Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

One basic string height setup that we often use is known as the Nickel & Dime technique. You can lower the strings even more, but this is a good place to start:

Place a dime next to the 1st fret and see how close the strings are to the coin.  Sand the bottom of the Nut until the strings just touch the dime. Now balance a nickel on top of the 7th fret, and check the height of the strings.  Sand the bottom of Bridge until the strings just touch the nickel.  

If you have not done so, and it sounds like you are working through a learning curve, may I recommend you go to Bearmeadow.com and read through all of the building and adjustment tips and instructions that DW has posted..........it is great information and will help you a great deal.

Proedrick, the issue with the terminology is not a big deal.  If the strings sit on top of the box, the instrument is in the zither family (like the dulcimer or autoharp). If the strings extends past the box, we call that a neck, and the instrument is in the lute family (like a guitar or mandolin).  

In the picture you posted, the head of the dulcimer extends past the body, but the fretboard sits on the box itself, so technically it has no neck.  

Incidentally, this is one reason why purists don't consider stick dulcimers to be dulcimers. The "stick" is the neck of the instrument, so from an organological (fancy word, huh ) point of view, the instrument is in the lute family rather than the zither family regardless of whether it has a diatonic fretboard or not.

Hey Phroedrick, I guess you have to call this a time-consuming lesson. I have no knowledge of lutherie, so I would have no idea how to fix fret buzz. But when I've brough an instrument in to a shop for that reason, the luthiers always eyeball the fretboard first, looking to see how flat it is.  I would think that actually working with the frets would be the last adjustment to make. I'm sure it's been frustrating for you.

And hey, River City Dulcimers is meeting this Saturday in Roseville if you want to make a drive.  I know it's a schlep, but you'll have folks to commiserate with. You're more than welcome to join us.

David, your Sheba is very sweet looking! 

We have a kitty named Sheba too!- she's a brown tabby. We usually call her by her silly nickname, Boo Boo. 

Phroe...  I'm thinking you'll eventually have to make a decision whether to continue putting in your time and expense to make this a dulcimer that is enjoyable to play . Sometimes we just have to let an instrument-fixing project go and chalk it up to good learning experience. But only you can decide where that point might be in your personal scale of pros and cons. You might opt to keep this instrument as a good one for hauling around to campouts or trips without having to worry about it like you would with a more expensive dulcimer. Or it may be the instrument that prompted you to make one from scratch. Or it may be the one that caused you to go out and try some dulcimers made by known and respected makers. You have lots of choices as to how to see this and what to do next.  But I think your attitude has been real positive through this experience. 

Point of terminology, Phroedrick --- dulcimers do not have necks.  Dulcimers have fretboards, with or without fingerboards.  Necks extend beyond the soundbody, fretboards do not.    Also, dulcimers seldom have a saddle.  The vast majority have a bridge set on fretboard, or in a slot in the fretboard; even dulcimers with dis-continuous fretboards seldom have a saddle.  Instead they use a banjo or violin style tall bridge.

In your discussion you mention both fretboard straightness, and bow.  Dulcimer fretboards, especially old dulcimer fretboards, were often made with a distinct bow from say 3rd fret to 12th or thereabouts.  The bow is/was intended to accommodate the elliptical nature of vibrating strings, being deepest near the 7th fret and shallowest at either end.

It is still quite an unusual instrument to see and hear in the UK @robin-thompson , but we are trying hard to get it heard!

Hi Jim - this is a good choice! It will be YOUR song...

I'm thinking of doing "Good Christian Friends, Rejoice". Is anyone doing that one, Ariane?

Yes, Ken, we are 27 participants now - so I can prolong or add at least to New Year or if there will be more even to Epiphany.

How about adding a 12 days of Christmas to the end of Advent.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song,'

If what you bought is a Hughes dulcimer, there are no parts available and haven't been for decades; you'll just have to make your own nut and bridge.  A long shot is that you might find a long un-assembled Hughes kit on Ebay, or an assembled one you can scavage for parts.  

Geoffrey Johnson worked for the Hughes Dulcimer Company in Colorado.  Here's a link to a picture of him and someone else with a dulcimer and another under construction, which I assume may  be one he made for the Hughes Dulcimer Company.  Hughes Dulcimer Company was owned by Virgil Hughes.

https://www.gettyimages.ie/detail/news-photo/do-it-yourself-dulcimers-geoffrey-johnson-of-hughes-news-photo/161884278?adppopup=true

From the picture and caption it appears Johnson sold Hughes dulcimer kits and conducted workshops where the kits were assembled.

