I have D-major-itis... After a few years of fretting over the situation (pun not intended) I decided I was fine with playing almost always in D Major.
That said, Strumelia asks a good question!
Have you addressed how you all will tune and/or capo your dulcimers in order to play in the key of A major?
WOW, WHAT AN EDUCATION.....and how many master's in Music Education know this cool stuff? thank you for something to really think about. I've found 5 old dulcimers, not by famous makers....and some didn't sound right while playing them after i strung 'em up. NOW I KNOW WHY. However, until I learn another style, I prefer the noter and drone style. thanks everyone for what is written here. aloha, irene
Can any one point me to tunes in score and tabs in the key of A major? Our group has vast numbers of tunes in D fewer in G but we would like to try our hand at the key of A.
My dulcimers are EQ and pass my ear test, sounds sweet to me!
When this subject comes up and several N/D players start singing the praises of the JI I think it's important for someone, in this case me, to pipe up and say that the JI is far too limited a scale to hold value for me. ....for reasons I've posted before.
Bob - no one but a custom builder would make a you a pre-slotted JI fretboard, certainly not Folkcraft. I had DanC make me a JI fretboard with staple frets for my last build. There's a JI calculator here on FOTMD to create your own JI pattern for any VSL you want.
My HS Em Condor Bass in Spanish Cedar arrives on Monday. 
I went with cedar, because I have a mid-tone G in cedar, and I love its tone. I have a couple walnut flutes already.
Well, it arrived 3 days late, since the post office decided to send it on a wild journey to an incorrect post office (it was correctly addressed). It got about 650 extra miles on it, but finally arrived today. I love the flute, wood, and tone. Thanks for everyone's help. Happy camper! 
Are the pre-slotted fingerboards sold by Folkcraft Just Intonation or Equal Temperament?
(I am planning to make a JI finger board using an electronic tuning meter to locate fret positions...)
I play mostly by/for myself, and love the JI dulcimer I built last year.
Just found this discussion- it is so interesting.
I know this may sound sorta silly, but back in the day (okay, okay...two years ago, haha!), my friend and I attended a day long time with Joe Collins. We were newbies but obsessed and had never had anyone show us exactly how to do a proper pull-off. Joe showed the class specifically how to do a fine and dandy pull off and you should have seen my friend and me turn our heads, look at each other with jaws dropped and a big ol' lightbulb go KAZAM! over our heads, haha!
Sometimes it's the little things. 
Fifteen or so years ago, at the Southwest Dulcimer Festival in Dewey, AZ, I had an impromptu "lesson" with Robert Force, Alan Darveaux and Stephen Seifert at some picnic tables under some trees at the Bean Tree Farm. My first dulcimer festival, and here's wacky old Noter & Drone Ken, picking and grinning with one of the dulcimer gods and two other fabulous players!
Tell us about the single LIVE workshop or music lesson that was the most musically inspiring to you in your music life. Could be on any instrument- but tell us about how that teacher's in-person lesson or workshop made a big impression, opened a door to your progress, or inspired your music playing in some profound way.
I signed up for a series of 6 classes that will start on March 16... Taught by NY folk musician George Ward. I'm looking forward to that!
It's now about seven months since I started playing the penny whistle, and I'm still really enjoying it!
Lately I've been playing in the key of Bb on my lower plastic whistle- trying to play harmony parts to Brian's fiddling tune melodies on his 'Bb fiddle'. That sounds kind of pretty when I can get harmony passages right. Still working hard at it, as it's not easy for me! Maybe in a few weeks I'll be able to record a little video of that without tons of mistakes...(one or two mistakes is always acceptable in my view.)
I threw together a new social fun site for anyone who plays tin whistle and is interested in joining:
Cripple Creek, to the best of my knowledge, never uses stains on their woods -- almost no one in the dulcimer building world does unless they are making something wacky like a blue or green instrument.
The rule of thumb we use for bridge height is called the Nickel & Dime rule: Lay a dime next to the first fret, and adjust the bridge height such that the strings should just touch the dime. When that's just right, set a nickel on top of the 7th fret (not the 6+ fret), and adjust the bridge height again, so the strings just touch the top of the nickel. You can adjust height by filing the notches deeper, but the preferred method is to remove the bridge, sand the flat bottom on a piece of sandpaper setting on a flat surface, and re-install -- repeat as necessary.
If you don't know what the 6+ fret is, refer to my article I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? here:
There are so many to choose from, but my favorite is 
...well, no, I think it this one 
...nah, I changed my mind, it's this one 
...no, not that one either...maybe this one...oh, heck! I'm so 
!!! I think I'll go and have a few 
!!!
Steven
Also, is the bridge supposed to be a certain height, or is it like a guitar bridge where it is raised or lowered to fit personal preference?
Thank you all! I replaced the strings and it sounds great :) Out of curiosity does if Cripple Creek uses stains on their wood?
Can't pick just one but these are in the top 
I'll get on this! Thank you all so much!
The Dancing Man always reminds me of Mr. Bojangles.
Dusty's got the string gauges right, that's for certain; or as right as anyone can be without knowing the VSL of your instrument(s). There is a right way and wrong way to install strings, depending on the kind of tuners.
As far as bridge materials, many of us use hard woods -- at least as hard as Maple, I prefer even harder woods like Lignum Vitae. You can buy small (3/4" x 3/4" x 5" pieces of exotic hardwoods which are marketed as "Pen Blanks" on Ebay -- I see a number of very hard wood blanks for under $3 each. Folkcraft and others have Corian or other hard plastic bridges with the notches already cut. You can also make bridges from bone -- buy a piece of de-greased bone from a pet shop. Send me a PM if you'd like more detail.
