Capritaurus Dulcimer listed on Goodwill auction
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Looks like somebody's gonna get a great deal tomorrow!
Forum Activity for @john-c-knopf
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Capritaurus Dulcimer listed on Goodwill auction
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hi all - Was browsing Goodwill auctions and saw this beauty listed on the Goodwill auction site. I shouldn't be looking as just received my McCafferty but it's fun to look. Label says built in 1973. Maybe someone else on this site is looking for one? Admin, please move this listing to the For Sale area if you deem appropriate.
updated by @gale-a-barr: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Eventually, @Diane-R, you will need to experiment, develop your own preferences, and find the right strings for you. Kusani has a preference for plain steel on the bass. I find plain steel does not have enough power for a bass string. I also prefer heavier strings, so I use .026 wound on the bass, .016 on the middle and .014 on the melody. But I would not recommend that for others unless they've been playing for a while and specifically want to play in a flatpicking or other style that demands tighter strings and more volume.
My advice is to start with the kind of setup that was probably intended when the instrument was built, which was likely a wound .020, .022. or .024 on the bass, .012 or .014 on the middle, and .010 or .012 on the melody.
Start there and then you can experiment with replacing the wound string or getting slightly heavier or slightly lighter strings or squeakless strings or whatever.
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Plain steel 0.020 string should be available in a local music store. As Kusani said, "opinions vary." I use squeakless wound strings for chord/melody playing. I like the plain steel on my noter/drone dulcimers. Your dulcimer looks like a Tom Yocky instrument. If it is I would think Tom set it up to take a 0.020 - 0.024 bass string. If it is set for the 0.024, the slot may cause a 0.020 gauge string to vibrate in the slot causing a buzz. This can be corrected by any luthier or even yourself depending upon how handy and confident you are. I hope the new set of strings will work well for you.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Introduce Yourself!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hey, @Nanners -- welcome and happy strumming on your new dulcimer!
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Opinions vary on the plain steel, many of us do not like the 'squeak' you get from the wound strings. I don't. There are 'squeakless' base strings that are some what better; but I still prefer plain strings. Try both and see which you prefer. There is no 'right' way on this one. 
updated by @kusani: 09/29/18 03:27:59PM
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Thank you Ken. I will try down at the music shop where I bought the others and will let you know. But I do NOT want the plain steel for the bass string correct? Thanks again, I really do appreciate the help & advice.
Well, I got myself a low D whistle the other day, and I'm so smitten by it! I was worried I wouldn't be able to reach the holes, or that it would require too much breath, but I'm finding it not so difficult. I like the sound so much better than the high d, that I am finding myself much more inclined to want to play it. Even the fact that it requires more breath seems to suit me better (apparently, I'm full of hot air, lol).
Introduce Yourself!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hi y'all! I'm Nanners, a newb from Austin. I just love the sweet, sweet sound of a dulcimer! I saw one for the first time in Mountainview, Arkansas when hubby and I were there for a bluegrass festival a couple of years ago. (We lead a bluegrass/folk jam on Tuesdays, him on guitar, me on fiddle). Time passed, and a couple of months ago I was in a local music store with a friend looking to upgrade her Mandolin... there were some dulcimers hanging on the wall! I picked one up and decided it was time to finally do this dulcimer thing. So here I am trying to learn a new instrument. Wish me luck!
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Given that VSL I would try .010s on the melody strings, .014 on the middle, and a .020 for the bass. You could go up just a little if these are still floppy. If you can't find them locally as single strings, PM me and I can send you a set as I described.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Thanks for the replies...the length is a little over 27 1/2". I'm tuned to Dad & have been playing with these strings for about 2 months now almost daily and no improvement. And with the sloppy, choppy, it's also twangy...lol Thanks again :)
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Along the lines of what Ken and Dusty said....... I figure most dulcimers would benefit from a custom string set instead of a generic set.
Different scale lengths are a major factor and then some we all have our favorite string tension. And as you also learned we all have a preferred tone we like.
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Diane, the size of the strings you use is determined by the vibrating string length (VSL) of your dulcimer. That is the distance from inside the nut to the place where the strings contact the bridge. If we knew that length, we could make better suggestions. Just looking at the dulcimer in you avatar I would guess you should have the .012s on the melody strings, the .014 in the middle, and what Dusty suggested for the bass; .022 or .024 wound string.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Diane, standard sized dulcimers usually use a wound bass string that's somewhere around .022 or .024. .014 is way too light for a bass sting. Secondly, how are you tuned? If you are tuned DAA, then it makes sense that your middle and melody strings would be the same gauge. If you are tuned DAd, you might want to use a melody string that's a bit lighter than your middle strings. If you use .012 on the middle, try .010 on the melody. Or you might use .014 on the middle and .012 on the melody.
