Forum Activity for @dusty

Thanks for the specific recommendations, @skip.  The D'Addario option is similar to my current string (La Bella), but I'll try to locate one of those flatwound strings you mention.  I'd prefer not buy a whole set since I only need one string, but if it will work I'm not opposed to the idea.

@Strumelia, that's good advice, and I already have the specific gauges used by the builder, who, incidentally, is also creating an alternative bridge for me should I choose to string the dulcimer with steel strings.

An "occasional squeak" would not be objectionable. I find it a nice reminder that making music is a tactile experience.  But one of my philosophies of dulcimer playing has been to keep your fingers down as you move from one chord position to another to facilitate a fast and smooth transition.  That strategy is not working on this dulcimer, at least not on the bass string at present. I find myself re-evaluating my technique.

If/when you do order more nylon strings, keep in mind that depending on what note you are aiming to tune to, the thickness of nylon strings suitable for a given note won't be the same thickness as for metal strings... so you may not want to order solely by gauges we commonly use with metal strings. But I'm sure the maker has advised you on the nylon strings needed for its current setup.

I have to say that i personally enjoy the occasional squeak of a wound string. I listen to a lot of classical lute music and I like that about it- makes it feel more alive and richly textured, like the musician is sitting right there with me while playing.

There are some flatwound, nylon core strings being used by the ukulele community. I think they are used on classical guitars. Thomastic Flatwound .027 & .030 is one, there are others.

https://forum.ukuleleunderground.com 

Edit:

D'Addario has some strings that may work also. NYL028W [melody on my Blue Lion bass]

I have some of their PB023/PB024 phosphor bronze I haven't tried yet.

You may need to use fingernail polish/superglue at any cut line.

@dwain-wilder, I've already started adjusting my technique by lifting up any finger on the bass string before moving to a new chord position.  It's a challenge, though, for on the dulcimer we slide much more than do classical guitarists who have a greater range of notes in any left-hand position than do we.

Thanks for your comments, @matt-berg. It's a really special instrument.  Bob Stephens has some really innovative design principles.  The instrument sounds incredibly soft and warm and the intonation is spot on. I'm still figuring out what tunes sound best on it.

Buying a new bow probably makes sense. The cost of re-hairing one in the USA is higher than a new one from China.

A half-size violin bow is probably a pretty good choice, but also look at child size Cello or Viola bows. They will be a bit heavier.

Dusty Turtle,  I do not have a solution to your bass string squeak.  I do want to congratulate you on getting a Stephen Dulcimer.  I have had the opportunity to talk with Bob about lutherie and was blown away by what he builds.  Enjoy your new instrument.  Matt

Classical guitarists deal with this issue by learning to handle the wound strings differently, and accepting a little squeak as part of the instrument. Kind of like accepting that a pipe organ will have some "chuff."

There are squeakless strings, though.

Thanks, @stumelia and @nate. One issue I have is that were I to move to a non-wound string that was thicker, I'd need to adjust the groove cut in the bridge, something I am not eager to do just yet.

Those string lubricant products are very strange. The feel is totally different. I think a lot of them are mainly just mineral oil. Personally, I like it, but can't be bothered to apply a product to my strings before playing. Heck, I can barely even be bothered to tune up xD
Sounds like a thicker unwound string is the way to go. I will have to check out that brand as well.

Dusty, Nylgut brand (sort of imitation gut strings but made of nylon) strings for banjos have some sets with thick nylon bass strings that are solid nylon, with no outer winding. They never seem to break for me, and have a wonderful resonant sound. I prefer them on my nylon strung banjos. Banjos have basically the same length strings as dulcimers, so you could check out a set from them. I know of three types of banjo sets Nylgut makes- Minstrel (for lower tunings, slightly heavier), Classic (thinner, work well for higher tension oldtime tunings), and they also some sets with 'red' strings that some folks really like but i have never tried those and don't know what advantage they might have. I highly recommend Nylgut strings. Long ago I used classical guitar nylon strings on my banjos, they were quite heavy and broke much more often than my nylguts.
Once I bought a used banjo that had Nylgut strings on it that had not been changed in over 10 years. I figured I ought to put a fresh set on, but when i played it, the old Nylgut strings sounded just wonderful and i played on them for two more years before i then sold that banjo... with the same strings still on it of course.      Just sayin'!

