My wife's friend bought a dulcimer at an estate sale. The label inside says Thomas F Johnson Classical Guitar Construction Rte 5 Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin Jan 1976. Has anyone heard of this builder or is any one familiar with his dulcimers. The picture I have would seem to indicate the dulcimer is probably walnut and has heart sound holes.
Ah, those tabor drums we conspired on and purchased... co-enablers! lolol... I do still like my drum and it was perfect for a children's parade I participated in last year. I think they have great tone and yes I too am glad to still have my tabor drum!
I have NOT been playing the tabor pipe though... once I found out I had all the notes more quickly available on my penny whistles. But I've kept up with the penny whistle and I really love playing. I'm not a great player but that doesn't bother me- might take years to become proficient, but it's a happy pastime. I have a small collection of mid-level pennywhistles now...Terry you know how we get tempted. 
Happily, the whistles don't cost all that much compared to most stringed instruments. 
I don't have to tell you to keep playing and having fun with your music... cuz I know you will.
It's funny how that works. I usually find that making a little progress in one instrument leads to progress or insight on another instrument. I love when that happens. :) I think Edelweiss would be a perfect tune for the tremolo harmonica. I actually had one of those big tremolo harps waaay back when i was a teenager (!) and I enjoyed playing it in my amateur way.
Terry, it's great to see you back on FOTMD again, and I'm so glad to learn of your wife's health outcome, and to know that you've had help for all the hand pain that was preventing you from playing almost everything. I'm happy to hear you are still playing for the senior home... I remember how you described their joy (and yours) in your musical visits there. 
My first cousin learned to play the harmonica while she lived in Sacramento, CA. She said that the trip accross town was sooooo full of stop lights. So she would play her harmonica while waiting at all the stop lights. I love it when my husband plays the harmonica too. aloha, irene
Hello fellow harmonica players.
I've been away from the forum for the past couple of years, only lurking now and then. Back surgery, 2 hand surgeries, and supporting my wife during her battle with cancer. Thankfully, she has been declared cancer free.
Anyways, I have recently re-discovered harmonica. Though it never left me, and I played at times, i just wasn't dedicated to harmonica, until recently. What I have been working on is improving my skills with harmonica, along with playing it at the same time with my dulcimer. Works really well, and the old folks at an assisted living home I play at each week just seem to love it. They sing along, creating a lot of fun.
I am learning Chromatic harmonica, but my go to harps are tremolo and 10 hole diatonic. Here is the great thing: I have never been a by ear dulcimer player, always using tab and memorizing the songs. Here it is: The harmonica is a by ear instrument. Once I learning to play harmonica by ear, I began playing dulcimer by ear. It just happens. Why, I don't know, but it does.
The song "Simple Gifts" is a wonderful dulcimer song, stroking each note perfectly, with no add on's. As taught by many teachers, including a great one, Linda Collins. However, you should try this song on a harmonica, especially in the key of Low F, or even A. Beautiful. Another beauty is Edelweiss, from the Sound of Music. Sounds wonderful on a dulcimer, too.
I listened to Edelweiss several times on You Tube, to get the song in my head. Played it right away with an A harp. Set the harp down, and then picked it out on dulcimer. Very very satisfying.
Anyways, this is just a reminder to some of you to dust off your harmonicas and do some rediscovering. Loads of fun.
And like Bob said, you can't stick your dulcimer in your pocket, or the piano, or a uke, but a harmonica fits nicely, for that trip to the grocery store. Only problem is, you will find yourself taking the long route.
I would appreciate any input related to Black Mountain dulcimers by David Johnson
Hi
I picked up one of his student models (made in 2007) used from ebay UK. I don't have much experience and can only compare it with the new Sweetwoods Student Model I also recently bought direct from Harpmaker. These are starter instruments and seem comparable.
Regards
Eric
Nigel -- be sure to contact Robin Clark in Snowdonia, who is a member here. He is a fabulous player who has a company called BirdRock Dulcimers and sells instruments, supplies, etc. www.dulcimers.co.uk
JenniferC --I do sing it as well. Have a video of my half-hour Opening Act performance at the Americana Community Music Association here in Fort Myers. I did Lay The Bend Bonnie Broom, which evolved into The Riddle Song (I gave my love a cherry); and The Elfin Knight which became Scarborough Fair. I'll have to see if I can upload it here...
Nigel-- some of us also play/sing Ar Hyd y Nos and Rhyfelgyrch Gwŷr Harlech (but not in the Welsh, mind) and
I am glad you liked them, Marsha. The Welsh national sport is rugby and the hymn "Calon Lan" is always sung by the watching crowd, especially if Wales are winning.
