Welcome! Can you tell us what kind of dulcimer you got? You may be able to see a maker's label if you look through one of the sound holes.
Below is a recent revision of an article I wrote a few years ago, called I Just Got A Dulcimer. Now What? It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms, so we all mean the same things when we talk about the dulcimer; plus answers to many beginner questions about the tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new friend.
Hi Inkdork (do you have a lot of tattoos or something?) and welcome to FOTMD. I think you'll find that you can play simple tunes on the dulcimer pretty quickly. But it is also capable of very complicated music, so there are plenty of challenges ahead. There are lots of resources here, so poke around the site, explore, and pose any questions you may have.
"A moment to learn and a lifetime to master"
I am saddened to learn of John's passing. (I've missed him here at FOTMD.) It was both privilege and pleasure to meet John in '12 at the gathering from which Tom posted links. He was a great musician and an even greater gentleman.
Thank you for letting us know, Jan.
Finally met Mike Vickey today. Bev and I were up that way and he took us through the vineyards that bordered his property. Looked for for arrow heads. Had a real nice visit.
I first met John Wood online here at FOTMD and later at the Homer Ledford festival in Kentucky in 2014. We enjoyed a lengthy visit concerning FOTMD, NFL football, and whatever else we strayed off into. He was a tremendously wonderful man, and I am greatly saddened to hear of his passing.
So sorry to hear of John passing. I first met him at the noter drone jam that Tom talked about and when he came to the Wartz Gathering that Rob mentioned. He was a very kind and giving person.
It was supposed to sound Dean Martin-ish and tacky. 
All kidding aside........if people ask what it is you do simply tell them your a Poet or if you prefer the Scottish word, "Makar". I remember one of the great Scottish songstress-poets from grad school........."Mairi Mhor nan Oran" (Big Mary of the Songs). Your not "Mhor" so I'll think of you as "Mairi Bheag nan Oran". (Little Mary of the Songs. I suppose you could use the phrase Bardic Poet, but for classicists, the word "Bard" is not so hot...it was usually used as a term of derision until Robert Burns, if I remember cleaned it's usage up and made it more respectable.
You might also consider checking out Carmichael's, "Carmina Gadelica" if you have not already done so. It is two volumes of very old ballads, chants, incantations, hymns, Psalms and blessings collected over decades throughout the highlands. I used these volumes for years and years. I believe you can find digital copies on the internet. My old ones with the steel engravings disappeared a few years back, imagine that.............anyway, it is a great source of material long forgotten by most and worthy of remembrance.
Anyway, have fun.........and do consider Scotch and Water, it takes the edge off...
I do really enjoy your work. Keep it up.
Done, Jan, and thank you for the idea. John came to the noter-drone jam in Ohio in 2012. He happened to live right in the area. He was real pleasure to be around, and a great musical talent too.
I posted two videos with John back then. I hope no one minds if I put links here too.
Amazing Grace . John in on the right, closest to the camera.
John came to the 2nd Wartz'n'All Gathering. It was a pleasure to meet him and have him with us, playing and singing. I'm sorry he couldn't make it back down for more of them. He'll be missed.
Thank you Jan for making us aware of John's passing. John Wood was a volunteer 'greeter' of new members here on FOTMD for several years, making hundreds of new members feel welcome. I'm glad he was able to enjoy his music and being here with us in this dulcimer community. He will be missed.
Mary was asking for a way to describe what it is she does...I'm supposing a phrase that could be used on posters and fliers, etc. This is very different from "titling a CD", but I think the suggestion of using a representative song title, followed by a phrase would be a good way to do that. Good point, too, to make sure your geographical terms match the borders of your musical journey!
Many of you will remember John Wood who so graciously greeted you when you joined FOTMD. I just learned that John passed away December 10, 2015 after fighting a long battle with cancer. John made music a large part of his life and shared that love of music with many by making dulcimers as well as playing them. He had a great sense of humor and a big heart. If you would like to read some stories and tributes you can check out this website:
http://www.newcomercincinnati.com/obituary/111279/John-E-Wood
Perhaps, if you knew John either in person or as a member of the FOTMD family, you might want to leave a message with your condolences to the family.
