Forum Activity for @strumelia

Melanie, everyone has to start somewhere. It's almost impossible to learn all methods and styles and tunings at the same time. But i also kinda hear that you are fearful of making the 'wrong' decision on what stuff to learn. I just want to say that it's perfectly ok to pick one kind of way of playing to try out for a while, and then to explore other ways of playing later on.

What you learn at first will not be set in stone.  In fact anything you learn in one method will actually help you understand things when you later try out a different playing style or approach. That's because in music, our knowledge base builds on what we have learned so far, it accumulates... so rather than thinking you'll have to UNlearn your prior stuff if you decide to explore a different playing style later, I think you'll find that learning new stuff comes more easily with time.  Hopefully, knowing that can help you relax a little about making decisions about playing styles, tunings, and techniques you are thinking about trying out.  It also makes sense to focus on one style or method at a time, rather than thinking you have to learn everything simultaneously... such as leanring the chords for Dad and DAA and DAC tunings all at the same time... No need to learn them all at the same time- pick your favorite tuning and stick with it until you get a hankering to try another!  :)

Thank you, Dusty. Now I understand. I should have realized that before, having played guitar in the past. I think it is helpful to put the chord name above the tab as you say you do on some out your tablature. That way, you see the finger fret placement and at the same time see what chord you are playing. Thank so much for your help!

Hi Strumelia:

I am in NE Florida, East Palatka, Florida, to be exact.  We are about 30 miles SW of St. Augustine, 65 miles south of Jacksonville, 45-50 east of Gainesville, and about a two-three hour drive north of Orlando.

Where are you located?

Hi Folks:

I am absolutely new at this.  I received a vintage (1975) Lucky Diamond Dulcimer as an early Christmas present.  I thought I would be able to start learning right away, but no.

It has wooden pegs and the strings look okay, but when I try to tune it, the pegs will not hold.  I am looking for a dulcimer luthier near me so that I can see if it needs some repair, and so I can learn.

Any suggestions?

Melanie, if you are following the tab of a song and a chord name is indicated on top, you are not supposed to stop playing the tab and play the chord.  The chord is for another instrument (like a guitar or another dulcimer) to accompany you.  The chances are, you are already playing that chord.  For example, if you are stumming across the strings in DAd, and you move from the open melody string up to the second fret, and then to the fourth fret, you are already playing D chords.  If you want to sing the song and play chords, by all means follow those chordal indications. But if you are playing tab, just play the tab.

For a long time I did not put chords in my tablature.  But over time I got frustrated that people in my local dulcimer group could play 3-1-0 if it were in the tablature, but if I asked them to play a G chord, they had no idea how to do it!  So I started putting the chord names in so that they would understand what chords they were playing when they followed the tab. 

Thank you, Dusty!! Yes, so far my dulcimer has been fairly respectful! :)  I think what throws me is to see tab with the chord symbol written on top. When I played guitar and sang with it, I played the chord at the proper time and all was good. But to play the melody note - sometimes the chord on top is impossible. I like your idea of experimenting. I think I'm going to give my ducimer (the one tuned in DAd) a name so we can be friends. Thanks again.

@Melanie-Cook, if you are playing across all the strings and have a 6+ fret, neither DAA nor DAd is better.  They are basically the same in the sense that you have exactly the same notes at your disposal.  It is true, however, that these days more dulcimer tab and instruction is created for DAd, so you will have more support if you learn that tuning.

Drone style players need to get used to re-tuning to be able play tunes in different modes, but those of us who fret across the strings can usually get those modes without retuning.

Unless your dulcimer points its fingers at you and laughs whenever you make a mistake, there is no reason to be intimidated. Frustrated, yes, we all get frustrated.  But not intimidated.  I think your plan is fine.  Learn some tunes by following tab written by others.  But also take time to just find melodies by ear on your own.  As you learn the chord shapes (there aren't that many of them) you will know what your options are for finding the right chord to play with a note.  But you should also experiment.  Once you find a melody note, try to find a note on another string that sounds good with it.  You don't have too many options since your hand can't reach that far.  Once you have found that one harmony note, see if you can find another on the third string.  And remember that in DAA, the middle and the melody strings are tuned the same, so you can always use the same fret, and in DAd, the bass and middle are an octave apart, so you can always use the same fret.

Thanks for these answers! I have been working with my dulcimer for a couple years and I still struggle with playing either DAA or DAd. In my mind, I'm thinking that I need to learn both but my senior mind is just not comfortable with learning chords in DAA and in DAd. Since I primarily want to play chord melody, I'm thinking DAd is best for a beginner/novice. I want to play with tab but also to just pick out a melody and then figure out the chords to go with it. For some reason, this instrument just intimidates me and I'm very frustrated!  Any suggestions?

