Forum Activity for @sheryl-st-clare

While at Ken Bloom's Bowed Dulcimer workshop in Pilot Mt. NC a couple of years ago, a talented young lady played a Carbony flute in the key of D. It was lovely. If I can ever scrape up a few hundred dollars I don't want to spend on dulcimers, or tools to work on dulcimers, I'll buy one!

I Find that wind instruments vary much more than stringed instruments. Sure, guitars all have their differences, but the difference in tone between different fipple and duct flutes. For example I have a NA flute that while not quiet (it's actually my loudest one), is my softest in tone (it's cedar). I have one made out of maple and one out of mahogany, they both have much clearer, more direct sound. The wide variation of timbre between instruments is what holds my attention to them. While the difficulty and range of notes is what holds me captive to playing guitar. Not that penny whistles aren't difficult, its's a different type of difficulty. 

At a session one night a fellow took out a pair of bones to play along, after a few sets of tunes I heard someone say"Tis a pity  there isn't a bit more meat on those bones.

I'm still playing my penny whistles.  Because I like to play like six instruments and various genres/repertoires, I have to spread my music practice between them.. so I don't progress as fast as i could if I devoted my full attention to one instrument and one kind of music.  Alas!

But even though I don't play a whole lot on the penny whistle, I do find I'm still sloooowly improving.. yay, I'll take it!  

I'm amazed at how different each whistle brand and key sounds and feels to play.  I now understand why some folks buy many whistles to try out... especially since it's so much cheaper than it would be 'experimenting' with guitars or mandolins for example.      I now have over a dozen whistles... but there are at least 4 that I don't care for and will sell soon... and 3 or 4 that I want to buy and try out in the future.  lol   

It does take a while to find the kind of whistles that 'suit you'... in size, playing characteristics, and tone.  For instance most Irish trad players tend to like a 'chiffy' tone with some breath texture to it.  Personally, since I play more medieval or English country dance repertoire, I myself tend to favor the whistles that sound more 'woody' or flute/recorder-like.  The polymer or wood whistles usually sound more this way, while the metal whistles innately have more 'chiff'.  But I have a couple of traditional brass whistles that have a very appealing tone appropriate for Irish tunes, that I like to play very much too.

Penny whistles are less expensive than dulcimers by far, so it's easy to have a collection!  

Here's something I sometimes say(privately) to Brian when people in a jam play one of our favorite tunes at 100 mph so we can't savor it or play all the little musical things we like to do in it:  "Well at least it was over with a lot faster."    

Val, I love both of those you posted!  

Here's one along the same lines.  A professional musician I know once said this (I don't know if he made it up or not):

"If you're playing in a jam and you can't hear yourself playing... then you're playing too loud."

(implying of course that if everyone followed this, the whole jam would get quieter and everyone would again be able to hear themselves.)

What's the difference between a fiddle and a violin, you can spill porter on a fiddle you can't on a violin.

If you remember the names of your tunes, you don't have too many.

Not names, really, just identifiers -- "the Uncle Ed",  "the Hogfiddle", "the Walking Stick" etc.

Yes, I do...They complain if their strings need changing and tell all when they travel to distant lands for a road trip!  rofl

Love "Orphan" as a name....I have three flea market finds-my first dulcimer ever is BOB-the maker was named BOB.   My Folkroots is named after the gentleman I got it from!

"All music is folk music.  I ain't never heard a horse sing a song."

-- Louis Armstrong (. . . or maybe Leadbelly . . . or Big Bill Broonzy . . .)

Half have names and half don't.   (Do you think they talk to each other?)

My dulcimer with a swan head and tail feathers is called Swannie.  My first dulcimer was found abandoned in a fleamarket  and I call it the Orphan.  Haven't figured out a name for my Folkcraft nor little travel Applecreek.

If I were to give my dulcimers proper names, I'd be like Ma Kettle and never know one kid's name from another.  (Anybody remember Ma & Pa Kettle on tv about a million years ago? ) 

I like the saying about how old-time music isn't as bad as it sounds.  :)

I have named mine "Sweetie". Not very original but she always has a sweet note or sound for me in spite of my just starting to learn to play. I would have gone with "Dulcie" but that is what I named my hammered dulcimer.

That makes it sound like a "wicked" sounding instrument!

Kusani, just slap some black paint on it like Mr. Thomas did.  Paint covers a multitude of errors.

