Forum Activity for @richard-streib

Awesome build John. Sure looks good.

I am learning Sweet Betsy from Pike, (the tune) to play "You Smell Like Turtles" from Homer and Jethro. This was the flip side of "Daddy Played First Base." My husband and I have sung the Turtle song for many years, much to the dismay of family, friends and strangers.  Since almost all of their songs were parodies, finding the original music for most isn't hard. We also have a set of caving carols we do, to popular Xmas tunes.

Example:

Lost in a Crawlway

Lost in a crawlway trying hard to escape

To find the wrong entrance would be their sad fate

They came out an entrance 90 feet up a bluff

They only fell 80 but that was enough.

Just think: Dr. Demento's Greatest Hits on dulcimer. Guess I better start looking into that.

Great hearing from Butch by way of your interview!  It's been too long since I've seen him 'live'.  

Lisa, the pick is a new collar stay. It was never in a shirt. A local store had boxes of them for $3 for about 30 stays and collar extenders. The noter is the handle of a foam brush. I just cut off the foam when it was too hard to accept more paint.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

@hugssandi What a happy late-August Christmas!  I loved seeing the photos and reading your summary of the day, a time to cherish, I imagine.  <3

CGD Tuning? Fat and skinny frets? Who's the father? All this, and more, in my conversation with Butch Ross:

https://mdconversations.blogspot.com/2019/09/4-butch-ross-from-chattanooga-tn-usa.html

Sweet!

I'm pretty sure this day is my Christmas, and it did NOT disappoint again this year!  I put out there that our porch was open from 10AM-10PM, and this is what happened:  My husband kicked us off in the morning with a DJ set and some family line dancing.  In the afternoon a concertina showed up, followed by a singer/keyboardist.  Hazel and I also played violin/dulcimer.  An old neighbor showed up who always makes our toy Schoenhard piano sing.  Then a guitar/banjo player and his wife stopped by, followed by a couple who sang and played some spoons.  A couple more spectator came and listened for an hour, and then another singer.  At one point we had to put a bench by the van!  Lastly a friend and her daughter who plays flute and uke~she and Hazel played and sang us into the darkness.  OH SO GOOD!!!!!  

We had sweet tea and lemonade, salsa pinwheels, homemade chocolate chip cookies and brownies from my kids, watermelon, and cheese puffs.  OH so many pics to choose from!  LOL  There are more pics and vids on my fb album.

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Love, love, love!!!!!

Beautiful, John!

That matching possum board looks so good-- nicely done, John!  The new owner is, indeed, fortunate.  

Just completed, another walnut Thomas dulcimore with a matching possum board.

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I liked your video too, David... loved your elderly neighbor chuckling there at his own limberJill playing 

Robin, you and mark do such a wonderful duet dance between your two instruments... terrific porch playing!

@ken-longfield , is that an old collar stay pick?... and a hollow reed noter? 

David, I enjoyed your video!  How cool your neighbor came to get in on the fun, too.  

Nice picture, Ken L!  

Kevin & Steven-- I like insect accompaniment!  :)

Karen & I played on our porch for about 4 hours this morning. Here's a short video I made.

How interesting to run across this thread.  I am a long-time contra dancer as well as a flatfooter/clogger (was in a couple of different performance troupes for several years.  I love old-time dance and music so much that I wrote my dissertation on it all those many years ago (Creating Community: An Ethnography of Old-Time Dance Groups).  I'm getting ready to teach a flatfooting class this Fall at our local senior center.  Keep dancing, all.  Keeps us young, and you can't beat the music.  

Oh, cool, @dedicated-dad!  The mahogany looked lovely in the photo.  Enjoy! 

Great photo, Ken!.......No fire ants??!!! Kevin, you don't know what you're missing!

Here is my Play Music on the Porch Day Photo. I have one with me playing guitar as well.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

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I was playing outside too. A perfect day for it in these parts. I had fun too. Oh...I didn't have the Woodstock-like crowd of fire ants though. Just the accompaniment of locusts in the trees.

So, armed with my trusty dulcimores and my voice, I proceeded in wowing the Woodstock-like crowd with several operatic arias sung with my classically trained baritone voice, and my virtuoso playing........then I woke up from this dream, went outside on my porch and wowed the Woodstock-like crowd of fire ants with my rather less than virtuoso playing, and a voice only a frog would love! Had a Blast!!!!!

That's wonderful. What a great find. Enjoy.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

@ballad-gal I learned of it in 2016 on Facebook.  it's a great holiday!

So, Robin, how & when did you first learn of Music On The Porch Day, or did you initiate the world wide movement?

Have a great PMOTPD, friends! 

Karen has snacks for our porch too!

TODAY IS THE DAY!!!!!  We are up making snacks and drinks for our table...  And still kinda cleaning up...  And we are very excited!  

Don Grundy--Is the little Cedar Creek backpacker tuned to DAD or something else? thanks.

Yup, I just ran that signature pic through some photo editing filters and compared it with the one on amazon where you can buy his book.........I'd say that despite some differences, after all writing on wood and paper are two different things you are correct.

I believe I'd buy that dulcimore if I were you and it was priced a bit less than a good kidney.

Chet wrote a book on dulcimer building and provided the pattern that is the shape of that dulcimer. It is possible it was made by someone using Chet's book.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Yay, @dedicated-dad!  Good sleuthing.  Chet Hines was an Ohio maker.  :)

Thank you, Robin!  When I read your response, I googled "Bill Davis dulcimer" and found several pictures and forum postings about Mr. Davis and his dulcimers.  They were similar to my dulcimer, but not exact.  One of the postings said that this shape was used by Bill Davis and by another maker, Chet Hines.  I checked the signature, and I think it appears to be "C. Hines."  Mystery solved!  

What a cool instrument!  I'm throwing out a guess-- Bill Davis?

I have an opportunity to buy this dulcimer, but I can't quite make out the maker's name.  Any ideas who the maker might be?  Thanks.  

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Thanks, @redmando!  I'm enjoying your interviews.  

@jill-geary Yes, noter on the patio-- perfect! 

I love seeing y'all's responses! 

I'm having a dulcimer friend come over and we'll play on my screened in porch.  Last year we played on her's. I think this is just the best idea.  I love imagining people over the world playing outside, porch or no porch, and sending up music into the universe.

Hope Dorian isn't a problem for you Ken H.  Play something in that mode to ward it off.  Nina