Forum Activity for @robin-thompson

I love this!

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=6knLaDmjhYk#dialog

I've been away down in Tyler, Texas with my brother that has also taking to making instruments.   He's made several ukulele's and guitars and his intruments are awesome.  So we finished 2 dulcimers and had sooooooo much fun working in his shop.   He has a big shop and one shirt that says it all, "I'm one tool away from greatness".  I missed going to this site daily like I do when I'm home.  I've loved using a little hammer, Lois displayed the one that I use now.  I'll see if I can get someone to film me playing THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY while using my striker.  I LOVED seeing the videos of folks using the "fiddlesticks" I Use that expression ALL THE TIME........now I have a visual of how they are used and what they're called.  OH TOOOOOOOOOOO FUN.  aloha, irene

I found the Nature Coast Dulcimer Works site. That repair looks very similar to the one I did. That's cool having a Diamond dulcimer with f-holes. I don't think they made a lot of them like that. Enjoy your dulcimer. Lucky, Louise, and the crew were pioneers in the revival era of dulcimer building.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi Ken:  I just looked at the picture you included, and that one looks very much like mine.  Instead of the diamond sound holes, mine has the f scroll openings like a violin has, which I'm very pleased with, as I have an 1840s vintage French violin that was handed down in the family.

Hi Ken:

Sorry about that, google Lucky Diamond Dulcimers, and it will come up.

Mine is a 6 stringer also.  My husband perused eBay and found this one--w/o my knowledge as it is supposed to be a Christmas present.  But my husband liked the looks, and the fact that a long history of Diamond Dulcimers came with it.  Lynn talked the seller down $100.00, and now I have it.

I have copied the pictures that were on the eBay site, before the page goes away.  But, in my opinion, the pictures aren't very good because the wood looks very dark, and in real life, it is not.  It is a mellow, golden brown color--to me anyway.  I'll have to see if I can somehow capture some good pictures of it and post them.

Thank you

No, I'm not. I'm In central Pennsylvania. The Diamond I repaired was a six-string dulcimer. Talk about a long peg head. Here is a photo of the repaired dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

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@ken:  Hi!  Are you the fellow in Inverness, Florida, that repaired a peg head on a Diamond dulcimer built for a Mike in 1977?  I found that website and found it VERY interesting.

I understand about lazy Sundays; my husband and I spent today as one of those also.

Thank you for the information.

I'm pretty sure that Lucky used a floating bridge. I just checked a photo of a Diamond dulcimer I repaired, the peg head was broken off, and it looks like a floating bridge. If I go into my shop records I could confirm that, but I'm too lazy this afternoon to head down to the basement.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank heavens this site offers a way to review as I'm in only intermittently lately.  Saw this about strikers & wanted to show a simple one I was given (so they must be inexpensive).  It was part of last year's Christmas dulcimer workshop at Elderly Instruments in Lansing, Michigan, so they may carry them.  It's about an 1/8th of an inch thick & my husband thinks it may be oak.  I'm adding a photo as many of you could make one.  I'm using mine for the last verse of Good King Wenceslaus.

 striker.jpg - 40KB

More than likely it is a floating bridge and that is, in my opinion a good thing because you can adjust it for some subtle tuning, not much but some anyway.  If you are going to tune it DAA and replace the strings I would use 12-14-22 or so and see if you like that feel........I dislike having floppy strings when using DAA, which is a really good tuning, as is CGG.  I have plenty of strings so don't worry about finding any in Palatka.  I do have an extra tuner that you can have to start with, though if you are going to play by yourself you can learn to tune that old rascal just fine without one.

So far as your pegs slipping, that can probably be remedied easy enough.  Warren May uses plain old chalk on his pegs to cut down on that issue.  Just remember that you really have to turn the peg and push in on it until it grabs.  Anyway, if you wish I'll do what I can to get you up and running ......I sent you a private message with a phone number, call when you will and I can meet you at Ollie's or somewhere like that and check that Lucky out.

In fact, I just got back from the teeming Palatka metropolis a bit ago.

Hi SS:  The measurement between the nut and the bridge is a tad over 28", not quite a full half inch.  If I measure from the nut to the tiny nails the string start on, it  measures a full 30".  Actually the bridge is loose.  I have read about 'fixed' bridges and 'floating' bridges.  Is it  possible mine is a floating bridge?  I can see the mark on the wood fretboard where itt is supposed to sit, but see no signs of old glue...

Thanks in advance.

The good news is that the Key of "D" major and its various chords are the same regardless of which tuning you choose as your primary tuning.  If you play from tablature, the fret numbers will be different, but the musical notes won't be different.  Two people, one tuned D-A-d and the other tuned D-A-A, can play together rather easily.  However, if you play from tablature or chord diagrams, you are better off sticking to one tuning in your early stages of learning.  

If you decide to play without tablature or chord diagrams, you won't even have to change your tuning to match those with whom you play.  As long as you both are playing in the same key, you will sound just fine.  After all, guitars, banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, etc. can and do play together without being tuned exactly the same.  In each case, the musician is using his/her knowledge of their instrument to play in the specified key.

Just sit back and enjoy the tuning you have chosen.  If you decide to explore different tunings at some point in the future, your skills will easily transfer.

