Forum Activity for @chcknj

... and when you cross the french border the thing is called "épinette de voges" ... that's the funny thing with Europe and its different languages. ;-) and of course each and every region has its own style too to differentiate. ...

The Story of the Hummel book by Wilfried Ulrich is available again in United States. Check out this website: https://dulcimerhistory.com/book/

Ken Longfield

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Yep-the Dutch word for "Shite".. Ireland and NL as well.I thought of calling it a Hummel but that seems to be a different beast.I was in Germany 10 years ago,went online to try and find a scheitholt,all I got were offers of firewood or wood stoves.So I call it a "Skeetholt" now...but in NL a skeet is a charming person who robs your pocket while buttering you up.So for me scheitholt remains,pronounced Skeetholt (no one plays one in NL and I've never heard the term outside of the island) until someone comes up with a different term..for the 100 scheitholt players in the world,laugh.

"As to the linguistic issue, scheiße is the German word for sh*t. Scheit in the 16th century was log or piece of wood. I think that is still the translation today according to my German friends."

I don't disagree with that, but ...

First, we are discussing early 20th Century interpretation of late 18th Century Pennsylvania German terminology, as much as academic 16th Century German German. 

Second, if you use Google Translate for the meaning of "scheit" it tells you the modern translation is "sh*t." 

Third, if you look down in a toilet, in polite Victorian terms, don't you see "logs"?

We also would have a bit of confusion if we ask Google what "dulcimer" means. I'm not sure if I would trust the Unabridged Oxford Dictionary to be clear on that.

Wally, thanks for your comments. I found no evidence of shops making musical instruments in Pennsylvania making zitters. There were some violin makers and of course by 1839 C.F. Martin was making guitars in Nazareth, PA. Of course, the absence of evidence doesn't mean it didn't happen, only that there was evidence that it did. Henry Mercer mentions one builder, but he made bowed zitters.

As to the linguistic issue, scheiße is the German word for sh*t. Scheit in the 16th century was log or piece of wood. I think that is still the translation today according to my German friends.

You are in good company in thinking scheitholt "has been established in dulcimer history too long to just kill off." That was Ralph Lee Smith's attitude as well. I argued with him that we should be precise and correct in identifying these instruments that are not scheitholts as what they were called "back in the day," namely zitters.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Ken Longfield and Ken Hulme said"
"These instruments were constructed by craftsmen on an individual basis probably in home workshops. There is no record of musical instrument shops in the new world building these Pennsylvania German instruments."

I have begun writing a bit of stuff for the Nonsuch Dulcimer newsletter in Britain about making and fixing Appalachian Dulcimers. In the first piece  have written:

"Historically, the LD is not a musical instrument created by skilled luthiers. It is a folk-craft item, like a quilt or a sweater. They were made by simple crafters working with locally available materials and simple tools. That practice is still alive in the USA, along with a handful of highly skilled, but mostly self-taught shops producing high priced instruments."

and

"My guess is that the 19th Century makers were also involved in making simple furniture and other household items, and that many of the instruments were made for family members and close friends."

Before 1900, making stuff for home use from wooden boxes and branches was commonplace in farm homes. I opine that is was about as common among men as needle craft was among women. The Boy Scouts taught this level of craftsmanship to townies when I was a boy. It was a common sort of magazine or newspaper story, just as boat-building was.

On the linguistic side, "scheit" in German translates as "shit" in English. I can imagine some of us saying "This piece of shit I made works pretty well for playing on the porch, although I wouldn't recommend it for public performance."

I agree that we should try to take scheitholt out of regular polite communication, but I think it has been established in dulcimer history too long to just kill off.

Interesting and persuasive stuff, Ken.  Thanks for sharing.

Jerry-  I know you posted this query about your Geoffrey Johnson Dulcimer 2 years ago but I'm just getting around to finding it.  I also have a Johnson made dulcimer.  I once posted a question (on this Forum) asking if anyone knew who the maker was or anything about the slightly weird looking beasts.  Within minutes it occurred to me to look deep into the belly and I saw a maker's certificate(?) with the Johnson name.  Couldn't really find out much about the maker and why he made the tail piece so long.  You can't find a dulcimer case on the market to fit it in.  Rifle cases, yes, but not dulcimer cases.  I've got several other dulcimers I take out into public to play but my Geoffrey Johnson dulcimer stays home all the time.

There will be no burning of mountain dulcimers here at my house!  

A comment I received via email suggested a better way of saying:  In German, scheit means log or piece of wood, while holt or holz means wood. I like the suggestion below and have replaced this sentence in the original with the two sentences below.

In German, scheit means log or piece of wood, while adding holt or holz means firewood. This is a way of something is garbage; i.e., something to be burned.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks, Ken L & Ken H for the research and your article!  One thing I realize is the story of the Appalachian dulcimer and its origins is still being written-- a good thing!  

Here is a bibliography for the article.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song." 

Bibliography - Scheitholt No More.pdf - 60KB

I learned today that theme of February, 2026 issue of Dulcimer Players News will not be "tradition." I submitted an article in 2024 and was asked if it could be held until the December, 2025 issue originally scheduled to have the "tradition" theme. I agreed. It was postponed from November, 2025 until February, 2026 and now postponed again. I decided to wait no more and share this pdf of the article. I hope you enjoy it and it causes you think about the mountain dulcimers ancestors.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Scheitholtnomorev5.b.pdf - 252KB

Oh my, Strumelia, that poor guitar!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I have dot placed stickers, using stationary department dots or masking tape, on one or two of the instruments I own, but if I buy a modestly priced dulcimer without dots, I usually install "real" ones at 3, 7, 10 and 14.

On eBay you can buy for $15 with delivery
20Pcs 6X2Mm Guitar Natural Mother of Pearl Inlay Fingerboard Fret Dots
That's enough 1/4" dots for 5 instruments.

I also use 1/4" "plugs" cut from some ebony I have with a cheap drill-type plug cutter in a drill press.

It is easy to install them in holes made with a 1/4" Forstner bit in a drill press if you just slack or remove the middle string.

This isn't for the faint-hearted, but an almost trivial job for any woodworker, luthier or not.

Thanks for the tip about that. My dulcimers live in their cases with their humidifiers as our house is dry as heck all winter even with room humidifiers so they should be fine. 

I thought i'd add one little tip here...
Wooden dulcimers and other instruments tend to darken over time when exposed to light. This can be a nice thing, for example a brand new light cherry wood dulcimer turns darker and reddish.
BUT, if you have any stickers on the fretboard and you leave your dulcimer out of its case (hanging on a wall or in a stand), the exposure to light over a year or more will mean that when you (or some future owner) eventually removes the stickers and cleans off the adhesive, there will likely be a noticeable light spot where the wood did not receive light. This could devalue the instrument. I'm not sure how visible this would be on an ebony fretboard, if one has that.

This effect takes way longer to happen if the instrument is stored in a closed case between playing. So that's just something to keep in mind. You may want to aim for removing the stickers after a few months if this is important to you.

Here's a guitar that had stickers on it for many years.. after sticker removal, the wood itself is now showing 'suntan marks':

Reviving an old thread here just to say thanks for the links, I’ve ordered some of the recommended stickers for both my vintage dulcimer, and also for my ukulele more for decoration than real need on the uke. On the dulcimer they are needed - I’m dyscalculic enough that my brain needs the position cues that I have on my Pudge to know where I am on the Berg dulcimer. 

@casserole Here in Ohio, the air is quite dry in Winter and I assume the same for your climate.  Be sure to never store a wooden instrument near a heat source.  It is a good idea to use a humidifier of some sort in the case.  I hope your used Folkcraft arrives without incident to your doorstep!  

You mentioned "Low-Maintenance." Provided that they are properly set up when purchased, lap dulcimers don't need much maintenance work except when a string breaks, and if you learn to tune carefully that will not be often.

It's best to store it in a proper case, rather than a pillow case. Try to keep the case out of the rain, and don't leave it on a beach. Wiping occasionally with a soft cloth and maybe oiling the tuners every couple of years is a good idea.

The traditional dulcimer is reputed to have been kept hanging on the wall over the fireplace in a cabin which wasn't heated much in below zero weather. If well built, they are a tough as the Kentucky hill folks who owned them.

I'm assuming you didn't buy one made with faces of glued up exotic wood with wild grain or knots, or millions of sound holes, and that it has a proper one-piece fretboard and geared tuners. Buying exotic stuff is always a risk.

Thank you both so much for your help! I really needed a little boost of confidence before making the investment. I just placed an order on Reverb for an "excellent condition" used Folkcraft. Fingers crossed the order goes through and the dulcimer is as good as the vendor claims.  

Ken L has given you wonderful advice, casserole.  I wish you a joyous mountain dulcimer journey!  

Sometimes it is best to start with what type of music do you want to play? You mentioned that you played noter style. It is easier to play in a 1 5 5 tuning (DAA, CGG, etc.) because for most tunes you will only play on the first (melody) string. In that tuning a 6.5 fret is nice to have, but not necessary. If you plan to play in chord/melody style you really should have that 6.5 and its octave 13.5. If you choose to play more modern songs or choose to play in a cross fret board style you might add the 1.5 and 8.5 frets. In general most folks play in DAd in those styles. Another question to ask yourself is do you want 3 or 4 strings. Four strings seems to be the most popular with the ability to turn it into three strings by removing one and you can have the nut notched to play four equidistant strings which opens up other possibilities. I hope I'm not confusing you with too much information.

Your profile lists you as being in Stillwater. You might call or drive down to Redwing and visit Stoney End Music. They usually have some mountain dulcimers in stock. Stoney End is associated with Hobgoblin Music in Great Britain so they also have instruments associated with British folk music.

In addition to the makers you mentioned I would encourage you to look at Folkcraft as well.

Ebony fretboards are nice, but add to the cost of the instrument. The first dulcimer I made in 1974 has a walnut fretboard and has held up very well. For myself I would not bother with an ebony fretboard on my dulcimer. Some folks feel that ebony helps your fingers slide better. It's really a matter of personal preference and how much you want to spend as fretboard overlays add to the expense of the instrument.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hello! After 40-some years of wishing, I'm finally buying myself a dulcimer. I've been trying to educate myself, but I feel overwhelmed. I would greatly appreciate any guidance on dulcimer makers, models, and/or features that would be reliable and easy to play. I'm not being modest when I say I have zero musical talent, and I'll only be playing by and for myself. When I had a cardboard dulcimer 40-some years ago, I played what I believe is called noter/drone style (with a wooden rod and a pick). I really liked that, but would be game to try plucking it, too. I know it would be best to try various dulcimers out, but I live in Minnesota, and don't have easy access to a dulcimer store or dulcimer luthier (that I'm aware of).  

I've been looking at McSpadden, New Harmony, and Warren May, but am open to anything. I can afford a new, basic dulcimer, and possibly an upgrade or two, but nothing too crazy. I have thought about getting a smaller model, like a Ginger or Pudge, but don't know if that affects the reliability or ease of playing at all? Are ebony fret boards a good investment? Finally, are there certain frets that should be included or added (I see a lot of discussion about the 6.5 fret)? 

Thank you so much for reading! Any opinions on any of this would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the good feedback and yes on my 25” V.S.L  it's a bit of a stretch for the 1-2-4 chord for me on my 25” diatonic. I can do it but it's definitely uncomfortable. I need to practice stretching more.Okay that answers my question thanks. Don't know if I'm ready for a chromatic. I’m just playing with the idea at this point maybe I'll stick with what I have 

I have, and prefer, chromatics. The one I use the most has 23" VSL.

If you can play on a 25" VSL diatonic, you can play a 25" chromatic. The frets are the same distance apart, just some are missing on the diatonic. It should not be a problem unless you play up the scale alot, eg. frets above 10 on a 25" VSL

It would probably help understand this by comparing fret spacing between different VSL at the 'tight' end. There's really not much of a difference until the VSL's are significantly different. 

This is a good calculator for comparing.

https://www.bearmeadow.com/calculators/fret-calculator.html

Jon, the only answer I can offer is "kinda, sorta, not really, maybe."  This is all a matter of preference.

Yes, the frets themselves get smaller on a chromatic and for playing higher up the neck, we might want a longer VSL to enable our Fred Flintstone-like chubby fingers to get in there to fret the strings.

However, the challenges of stretching to reach chords--the reason many of us prefer shorter VSLs--does not go away.  I think of the 1-2-4 A chord in a DAd tuning as the test case.  Can you comfortably fret that chord?  On my 25" dulcimer, it is very comfortable, and I can even move my thumb up to the 5th fret for melody notes while still holding down the 1 on the bass and 2 on the middle.  On my 27" dulcimer, I can fret the 1-2-4 chord, but it is a bit of a stretch, and I can't get up to that 5th fret with my thumb.  That issue is the same whether the fretboard is diatonic or chromatic.

The muscles in our fingers do indeed stretch over time, but your comfort level fretting chords is largely a function of the size of your hand, so there is no universal "ideal" VSL. 

In order to maximize your ability to finger chromatic frets higher up the fretboard, I would suggest you determine the longest VSL that allows you to fret that 1-2-4 chord comfortably.

  Hi kids. Just me Jon again.  I have a question about chromatic V.S.L.  I know that the trend with the diatonic set-up  is to go with a 25 inch V.S.L to make it easier for reaching the frets. So following that logic I would think with the chromatic you would want the maximum V.S.L Since there are so many extra frets The longer V.S.L is better in order to make the spacing of the frets further apart?. I guess I'm asking what is the ideal V.S.L for a chromatic setup anybody out there with any ideas  Like all ways THANK

Lara, what a wonderful little story of the Sunhearth tradition around the 4th of July!  Thank you for starting this great thread.

I’m stealing this post from my dad who tells the tale of The first Fourth of July festival at Sunhearth. 

“ Hi folks, thanks for welcoming Lara. She mentions that she has three dulcimers. What she doesn't say is that she built one of them at Sunhearth, under the watchful eye of Walt Martin. Her roots in the Martin family are deep.

Ken, the July 4th weekends at Sunhearth have an interesting history:

Walt was friends with a group of musicians centered around Penn State U, about 75 miles from Roaring Spring, where Walt and his Dad built the Martin homestead, Sunhearth, (upwind from the Roaring Spring village paper mill, thank goodness...).

Awhile after Walt started building dulcimers, he got into a free-wheeling conversation with these musicians, and said "I'll bet all the beer you can drink that you can't sing and play for 24 hours straight without repeating a song!"

Well they took him up on it. And along came everyone who had owned a Sunhearth. And Lara, her mother (who was Walt's niece), and me.

We all got sloshed, and Walt gladly paid for the beer. And we had one of those 12 fish and 5 loaves of bread stone soup three-day weekends. Sometimes I'd go down early to help Mike put up out-houses and get the electric lights strung, etc...

That weekend became a tradition for many years, until Walt and Helen wore out...”

Yes. And on the dulcimer, the term means the same as on any stringed musical instrument, though the exact quality on the dulcimer will of course be different, just as a viola played by plucking will be different from a guitar.

Overtones are created by any string. If you want to hear just the fundamental, pluck the string at the octave. That will get you the least overtones. Plucking it at the second octave (the 14th diatonic fret) will yield another fundamental.

Plucking or picking anywhere on the string will result in various families of overtones being accentuated. If you watch a classical guitarist, the right hand is all over the fingerboard, not just down by the soundhole, and the results are spectacular.

The same kind of effect can be achieved with the dulcimer, so get out of the strum hollow and have some fun!

There are also three other influences at work in the voicing of the dulcimer.

The first, of course, is the construction of the dulcimer itself. There are some that sound harsh, some that sound mellow, some that can be anything in the range between, depending on how they are played and how they are strung.

The strings themselves have two different modes of affecting tone and brilliance/warmth.

The first is the string itself. A wound string is liable to be warmer. And that might be accompanied by the 'whizz' of fretting, if one slides the finger from fret to fret. So there are 'squeakless' strings, in which the string winding has been milled flat. But then the string may not have enough brilliance.

So brilliance itself is determined not only by the string's character, but also its tension. A high tension string will have more brilliance than a string operating at low tension.

In choosing strings for a Bear Meadow, I keep in mind the sort of voice that best fits the needs of the musician. And having settled on the balance between loudness, playability (the force needed to fret the instrument), brilliance and warmth. Once I have one string that fits those needs I will choose other strings suited for the tuning scheme (usually DDAd, AAAd, CCgc, etc.), and operating at the same tension as the first string I chose.

When strings operate at the same (or closely similar) tensions, the brilliance will be in the same 'family' of overtones. Strings that are not matched in tension will be performing differently, sometimes subtly, sometimes jarringly, depending on all the above (including the design of the dulcimer).

Does anyone on this site? Remember going to the Sunhearth Fourth of July folk festival? 
and just maybe, @Dwain-Wilder can tell us when they started, and when the last year was…?
I would love to hear your memories!

It is amazing pedigree to be sure. I am very grateful to have been a small part of it.
Mike Martin (My uncle Mike and godfather, my mother’s cousin) was stationed in Cuba with my father in the Navy many years ago. So Mike Martin was how my parents met…and how, many years later, Sunhearth transitioned from one branch of my family to the other!

Thanks Alex - pleased you liked it. The link you posted is to the audio supplements to the newsletter. I believe that the actual newsletters are generally only available to club members, but the audio gives you a flavour of what is in each edition of Nonsuch News.  

Welcome to FOTMD, Lara.  You should indeed be proud.  Both Sunhearth and Bear Meadow have attainted the status of legends in the dulcimer community for both quality and innovation.

I am a member of the Martin family who grew up going to Sunhearth every year. I am also the daughter of DwainW. of Bear Meadow dulcimers. 

I would love to hear your stories of Sunhearth And my great uncle Walt. (My profile pic is of me and uncle Walt..chillin in the sun) And I am happy to share some of my own.

Your newsletter is fabulous.  I encourage everyone to check it out.

https://www.dulcimer.org.uk/about-us/club-news/

Hello Karen - good to hear from you again. Yes, Sandie did set a high bar so I will have my work cut out. I will definitely get back to you with an idea or two. Thanks.

I won't be at Halsway unfortunately - it is always booked a year ahead, so difficult to get in. I am still organising the Nonsuch Spring Fling event in Newcastle every year - this will be our 5th year. Be good to get you to come up North one time!

Hey there Steve! Congratulations on your new gig!  Sandie set a high bar, but they’ve selected a talented guy to follow in her footsteps.  Happy to help if you want to pitch an idea. Hope to see you at Halsway.

Hello - for some reason I seem to have volunteered to be the new editor of the quarterly UK dulcimer club magazine "Nonsuch News". I am therefore looking for stories to feature in 2026. We cover both hammered and mountain dulcimers (am I even allowed to mention hammered dulcimers here?). So if you have a story to share - history of dulcimers; your personal journey with dulcimers and the dulcimer community; building or collecting dulcimers; unusual tunings used; favourite tunes and songs - in fact anything dulcimer or music related - I would love to hear from you. Sorry, there's no money involved - Nonsuch Dulcimer Club is a charity - but it would be great to hear about dulcimers from a U.S.A. (or elsewhere) perspective. You can contact me at editor@dulcimer.org.uk 

Thank you

Steve