John's FOTMD member page can be found at http://fotmd.com/john-e-wood
The Room reminds me of Myst. Which my whole family was hooked on about 18 years ago. But I suspect the Room is a shortened experience....solve puzzles in mysterious 'worlds', houses, ruins, and environments on your own...explore odd things and put together clues from various locations to eventually unlock the secrets. I used to love Myst, but I just have less patience nowadays i think. lol
This is easy...............go with:
Scotch and Water
(and easy on the water)
Everything goes with Scotch and Water..........and I dare say, the less water the better. Aye, Coinneach?
Mary -- for name ideas, take a look at some of the recordings produced by Paul & Linda Adams of Fellside Recordings in Cumbria. They've been publishing "new-old" Anglo-Scottish folk music since 1976. One of my favorite albums of theirs is Fyre & Sworde, Songs of the Border Reivers. Generally an album's Title does not describe the kind or style of music.
If it were me, I would find a title for your album that is not descriptive of the kind of music; and let a phrase like New Traditional Ballads or New-Old Anglo-Scottish Ballads and Folksongs be the sub-title... something like:
The Fairest Flower -- New Traditional Songs of Scotland and England
That's funny, Jan. Mary, I agree with Jan. Of the choices you gave us, Songs & Poems in Tune with the British Isles is my choice, too.
To give you further food for thought, muddy up the waters, keep you guessing, etc, the late Roger Nicholson titled his book to go with the album "The Gentle Sound of the Dulcimer" A New Elizabethan. Most of what he wrote was in an archaic style: pavanes, allemans, etc.
It's a great goal tho'. I'm too spontaneous to make such long-term plans. It's been nearly 30 years since I was in England and I'd love to take a musical journey over there now.
I make loop ends out of ball end strings this way - pushing the other end through but I'm always at a lost as to how to finish the strings off neatly. I will try Butch's way, over than under and under and under than back & forth till it breaks off.
Sounds good, thanks Dusty
Marg, when you say "finish the string off neatly," do you mean what to do with the excess string that sticks out of the tuners? Butch's method of twisting the strings until they break will indeed work, though sometimes you have to be patient. It might take several "back and forths" before you succeed. I have a metal string winder that includes a wire cutter on it. I just cut the excess string as close as I can and then push the end (not with a finger!) so that it bends back and can't cut you.
I usually bend the end 3/16 back 180* before making the 90* bend which puts the cut end back in the hole. I also try to leave about 1/16 (bent end) extended past the post surface and put 1 wrap on the open end of the post and the balance of the wraps on th inside ( nearest the knob).
Mary, Salt = Salt-Springs. He made a comment on the little video. I'll tell you, it's not the DOING of the video I dislike, but the Watching of it afterward is another story. I don't mind a video being "wartz'n'all;" my live performances are, too. I love performing. If I can have a small group or a large crowd, it doesn't matter; I love to perform. Oh, I get a case of nerves for about a day and a half before a performance. Even one of the greatest classical guitarists (and the 1st one to record BTW) Augustin Barrios Mangore said something to the effect, "the day before a performance is sheer hell!" I get a brief set list together and then play what I feel. Hear that folks, I'd love to perform for y'all; in fact a western tour would be great in July :). Gigs in VA, OH, KY, TN, AR, OK, from here to Oklahoma City or Tulsa. Dulcimer clubs, folk venues, bars that cater to folkies, bars that like solo artists who do outlaw country. Book 'em!