Robin, i love it!  So fun and resourceful. 

We wear our jeans until they are ready to be cut to rags.  I was cutting a couple pairs of Mark's jeans apart and saved the leather tags from the waistband.  They feel really nice in my hand and give a good tone.  

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www.TheGreatCourses.com has issued a twelve lesson DVD course on the musical heritage of America.  Although it does not appear to deal with the Appalachian dulcimer, it may be of interest to some on this forum.  The instructor is Anthony Seeger, curator and Director Emeritus of Smithsonian Folkways Recordings.  

The description lists the following twelve lectures/lessons:

1. Inheriting America's Musical Instruments

2. American Revolutionary and Wartime Music

3. European Empires and American Music

4. Minstrel Shows and Variety shows

5. Music of American Movement and Dance

6. Hymns, Spirituals, and Chants in America

7. Brass Bands, Powwows, and Folk Festivals

8. American Music of Politics and Protest

9. the Banjo: An African Gift to American Music

10. The Roots of Country Music in America

11. American Piano, Ragtime, and Early Jazz

12. The Musical Gumbo of New Orleans

In essence the DVD course is an overview of America's music, and as such, it may be of interest to some on the forum even though it doesn't deal directly (as far as I can tell) with the Appalachian dulcimer.

Priced at $199.95 retail, it is currently on sale for just $39.95 for the complete 12 DVD course.  Enjoy!

https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/americas-musical-heritage.html

Thanks for the advice on converting to left-handed--if this dulcimer becomes mine.  (The longer it lingers in my 'temporary' care while the owner decides its fate--and the closer it gets to Christmas--the greater my hope that lovely wife is scheming to obtain it at a price that fair to all of us!)

The nice folks at McSpadden say they'd be glad to do it, if I end up owning it, for about $10 worth of labor and the price of strings next time we're in Mountain View.

In the meantime, I'm keeping my fingers crossed...except when I'm playing it, of course.  Thanks again to all who've shared information in this thread.  I hope all of you will have a blessed holiday season.  

Strumelia, my wife is the queen of chicken soup and often makes a new batch every day.  You think I'm exaggerating, but I'm really not.  And not just in the winter, but even in the summer, which drives me crazy and leads to arguments about the cost of air conditioning.  Sometimes she makes what she calls vegetable soup, but she still uses a chicken broth.  For that reason, when I make soup I tend to use vegetable broth to get a break.

Yes, miso has no expiration date.  It's kind of scary how long it lasts in the refrigerator.

I've been told that honey is the only "food" that doesn't spoil.

I think I'll stay away from the frozen woolly mammoth meat, though.  That stuff might have been infected with diseases that have been extinct for 10,000 years.  No reason to bring it back.

Dusty that soup sounds wonderful.  I make something a little like it, sort of with root veggies in the winter- golden beets is my fave to add in, and I make the base chicken brith.  But i do have miso in a jar in the fridge- and you've inspired me to pull it out and make some up soon!  I also made some udon noodles in chicken bouillion a few days ago- but I forgot I had the miso paste and will use that next time!  I read that miso paste is fermented and keeps well for years or indefinitely in the fridge if you don't introduce other stuff in the jar.  My refrigerated miso paste still looks, smells, and tastes great after 3 years now.     They actually found honey in 2,000 year old Egyptian tomb jars.. that was perfectly edible!  Also much older edible wooley mammoth meat in the frozen tundra.   !!

Well the cold (for California) weather has set in, and after all the buttery, gravy-laden Thanksgiving grub, I thought I needed a cleaning.  So last night I made a bit batch of one of my cold weather standards. I call it "hearty vegetable miso soup."  I start with vegetable broth and toss in whatever vegetables I'm in the mood for.  This time around I added onions, bell peppers, orange cauliflower, broccoli, and asparagus.  Seasoned with onion powder, garlic powder, and whatever else I'm in the mood for. I even added a teaspoon of a pre-made barbecue sauce and a couple of shakes of hot sauce.  Get that up to a boil and then turn it down.  Then add a big tablespoon or two of miso paste, which doesn't like to boil but needs to be really hot to dissolve easily.  Once that's all mixed in I add some cubed tofu and top it off with a sliced green onion.  I made enough to last a few of days, but when I have some later today or tomorrow I might add some chicken or salmon or some other protein. It's remarkably tasty and filling while still being really low in carbs and fats.

In the past, less concerned with carbs, I used to toss in some udon noodles.  But that's how flexible this dish is. The soup is great for parties when different people have different dietary restrictions. You can make noodles, chicken, beef, pork, or seafood, and just have all that  available on the side for people to add into their soup, which starts out vegan and gluten-free.