You know how in school knowledge in third grade built on knowledge from first grade?  That's how playing out of different tunings has been for me.  Perhaps your experiences will prove to be similar to my own.  Happy strumming! 

Thank you all so much for your responses. It does settle my mind a bit. I think I'm going to primarily stay in DAd but I do noodle a bit with my noter on DAA. Thanks again!

Strumelia said in part to Melanie, "What you learn at first will not be set in stone."

I've found out that is true. Like Melanie when I started playing the dulcimer I struggled with should I learn DAA or DAD (at the time I didn't think I had the musical ability to learn more than one). The traditional part of me wanted DAA but I knew everyone where I live played DAD so I went DAD since I thought I'd get more help playing. I did the DAD thing for several years, but since then have added DAA and it was quite easy to do. For me there were many advantages to DAA that I won't go into now other than to say for me noodling out a song I've never played before is easier (again, for me) in DAA.  So now with our dulcimer jam group I play DAD and for my own enjoyment at home mostly DAA/CGG. Point being is it really that hard to add some different tunings, just go slow if you need to.

What a marvelous discussion. It touches on my dilemma as well. With all types of learning it has always been more difficult for me to 'unlearn' something than learn it so I've been hesitant to stray from DAA. I want to, probably need to but don't have the required gray matter to cope with a bad decision. This discussion is very encouraging. By the way, my dulicmer and I have an understanding ... mutual respect and I continue to gather kindling from outdoors. 

One other point Melanie-  there's no law separating chord style completely from drone style playing.  Lots of tunes that are played in DAd tuning utilize playing the melody almost all on the melody string, with an occasional chord thrown in. So while doing that you are also developing some of the skills and understanding needed for noter drone playing anyhow.
And when you strum in drone style you may not realize it but you are sometimes producing 'chords' without fretting them, on the open drones strings.
Like I said, there are many ways to build on your skillset... so no need to get too apprehensive about learning lots of different things.  Much learning and understand just comes naturally as you play more, no matter what style you are currently playing in.   :)

You do.........click on your name upper right corner............private messages, create new message , enter salt springs for recipient and then the text..............check and see if the one I just sent got to you by clicking on your name.

Thank you, Strumella for the good advice. I have to admit that chord melody is what I want to master but I also love the noter drone style too. I think I'll work on the DAd tuning and get that going and then experiment with DAA. I think that was my issue - that if I learn the notes and chords for one tuning - then I had to unlearn it to play the other. Thanks again!

WoW!

Thank you for such a nice welcome.  This looks like a very nice community.

@saltsprings:  Being a newbie to this forum, I'm not sure I have PM ability yet.  I know from other forums I have been a member of (and one I am a Moderator of) it usually takes x number of posts before one is able to PM someone.  I am very interested, though.

Thank!

If you want to meet up in Palatka One Day or even Salt Springs send me a private message...........strings are not a problem and I doubt the pegs are going to be much of an issue either.   Most of mine have wooden pegs and they can be a bit tricky to get used to tuning. A Lucky Diamond Dulcimer is a nice gift.  If you want include some contact info in your message and I'll drive over to Palatka and take a gander at it.  I can probably find a tune for you and if it needs new strings get those to you, I'll just have to check and see what the distance is between the nut and bridge.  In the mean time, you might just pull one of the tuners out a bit and put some chalk on it and see if that helps it hold.  Measure the distance between the nut and bridge and I'll check and see what I have for strings in my box of goodies.  Feel free to get in touch with me, I go to Palatka about 3 times a week anyway.

Angelina, Lucky made his dulcimers with a long vibrating string length making them perfect for noter/drone style playing. You can check, but I think the length is about 29 inches. I think he originally tuned them to CGG and later used DAA. Of course, with the proper strings you can  tune to DAd.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank you Ken.  I will follow up on this.

Interestingly enough I also have a historic violin that has come down in the family.  I have had several lessons on that, but had to give up the lessons when my mother developed Alzheimer's.  My step-daughter has it now as she is learning violin, but I wonder how similar/dissimilar those pegs are to these?

Plus, I think this instrument may need to be looked at by a professional, as it is vintage, and may have problems I can't see.

Thank you for your response.

Welcome to the wonderful world of dulcimer!  It really is a very easy instrument to get started with.

Wooden pegs are great once you get used to them, but there can be a bit of a learning curve.  Try the Music Lessons shop on Crill Ave in Palatka.  There may be a good acoustic music shop in St Augustine, but these guys are closest for you.  They aren't dulcimer people, but can probably come up with a bottle of Peg Dope for you, and show you how to apply a drop to each peg (only rarely) and then how tighten/loosen and tune the strings. Tell them you want to tune the dulcimer to DAd (D4, A4, D5).  They will also have a electronic tuner to buy that you will use to tune the dulcimer.

Here's an article I wrote several years ago, for beginners such as yourself.  It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms, plus answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new friend.

https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/dulcimer-resourcestabs-books-websites-dvds/17129/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what-article

I'm down in Fort Myers, on the Gulf Coast.  If there's anythng I can do to help, message me here or through Farcebook, and I'll do what I can to help you get going.  

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.