Karen and I sincerely hope to see some FOTMD friends on the road this summer! We'll be in Benton, Arkansas June 2-4 for Arkladulcifest, Kentucky Music Week (Bardstown) the last week of June, Folkcraft Instruments in Woodburn, Indiana July 9 for the Second Saturday Workshop and concert, Evart, Michigan for the ODPC Funfest July 14-17, the Oaks of Louisiana in Shreveport July 29, the Homer Ledford Festival in Winchester, Kentucky over Labor Day weekend, back to Folkcraft in Indiana for the Indiana Dulcimer Festival September 17-18, and a few other festive places along the way. If you are in (or plan to be in) ANY of these areas at those times...let's hook up! We are performing and teaching at each of those events and we hope to see YOU there!
It might help a bit to put on a slightly thinner gauge of strings. Heavy strings will be at higher tension/stiffer and will tend to 'bend' the sound just a bit when fretted down, even if the string is perfectly in tune when played open.
What gauge of strings are you using now and what is your instrument's scale length (from nut to bridge)? Is the action high?
Can you use an electronic tuner to test each string?- make sure the open string is in tune, then test each fretted note on that string, trying to use the same light pressure to fret it. If all strings are sharp or flat on the same frets, then the fret placement may be off. If however there is one or more strings that are perfectly in tune on every fret, then it points to a string issue that likely can be lessened by changing string gauge or playing action.
Ken's right--an "intonation situation" (sounds like a new song title!) could also include something like bridge movement, which would knock your intonation out of kilter. If it was fine before you restrung your dulcimer, then you did something to change it. Even small changes in the bridge placement can make a real difference.
When you re-strung the dulcimer, did you take all the strings off at the same time and then replace them all? Or did you remove/replace one string at a time? It's possible that the bridge has been slightly misplaced, and that is what's causing the intonation problem.
Sounds like an intonation situation to me. There are various types of intonation--you can do searches on them (just intonation, equal intonation...)
When I tune my instruments, I first use an electric tuner and then double check them by playing a D on the A string and an A on the D string, tweaking the pegs a bit til I get a sound I like. It sounds like this is what you're doing, too. When I can't seem to make this work with a particular instrument, it's usually because the intonation of that particular instrument is different from what I was expecting. You'll probably find you have a preference for one type over another--which is a really good thing to know when you're getting your next dulcimer!
Old photo...summer...my hair is "up" and held with a clip.
Anyway, yes, this is a game...gets your brain cells revved up. I think it's cool that you have to figure out what you're supposed to do on most of the levels. I bring it up every few years and work through bunches of the levels....I can usually go through the first 15 or so in about 5 minutes...then it starts getting much harder. I think the guy who started this is really clever!
Just to add a little bit to this wonderful discussion. I've posted a recording of of an elderly gentleman by the name of Vail Ó Flatharta from Connemara. The recording was made in 1976 and he was an elderly man then. I doubt very much if he is still with us. The area of Connemara is an Irish speaking area the majority of songs would be sung in Gaelic but Barbara Allen would be one of number of ballads in English to be found in the singing tradition of the Irish speaking districts of Ireland. Vail got the song from the singing of Beairtle Choilm Rua Ó Flatharta.This is just one of a number of versions of this song that I have and they all differ.
DT said: "There's a lot to be said for putting down the dulcimer (or guitar, or whatever...) and singing a cappella. Without a steady strum, it's more natural to let the rhythm wander."
That's one of the reasons I love the old Appalachian Play-Sing-Play style which I use. Play a Verse, Sing a Verse, Play a Verse, and repeat. You can do all sorts of variations like playing both a verse and chorus, then sing a verse, play the chorus, sing the chorus; etc. Done this way you can play a regular 3/4 or 4/4, or and still get the freedom from rigid metro-gnome rhythms when singing the verse. Or you can play the rhythm of the words (as I do) and still embellish the words when you sing a capella. That's how I do Parting Glass, DT!
Usually I play a verse and chorus, so the audience hears and knows what I'm going to sing. Then I sing a verse and chorus, play part of a verse, sing a verse, play part of the chorus, sing the chorus, and repeat...
I Just Got A Dulcimer 2016.pdf - 1.1MB