Also, remember that new strings stretch a lot. Whenever I put on new strings I play for a while, retuning every few minutes and also literally pulling on the strings to stretch them. I figure this gets the stretching out so they'll stay in tune better.
And if you haven't played in a while, you should sound "choppy and sloppy." I find I lose technique if I just take a day off. So taking off a few years might require a bit more time before you're back into the swing of things.
updated by @dusty: 09/27/18 01:19:24PM
Guitar Strings?
Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!
Hello, after not playing for quite a few years I finally pulled my Dulcimer out, cleaned it up, oiled it up, changed the strings ( was given .012, .012, .012, .014 plain steel ball ends) and I feel that now I sound terrible. I sound so sloppy now and have tried to rack it up to older age but this seems ridiculous to me. It's seems like I'm pushing down too hard and the sound is no longer smooth and flowing but choppy and sloppy! I've even tried different picks but it still sounds awful...any advice? Thanks
updated by @diane-r: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Yes - I'm familiar with his playing via the old "Everything Dulcimer" site - I have a few of his books and tabs.
Ah, okay - don't think I've ever heard of it referred to by that term. I'll check out the link.
Thanks
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Kavik, the YouTube videos you posted in your message below are of @Mark-Gilston, who is an active member here. He is a professional musician who posts videos here regularly and also offers lessons, CDs, and books of tab.
Most of us refer to that style of playing the dulcimer as chord/melody. Many of us play in that style, or a related style that involves more single notes and fewer block chords that we might call flatpicking. In fact, there is a whole Group here devoted to Modern Chord Style Players .
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Here's a few examples of a MD being played in the style of a zither -
The first is called "Ruhpoldinger"; it's a type of dance known as a Schuhplattler (an Alpine dance where the men will slap their knees, legs, and bottom of the shoe).
Second is the Zillertaler Ländler - a well-known Ländler.
Hope the links work.
Here's an example of one I'm working on for MD - if you click anywhere on the notes, it should download a midi file with how it sounds on a piano.
https://volksmusik.cc/volkstanz/aberseerlandler.htm
If you search for Aberseer Landler on YouTube, you'll get several examples of how it's played. This song, as well as many Landler, is also a "Gstantzl" - a type of formulaic singing pattern that goes with a Landler with an accompanying "Platscher" - hand-clapping pattern.
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Hi Kavik, just to have a more concrete idea of it - could you perhaps give me a sound sample for in a style that is similar to zither ?
I am looking forward to the tabs.
Introduce Yourself!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hey Jools, jump right in, the water's fine. 
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Oh - should have clarified - both are folk-music styles from southern Germany and Austria. A Boarisher is somewhat similar to a polka and a Ländler sort of like a fast waltz.
Introduce Yourself!
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hi everyone, I'm Jools from Kent in the UK.
I'd been thinking about learning the dulcimer for a while & decided to go for it. I've just bought a lovely 30yr old 'Green River' walnut 3 string. It arrived on Saturday. It sounds beautiful & I'm really enjoying playing it.
I'm learning some slow ballads to start with, but when I get more fluid on it I'd like to learn some bluegrass tunes.
Thanks for the welcome messages I've received, I appreciate them, & I look forward to chatting with you guys & hopefully picking up some ideas.
Cheers
Jools
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Sounds interesting, although I had to go look up what ländler and boarischer were. Keep us posted!
Ländler and Boarischer
Dulcimer Resources:TABS/Books/websites/DVDs
Hello,
Wondering if anyone here plays ländler and/or boarischer on MD in a style that is similar to zither? I've been kind of playing around with a few - I have a great resource, but the notation is essentially for melody and countermelody (two 'voices'). You kind of have to tab it out and then play around with it and develop a baseline. I'm trying to play these in a style reminiscent of the zither.
Just wondering if anyone has tried something similar? Once I have the few worked out, I'll try uploading the TABS.
Show Us Your Pets!
OFF TOPIC discussions
@strumelia
Yes, she is !! I made it for her, it is her St Louis Cardinals outfit -- i made the top out of an infant onesie- ha !
Remember Our Friend Oliver Ogden.
OFF TOPIC discussions
I think of Oliver often. My wife and enjoyed visiting with him and his wife Sharon. He was a man of many interests. I liked talking about hat making with him. He had a very nice collection of hat making tools and moulds. He had other musical interests as well. We shared a fondness for banjos. His turtles were interesting to see and hear him talk about them. Yes, I miss Oliver.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Remember Our Friend Oliver Ogden.
