Stewart, thank you so much for posting this link!
I've never seen Warren's shop, even though I've visited him regularly for over 30 years.
It's fascinating to see how he figures out his dulcimer-building fixtures.
Rod, I wish you would make a video of all those strum styles! Sounds fascinating! And I love your fingerpick garters! I guess that wouldn't even make sense to young people....
laughing hard at some of these comments. love it. and Aldi's gonna go look for some stuffs to buy to make a pick. yeah. beautiful guitar photoed. and woah, my husband is always losing his picks on playing autoharp. I doubt he'd try this...but that's really innovative. aloha, irene and I'm going to bed smiling. thanks
I've discovered that certain products come carded with a fitted dome of a VERY tough clear plastic, that's perfect.
If you buy tools or household devices from ALDI, you know what I mean...
You can cut a strip with curved edges (for stiffening)and leave a flat part at the end, which you can tailor finely to any desired stiffness and length
(very helpful to me, as my right hand fingertips are permanently numb from carpal tunnel etc. and can't hold a standard flat pick by my fingertips.)
The pick in these pics has one curved edge down its length (the "handle") for stiffening. The curled edge is trimmed off, starting the taper to a fairly wide (about 1/4") "point," at a spot that leaves a flat, more flexible "picking" end about 1/2" long. I like the sound -and the feel- better than a pointed end (like a standard guitar flatpick has. I never was a decent flatpicker.)
As happened with the guitar (some 55 years ago ;) I will probably eventually wind up using fingerpicks. I've adopted a guitar style that can flexibly go from traditional (ragtime, or "clock-picking") fingerpicking, to strumming (Carter Family or "church lick") and lots of variations in between, by creating small finger "garters" that let me strum in either direction with the National-type fingerpicks, without a pick flying off (inevitably landing inside the guitar, &#$^@ ;) There's a sweet, hollow metallic sound to a back-strum with METAL fingerpicks, that you can't get any other way. And with the pics this securely on, you can develop a technique that saves you a lot of effort to get volume. It really brings out the highs in the Monel strings I've stuck with since I started - and that makes the Washburn have incredible sustain.. (I hate brass strings. Don't like the feel at all... or the sound.)
The technique may or may not work for dulcimer... but it works GREAT with the little Washburn Parlor guitar I've fallen in love with. (And yeah, I DO miss the 1963 D-18 I bought new and had to sell years later for the rent - FOR $250! - in New York. I'll NEVER be able to afford "that much guitar," today as a retiree. But I got a great eBay bargain on the 125th Anniversary Washburn, one of the 2008 reissues they made 250 of. And I had coveted a slotted head guitar since the 60's!)
-Rod
Thanks Paula. Building a simple box like this isn't "rocket surgery". It just takes a little time, some patience and a couple simple tools (saw, glue, sandpaper).
Here are pix of my poplar Possum Box case. It's a tight fit inside, purposely, so I wouldn't have to add padding. Made from 1/4" poplar with a 1/4" square rail that the lid rests on. The handle strap is buckled on the underside.
That is a nice looking case! And you don't have to worry about your dulcimer getting damaged... If I were a woodworker I would surely make one!
I have made picks from credit cards (including the fake ones that come in the mail in ads) and stiff cardboard--but those get pretty flimsy really fast. One of my favorites was punched out of the pink vinyl cover of a spiral notebook (I have Dana McCall to thank for that one! 
)
Yes, I have a pick punch. No, I don't use it nearly as much as I thought I would. I still buy picks!
The advice folks have given about action (string height) is good. When I was teaching guitar it was very frustrating to me to see students struggle with hard-to-play instruments yet refuse to invest a few dollars in having the problem solved. Most those who wouldn't have their instruments adjusted gave up.
Something else to consider, too, is your technique. I have the sense you're around other people who play instruments and offer advice. But be sure that you are pressing the srtings close to, but not on top, of the frets. The idea is to move the string down far enough the fret can do its job. And press only as firmly as is necessary to get a nice clear tone. We often have a tendancy to work too hard. Press down on a string so that you get a nce tone, then relax a little. Find out just how much or little force you need.
