Forum Activity for @jack-ferguson

 Cool idea...

Jan, that's what did when I needed a 1+ fret to play "It's A Grand Old Flag."

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

In Sam Edelston's class at Kentucky Music Week this summer, we made extra frets using the long side of a jumbo paper clip.  I was amazed at how well that worked!  We found it worked best to have our tape running perpendicular to the fret.  Scotch makes Removable Tape that is clear (with a matte finish) and can be removed from paper the way painter's tape can be removed from a wall http://www.scotchbrand.com/3M/en_US/scotch-brand/products/catalog/~/Scotch-Removable-Tape-Dispensered-Roll?N=4335+3294529207+3294603443&rt=rud

Thanks so much for listening Lexie! We appreciate your feedback. We hope he can come to the US too. :-)

 dan-hess

      I have a small Warren May and no 6+ but slipped a piece of medal in the spot where the fret should go and just tape it down, works great.

Just a thought, maybe someone else can tell us a better way but this takes care of the problem.

by the way the scroll and tail block look like walnut as well as the fretboard.  however the fretboard is probably overlaid with an exotic wood.  more pics would help me determine the various woods

Beautiful instrument!

Very beautiful, enjoy!

Even better to know that you didn't use much Birds Eye, because the wood you used on this is absolutely gorgeous. And just makes it more unique.

thanks guys.  i think the top is butternut.  i used very little birds eye maple because i had a hard time finding suitable wood

Now THAT's a jam!  Thanks for sharing this!   My harmonica is 73 years old and still sounds good.  It's a chromatic---I know, some of you will probably think I should just get a guitar....I've heard that before!

Beautiful addition!

Great find, enjoy

What a beauty!  Enjoy! 

Found this on E Bay, just wanted to say what a beautiful piece of work. The wood selection, the size, depth. Love the carving in the head stock and the sound holes. Especially the heart cut outs in the hollow. The inlay where the bridge goes is sweet too.

 Am hearing it's Birds Eye Maple back and sides, and butternut top, the finger board is throwing me a bit, but just wanted to say, 

 Thanks Joe, it's a beauty. Great voice to it!!

 IMG_1879.jpg - 137KB

I generally use a wipe on polyurethane for everything but the top of the fret board.  I apply it in really thin coats with a soft cloth to build up a finish.  I also lightly sand the finish ones or twice during the finishing process.  On the fret board I use boiled linseed oil.

Nice video, Strumelia, you are doing very well. 

I have two Em flutes The ancient territories along with the Fm from the same maker are both tuned to 432. I can't prove with any certainty if in any tangible way there is a difference. But I do feel more peaceful after playing them. As if I just meditated or the way I feel after doing yoga, and they are the two I pick up to play everyday. As for playing along with other instruments.No problem, I simply tuned my dulcimer to 432, you can do the same with any stringed instrument. I tuned my dulcimer here to 432.

youtube.com/watch?v=thralBdwnU4

Thanks Monica, that's good to know. 

Susie, It is surprisingly easy to play. It's the standard size .The top four holes are large but the reach is the same as my Em from atflute.com.Since I had the Em for a while It prepared me for the Low D. I had to return the Butch Hall Dm...it was impossible to play.

Once you have settled in with your F#. I do recommend the Condor bass flutes, E and D are very special. more meditative. The Em and Fm flutes I have are tuned to 432hrz. My next flute is the condor bass C....never say no more :)

the craftsmanship  and playability of John Stillwell's flutes is superb. here are the 3 from him

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Monica, thanks, those bass flutes are intriguing, how does it play/sound?

Strumelia, thanks!

Susie, your new flute is beautiful.

All these flutes are like works of art, really.

Beautiful Flutes Susie, I recently got a Condor bass D from High Spirits. I love it.

 condor bass d.jpg - 88KB

Thanks Jennifer, the the horse head totem was made by George Dyson it's a river cane flute in the key of Em.He takes custom requests for any kind of animal fetish (totem). The short flat one is a Drone Flute in the key of Bm, it was made by Templewindflutes.com here in Canada. ..In the USA Kenny King also makes Drones..well there are many flute makers that make them. I also have 3 flutes from Ancient Territories flutes..my favourites.

Monica, your flutes are beautiful! 