It is translated as "clean heart".
Nigel, I looked up those two songs you recommended on YouTube. They are both beautiful.
in the dulcimer club I played with a couple of years ago, before moving up here to the mountains, there was a sweet lady from Wales who played with us. She taught us to play the Welch song, Calan Lan. And it became one of the club's favorites.
I have only had my first dulcimer for three weeks. It is a 1999 McSpadden FM12CS, cherry/spruce and is absolutely lovely. The gentleman who sold it to me lined up about nine dulcimers and I wish I could have bought them all. The word "awesome" is much overused these days but the sight of all that craftsmanship on one table was just that. I am making progress albeit slowly but I have little doubt that I will be buying another from him before too long. They were all very beautiful.
@mathom You've got a treasure!
My very first dulcimer was purchased by my in-laws in Berea, Kentucky long before I met my wife. No one in her family ever learned to play it. It was "loaned" to me around 1987-8. I learned enough on it to know I wanted to get a better instrument and did so a few years later. That first one now hangs on the wall of our family room. I take it down now and then and tune it up and play it a bit. I would never part with it.
The details of it: It is an hourglass with a very narrow body (by current standards) and has two heart-shaped soundholes in the lower bout and two small round ones in the upper bout. It was made by Raymond Layne of Berea, Kentucky and is dated April 20, 1975 and is numbered 293. It is the instrument I am holding in my profile picture.
I bought my only dulcimer three weeks ago. You will appreciate that I am unable to offer technical advice relating to how it should be played
I am Welsh and love Celtic music. I would like to draw attention to two pieces of music written in Wales. I really don't know if they could be arranged in a form which is suitable for playing with a dulcimer but, even if they are not, they are very beautiful and I am sure that people here would enjoy listening to them. I am not allowed to post YouTube links here and will refer to the music by description which enables a search to be made.
The first is "Dafydd Y Garreg Wen" and was written , allegedly, by David Owen as he lay on his death bed. The YouTube version I recommend is that performed by Hannah Thomas and Catrin Meek. There are many versions available but this is my favourite.
The second is "Myfanwy". I have to admit that I am totally biased as I drive past the house where the music was composed at least twice a day. Additionally, I had the pleasure of meeting Ryan Davies in 1968 when I was a student at UCW Aberystwyth. He was a very nice guy. I have chosen his version as my favorite (American spelling this time).
Sadly, like Dylan Thomas, Ryan died in New York State at a very early age. I hope you enjoy these two wonderful pieces.
Mark Gilston sent me the tab for the version of Elfin Knight that I do with 12 verses. Great DAC Aeolian tune! Usually I then explain that that song evolved as it moved south into England to a town near London where they created a version (new words, new tune, same story). 500 years later, Paul Simon borrowed 4 verses of Scarborough Fair and brought them to America...
GREAT...I just put that date on the calendar. thanks.
Lets see if we can break last years total of players (I can play again this year) Lets set a world record of playing on the porch. Do we want to play anything or do we want to play a certain song or a set of tunes?
Bob, I'd love to hear that same tune on the dulcimers you make. sweet and slow....I loved watching you play on your pipes....almost like a sit down dance. and Strumelia, I sooooooooo love all the sizes of recorders. I have a wonderful book to recommend to you to learn from. Mine are all plastic from Japan....Wood recorders in Hawaii had a very hard time. My fav. to play is the bass....That's how I got acquainted with SACRED HARP MUSIC was playing the recorders. all separate lines...then heard and sang that fabulous music at the OLD PAL MUSIC FESTIVAL for the first time last year. yep. going again this year. ALOHA, irene
Thanks Strumelia :-) The bellows-pipes (aka cauld wind pipes ) are an interesting animal to tame but when you got it they are really enjoyable. I had the Scottish Small Pipe chanter made specifically to fit the Scottish Border Pipes, so the volume was much reduced and the fullness of the Border drones really was evident and makes for an almost haunting tone.
They can accompany and compliment Mountain Dulcimers nicely also. A few small pipe players I met also play Mountain Dulcimers. Must be a drone thing 
Oh YES, I, too, am that kind of gal. Some of my favorites are:
Carrickfergus
Ned of the Hill
Foggy Dew
Will Ye Go Lassy Go
Skye Boat Song
Danny Boy
Cill Cais
Come By the Hills
Come Fare Away
Parting Glass
Star of the County Down
Ye Banks and Braes of old Bonnie Doone
and of course.... Will Ye No Come Back Again
Joe Collins has 2 good books, Simply Celtic, and Irish Charms which you can order online and you can sign up for his monthly free tab, which are often Celtic tunes.