If the melody string is doubled, consider taking one of the pair off. A single string is easier to finger than a pair and sounds fine.
I appreciate the vids!!! Just watched them, and after the second one? Well, crap. LOL! ~I have work to do~ Especially when I also saw the fretting ones to boot....
There are several things that could be making it painful to press down the strings. Strings too high off the fretboard ("high action") is the first that comes to mind, and I see you're checking that out. Next, I guess, would be needing a different gauge of string--and you're looking into that, too. I just had my husband lower the action on a dulcimer in preparation for loaning it out to a novice level student, so I was finding this discussion very interesting. Even after it passed the "nickel test" (he didn't know about the dime test), it still seemed too high to me. So I got out a dulcimer that has a very good action (in my opinion--I do a lot of chording) and when I compared the two fretboards, it was obvious right away that my comfortable one had very low fret wires. Was this important or not? That made me think that there could be much more to comfort in pressing down the strings that I had originally thought. A Google search came up with this interesting information on the subject--in the context of guitars, but I think a lot of this applies to a dulcimer fretboard, as well. Here's a link to the "10 Things You Should Know About Frets" article.
http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Features/en-us/10-things-you-should-know-about-frets-0705-1.aspx
Additionally, I personally feel the development of callouses helps me play better, even though I know some great players who think that if you have callouses you're doing something wrong. When I was first learning to play, I would put several layers of clear fingernail polish on the part of each finger that pressed on the wire (I would press a chord first, then paint...dry, then press a different chord and repaint, etc.) Those indentations show you exactly where you need the real or fake callouses!
This has helped me; I hope someone else can benefit from my experience. And read this short article--it's very interesting!
That's good advice from Ken. I don't drink, so I just have to remind myself to not tense up. Even after many years of playing on various instruments, I still catch myself tensing now and then in some area. Being aware of it however really does help us to 'check in' on what we're doing regularly. Like any bad habit, simply becoming more acutely aware of it is half the way towards correcting it.
Thank you. I saw those videos a while back and forgot about them. Watching the 2nd video made me aware of the elbow up thing that I do. I'll have my husband take a video of me so I can see what I'm doing. Not sure I'll actually post it. I have learned that wine and playing don't mix for me. I make more mistakes than usual. So I practice before happy hour. Thanks again.
Get someone else to take pictures of you, from the front and from the side, spontaneously, so you aren't posing for us. Then maybe we can see what you're doing. Lisa's strumming habit posts are spot on.
Stop trying to hard. I'll bet you have a 'death grip' on your pick, and are fretting so hard your finger tips are white and hurt like Hades after a few minutes of practice!! Perhaps a glass of wine will loosen you up a bit. This is supposed to be fun!!
I wrote about this and included some videos here on beginner strumming habits: tips, posture, shoulder pain, etc:
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/01/video-tips-for-beginners-strumming.html
http://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/01/video-tips-for-beginners-strumming_08.html
I think I'm developing some bad habits while practicing. I mostly have neck pain and am very stiff. I loosen up before and after playing but still have lots of stiffness. I take breaks and have played in front of a mirror to see what I'm doing. I know I cock my head to the right and am trying to correct that. What advice and suggestions do you have for good form and ergonomics. Nina
Music Sheet pro the way to go.
Thanks, Sandi and Sheryl. I love it,too!
Get a tablet. Look at the Astro tablet made in CA USA for $79 on Amazon.com. I recently loaded all of my sheet music, for 4 local groups I belong to and my own collection, to my Android tablet. I couldn't be happier with this app. But go for the pro version, for an extra $4. I use Tiny Scan on my iPhone to scan sheet music on paper, load it to Dropbox, and then to Mobilesheets. If it's on the web, I just load it directly to Mobilesheets. Be sure to backup your library. I love the edit function while I'm learning a song, and the ability to erase my edits, once I have learned it. I make collections for each group, and one for "Practice" that contains my "backpack" songs.
