Forum Activity for @strumelia

Tell me which note you think was the worst (give me the 0:00 time on the vid) and I'll tell you who the guilty party was... if you promise not to pass it along to her-  in case it was Hazel...      

Yeah I was cracking up too when I realized your head was going to be covered with a veil for the ENTIRE video... LOLOL

Shoot the videographer!

Well, I'm happy with the doves and vines on my Ron Gibson. My husband wants springer spaniels, if I ever do a custom dulcimer. I do like the shape of those old style F holes.

I'm so sorry, Robin.  I know what it's like to not have a computer stream well!  OY!  I'm not tech savvy and don't know how to record or extract or share just a part of it.  Sometimes people record on their cell phones, but I don't have one!  I would love to hear that, because the sound is very different that way.

HA HA Ken!  We all cracked up when we saw the video.  Would still love to know how dulcimer, violin, and voice all went wonky on the one REALLY TERRIBLE note! LOL!

ETA I figured out part of it...  One of my melody strings decided to go wonky in the middle of playing, I think.  I had this happen when I was using something uneven as a noter, but not with the bamboo.  I went to play today, and the melody string closest to me was way off.

thank you suzie

thank you BD Bess

and Dusty

i was not asking if i should or should not use them my question was .

anyone know of any adhesive Pearlie markers that  will stay on ? and where to get them ....

this is what i ended up ordering i think they will serve the purpose and look nice.

What I Ordered.

Sandi, thanks for sharing your hymn playing. I enjoyed it very much, but, LOL, another "headless" dulcimer player video.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Richard, if your stacked bamboo noter works, I'd just stick with it.  

Sandi, I don't know how to jump ahead to the part of the service where you're playing-- I think my internet is too slow to allow me to do that.  If anybody got a clip of it, please post? 

Thank you SO much, Strumelia!  Yes, my girl is 12 now!!!  And poor thing...  We always tune by ear, but our ianist is a professional jazz pianist, he tuned us up today before our performance, and we had been practicing it withour shoddy ear tuning...  LOLOL!  ~and you're not old, HAZEL is old~  HA HA HA!

Sandi, I enjoyed your hymn- you have a beautiful voice.  Was that Hazel on violin??  Oh my, I remember when you mentioned she was newly born, over on everythingdulcimer!  I must be really old now!     lolol

OH Richard that's COOL!  Thank you Strumelia and Robin!  I have linkage for ya, but it is a very funny recording!  You will see...  Not a flawless performance, either, (especially one particular note???) lots of sound adjusting from the sound board, but it was still fun, and I would do it again.  We start around 30:33, but the music today through the entire service was INCREDIBLE!  Hated being after and before such amazing talent though~LOL!

https://livestream.com/accounts/6164779/events/8253232

I won't discourage you from getting fret markers, that is your personal choice to make. To answer your original question, I too have used Inlay Stickers on other instruments. They are very thin (your fingers won't notice them), easy to apply, stay put, look real nice, and can be removed without sticky residue or harm to the instrument. If you go the route of fret markers, I would recommend  http://inlaystickers.com. Lots of neat choices too!

What a cute puppy! Congratulations!

Barb

I have used the same inlay stickers that Dusty did. I got impatient with diatonic tuning on my Merlin and had it fully chromaticized but missed the ease of only having to figure out diatonic frets. In addition to fret markers, Jockomo also makes strip stickers so I placed one across each diatonic fret. I am dyslexic so I need more visual cues than the average dulcimer player but that really helped. I have also found that giving yourself cues when you are beginning is not a barrier to learning. As you learn you will find yourself not paying attention to the markers when you no longer need them. I recently decided to switch one of the strips that had been on about a year. I expected to have to do a lot of cleaning but it came off with no residue and stuck back on to it's new location. I think they recommend 6 months but my experience was pretty good. 

Barb

I like the hummingbirds on my Ron Gibson.

 Gibson-7.JPG - 119KB

I really like bamboo for a noter. A very nice thing is that one can get the diameter desired without any woodworking other than cutting to length and sanding or filing away any tiny splinters where it is cut.

Some dulcimers' fretboards are too low for me as I hold my noter underhand and drag my knuckles on the top of the dulcimer. So do I restrict myself to custom-made dulcimers (I wish) with a taller fretboard or do I improvise?

The dulcimer budget runs thin after a while so I improvised. I made what I call a stacked noter of bamboo. It works for me on the lower fretboards and is considerably cheaper than a custom-made dulcimer.

 Custom Stacked Noter.jpg - 32KB

What would be a fair price for a Folkcraft Cek-160 1985 - ebony fret board, scroll head, scallop fret board - weeping heart sound holes ?

ASAP please if you can

thanks

@jp, I have two comments here which are kind of contradictory.  The first is why you should not need fret markers.  The second is what to do if you get them.

First, to get used to the 1-1/2 fret does take some time.  It took me about a year even though I'm used to chromatic instruments such as the guitar and mandolin.  When I finally "got" it, it was just a matter of mental focus.  I forced myself to think "fat, fat, skinny" as the beginning of the fretboard.  The first two frets are fat, then comes that skinny third fret.  Once I started imagining the space on the fretboard as indicating where the notes were rather than the fretwire itself, I stopped getting confused by the 1-1/2 fret.  If you put fret markers in those normal places (3, 5, 7, 10), which I strongly suggest so that you don't get confused by other dulcimers with fret markers, they will not necessarily help you get used to to the 1-1/2 fret. That's just a hurdle you have to overcome.

Second, I agree with you about what kind of markers to get. If you want something temporary, just use masking tape.  If you want something that you plan to leave on for a while, get nice inlay stickers.  The ones I got are easily removable and don't leave any trace that can't be wiped away easily. They are also so thin that you don't notice them at all when fingering the fretboard.  Until you look closely, they appear to by nice inlay, and you can choose a variety of different designs, so you can personalize your instrument pretty easily.  Be aware that most are made for guitars, which usually have a wider fretboard than dulcimers do.  And if the fret markers involve a design that connects several frets in a row, they won't work on the diatonic fretboard of the dulcimer.  I think the ones I got were made for a ukulele, so they're pretty small.  The website I linked to earlier has a range of shapes, sizes, colors, and designs, so take your time looking through the options and find something that will not detract from the look of your dulcimer.

You could glue on small pearl shirt buttons.

Sandi <3

do not want Avery labels ...

i am inquiring about stick on (proprietary) fret markers pearized or abalone.

I have not used them on a dulcimer. On paper they stay on well so long as the page is not handled multiple times per day. On the dulcimer I would not think there would be any kind of consistent "trauma" to them to dislodge them. When the time comes to remove them permanently some lemon oil will remove the vestiges of the sticky glue.

i need a base, the 1 1/2 fret throws me off would like to mark the third fret.

my concern is do the stickers stay on well?

is there a brand that is better or are they all the same?

i do not want nasty marker or avery labels on my instrument.

Dusty those are some fine turtles.

Avery Dennison, the label company, makes some removeable labels. You could get some and cut whatever shape you want. If you want circles use a hole punch, then use the "waste" dots for your markers.

I agree with Dusty.  If you feel you must use markers,why not use a water-based marker as a temporary one until you learn the frets by sight/feel.  Then you can wipe them off when you feel confident in your playing.

My first comment, @jp, is that unlike chromatic instruments, dulcimers do not need fret markers because the pattern of skinny and fat frets serve as fret markers.  Some of my dulcimers have no fret markers at all and I get by fine.  

Still, some do, and I find them minimally helpful.  And I have to admit that for purely decorative purposes I put small sea turtle inlay stickers on one of my dulcimers:

I cannot remember for sure, but I might have purchased them from Jockomo:  https://www.inlaystickers.com/ .

HI again....

fell out of interest for a while.... i hope it does not happen again.

my tk obrien dulcimer all though it has all the extra frets ie 1 1/2, 6 1/2 etc.

it has no fret markers personally i do not want to ruin the instrument by taking it

downstairs to the drill press ... anyone know of any adhesive Pearlie markers that 

will stay on ? and where to get them.... i am wary of buying from Amazon or Ebay without

knowing what i am getting ... thank you.

jp

Your church is very lucky to have you playing for them Sandi!  And of course it goes both ways- you are lucky to have such and appreciative audience.  

RICHARD!  YES!  That's one of the things that drew me to the mountain dulcimer.  I knew I'd grow with it for my entire life.  <3

I am still enjoying these bamboo noters SO MUCH and cannot thank y'all enough!  I have gone up a sie and am surprised I like that even better.  Will get to play in church on Sunday and can link ya (only to the entire service) if you like.  :)  

Strumelia, you got that right!  ;)

Awwww!  Wish there was a way to get someone in the future related to my present malamutt (husky/malamute mix) as he's got the best of both sets of genes.  How wonderful for you, Patty, to have that relationship to Molly.

Isn't that the truth?, LOL 

Robin-  and maybe again decades later.   

We're all a lot of work until we get potty trained!  haha 

Lucas sure is cute, Patty!  

He is a fun puppy! A lot of work too until he gets potty trained 

Patty!  What an adorable smiley puppy face!  

We've missed our Molly dog and now we have a new addition to the family, Lucas. Guess what? He is related to our Molly. He is 10 weeks old. 

 1805_BrittanyPuppy_031r.jpg - 121KB

I can only speak for myself and not all Americans.  I develop swelling about 2 inches across from mosquito bites and they take a long time to disappear, like over a month.  I react to any bug bite.  They love me.  In fact I often say that if a bug is a vegetarian, it will still bite me.  I ended up in the emergency room over a hornet sting.  So, I certainly have not built up an immunity to mosquito bites over the years.

Last year we added a screened in porch to the back of our house and it is wonderful to sit out without being besieged by bugs.  

I haven't heard of the dairy theory.  anyone else have a theory, remedy etc.? Dulcinina

Mosquitoes love me. My body reacts to all types of insect bites to such an extent that when I put on a shirt which had a wasp in it the resultant swelling was the size of a tennis ball. The doctor, who later treated me with steroids, called all the partners in the practice to see it. Mosquito bites are not as bad but nevertheless are a source of great discomfort. So, I have read all I can about how to avoid them.

I have lived and worked in Thailand and must have seen just about every device and method to reduce their numbers. I could write pages and pages about them but for the sake of brevity I will ask just one question about America and its mosquitoes.

None of my Thai family are bitten by them. They walk around the house with legs and arms exposed and never a sign of a bite.  One theory is that their diet is substantially free of dairy products and this makes them unattractive to the nasty little creatures.

My question is - do Americans develop an apparent immunity against mosquito bites over a period of time ?