I agree with Dusty. Check the string calculator. It tends to give a "lighter" gauge string setting so you can always go up, e.g., if it says 0.010 you can use an 0.011 or 0.012. For a 27 VSL I like .011, .013, and .024. As for the bridge material, what is the nut made of? Most builders use the same material for the nut and the bridge. Just match it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
For string gauges, I usually send people to the Strothers' String Gauge Calculator . You simply enter the vibrating string length (VSL, or the distance between the nut and the bridge) and the note you want to tune to, and the calculator will tell you what gauge to use. It errs on the light side, so feel free to use a size or two larger.
For a dulcimer with a 27" VSL, I would imagine a wound .022 or .024 for the bass, . 012 or .014 for the middle, and .010 or .012 would work for a DAd tuning. I use slightly heavier strings than that, but you'll have to discover your preference.
The bass string is almost always wound and heavier than the others, but if you are tuned DAAA, then the melody string(s) and the middle strings would indeed be the same.
I don't really know what to say about the material for the bridge and nut. Hardwoods work well but so does bone, and there are some synthetics that people are using these days as well. Maybe one of the luthiers can chime in and offer some advice.
I am not going to be much help since I'm not really a musician. But, I will note that all the 4 string McSpaddens I own or have seen have 3 different size strings. So I am not sure that having 4 different string sizes they are the wrong strings.
Hi all! I recently bought a Cripple Creek dulcimer on eBay, and unfortunately, my email isn't sending through to Cripple Creek. I was wondering if anyone here would have the answer to my questions?
Are there any particular instructions on which strings to use and the preferred method of installation? I've put a new set on it, and it sounds great but would just like to know if there were any specific recommendations. The strings that came with it from the person who sold it were very obviously the wrong ones. They were even 4 different sizes.
I have another old, used, dulcimer and the bridge was either damaged or completely absent. I was wondering what the best material would be to replace it.
Metal or wood or something else entirely?
I got an adjustable possum board from Jim VanderWoude at Evart. It fits all my dulcimers. I added rubber tubing to the posts and some additional felt in a couple spots to make sure the dulcimers don't get scratched. Very well made and thought out. It folds up too, for storage/travel.
Hi, how do they feel on your lap? Pro and cons? Jim lives close to me so would be convenient to buy from
Oh my, I just saw your question....sorry.
His possum boards are comfy on the lap. He also puts strap pins on it. The only thing is that the dulcimer sits a bit higher on your lap, but you can get used to that.
My first was a FolkRoots hourglass, spruce/walnut, purchased at Elderly Instruments. Beautiful tone and looked really nice. I have since purchased a FolkRoots with a shorter scale length that I have converted to a baritone and a Folkcraft Custom. Still loving their dulcimers.
@majajog , that's a great story, and probably one that is repeated often, for one of the aspects of the dulcimer that we celebrate is how accessible it is even to those with no musical experience. Thanks to the McSpadden salesperson who just sat you down and put a dulcimer in your lap!
This is the one I like for the FOTMD Family! 
Our first dulcimers were a ginger for my spouse and a standard for me, both bought from McSpadden. We sort ended up in Mountain View five years ago, basically by accident. We had a good time listening to the music and eventually went to McSpaddens to see the dulcimers we fell in love with 40 years earlier. Thought they were beautiful but knew neither of us had any talent at all so we looked around and left. Went back a couple of days later for a last look before heading home. The door to the shop has a sign that says "if you can to 10, you can play." We both laughed at it, knowing that neither of us could ever play an instrument.
This time, after looking around for awhile, a salesperson talked me into sitting down and holding a dulcimer. I thought that was pretty cool but, I knew I could never play and I said so and besides I was left handed anyway. She took the dulcimer away and laid a left handed dulcimer on my lap and said "here, play it." I said "huh, I don't know how and don't have any talent anyway". She said you don't need talent just a desire and some tab. I said "what's tab?" She showed me some tab, explained the numbers and told me to try and play. I got through the first 2 measures and could tell it more or less sounded like "Ode To Joy". Couldn't believe it.
My spouse then went through the same thing with the same outcome. We promptly said we'll take two. Spent the next couple of hours deciding on size, shape, woods etc., gave them a credit card and told them ship them to us when they were done. Best thing we ever did.
They turned out great, at least to us, sound great and we play almost everyday. Started our own little group that meets every week to practice, learn new stuff and play old favorites. Unbelievably, my spouse and I even played at a nursing home with some members of our group. The people there seemed to enjoy it so we were pretty excited.
We still don't have any talent, we will never be very good players but we have fun practicing and have met some wonderful people and hear music all the time now. Best money we ever spent.
OK. Thanks for the advice. We'll just have to give it a try. It's for our own amusement.
Dusty that dancing guy always reminds me of the Young Frankenstein movie with Frankie dancing in a tuxedo... 
The cat wagging its tail 
is pure Strumelia, for sure!
Bob, I like the dancing pickle 
but also the dancing guy silhouette .
And Lexie, Smiley deserves his own smiley! 
Let's pretend that's a hamster chew toy smiley.
Jan has pointed out the sweetest smiley of all . It almost makes me tear up.
Our thanks to Teri West for her creative dulcimer smiley!
Lexi- give a big pat to Smiley for us... he's a special feller for sure!
I admit I'm particularly fond of these smileys:
... lolol!
I Just Got A.pdf - 1MB
