Forum Activity for @jessica-comeau

The night of All Hallows Eve has also long been associated with the Irish harvest festival of Samhain. This year, I will celebrate with a concert that tells the story of a young woman going to a harvest ceili: how she prepares, who she meets there, and the tales that are told by the fireside. Come join me for an evening of story and song! To claim your seat for the concert, please send me a message on Facebook or at the email address from my website; then I will send you a concert link and my PayPal link ("name your price")! www.JessicaComeauDulcimer.com

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I’m looking at one of two different instruments. A Bill Berg #2292 short scale (all walnut), and a Black Mountain #56 in mahogany with an old growth redwood top. They’re both essentially the same price. For those experienced with both Bill and Dave, what are essential differences between these two that might help me to make a decision? I know real mahogany is hard to come by, and old growth redwood is impossible. Is there any other remarkable difference between builders and build style that anyone can point to? Thanks.

Amen Mr Turtle....

@lilley-pad, I would suggest first that you join the Four Equidistant Strings Group here at FOTMD.  Peruse what has already been posted, and if you still have questions, start a new discussion there.

Remember that there are several different ways to tune with 4 equidistant strings, so you need to specify the tuning before anyone can answer your question about chords.

The chart shared by @john-petry is for a chromatic instrument, so I don't know how helpful that will be.

I don't know the source....might help a bit?

Worth checking out the new book by Mark Tindle. It's specifically on 4-equidistant strings: 

https://tindlemusic.com/products/b103-the-essential-four-string-dulcimer

Howdy kids, just Jon Lilley here again. I have a question. I'm starting to play around with a four string equally spaced setup. My question has to do with how do you do chords with that setup. Any feedback would be appreciated. I have noticed that there are many good books online about using chords, but in the book description it doesn't have four strings equally spaced. as far as I can tell without buying the book. So how do you play chords with equally spaced strings 

Thanks, Ken. I certainly appreciate your experience and expertise. I’ve had some high-end stuff of all kinds, but I also know 2 things: 1) I don’t want to spend a lot until I know if I’m going to attain the proficiency to warrant it. 2) I want to spend enough that a lack of quality won’t frustrate and deter me. This happened with my brass instruments in school and through college. I was a music ed. major, and taught music for some years. So I’m looking at some moderately-priced stuff: McSpadden, Black Mountain, Feather, and Berg. His “beginner” model struck my eye, and it’s so much less expensive, it made me curious as to its quality.  Also looking at another model of his, as well.

Thank you, Ken!

There are several places where you can download tab for Ashokan Farewell.  Here is one of them: https://www.coloradodulcimerfestival.com/music/ashokan.pdf Jay Unger and Molly Mason do not seem to vigorously enforce the copyright for dulcimer clubs as far as learning the tune. I think if you were to record it for profit or as part of a streaming service regular performing rights would prevail. Just MHO.

Here is a simple arrangement from Digital Traditions: http://sniff.numachi.com/lookup.cgi?ds1=D&ds2=A&ds3=D&ti=ASHOK1&tt=ASHOK1&tab=d

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'm looking for dulcimer tablature (DAD) for Ashokan Farewell. It's copyrighted and I'll have to pay for it, of course. I've looked online and haven't been able to find it. I watched someone play on YouTube, but I couldn't see all the chords he was using. I'm a beginner/novice. I've been teaching myself for about five months and am attempting to play it. But the sheet music would be so much better for me. Right now it's all guesswork. 

Like my friend, I don't own, but have played some Bill's dulcimers. They were all of good quality. If I were looking for a new dulcimer I'd certainly look at his. My main dulcimer is a Folkcraft which I play with our local club. The dulcimer I currently play the most is one I built based on the CN Prichard pattern. I have a few what I consider to be historic instruments and a very nice high end dulcimer. I also have a few that I made for myself. I only share this to let you know I have some experience playing many different dulcimers.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank for looking!   Building ekeps me off the street occasionally!

@ken-hulme Thanks Ken!

@wally-venable I will have to get my hands on one of those books, thanks for the recommendation :)

@strumelia Interesting! From the wikipedia page on Barbara Allen: American folklorist  Harry Smith  was known to, as a party trick, ask people to sing a verse of the song, after which he would tell what county they were born in.

I love singing these songs that are hundreds of years old and thinking about how many people have sung them and enjoyed them over the years. I'd love to check out that book as well.

You’re doing some unusual and beautiful work.

I do occasionally build for sale.  You can see examples of my work on my Facebook page in Collections on the top left under my basic info.

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

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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: