Forum Activity for @dusty

Thanks for sharing that video, Strumelia. We have known for decades that studying music (especially the piano) leads to greater abilities at abstract reasoning.  After all, when you play music you draw connections between the distance between two notes in tone, on a fretboard or keyboard, and in notation. Not a simple proposition.  And music is not static, so those connections are constantly changing. To be able to understand that is quite a remarkable thing.  Even playing a simple tune like Rhody or Cabbage involves a whole range of different types of cognitive functioning.

It's too bad music has been removed from so many school districts' curricula.  We are obsessively concerned with STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math), but if we just mandated music as part of the curriculum, students would excel in those areas.

I've been passing on links to the video and the Huffington Post article. Thanks for sharing.

Our whole brain thanks us for playing, nice info.

thanks

With a floating bridge & no fret board anywhere near it, where or how could you put a wrist rest for the dulcimer

 tony,

Funny & you are right. I am always dropping my picks & hunting for them. Lucky you not to loose yours.

;-)

     A very bad photo of the 2-Tone Picks - sorry,  some are on the leather side & some are on the reg. pick side. You can see once I got started I did several.

     Ken, I did have some felt uke picks & I ended up putting leather on one side of them also. Taking just the picks I have collected but don't use for one reason or another and adding leather to one side. 

    I ended up finding some scrap leather in a bag at Hobby Lobby, several different types & had a coupon so the whole bag only cost about $3-$4. I was curious if the different leathers would also make a difference & I think they do depending on if they were thin or thicker, rough or smooth. 

I haven't seen any other 2- sided picks so wonder why non of the pick companies have come up with something like this. Anyway, having just gotten my new for me dulcimer and not liking the tone, led me to a very interesting creative way of taking care of the problem. It is interesting where changing the strings up or down a bit doesn't make much difference & yes I could change the tunings but wanted it in DAd for a performance coming up - trying different picks make a big noticeable difference. I would say, the leather does mellow out the sound so if you like a very bright sound a leather pick may not be for you, but then you have the other side also and can have bright on one side & mellow on the other. 

Always an adventure, always glad when we are on it together.

thanks

 2tonepick.jpg - 265KB

This is so cool...

and more info in this article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/playing-music-brain-benefits-aging_us_58765d35e4b03c8a02d4713b?3ixvn1tn85lfk1emi

An artists paint brush makes a fun pick. Hold it down near the bristles like a pencil and play up high on the fretboard away from the strum hollow. It's fun to experiment with if your looking for a softer sound.

 image.jpeg - 138KB

A felt ukulele pick from an acoustic music store will also give you a softer sound -- harder than bare thumb strum, softer than a plastic pick

Find a leather crafting shop that has heavy "belt" leather nearly a quarter inch thick, they may have scraps they might give you.  

Another good soft pick that you can find at music stores are the hard-ish felt picks used by some ukulele players;  I've had one for years.

WOW, what a difference a leather pick makes with toning down the plucky tone

Interesting a 2 tone pick:  I took a pick I didn't like and glued a thin piece of a leather belt on one side, cutting to fit. Love the sound but on some of the picks I made, they sound better on the other side than the leather side. 

Has anyone ever thought of a 2 tone pick, bright on one side & mellow on the other side?

(What's a leader?)

Sorry leather 

I took a pick I didn't like and glued a thin piece of a leather belt on one side, cutting to fit. Love the sound but on some of the picks I made, they sound better on the other side than the leather side. Interesting a 2 tone pick.

What's a leader?

leather picks:

can we buy these somewhere or do we make them & what would be a good leather to use?

ken-h

You posted this elsewhere but could go here also:

" "sounds bad" because you aren't accustomed to hearing the new sound.  "

There's this too... https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2009/09/am-i-too-old.html   

What an inspiring article.  I copied it to share with my dulcimer group. Thank you, Dulcinina

 I bet she has long telomeres! 

If you don't understand my comment, read  The Telomere Effect by Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn. In it she writes how uni-tasking helps us to live disease free in our senior years. Playing an instrument is uni-tasking, at least it is to me. 

I was gifted a beautiful, all walnut Bob Lazenby dulcimer this past summer. Excellent shape (was only played by a little old lady....really. Not much play from the looks of it.) I had my luthier do a complete set up on it and we are both quite impressed by it. Real nice tone and intonation. I love it. Mine is considered his "deluxe" model and is 10 years newer than that one in the eBay ad. It looks better (nicer wood, cleaner soundholes, etc.) and has Grover Sta-tite dulcimer tuners. So, maybe in those 10 years he refined his skills a bit. 

