Forum Activity for @lorraine

Made the old world 10 strings lyre and the 22 string lynda lyre from kits from musicmakets.

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My husband and I live in an old masonic temple building. We have our desks side-by-side in the dining room. It's not a cozy corner, but we are pretty comfortable here. 

Giving the photo tutorial a try ...here's my "pretty music room" off of the living room, closed with pocket doors, kept simple with the least amount of clutter and bookshelf with musical history, theory, FAKE books etc. A laptop computer (with some music apps) and printer/scanner.  On the left, my little "video recording booth" in my basement music room.  A folding screen, PVC pipe suspending a camera overhead, a clamp light, a cork strip to pin sheets of music, a some storage pockets for picks, tuners, water, pens, READING GLASSES. I've since encased it in quilts and throw rugs as an experiment after seeing Robin's music room.

Yay! Glad it's a little clearer now. It's not the most intuitive function to follow.

THANK YOU..I was attempting that but only saw it offer up photos I already had posted on this forum, to embed...carried it out further per your instructions and included resize instructions....works perfectly.  So appreciate!

To do that, when you are writing your post you click on the little icon that looks like a film strip ("embed local media")- that icon is to the left of the Smiley button in the text editor window.

Once in that window, select the SIZE you want the image to be in the left side dropdown menu.  XL or XXL works well. Then you click the " Select an image to upload and insert" button to the right.  (To insert an image this way, the image must be on your computer somewhere, not just on the internet someplace). When you click that 'Select' button, it'll take you to where you can browse to the image on your computer that you want to embed in the post. Here's a bit more description for this method:
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/site-questions-how-do-i/20103/attaching-adding-a-picture-into-my-posts

However- When you see the thumbnail and text link for an image, it's when folks have used the "Attach file" button easily seen at bottom of text editor window. Try clicking right on the thumbnail pic itself to open it right there to see it full size.  Clicking on the text link will simply download it to your computer.

Janene, if you click on the TEXT link, it downloads the picture to your computer.  If you click on the thumbnail of the image itself, it should open it right there in a window for you to see full size. Does it not behave the same way for you?  You should not have to download the image if you click directly on the little picture.

Charles, your playing spot is so neat, in the sense of being tidy.  OK, I confess. I cleaned my nook and got rid of a lot of the clutter.  Posting a picture was a good incentive to clean the area.  The little guy sitting on my desk is a limberjack my father got for me at a flea market over 30 years ago.  I made him dance when some of us played at a hospital recently.  No one had ever seen one before and they really loved it.

As for posting the picture, it took me forever and I was surprised when it worked.  I can't tell you what I did because I tried so many ways until it worked.  Nina (AKA Dulcinina)

Friends, I used EMBED LOCAL MEDIA and re-sized the photo-- I'm using an old iPad mini running Safari.  I'm not sure what caused that to work for me and not for anyone else who tried the EMBED route.  

Tindle photo

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Does anyone know anything about a tindle dulcimer, I can't find out anything on line. The group I play with just received one of his and I was hoping to find out some info. 

Charles, you did the same thing I did.  I had to DOWNLOAD your photo fully, then open it into a PAINT program to see it, then resize it.  Look at Robin and Strumelia.  Their photos appear full-size in the message, not a little postage stamp to be downloaded like ours.

Janene, I put the photo in by clicking on "attach file" and it shows photos on your desktop, I clicked on the one I wanted. I'm working with a Mac  but I guess it's similar on a PC.

Dulcinina, another person who plays on a stool!  I love the "little guy" sitting on a shelf of your desk area.

Charles, that is a very elegant-looking creative area.  I use a folding wooden screen in my music room too (not pretty like yours) as a recording "booth". I'll try to show how I do it.  I just draped fabric all around it, inspired by Robin's set up..haven't tried it yet though.

The people whose pictures are inserted in the message...I don't know how to do that.  I used to.  Everyone else, you have to download the picture, and then open it with an app on your PC to see it.  Because we are using ATTACH FILE maybe?  I tried EMBED LOCAL MEDIA and it didn't work.  What are we doing "wrong"?

Here's my playing space. The desk and bookcase has lots of tchotchkes, and a small two headed red dragon to guard it all. The screen behind the desk is solid teak, with hand carved appliqués. I do my recordings just to the left in a corner by the door

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Jimmy.

I took some time today to figure out the Chords for D Aeolian (D Minor) in D-A-C Tuning.  Left to right the numbers represent:

(Bass Sting-Middle String-Melody String)

i chord = D Minor (0-0-3, 4-3-3, 7-7-10, 11-10-10)

ii chord = E Diminished (3-4-6, 8-6-6, 10-11-13, 15-13-13)

III chord = F Major (6-0-3, 6-7-3, 13-14-10)

iv chord = G Minor (3-3-6, 7-6-6, 10-10-13, 14-13-13)

v chord = A Minor (1-0-0, 4-4-7, 6-4-5, 8-7-7, 11-11-14, 13-11-12, 15-14-14)

VI chord = Bb Major** (7-3-6, 14-10-13 Missing F Note) (0-0-3, 7-7-10 Missing the Bb Note)

VII chord = C major (3-4-0, 6-4-4, 6-6-9, 8-6-7, 13-11-11, 13-13-16, 15-13-14)

The Bb and F notes in D-A-C Tuning can be found only on the melody string.  This limits where full three-note chords can be played.  The Bb Major chord requires both the Bb note and the F note.  Since both are found only on the melody string in D-A-C tuning, it is impossible to play both at the same time.  **Therefore, the fret numbers listed for the Bb major chord are for two-note, partial chords.  One set of numbers is missing the F note.  The other set of numbers is missing the Bb note.

