peace Round, singing in parts. Once we got it and were singing loud and boisterously. She waived, turned and walked out of the room to our still singing.

It's one thing to make a great entrance, quite another to make a great exit.

I've attached the tune if anybody wants to download it. Ideally, you'd get three or four people together and play it in a round. Obviously, that can't happen right now.

peace_round.pdf - 51KB

Our backyard veggie plots take on a new sense of importance during these strange new times of self isolating. They become like the WWII "Victory Gardens" the govt used to encourage.

I have fresh veggie seeds coming in the mail soon from Park Seed Co.   But two days ago it was sunny and 55F and the weather predicted several days of rain and high in the forties for a week.  I couldn't resist- i hoed a little one square yard patch in my garden and planted the leftover 2019 lettuce and radish seeds from last year... might as well use it up and see what is still able to germinate.  Then when the fresh seed arrives I can start some of that too, a week later. I usually direct-seed into the ground the cold-loving things like lettuce, carrots, and radish.
Naturally, the next day all the rain forecasted turned into snow instead and this morning there's two and a half inches of New York snow out there. It'll briefly get up to 45 today and I'm hoping that's enough to melt it all.  I'm thinking those little seeds are still ok and that maybe 1/8 of them might wake up and sprout... hopefully just enough to get a few early leaves of leaf lettuce and a few radishes. The last time I did this same thing, i got zip ... but no harm in trying I guess!  In any case, it was therapeutic to be out there in the sun for an hour digging into the earth. 

I first met Maddie when both of us worked in Shenandoah National Park. I can't remember if we first met in 1971 or 1973.  Occasionally my wife and I would drive from our location at Loft Mountain to see and hear Maddie perform at Skyland. This was in her pre-mountain dulcimer days. She played guitar and (I think) was just beginning to play hammered dulcimer. We had some good times in the park, but lost track of each other after my wife and I finished our stint at Shenandoah in 1973. A few years later we reacquainted, when we saw she was presenting a concert in our area. By then she was playing mountain dulcimer and I had begun building them. Over the years our paths crossed a few times and I wound up submitting an article to DPN which led to my doing a few more on dulcimer builders. When Maddie and Ralph began mountain dulcimer week at Shenandoah University, I signed up. This led to my running sound for all the concerts and helping out by making copies for the workshop leaders. I also did a few workshops on dulcimer maintenance. All of this was at Maddie's urging ( she would not take "no" as an answer). She even managed to get me on stage to play with other workshop leaders. I must say that she was very good about getting me out of my comfort zone. She was always so positive and encouraging. Even though we did not see each other often, I will miss Maddie and our friendship.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."