The name of my last build is VERY descriptive!  I experimented with a couple stains and it failed; hence named: The Ugly One.    Despite appearance, it sounds fairly good. 

Love those names!

Thats a super idea!!!   

I had two custom made mandolins for many years- an F5 and an octave mandolin... both with similar inlays and made by the same luthier.  I called them The Little Snapper and The Big Snapper.  They were gorgeous.  I sold them last year, both to the same person.

"People think I take some sort of masochistic pleasure out of putting out music that's gonna be unpopular."

- Billy Corgan

(lead singer Smashing Pumpkins)

Some of mine have names: Rosa, Lucinda, Mr. Salty.  One or two remain nameless.  

Mr. Salty got his name when I was playing for my kid's 1st grade class and someone said it looked like a "peanut guitar."  Indeed, the hourglass shape does resemble the shape of a peanut and the lacewood resembles the texture of a peanut shell.

I've been using words from the Bible, usually the Psalms, as names for my new dulcimer builds. 

It's getting more difficult to find words that can be names also! Mephibosheth? Maher-shalal-hash-baz?...

This is a list of names (including hubby's)

Broadway, Skinny, Kat, Ollie, Bud, Baby, Wally, Milly, Boxer, Annie, Bob, Tiny Tim, Shane, Pocahontas, Sweetie, Logan, Merl.

Great idea!

Mine are by Maker, Seller, User, wood type...really anything I can distinguish from the others!

I have been "naming" mine by the month that it was made. ("October"  is just getting started, though.)

Just curious.....does anyone "NAME-nickname" their dulcimers as I do???   I will get a list of mine together and post their names!

Jean Ritchie is supposed to have said something to the effect that  "...if it's got extra frets, somehow it's not a dulcimer anymore..."  But I can't find who told me that quote originally a year or so back.

Sometimes between songs at a gig, I'll say to the audience:  "We've had a request from the audience... but we're going to keep playing anyway."   Always gets a laugh.  

I am currently using it set on the first fret but moved  slightly toward the nut....if I flip all the fingers to "off" I can continue to play 1st fret without any issues!   Handy and oh so quick!

hewalker, Thanks  for the info. I'm glad you included he photo, it  answers my other concenrs quite well.

Does he use a strap?  I have longer legs  than upper body and placing my strap tightly around my legs(just behind the knee bend-tightened for no motion in the dulcimer) works way better than under my behind!

Another interesting find I made this last week!  I was in the market for another tuner (we have about ten) needed another one to keep on the currently played dulcimer.  I was amazed and very excited to see this 3-in-1.  I carry a metronome in my gig bag and this tuner has one built in!!!  LOVE it so far!!!!!   Also has a Tune generator that I haven't tried out!   **Downer of this tuner is doesn't spin 360 degrees so have to clip it and tilt head to view!!

 unnamed-4.jpg - 65KB

I must add-although I primarily play dulcimer-I also play around with ukulele and mandolin and hubs plays bouzouki so this mini capo seem to be a real must try!

I ordered the mini and it arrived yesterday-loving the flexibility of changing to all sorts of tunings quickly.  It fits great on all the fingerboards I own (checked before ordering) The "fingers" can be removed easily and made to fit even three string dulcimers.  Please continue your comments as you try this-I am curious how everyone feels! I currently have one finger fretting both melody strings and it is the clearest sound I have found while experimenting! (see photo)

 unnamed.jpg - 47KB

Thanks, missed that and the width range, 1 1/8-2". I wonder if the fingers can be adjusted sideways, can fit over doubled strings and be set up for 3 or 5 courses.

According to the web site the spider capo mini should work on mountain dulcimers.  “The Mini SpiderCapo is for narrow necked instruments. These include, but are not limited to: Banjo, Ukelele, Mandolin and Bouzuki.

Users report that because the SpiderCapo clamps over the fingerboard, and not behind, it can also be used on the Mountian Dulcimer.”

I looked at their site earlier today to see if they published any specs. I couldn't find any. I I wanted to find out what the open width is [ 1 3/8 to 1 5/8"], if the fingers are sideways adjustable so they can be placed over different string spacings and if they work on flat fingerboards [I don't use any of the instruments they make them for]. They also offer custom made. If they will work oh MD's , there could be a lot of unique tunings done.