I moved from wv to Florida and now live in punta gorda.  Deep creek area.  Looking for a dulcimer group.   Anyone have any contacts or interested in helping start a group.  

Tuning keys or wrenches are readily available from many places online as are violin bows. I don't have either of my ukelin bows available to measure at the moment, both are with a friends who is going to re-hair them for me, so I can't give you an exact measurement of length. Looking on the internet I found this bow which is probably a little longer than the ukelin bow. It should work fine for violin uke. Violin bow And while this tuning key is a bit more expensive than others you will find on the internet, it is my favorite style. Tuning wrench These are not necessarily recommendations. They were just what I found in a quick search. Of course if you are an Amazon Prime member you'll get free shipping on them. There may be some music stores around or near Manheim where you can purchase them. I have some local music shops up here by State College where I sometimes pick up items like these.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I just received a beautiful new dulcimer by Stephens Lutherie built with nylon strings.  The sound is incredibly gentle, round, and warm, and I am overcome with the desire to play lullabies and other soft music.

However, the bass string is a wound string and squeaks a lot. Because the nylon strings are quieter than steel strings, the squeak is much more noticeable than on steel strings (but even on my other dulcimers I use flat wound strings to reduce the squeak).  Dulcimer playing involves a lot more sliding than does guitar playing, so it is likely that the squeaking is much less of a problem for classical guitar players.

Any remedies?

I do see that there is something called "tape wound" nylon strings.  Does anyone have experience with those?

Additionally, some classical guitar discussions online mention using Fast Fret or Finger Ease to smooth the friction of the strings.  I am not eager to start using such a substance on my instrument, but perhaps I could isolate its use to the base string.

Any thoughts?

Ken- yes, i'm pretty sure it was almost never used. the only info i have on it was that my friend was tasked with cleaning out a friend of theirs home after they died. this person happened to be a hoarder of sorts, and the violin uke was found in a closet, and they asked me if i wanted to buy it. no case, no bow. i've seen some weird instruments over the years and this one fascinated me, so i bought it after doing a little research on it. 

I'll dig around for a zither tuning key or whatever is applicable. Thanks for the advice!

Correct, Ken!  Bernd is an extremely talented luthier … and renaissance man!

I'll answer for Jerry as I'm sure it is Bernd Krause. Here is his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KrauseInstruments/ He makes some very nice instruments.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Daniel, scroll down three posts and click on the photo.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

@jerry-posner - do you mean Bernard Krause the bioacoustic soundscape musician/artist?

I have a Bernd Krause dulcimer with the 1.5 fret.  I play (my version) of excerpts from Orff’s Carmina Burana on it. I’m also learning a few new ukulele tunes on my Magic Fluke Concert Flea.

Can you please share a photo hehe

I never thought one handed concertina where a thing.

I have always loved the bagpipes.   The sound of the drones called me as a little girl of 3 years old as I ran into the middle of the bagpipe band marching in a parade that my parents took me to.   So when I moved to Payson, Utah, there's quite a large bagpipe band there and loved that and their Scottish Festival that takes place yearly.  When we moved to Nauvoo, Illinois the summer has a big pageant and the Pipers come every year.   On this Friday last, that pipe band came to my round  house and it was such a joy to have them try my dulcimers, psalteries and other instruments.   Two of them brought their pipes and played for me two songs.   I LOVED IT and my log walls are still vibrating with those happy sounds.   I'm blessed to live here with such great music every summer.  aloha, irene

Well said, John.

No problem. The violin uke appears to have zither tuning pegs which the Marx company probably used by the millions. It appears to be in fairly good condition.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

sorry it took so long to get a photo up. 

 violin uke.jpg - 190KB

Just throwing in my 2 cents of cynicism...{meant with goodwill and humor]

  The absolute best display you can find for an extra dulcimer, is on the lap of a youngster that wants to play.

Un-played old dulcimers, regardless of maker or quality of craftsmanship are just dusty pieces of wood. They have perceived

value to an ever shrinking [dying] pool of us old hippies, in the memories of times past. The actual cash value is only when 

they are sold, and that is "usually" at the death of the owner.....

  I implore us all to share the "Extra" instruments we may have with someone younger, lest all of our instruments become the

ones that "used to sing"......

I'm work'n on it too........

Oh please tell me they both marched away into the foggy dew............

Just had to relate a very cool thing in my little town today. I was at our knitting group at the local yarn shop on Main street, and suddenly the sound of Scottish Highland pipes drifted over the town. We rushed to look out the door and there was a fellow in full regalia and kilt just standing on the sidewalk in the middle of Main St playing the bagpipes. It wa almost 5pm, and there were few people on the street and the sun was low, which made it feel more profound in some way. After a couple of tunes, a young boy joined him, playing a traditional style drum hanging on his belt. After only 20 min or so they were gone. It was really lovely.

My guess is they were coming home after some event where they had performed, and decided to stop on our old fashioned village street and play for a bit, perhaps while picking up something to eat on the way.

At our Tuesday night TTAD Zoom group I usually play a dulcimer I made based on the C.N. Prichard pattern. It is walnut and butternut. With our local group I usually play my all walnut Folkcraft FSH.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

My McCafferty!  Beautiful cherry with mother of pearl inlay that sounds as good as it looks! The fret markers are things like butterflies, flowers, and hummingbirds, etc.

I've been grabbing this older Blue Lion lots lately:

 IMG_2052.jpg - 147KB

That's a funny looking dulcimer, @Nate!

@richard-streib, that's a wonderfully meaningful dulcimer.  Even though Dan made the dulcimer recently, in a sense the dulcimer has been in your family for generations.

Evening,

Looking to purchase a used NH Pudge Pro. Friend of mine got one at  Dulcimer U and I have fallen in love with it. 

If you hve one you would part with, please let me know. 

Thanks!

I have a number of traditional style dulcimores. While I do enjoy them all and play them all on a rotating basis, the one I reach for the most  at this time is a replication of a 1917 James Edward Thomas dulcimore built for Balis Ritchie. This one was made by Dan Cox using walnut wood on the back which came from the Ohio farm where I was born and raised until age 12. That wood was cut on the farm by either my great grandfather or grandfather. And I am on the north side of 70 to give an idea of the age of that walnut.

This is all fascinating! The fact that it's number 99, when he started recording them at 100 is such a neat coincidence. And also the fact that it's unfinished! The reputation of that luthier precedes him, so it seems to me that you have a very awesome opportunity to finish building a dulcimer that was done up most of the way by a master.

Thank you to Dwain for providing all the awesome context

Sadly, I've been spreading myself too thin lately and I haven't been getting as much practice as I like to on a few different instruments. I have a Magnus accordion sitting on my couch that I like to play while I'm unwinding when I get off work. It's basically a vintage plastic children's toy accordion with way fewer buttons than a real one. It's a lot of fun to mess around with.

Percussion stuff. I'm playing percussion in a small concert band, and sometimes play spoons with our dulcimer group.

Whether it be a mountain dulcimer or some other musical instrument, tell us-  what is your current favorite instrument that you pick up these days... and why?  Tell us why it's been 'calling to you'. Feel free to attach a picture!  

Hi Dwain, pleasure to meet you. Thank you so much for all of your insight. It is all so cool! Seems like a long-lost instrument, and I would love if you added it to the registry, absolutely!

My name is Michael Lipari. Ironically enough, I bought it as-is on Facebook, just yesterday 7/23/24. The top was just kind of resting flat on the body and latched but not glued, like you said. I knew it was incomplete but I didn't know exactly how incomplete until I starting looking at more dulcimers.

It was from a woman named Michelle Bobroff Lee, who said it was a "kit" and was her grandfather's. She made some mention of Lorraine Lee Hammond as well. I forget exactly what the relation was, but I believe it was a familial connection.

I will absolutely check out your website and send a private message your way as well. Feel free to let me know if you need any other information on it, happy to help. Thank you!