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Good article. Thanks for sharing it, Lisa.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I love this!:

Never too old

Did you anchor the off string so it doesn't interfere with the others?  Chances are it "sounds bad" because you aren't accustomed to hearing the new sound.  

Just like when you've been playing in one tuning for some time, and then change -- it just doesn't sound right.  It is right, but it just doesn't sound right.

Just saw this

 IMG_0102.PNG.jpg - 115KB

Rob,

Not sure on how the sound matches, But I will say it has such an easy action for hammer on's, better than my other dulcimers. Or it's just louder & brighter so I can here when I put my fingers down up the fretboard, even when not trying a hammer in. As in ' Shoilder's Joy' 4242, etc. when I hit the 4, I hear it before I strum, interesting.

Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 21
AppalAsia: Bridging Traditions

http://bit.ly/hotdpodcast

With the unusual combination of two American and one Chinese instrument, the trio AppalAsia bridge the Appalachian and Chinese music traditions to create music that is soulful, sophisticated, and genre bending.

For episode resources, go to:  http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/021.html

Marg, I did change the strings and I don't think I knew about the "string calculator" at the time.  The Heatherwood was the first "good" dulcimer I purchased (off ebay.)  It has a standard d'Addario dulcimer set on it right now.  Here's a video I did with it:

You can compare the sound to yours

I've seen good feedback on random searches, anyone here own one? Reasonable price, looks to be in good condition.

You can do a Google search for discussions on this topic.  Everybody has an opinion!  From Elderly Music Co. website (not where I got mine, but I thought the blurb was helpful):

Dr.Ducks Ax Wax - Elderly Instruments

I use Dr. Ducks Ax Wax.  This is for cleaning...I'm not sure about conditioning.  I bought an 8 oz bottle online and it may last me a lifetime!  There are a variety of opinions on this issue.  Some people treat it like furniture and use Pledge furniture polish. 

I think you have to know about the finish on your dulcimer to decide what sorts of stuff to use on it.  Whatever you use, test it on an inconspicuous spot and put it on a soft cloth, not directly on the instrument.  

Sorry I can't be of more help.

skip,

Thanks, I had it with me at our group practice today. I had taken off one of the melody strings, it was plenty loud enough without it. One member tuned it to DGd and really liked it, another put it back to DAd and played it the whole practice. We talked about maybe making it into a bass but they all thought it was nice as it was. Also going to heavier strings for a bass would need to address the slots for the wider strings to sit in.

Ha, maybe it's me. I like mellow better than bright & not as loud. All in growing and learning in this dulcimer adventure. I will say sitting across from it I like it better than when I am holding it & strumming. Maybe ken has something with making a recording.

I will continue to play with it until I can settle on it's voice.

Thanks all

I don't think changing the string[s] a few .001's is going to make much of a difference in the sound, you're still at the same frequency. I suggest you consider trying strings/tuning it as a bass or baritone if the sound really bothers you. Playing a tune using the bass string or the middle string for the melody may give you some indication of what the sound could become.

Also, for the bass string, you might try a nickel wound string rather than a bronze wound string.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

ken,

thanks but I have now (I tuned it for DAdd, .11 for melody, .14 for A & the bass has either a 22w or 24w but I'm not caring for the sound.)

I was wondering if as Cedar Creek says (Standard "G" tuning: .10 for melody & middle strings & .18 for the bass, giving it the pluckier tone.) if rob had changed his strings if he is in DAd & what he has on his now.

I am not sure how you could use just .10 for all 3 strings in "G" tuning, unless I am reading the string calculator wrong

For a 26.5" VSL and DAd tuning, the Strothers calculator calls for 10 gauge melody string(s), 13 gauge middle drone strings, and a 20w for the bass.  You can easily go one or more gauges higher, as the Strothers' calculator is notedly "light".   Try 11 or 12 for the Melody, 14 for the Middle and 22w or 24w for the bass.

Steamed Clams in beer on the beach....oh yum!

We have done beer butt chicken oh boy so good!

rob,

( I have kept it in DAd, but I'm thinking about making it my DAA instrument.  It needs restringing anyway so heavier strings might be in order. )

Did your dulcimer come with strings (.010 for melody and middle strings and .018 for the bass.) 

and how does this work for DAd, or do you have other sizes on now?

hey that's pretty cool...and yes I think they were made pretty well to last so long!! I still play mine when I have the time to "tune it" that's the only part I don't like...they slip!

Maria

cool Thanks!!

Maria

I'll have to look into that..thanks!! 
Maria

It may be that there is a LOT of soundhole and you're hearing the dulcimer more.  Make a recording and play it back and see what you think.  You can also try muffling the near side sound holes temporarily by taping a piece of cloth or soft foam over them and see what that sounds like.