@dulcinina What a lovely playing spot!  

Here's my playing corner.  It's in a spare room I use as my office and get-away place. Nina

Oops. Not sure if my picture attached.

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Page 4 of this PDF has a chart showing all of the notes on all of the frets in DAC tuning.  Please note this is for some strumsticky thing so the positions of the bass vs melody string are reversed.  Still, it will show you where to find the notes to build chords up to the 11th fret:  https://www.harpkit.com/mm5/pdf/Strumbly-Chords.pdf

There are lots of DAC chords in this book, the one book that is always in my gig bag.  Don't leave home without it: https://www.melbay.com/Products/94662/dulcimer-chord-book.aspx

Or you can cheat like me.  I don't use a separate chart for DAC because I know the DAD chords pretty well.  The only difference between DAD and DAC is the melody string being tuned one step down.  Therefore, look at any DAD chord diagram, finger the bass and middle strings the same, and finger the melody string one fret higher.  Hope this helps.

Please be aware.  In my previous post providing a link to Kevin Roth's chord charts for various modal tunings, I neglected to mention that the standard tuning at the time was for the various Keys of C.  Since your question asked about D-A-C tuning specifically (which is the tuning for D Aeolian), you will need to change  "C" to "D", "D" to "E", etc. for all the chords.  The chord positions on the chart do not need to be changed, but C Minor chords on the PDF will be D Minor chords if played in D-A-C tuning, and G Major chords on the PDF will be G Major chords if played in D-A-C tuning, etc.

The only thing I could find that had chord charts was the following from a booklet included with a Folkways dulcimer instruction album by Kevin Roth. There's a PDF of the booklet available at:

https://folkways-media.si.edu/liner_notes/folkways/FWCRB20.pdf

Download the booklet and scroll down to page 43 or so where the Aeolian chord charts start.

Here's my article on dulcimer Modes and Modal tunings.  It has all the Modes, their traditional tuning, and the key of D equivalents.

I think your inquiry about Phrygian Mode is only the second or third I've seen in 40 years.  It's just not a Mode that anyone wrote or writes music in, in the last 200 years or more.  In that same 40 years of playing, I think I've tuned to Phrygian Mode perhaps twice; for the same reason -- No one has written any music in Phrygian that I have any interest in playing.

Open Aminor tuning --  No matter which way you go -- high or low Am -- you're going to have to change strings to tune to mthe key of A (Bass string is A or a).    AEE is the baritone Ionian tuning which could also be AmEmEm of course.  AEA is Mixolydian, so AmEmAm.   Same thing going to the high a.  

Uncontrite Modal Folker.pdf - 92KB

There are any number of good chord charts on the Internet (not that I use them, but they are there).  Admittedly, most of the chord charts are only for DAd  tuning because most chord-melody players only use that tuning...

Check out the Strothers' Chord Finder.  It allows you to specify any tuning and shows you chords all the way from the zero fret to fret 17.

http://strothers.com/chords.html

It seems that there are not very good resources for Mountain dulcimer chords on the internet. Even the ones I find are just basic cowboy chords.

Does anyone have a good dulcimer chord resource? Can anyone give me some chords for the DAC tuning that utilize more of the neck?

Any help would be appreciated!

JL

Howdy,

I’m new to dulcimer playing, and I am beginning to experiment with different tunings. I was curious as to how some of you tune to the Phrygian mode.

Also, does anyone have a good open Am tuning, that is if such an animal exists?

JL

Janene, I've made recordings in that little spot and I think the wall rugs help give better sound-- less like I'm recording in a bathroom.  :)

Robin, I think I'll have to try the textile-megaphone thing in my music room...I have a bunch of quilts folded up...might as well hang them up somewhere. I have a (almost phone-booth sized) nook I use to record vids...I'll hang the quilts and rugs there. Good tip.

I had a Keith Johnson hourglass which I sold to another member here.  It was well made and sounded good.  Mine had handmade pegs instead of geared tuners.  I enjoyed it while I had it, and its new owner enjoys it now.

Thank you! Your cozy corner is very pretty!  It's inspiring to have these places where we can sit and play.

Janene, I like the little stool lots!  My other playing chair is a child's oak chair a friend gave me.  The short stool and chair work well because I'm just over 5' tall.  The rag rugs on the wall may impact sound of the natural megaphone of my little corner.  :)

Robin...love seeing your "nook"...the sun pouring through that lovely deep large window..and you play on a stool?! Must have a strong core :-) I'd have my feet propped up on that window sill too.  Your textiles on the wall...does that impact the sound...in any case, it warms up the room. Thanks for sharing

I have one of those PC-spots too, papers everywhere...love the highlighting and red marks on the sheet music, the measuring tape (?) and you're messing around with a sheitholt (6 strings)? Interesting...

Here's the cozy and  messy area on my desk next to my computer where I try out new music projects and tunes.  ;D

Frank I just love that you made those stairs for Lacey. 

Was finally able to see your photos Susie...in my Paint program.  You are AMAZINGLY neat and organized...and anyone would be proud to have you own one of their instruments...they look so well cared for!  OMG, I'm sure your pets feel the same way. You are an inspiration :-) !!!