Annie, Love the bag! It's beautiful.
MobileSheets Pro is for andeoid currently but is in the process of being ported to Win 10. Some folks are using an emulator with some success.
http://zubersoft.com/mobilesheets/forum/showthread.php?tid=3298&pid=16111#pid16111
These folks may be able to give you a better idea of what's available.
I recently bought a new laptop with Windows 10 installed. I would like to find a software application that I can use to download, scan, index, edit, organize, etc., PDF format tab. I would like to create playlists so that when my group plays in the community, I can just use my laptop instead of carting around a lot of books and binders. I would want one that has an adaptable foot pedal for page changing. So far I have looked at Music Reader. Some of my friends use Four Score with their IPads, but it is not compatible with Windows. Does anyone have any suggestions for Windows 10 compatible software?
Thanks.
Yeah... balloon. That's a GREAT idea!.
A balloon! I hadn't thought of a ballon. Thanks.
Most wooden pegs have a tiny hole through them to feed the string through and lock it in place. I should not take 5 minutes to tune all three strings to the proper pitches. I wouldn't trust metalheads either... I know Warren talks about chalk, but a bottle of peg drops works just fine on my John Knopf Thomas replica. You do have to learn to turn and push to lock the peg into position (not just turn), and expect a little slippage and plan for it.
Dan-goad -- I've used a 20 or 22 plain steel bass string on my Thomas replica for several years, and prefer it to a wound bass.
Monica, that's amazing work! Marg, GENIUS idea and still totally worthy of this thread!
I lucked out again in that area - there was enough residual glue on the edge with the side to hold it (that is what was making the cracking sound when pressing on the 7th fret area). I pushed on the 7th fret area, got it got it to pop/crack open, got the glue to the area, waited a while and used a bent rod to pop it back. Otherwise I would have had to use a balloon or bent stick to hold it in place.
Thank you all for the helpful responses! And Dan Goad, that video would be much appreciated! Last year when I took my pre-revival dulcimer to the local music shop to get strings changed, it was a little unsettling... The 30 something yr. old instrument tech, in his favorite Pantera/Dimebag Darrel t-shirt, basically didn't know what he was looking at! And 30 minutes later I shelled out almost $30, but hey, it still plays a tune!
Ooh, a spy camera! And maybe a robotic arm? I'm afraid my repair tools/toys aren't that hi-tech. 
Did you make any effort to clear out the old glue or somehow clamp the brace while the repair dried?
I would not recommend the Grover pegs. I just took very similar pegs off an older instrument I bought used and replaced them with Pegheds. I'm very happy with the Pegheds. They work really well and look like traditional violin pegs. But it was a tricky installation. It took me several evenings to do the job properly. A violin repairperson should do it if you're not experienced working with tapered reamers, small files, super glue, and following directions very carefully.
Your wooden pegs are actually superior to the Grover "patent heads." Both hold their tension with friction. Wooden pegs need to be properly seated in their holes and sometimes need a little rosin, chalk, or peg dope to seat properly. Patent heads use a tension screw which often shakes loose or comes loose while tuning.
Aside from slipping, friction pegs of any sort are not as easy to tune as are geared heads. Getting the strings just right takes some practice and patience.
Geared pegs are easier to use. There are two types, planetary and guitar-type. Planetary gears (or "heads" or "pegs") are used on most banjos and some dulcimers. People like them because they are straight, like friction pegs but have a 4:1 gear ratio. That is, it takes four complete rotations of the knob for the shaft to rotate once. This makes fine tuning much easier. They don't require any screws. But they often require a spline notch or small hole for an anchor post, hidden under the gear housing. The disadvantages to planetary heads are cost (my Pegheds were $100), not as fine a gear ratio as guitar pegs, and the tension needs to be tightened occasionally, just like the patent heads.
Guitar-type heads have gears at a right angle. That's why the buttons on a steel-stringed guitar stick out to the sides, while the buttons on a banjo don't. They can be mounted on the back of a solid peghead or on the side of a slotted peghead.