Thanks for this interview-- I had familiarity with neither Tony nor his music!  Also, Tony mentions Kim Lowings and I know she has been a member here at FOTMD though am not sure whether she still has a page here or not.  The Appalachian dulcimer is alive and well far from the Appalachians!  :)  

Hi Jim,

we are now 25 participants - but I can imagine that there will be some more who are interested in joining in - so that I might be able to prolong the calendar with an "between the years" calendar from Dec 25 respectively Dec 26 until New Year

Or if there will be another 24 participants I could do a second advent calendar which I could post each in two different places, for example one here on fotmd and one in the dulcimer facebook groups.

So I am looking forward to receiving the link of your youtube video (by preference) or soundcloud audio.

I very much appreciate that you will participate.

Is there still room for me to add to the Advent Calendar, Ariane?

Hi Ken, this hymn is a very good choice - I like it very much.

If you like you could do a youtube video either that one can see you playing or with a filmed winter/advent scene or with winter/advent photo(s) - of course you could also send me the link to a soundcloud audio - just as you like to.

I've just spent the last hour viewing Randy's youtube videos.   And he plays those babies hard....and those frets last 8 years?   wow.  I'd like to learn more about this way of making frets.   I like the staple frets that Dan puts on his dulcimers too.  It would be cool to try different kinds.  I love what I learn here!!!   aloha, irene

I have one of Randy's dulcimers and I can attest to the fact that the wood (toothpick) frets hold up under noter playing.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Okay, Ariane. I am thinking of recording "O Lord, How Shall I Meet You." The tune is Wie Soll Ich Dich Empfangen in our Lutheran Hymnal.

I can record it in Garageband and then up it to Soundcloud.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Continuing my series of conversations with dulcimer players, here's a chat I had with Tony Gillam - how he first bought an upside-down French dulcimer; how he likes to play unexpected tunes; and about his music for well-being sessions. 

https://mdconversations.blogspot.com/2019/09/7-tony-gillam-from-worcestershire-uk.html

Thanks @susie @robin-thompson and @steven-berger - I would love to meet up with Kendra and Bob and talk dulcimer heritage. Maybe we will persuade them to come over to the UK for a dulcimer festival sometime.

Ken, I so much appreciate that you will join in

I am creating a list for me with all the participants and tunes they suggested - in case there will be duplications I will get in contact and would ask for the possibility of another tune.

Since the online calendar which I will be going to use only accepts links I would need a link of a youtube video or a soundcloud audio to copy into this calendar - a recording alone would not work. 

Please let me have any further questions.

Yes, Robin, I am so very happy that Mark has given the only correct answer to your question if he liked to participate with you - I am looking forward to "your" Advent calendar little door.

Looks good, John!

I would like to participate. Are you compiling a list of Advent hymns to avoid duplication or do we just choose what we want to play and email you the recording?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

wayyyyyyyyyyyy cooooooooooooool bluuuuuuuuuuuuuuue.   aloha, irene

looks great can't wait to get it

I look forward to seeing what you decide to do with the fingerboard!  Perhaps tied frets with Nylagut strings?  Fretless is darn cool, too.  

Very nice John. 

Doggone cool, John!  I'd play it like a fretless.  :)

Looks great John!!!

See something a little different here?  I've noticed that when I play the scale, I get "od-it-al-los-af-im-er-od..."  Oh-- everything's BACKWARDS.  This is a left-handed poplar Thomas dulcimore that was requested by a customer of mine.

 Left hand Thomas 004.JPG - 237KB

You could just replace the bridge and not worry about the saddle.

Before sanding, you might want to try some Hill Peg Compound, which is a substance used by fiddle players to make the pegs turn more freely.  I have used it successfully on a number of occasions to get a smoother and more accurate tuning with wooden tuning pegs.  It comes in a tube (like chapstick) and is not expensive considering one tube will probably last you a lifetime.  Just rub a little on the tuning peg where it makes contact with the peghead.  You can purchase some on E-Bay if your local music store doesn't carry it.

Tied frets (a la Lute) will be 'way too soft with metal strings, and they'll cut the frets.  If you want to use wooden frets, as Salt Spring suggests, use bamboo or ebony or Lignum vitae -- again, anything softer just won't work well; I know.... I tried.

A "removeable" fingerboard on top of that fretboard just isn't going to work.   99 and 44/100th percent of dulcimer builders decide well before hand what kind of fret setup they are going to use. 

Installing conventional "mushroom" frets involves sawing really thin, undersized slots in the fretboard and then hammering the frets into the slots so they stay by friction.  Installing traditional staple frets involves drilling pairs of teenie holes (.035" or so) and then bending large staples from oversize wire and hammering them into the holes.