OFF TOPIC discussions
I'm sure Oliver lives on in the hearts of those who knew him. <3
Harvest Festival 9/15/18 in Costa Mesa, Ca
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
"I hope the move works out for you. You should be at home among the . . . uh . . . tumbleweeds"
U R 2 funny ;)
Sound Hole Placement
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Dulci Clan, welcome to the forum! We have all been where you are in terms of 'starting from scratch'. In fact, I only got into building dulcimers a bit less than 3 years ago. Fortunately, being retired which means I have a lot of time to devote to the craft; plus having a professional background in several trades, it has greatly shortened my learning curve. However, it has been with the tremendous help from members of this forum that I have reached the point I now do a few commissioned pieces as well as annually supporting 3 charities' fundraising auctions through the donations of my builds.
But, in the process of going through the learning curve, which I know will never be completed, I have had to ask what many might consider 'silly' or 'stupid' questions. Fortunately most of the members here were, are still, very patient and kind and want to assist.
In short, again, welcome and don't hold back with questions. Also, I spent hours and hours going through old threads on the multitude of topics already discussed or being discussed. They answered many questions before me having to post them here.
As suggested, relax, it's as much an art as science and many of us learn by what doesn't work as much as what does work; but we try to keep mistakes to a minimum. And, we can learn a lot from others mistakes.
updated by @kusani: 09/20/18 11:16:29PM
Comprehensive List of Dulcimer Festivals
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Stephen Seifert:
Where is there a full list of dulcimer festivals? I see some on this site but I would very much like to see festivals for all of 2018 and perhaps past years. I've been searching. Any ideas? Thanks!
Hi Stephen! 
The Festivals you see listed in our Events/Festivals section are all the ones that have been input by site members, minus ones that are past and over with. I understand your frustration with not being able to peruse past years. I tried showing 'past' as well as upcoming Events, but it was very confusing to people when they were all showing... dozens and dozens of long past events. (more like FB... LOL) I try as best i can to keep things unconfusing here, and to keep things 'current' so folks don't get lost or overloaded. My goal is not to maintain and archive. People mostly want quick reference and current info.
Does not DulcimerPlayersNews (subscription magazine) put out a yearly festival list? I see a "Festivals List" mentioned at the bottom of their issue's Table of Contents . Is that list not comprehensive enough?
As far as this site (FOTMD) goes- since festivals are not static information, a list of dulcimer festivals is only as good as the person/people maintaining it and contributing to it. An accurate and comprehensive traditional 'list' would require someone tracking down and verifying information all over the country. I've got my hands full just maintaining this site, and I have no paid staff to build or maintain an official type list. FOTMD has no subscriptions to fund such projects.
As you know, we do offer a FREE Events/Festivals section here on FOTMD where folks can input their festivals with photos and any supportive materials they like, and their event will show on our site's Main page as it draws near, and disappear when it's finished. If people don't add their events into it, that's unfortunate since it's a free service. If they want additional exposure here, they can also advertise their festival on our main page Ad Slideshows, for as little as $10/month. I can't offer any cheaper than that. I think it's a good option for those who want to have their festival really stand out on this site. Of course they can also buy ads in DPN.
I suspect Facebook has gotten people used to simply instantly posting their events and promotions wherever/whenever, on dozens of music and dulcimer FB sites. 'Instant' has taken the place of plan-ahead maintained lists or spreadsheets.
To have a truly 'comprehensive' online Festival List, either: 1) most everyone must submit their festivals via software, OR 2) there'd need to be a person dedicating time and effort into manually creating and maintaining one. On FOTMD, we have option 1) already in place, but I suspect most folks just post their festivals on FB instead since they're on their phone on FB anyway all day. FB tends to suck energy away from more traditional websites.
updated by @strumelia: 10/03/18 05:40:46PM
Sound Hole Placement
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
@ken - What I should have said in response was I had seen the video some time ago and what had been going through my mind *at the time* was the things I was corrected on *since* I started this thread, i.e. the ignorant questions I asked being *completely new* to this instrument, like sound hole placements and shapes. I am reading and learning by everyone's response, I guess sometimes communicating words in text isn't the same as being in person. What I should have said about the video was I had hoped to see different kinds of dulcimers being compared like bass versus baritone vs stick etc. Thank you for sharing your experience and expertise, I do respect that.
Please don't take me the wrong way, it has been an extremely stressful week at home. I do respect everyone's experience and willingness to share information on this post , and appreciate you, Dulcimore Dan, Ron Gibson, Kusani, ButtercupVictoria, Matt, John, in responding.
This instrument is so beautiful, I can't wait to learn how to play it. Thank you to everyone for your responses.