Strumelia, with guitar as my main instrument (have 6), and next my dulcimers (have 6), I'm trying to be reasonable with the NAF's. So, 3 will do it for now. But you're right, never say never.

Lexie, here's a pic.

 IMG_20161008_153533553.jpg - 222KB

Bill!  So nice to see you drop in again!  

I have a couple of Dixon polymer (plastic) whistles and yes the tone is a little more recorder-like than the metal whistles.  But I like both types...so alas guess I just have to buy lots of whistles.   lolol   Good thing they are not the same price as banjos.  

There is always one more flute, because you have to factor in wet out, the different keys and tone of the different woods and they are generally more affordable than most instruments

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I enjoyed learning about Ivan and how he has introduce our American Instrument to the people in Singapore. I hope that he will be able to come visit dulcimer communities in America and Jam someday.

Thank you for your work with the podcasts.

Susie, exciting that you got your new flute and very happy your husband seems like he will enjoy listening to you play.

Yes we would love to see a picture of it, sounds very beautiful.

Susie, we'd love to see a picture of your new walnut flute with turquoise.  And always good when one's spouse approves of a new instrument!  

I've learned over the years to never, ever say "This is the last ____ I'm getting".  Never paint yourself into a corner. lolol...

Last night I ordered several more pennywhistles in various keys.  

Good topic.  Finishing is one of my weaker skills in woodworking.  Right now, I'm working on my first dulcimer and I'm using tung oil as the finish.  So far, I've got three coats on and plan to do some light sanding with 320 or 400 grit and apply one or two more coats depending on how the fourth coat looks.  Then, I'll go over it with a couple coats of Trewax paste wax.  I'm going for a satin finish.  Right now it looks pretty nice and going in the direction I want.

Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast - Episode 18
Ivan Ng Sheng Kai: Singapore's Only Dulcimer Busker

http://bit.ly/hotdpodcast

Singapore seems to have only one performing mountain dulcimer player. He’s a 24 year old busker named Ivan Ng Sheng Kai. Hear what it’s like to be the lone dulcimer performer in Singapore, and the extraordinary measures he’s had to take to find and learn how to play it.

For episode resources, go to:  http://dulcimuse.com/podcast/resource/018.html

I got my HS mid-tone F# Golden Eagle NAF yesterday. Wow, what a beautiful tone. My husband even said "that's a really nice sounding Flute". The turquoise flair is really pretty with the walnut. I'm very happy with my third Flute. I think it will be my #1. 

i used krylon matte finish lacquer for a single dulcimer.  seal coat and sand then 2 or 3 thin coats a half hour apart.  this product was labled

enamel.....but its lacquer.  easy to remove runs and easy for repairs.  a good paste wax will protect your instrument

Work on letting go of the death grip you have on the noter.  Relax your fingers, shake them out after every tune.  Change your grip from top to side to bottom.

To repeat -- larger diameter noters; and/or wrap most of the noter in a bit of foam rubber -- what Liza calls a Noter Dog.

Enjoy that Presnell, Sheryl!  

Will keep my eyes open for a recording on that Stamper, Robin C! 

~great question~  Sorry for you pain and hope you find relief!  

I also love the chopstick idea for my little Wren~THANK YOU, LEXIE!

Hi Sheryl,

That's great news!

Nettie used C,c,c and you can find some examples of her playing on the web. However, she also used 1-5-5 latterly. I think that unison tuning was probably the Hicks family tuning and her switch to 1-5-5 was influenced by meeting other players like RLS. The 6+ makes sense in 1-1-1 and Ed told RLS that he put it on so Nettie could play those pretty Christmas tunes.

Some of the Presnell dulcimers don't play well if you tune the strings open. You need to tune the drones to the fretted root note - the 7th fret in 1-1-1 From what I've heard of Nettie's playing she never went down that low. Her playing was concentrated around the 7th fret root. Hence the long scale giving her more room up the top of the fretboard.

My Presnell plays well fro the nut so I think she was already regularly using 1-5-5 as well as 1-1-1 at the time it was built.

I just realized that I wrote out taro patch tuning bass ackwards. It should be DGDGBD.

I'm the proud owner of Edd Presnell's #462 dulcimer built October 5th, 1966. It looks like it was hardly ever played. 29" vsl. Any recommendations for what key I should tune this to? C,c,c? I will post pic's soon.

Didn't get the Hicks, someone beat me to it.