There are two types, "open" or exposed-gear, and sealed-gear, in which the gears are sealed inside a casing with a lubricant. (Planetary tuners are also sealed with a lubricant.) Guitar-type tuners are made individually, like planetary pegs, or several mounted to a common plate. The two big advantages of guitar tuners are cost and a higher gear ratio. A typical gear ratio is 12:1, twelve rotations of the knob to a singe rotation of the shaft. While this means changing strings may take longer, fine-tuning a string is much, much easier. Ratios have ranged from 8:1 to as high as 18:1.
A complete set of serviceable import tuners can be had for as little as $10.00! Of course, prices go up from there.
Guitar tuners don't require much attention. A drop of oil on exposed gears every few years is about all the service they'll ever need. They are held in place with small screws. Sometimes the screws will loosen slightly and need to be snugged down. Sealed units (both guitar and planetary banjo types) also have threaded bushings which circle the string posts and screw into the housing from above. These help keep the unit in place and may need to be tightened slightly once in a while.
I think the main objection people have to guitar tuners is aesthetic. They don’t like the look. But my new Warren May came with gold-plated Grover Rotomatics, sealed guitar tuners. They work wonderfully and the gold against the walnut looks great. Mr. May does retrofit geared tuners to his dulcimers. He also keeps all the old wooden pegs he replaces. I suspect he plans to build some more traditional-style instruments and he plans to recycle the old pegs.
Two of my dulcimers have wooden pegs and one of my fretless banjos has patent pegs. Everything else has gears or zither pins. The only one I had real problems with recently was the dulcimer with the Grover patent pegs. The Pegheds fixed that.
The drops work for me and it lasts a good while as well. I would like to hear Mr. May's reason for chalk only. I've never heard that before. I'm sure he has a good reason. I've heard that rosin is good too but I've never used it either.
Warren says to just use chalk not any of the peg drops. I have a small Warren May 'groundhog' with the wooden tuners, I can use chalk now but not sure what the other owner used or for how long. Most of the pegs do fine but i have one that is a problem, I was wondering if I should switch it around with one of the others, maybe over the years it got into the wrong slot.
Kyodan Yago Mat Bag - I just happen to see it at Marshalls. Only as tall as the W. of a mat
Stewart, I had that same conundrum several years ago (more than 20!), since my first real wooden dulcimer was made by Warren May and, after awhile, I wanted geared tuners like it seemed everyone else had (even though I only played it about once a year). My solution was to buy a second Warren May dulcimer--one that had the 6.5 fret and geared tuners! That may not be your solution. You may want to consider shipping it to Warren and having him change out the pegs...he'll do it "for a price" (don't know what that would be these days) and you could be sure the job would be done right!
I've been thinking of replacing the wound bass string on my Thomas repro to a plain steel string. I may try to put together a video of the process.
Ok so, I get the purity of keeping the original tuners in place, and I do love the thing, so selling it is out of the question. But sometimes it takes a good 5 minutes to get it in unison! The local guitar guys are metal heads so I don't know if I trust them for maintenance or advice... Also, maybe if one of you more knowledgeable members have time, a tutorial on string changing with pegs would help us newbies! Do you tie the string around the shafts of the peg, similar to tying a knot on a nylon string guitar?
The Grover Sta-Tites that you are looking at are mechanical friction pegs just like your wood tuning pegs. I did not check the dimensions of the pegs, but you would need to make sure your holes are small enough to accept the new turners. Frankly those pegs would not be a great improvement over Warren's tuning pegs. I had one break last year. I sent Warren the peg. He repaired it and send it back to me along with a new peg at no cost to me. That's great service. I put the new peg in and it works fine. If you were to use Pegheds you would have to make sure you the size of the holes in order to get the correct size tuners.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I currently have 5 dulcimers with wooden pegs. It's a fairly simple process once you get used to it. I use Regal Peg Drips from Regal Music Co, in Ely, MN. I've had a 2oz bottle ($5.00) for about 5 years and still have approx 90% remaining in the bottle.