Folkcraft makes a cardboard dulcimer kit for around $75 US. The advantage to this is that (unlike apple creek and some of the other cheap, foreign-built models) the fretboard is going to be spot on. Plus it shouldn't be too hard to remake the cardboard part in that cherry you mentioned sometime down the road.

Here's the link

@marg I hadn't thought of weighting the chopstick some way when I've given using a striker tries.  Thanks for the idea!

Such sweet looking fur friends, all! 

RobinT... you got another doggie?   Do post a pic here soon if you can!

Our three kitties are doing fine lately- they all happen to be in their prime and healthy (knock on wood).  The only downside of that is that they'll all get old at the same time... might wind up being difficult for us!

Anne, I'm glad Bran is doing well!  We wound up with a stray dog about a month ago. . . One never knows what will present.  

Robin NC, Ollie sure is a handsome boy!

If your dulcimer is a standard size with a scale length of 25-29", it's unlikely you could tune a thin string way up to the "a" above the usual high d.  Once you use a .007 or thinner string, and tune it up to such a high note on the standard size scale, that very thin string will almost certainly break under the tension. There's only so far you can go with the method of using a thinner string to tune higher and a thicker string to tune lower... going too far will mean a string so fat it will be unplayable and thuddy, or a string so thin it will simply break before it reaches the extreme high note.  When you've reached those string gauge extreme limits either way (too low or too high), the next step is to switch to an instrument with a longer scale or a shorter scale, so that you CAN tune to those notes without having to use impossibly heavy or thin strings.

Dusty brings up some good thoughts in his post.  And I too am curious about your goal in tuning this way.   :)

Hi @Marg,

First, you should know about the Strothers String Gauge Calculator , which will calculate an appropriate string gauge once you enter the vibrating string length (VSL, or the distance between the bridge and nut) and the note you want to play. The calculator errs on the light side, so feel free to go one or two gauges heaver.

Second, can I ask how you play and why you want to tune this way? 

If you play in a drone style, ADa is considered a "reverse ionian" tuning, meaning you would still be playing in the key of D, but the drones are reversed, with the root being on the middle string and the fifth on the bass string.

If you play chords and fret all strings, ADa is a common tuning for baritone dulcimers when the player wants to play in the key of D to play with standard dulcimers tuned DAd or DAA.  In the case of baritone dulcimers, the middle string would be tuned to the same D as the bass string of a standard dulcimer, with the bass string a fourth below that and the melody string a fifth above.

The 3/4-size instruments such as the McSpadden Ginger or Ron Ewing's baritone dulcimette are sometimes tuned to A as well.  They would be an octave above the baritone, with the bass string being the same as the middle string on a standard dulcimer.

Unless you are using the "reverse ionian" tuning to play in D, however, a normal tuning in A for either the baritone dulcimers or the octave versions of the baritone dulcimers would be AEE or AEa.

It sounds like you are trying to get the Ginger tonal range on a standard dulcimer. You can possibly do it, but you will need to identify the correct string gauges sing the calculator linked to above.  But note that most people who tune that way use a smaller dulcimer, not a standard-sized dulcimer.

And I'm still curious why you want to tune this way.

This is from a few years ago, I was just trying to hammer a tune. I wanted something other then strum strum with a pick. I am using a chopstick with a brass sleeve over the end I strike with. 

I'm not sure how to tune to A-d-a, I checked the string gage and it had 13-10--07 but every time I try with a 07 string it breaks. Am I going to high and it should be all lower?

I have the bass string A like an A middle string, I have middle d like a d melody string, what tuning should the a now melody string be, very high a or i'm all wrong?

One of my two cats. This is Ollie.  He was named Dolly when we adopted him at the shelter, but he was so fluffy we couldn't tell immediately that the paperwork was wrong. He was indeed a male! So Dolly became Ollie.  He's 16 pounds, and appears to be either Ragdoll, Ragdoll mix, or a Ragamuffin. And he's got all the behavioral traits to go along with the looks and size.

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Thanks Robin for such a lovely video. I use a hammer from my hammered dulcimer. HD hammers have just the right balance, making it easier to pick out individual notes, and create that distinctive bouncy sound... Robert

Bran is doing very well, thank you! I will have to give him a manicure and rub some cream into his paws tomorrow - the trouble with putting anything on cats paws is that they will insist on licking it off - I use paw paw ointment, so at least it tastes nice!

