Stringing a 5 string?
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That's correct all the strings go over the top of the "tuner shafts". Bob's diagram if which string goes to which peg is spot on!
Forum Activity for @ken-hulme
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Ok Glenda, the new group has been created- go ahead and join it. Have fun!
Stringing a 5 string?
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I wind all of the strings over the top of the pegs.
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Yes, that would be great! I'm looking forward to getting Indiana going again. I know there lots of dulcimer players here.
Stringing a 5 string?
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Thank you very much, Bob. Now, in the photo, the way he strung that one string under the previous peg...is that correct? It doesn't seem right to me? I thought they should go over the other pegs? I hope I'm making sense.
Stringing a 5 string?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
JenniferC: Which string goes to what peg? Can anyone help me?
If you are right handed the lightest (thinnest) strings go on the left side pegs starting with the one closest to the nut. Like this:
Top of Peghead
3
4
2
5
1
______ (NUT)
| | | | |
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Glenda Hubbard:
I used to be the moderator for the Indiana group but. I can no longer find it has it been deleted ? Will I have to create a new one or is it in the files somewhere and I just cant find it? I've not been on for a while and check in occasionally but would like to activate the Indians group. Not sure I'm in the right category Glenda
Ok, Glenda, I'm back- 
We have about +/- 60 different Groups here on FOTMD. We do have Groups for 'some' US states, but not for others. For some subjects or areas there may not be enough interest to maintain a separate space for their activity. Every couple of years, I go through the site's Group section and delete any Groups that have been completely inactive for over a year and that have none (or almost none) discussions, few members, and few comments. Doing this keeps the Groups area of the site fresh. I'm afraid the Indiana Group had been very long completely inactive and was thus deleted.
However, if you are interested in being active in, or overseeing the activity of a new Indiana Group, then I will be happy to create a new group and although i can't make you an actual site moderator, I can adjust it so that only you can create special sticky 'pages' in that group for any Indiana subject you might feel is helpful to the group members. You could keep an eye on that group, start topics of interest perhaps, and let me or another FOTMD moderators know if there's ever a problem in the group that needs attention.
Shall I go ahead and create a new Indiana Group for you to help 'shepherd', Glenda?
Stringing a 5 string?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
My new baby arrived today, and she's lovely! Unfortunately, the helpful man at the music store who helped pack it to ship to me, removed all of the old strings, put one new string on (he only had the one loop end available). He was also "kind" enough to glue down the floating bridge! Grrr.
Now I have no idea how to string this thing. Which string goes to what peg? Can anyone help me?
The glue on the floating peg was easy to unstick, fortunately.
Thanks for any help!
I was able to find a name and date inside. Unfortunately, I can't quite make out the name, but the date is 4-8-72.
updated by @jenniferc: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM
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Hi Glenda!- @glenda-hubbard - I have to go out the door right now for some doctor visits for several hours, but I'll be sure to come back and respond to your Indiana group question when I return home!
updated by @strumelia: 01/25/17 09:44:04AM
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I used to be the moderator for the Indiana group but. I can no longer find it has it been deleted ? Will I have to create a new one or is it in the files somewhere and I just cant find it? I've not been on for a while and check in occasionally but would like to activate the Indians group. Not sure I'm in the right category Glenda
I've Just Bought a BANJO !!!!
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Bill- most oldtime fiddle tune banjo players I know, when playing for key of D, will either tune up to aDADE
which is referred to as 'double D tuning'. (the first lower case letter is the short fifth string)
OR, if they don't want to tune up that high they will tune to 'double C tuning' which is: g, C, G, C, D
and then you can hook your fifth string up to 'a' and put a capo on the second fret for the other 4 strings. That would bring you back up to double d tuning but with less cranking of the strings if starting from standard G tuning of gDGBD.
I usually just tune up to aDADE to play in D.
I've Just Bought a BANJO !!!!
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
I tune my banjo F#, D, F#, A, D (from 5th to 1st string). You can play melody on the first string just like on the dulcimer. I use a clawhammer or a two-finger style strum.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I've Just Bought a BANJO !!!!
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
I just got a Deering Goodtime 5 string banjo, how do I tune or capo to play along with dulcimers in DAD?
It has spikes for capo on 5th string.
Any help would be appreciated
Protecting skin
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Ouch
! Perhaps, when you heal a bit, you can try some fingerpicking. No picks needed.
I hope you heal quick and painlessly.
Protecting skin
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
At the end of last week I broke my wrist -- the right, dominant, strumming hand. Can tell that, once the pain eases up, the switch to thumb picks will let me play. Turns out to be a good idea for more than just the original reason
New Bill Berg dulcimer
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Steven, enjoy your new dulcimer which I am sure you will.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
New Bill Berg dulcimer
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Received my new Bill Berg dulcimer the other day! It's an all sycamore 5-string long scale elliptical. It sounds wonderful, and looks great! Real nice people to deal with. Well, back to playing it!
Steven
updated by @steven-berger: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM
Drying freshly harvested wood...
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Thany you every one. I will keep you informed,
. Any body ever use thr techniqe of whacking the butt end to determine moisture content?
Drying freshly harvested wood...
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The paraffin on the ends will keep the wood from drying too quickly. I dried some walnut in my unheated attic for several years. I just stacked and stickered it and left it there until I needed it for a project. Sounds like you are on the right track.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Drying freshly harvested wood...
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Yea, i won't put it near the fire place, just in the same room which geet warm enough. Also we use a small fan which generally keeps the air smoothly gently circulating.
Drying freshly harvested wood...
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Be careful, if it drys too fast it will be prone to checking and cracking.
Drying freshly harvested wood...
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Thanks Kusani,
pretty much what I figured too. We have a wood stove insert in the fireplace in our livingroom. Puts out nice dry heat. I think I may put the wood slabs in proximity and help speed up thr dryng process. Fresh cut wood smells the best no matter what kind it is!
Drying freshly harvested wood...
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Nice looking pieces of wood! I would dry them 'as is' and then work them down to dimensions using whatever tools/machines you have available. Here is a slab of burl maple I air dried for 3+ years in a barn and then worked it down for making the dulcimer I have posted in another thread: 
updated by @kusani: 01/20/17 07:27:48PM
Drying freshly harvested wood...
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Hi, according to my past experiences I feel quite competent in building my first dulcimer. However, I know I will have several if not many questions and clarifications along my jouney. Here are the first.
In our woods a tree which I believe to be in the cherry or birch family came crashing down, broken off about 8 feet above the ground. A closer inspection revealed that downy woodpeckers and flickers were the culprits. My good fortune is in the remaining tree on the ground with about 10" diameter.
Using my chain saw I cut 2 slabs about 1.5x10x48 inches (+ or -) for top and bottom. At this time there are pretty rough and need band saw and planer attention. My question are about seasoning and drying the slabs.
1. Should I leave the slabs rough and let dry-out before doing any cutting ?
or
2. Should I band saw and plane to a rough size, then dry out?
In either case I will seal ends with parafin and bees wax.
I also cut a 3x3x48 inch maple plank from which the side will be band sawed from. I ask the same questions about drying out. No 1. Or No.2 ?
I also have a slab of black walnut which was shed off on one of our trees as a large branch came down in the wind. This has been in my barn for five years and completely dry. This will become the fret board and head.
I am extremely grateful to have such nice wood made available from my own land in such a natural way.
Any suggestion about drying are very welcome.
Lastly, can anyone recomend plans or a book for building the tear drop appalachian mountain dulcimer. I am pretty comfortable about the box. Need some good detail on head stock and stringing.
thanks all, will post pictures as I progress!
Tim Good Man
How did you first discover the mountain dulcimer?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I'm not really sure what my first meeting with a Mountain Dulcimer was ... I was probably researching some of the old "Child" ballads and found either a video or recording that I liked the sound of, then spent some little while both convincing myself I really wanted one and then finding one at a price I wanted to pay ... they're a bit thin on the ground on the east side of the Atlantic, and, as everywhere, what might be considered a novelty item often commands a high price!
With instrument found and purchased I ended up with a "no-name" 4-string that needed a drop of glue and a new string ... the glue glued and the string got knotted (I didn't have a spare string long enough) and it gives me a great deal of pleasure :)
She moved through the fair
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I was moved to join this friendly community because I saw the answers to the problems some of you'd had with Ken Hulme's tab and thought you might be interested in my workaround.
I tune my instrument DGD and play the 1+'s as a 3 (on the second string)!
This tuning also gives the opportunity to play some of the "4"'s on the melody string as an emphatic 444 chord, also some of the "0"'s as an 010 and at least one of the "3"'s as 323 ... these chords are optional, the original melody still works fine without them.
Hope this of interest to someone :)
Does anyone recognize this dulcimer?
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Thanks, George. Maybe I should send the pictures along to Mr Clemmer and see if he recognizes it, lol.
My sister is going to go pick her up today from the gentleman selling it, and ship it to me. My fingers are very itchy! Lol.
Rest in Peace Alan Jabbour
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Strange coincidence. But I've been playing Over the Waterfall, for the last week. A Henry Reed tune popularized by Alan. I hope there will always be young people coming along as Alan did in the sixties. To keep the music alive .. Robert.
What do you all record with?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I use my phone...which ain't all that good, but is simple.
Steven
Does anyone recognize this dulcimer?
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I have never seen a Bill Davis with the upper f holes, and only a couple that were done with heart holes, mine also has just the upper round ones, I'm attaching a couple of pictures of the signature, and the headstock so you can see the Davis looks quite a bit different. My understanding is, and I very well could be wrong on this, is that Davis was the "original" builder of the fiddle side design.
Looking at the photos you posted, I would still lean towards it being a Clemmer.
Does anyone recognize this dulcimer?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
George....28? You've got it bad! I just have the sniffles, you've got double pneumonia, lol.
Thanks for the info on the Davis kits. Do you know for certain he did a style with the f holes at both the top and bottom? The only ones I have seen had round holes at the top, f holes at the bottom.
How to ship?
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check USPS and UPS for the best rates. i found USPS the most reasonable. i reccomend the instrument be in a case packed with plastic peanuts
and then put in a box also packed with peanuts or crumpled newspaper.
Does anyone recognize this dulcimer?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Good to know about the Bill Davis fiddle shapes and kits; I stand corrected!
Does anyone recognize this dulcimer?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
As was mentioned about Bill davis, it does look like his style, and he did sell kits, the ones he personally built were signed by him carving/engraving his name on the back side of the dulcimer, kits were not signed. I was fortunate enough to find a Bill Davis sometime back, signed that way but also carvet with the name of the person he built it for.
Otherwise I would also lean towards Mike Clemmer.
Either way a sweet one, I love the five strings, and as far DADisease, I am now up to 28, the dulcimers live in the house, if I add any more I'll be sleeping outside.
What do you all record with?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Just bought the Tascam DP 008ex. Do I know how to use it yet? Still reading. It is a 8 track recorder, they say cd quality.
Rest in Peace Alan Jabbour
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
The Henry Reed repertoire is treasure!
Though I never really got the B part of Poplar Pole nailed down, I love the tune.
How to ship?
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
I thought I had seen a lengthy discussion on how to ship a dulcimer, but I can't find it now. ..was I dreaming? Can someone point me in the right direction? Thanks!