Tull Glazener has some good ones too which you can order online.
Bob, that's so cool! You are multi talented for sure.
www.contemplator.com
Nearly all the Child Ballads, Turlough O'Carolan, Scots/Irish/English Folk, Sea Chanties and more. Histories and back stories and interesting commentary on the songs. Sometimes it's hard to pick out the melody from her MIDI files, but there are other sources. Plus links to a lot more...
Hi Strumelia, I just posted a you tube video of my piping. The tune is a favorite of mine- MacPherson's Lament.
Dana,
There are several books of Celtic music for the dulcimer. Mark Nelson, Lorinda Jones, Neal Hellman, and Linda Brockinton all have good books out, and I'm sure others do as well. You might also look specifically for music by Turlough O'Carolan, for a lot of those harp tunes work very well on dulcimer, and again, there are books dedicated to O'Carolan tunes arranged for the dulcimer. Shelley Stevens has one out as does Linda Brockinton.
I have a student who is concentrating on Celtic tunes, so I am helping her work through Neal Hellman's book, Celtic Tunes and Slow Airs for Mountain Dulcimer . The book used to come with a CD, though newer editions give you access to the music online. The music is really good; for most tunes there is an instrumental version of the arrangement in the book and another version with the dulcimer strumming chords and Janet Herman singing. Beautiful stuff. If you use Neal's book, be forewarned that he uses a lot of hammer-ons and pull-offs. I tell my student to ignore all of that initially, to learn the melody first, and then slowly to add some of the hammers and pulls only when it makes sense to her. The book has a nice mix of well-known tunes and others that are more esoteric.
On my website for River City Dulcimers I also have a "hidden" page of tab for Celtic tunes that are common in dulcimer circles. Some of the tab is my own, some is found elsewhere on the web. None is copyrighted. Feel free to make use of it. And if you want to work on tab that I wrote, I am happy to provide a video or audio demo. Just send me a note.
Happy picking!
Yep. I love celtic songs.
Give me a Blackest Crow, Will Ye No Come Back Again, Dark Island...
I play and pick and play these songs again and again, adding to them the harmony of Greensleeves and a few others.
I need some more music. If you know the above songs, then you know what I love. Can you please recommend some other possibly little known celtic-y tunes that are haunting or lovely?
I'm happy to pay for tabs. I just need some fresh songs. Thank you, thank you!
Hewalker- beautiful recorders! BTW did you know we have a thread here in this forum specifically about recorders:
https://fotmd.com/forums/forum/adventures-with-other-instruments/6926/recorder
Bob, I wish you'd post a clip of you playing one of your pipes!
Soprano-Smallest (I own) is a German Wesner
Alto-Middle is an Alpine
Tenor-Largest (I own) is a Wesner All three are wood and have wonderful tone quality!
I play a type of bagpipes called the cauld-wind pipes; Scottish Small Pipes (a set in "D" and one in "A"). Also Scottish Border Pipes. I need to get them out more often!
HeWalker, what brand are your 'serious' recorders? Can you post a photo of them here?
I have a whole playlist on my itunes of medieval and renaissance recorder music. It's so beautiful to listen to! I stick with penny whistles because recorders are simply too much of a learning curve for me at this point... and I had a much easier time learning the PW. But I do think recorders sound the most heavenly. 
I built a Mirleton once -- the adult version of a kazoo. Also ocarina.
I have a few Ocarinas....fun to play.....I sometimes take one sailing and play when there aren't any waves!!!!
I built a Mirleton once -- the adult version of a kazoo. Also ocarina.
After reading Bill's post regarding Pennywhistle-I was curious what other wind instruments does everyone play.
I grew up on the Clarinet, Alto Clarinet and Bass Clarinet, Recently (last year) started playing the penny whistle but most recently I have acquired and started playing the serious recorders. I own a soprano, an Alto and a Tenor. The alto is my favorite (I have tiny hands and it fits)
Here is my collection of lower key Susato 'Kildare' polymer penny whistles. I have them in C, Bb, A, and G. The A and the G each have one key on the lowest hole to make it easier for those of us with smaller hands to reach that bottom hole. I'm really enjoying the mellow sound of these lower whistles. :)
Cool! I just realized that since my local dulcimer group meets the fourth Saturday of every month, it will almost always be on Play Music on the Porch Day! We're going to have to take our chairs outside and share with the neighborhood!