He had another little breakthrough moment last week, when he voluntarily hopped up on to my lap and snuggled up for a cuddle, with purrs! Although he will hop into bed and cuddle up, this is the first time he has stayed on my lap for more than a
passing-through minute. It is all small steps for him, but he is getting better every day. Another little 'test' will happen tomorrow when the cleaning lady comes, as he really hates the noise - if he doesn't bolt for cover straight away we will count that as a win!

This Christmas will be his third with me, and he has more than repaid the investment of time and energy - he is such a sweetie! The senior cat, Pug, is also much better with him now, although the kitchen rough and tumble gets a bit willing! 

I have out a request to the universe for a dog - I really miss my Jack the Ripper! This time, however, I want an inside-outside dog, about miniature poodle size (don't want a poodle though - been there, done that!) who will be inside with me, or out and about with me, and who won't murder the cats! If the universe is feeling generous that's what will turn up on my doorstep. I'm not going looking, but will wait for the 'right' one to come along! 

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@anne-maguire How is Bran doing?  

@david-bennett With a name like Sally Ann, she has to like old-timey music.  :)

@bryan-fridlund I've imagined Doug Thomson's hammer is used that way.  It may feel more balanced in the hand than a found object of some kind used as a striker.

Doug Thomson at www.banjomer.com makes a fretted dulcimer hammer. I wonder if it could be used as a “striker”?  

When we first got Sally Ann she didn't seem to have any interest in the dulcimer when I played it.  Then she got to where she seemed to like it in small doses but after a couple songs I was expected to stop and play with her instead. Then last week she's taken to sitting between my feet while I play and actually seems to enjoy it.

Thank you for the name correction, @pierre-yves-donnio and @john-shaw!  I've edited the posting.  

From my experience of trying to use a striker, John Shaw's pointing-out the important factor of having a loose well-balanced hold is true.  

I've tried this with knitting needles.....to me, playing this way is about as easy as touching your nose with your elbow!

Don, I don't use iTunes or Spotify, so I can't help you with those streaming services.  But I would say that the most relaxing dulcimer music I've ever heard is Mark Kailana Nelson's CD Ke Kukima Polinahe: Hawaiian and Polynesian Music for Appalachian Dulcimer .  That link takes you to YouTube, where you can hear the whole album.  He also released a book of tab for the music on the CD, but I've never learned any of the tunes.  I strongly recommend the album, though.  Whenever I feel really stressed I put on that music, close my eyes, and relax on a breezy island in the Pacific.

John Molineux uses a chopstick or a ball point pen.  The "secret" of his technique is that he holds the stick very loosely, well balanced so that it bounces a little and does a few further light hits on the string.  (This is something I've never been able to manage, as I can't stop myself holding it far too stiffly.)

Be sure to look at these two other fun discussions on the use of strikers (also called "fiddlesticks" technique)... they include a video showing use on an epinette, which is like a small mtn dulcimer:

https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/general-mountain-dulcimer-or-music-discussions/4572/fiddlesticks#r4575

https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/general-mountain-dulcimer-or-music-discussions/22623/oh-fiddlesticks

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving.  Instead of crawling the mall or online shopping, I spent my Black Friday cleaning up the new-to-me dulcimer.  The top had separated from the sides a little, and there was a small crack in the headstock, so repairs were in order. With that done, I went on to the clean up process.  It was really gunky but cleaned up great.   I ended up making a new nut from one that came from a mandolin and adjusting the bridge.  It put me right where I need to be.   

The only problem I see now is that the frets are quite skinny (sorry no measurement here, but I'm familiar with fret size on mandolins and guitars and can tell relative size).  I am wondering if I should try to replace the frets with something a bit larger.  The frets also seem to be well worn and probably need to be replaced anyway.

The tuners were stiff and super gunky. I cleaned the buttons, cleaned the gears and posts, and oiled the gears. The tuners now turn smoothly and hold the tuning well. I'm pleased that they did work out okay since I figured I'd have to replace them.

After cleaning it all up, I researched wood and think it is made of honduran mahogany with a walnut fingerboard, and after further inspection think it may be solid wood.  The strings that were installed on the dulcimer were apparently guitar strings that were way too hefty for this 31 -inch instrument. I put on some d'Addario dulcimer strings tuned DAA, and now it has a resonant and mellow tone. 

For a free dulcimer I can't be more pleased.  Now to learn how to play it. I ordered a couple of Mel Bay books and will start on the learning process in the next few days.

Thanks for your insight and assistance with this.  You got me on the right track.

First thing in the morning I put on a hymn or relaxing piano playlist on my IPhone.

Do you know of a relaxing CD or playlist on ITunes or Spotify that is strictly the mountain dulcimer?

That use of a striker is fun and intriguing. I will try this but anyone seen any videos of mountain dulcimer instructors using this technique?