Forum Activity for @john-gribble

Annie, I don't understand how a pick could hurt your shoulder!  

Recently I've taken to simply struming with the side of my thumb (both directions) if I don't want that brighter tone or the "pick-slap." 

What I mean is - no pain with the Fender, both the others hurt my shoulder...

Have used a big very thin Fender pick since I started playing, tried Herdim and now Tortex. The Fender does clack!! and the Tortex not so much, but danged if my shoulder doesn't start to hurt after one or 2 songs with the other 2!! So yeah, better sound, but not worth wrecking my shoulder...trying to work it up gradually...might give the leather ones a try...thanks.

It's a little confusing that we have both a Profile page picture and an avatar picture...and they can either be the same or different.  On the other hand, it adds variety.   :)

Ah, Got It!! Lisa you are da bomb!!!

 Dan, could be you changed the image on your Profile page, but not your actual user avatar.

Go to your profile page Settings and check the avatar image that shows when you go to your "Account" TAB in your settings.  Then once that's changed too, SAVE your settings and also clear your browser cache to see the new results.

Every member has both an Account picture and a Profile picture.  Oe shows up only on your profile page, and the other shows up next to every post you make. When in your Settings, be sure to go to both TABS and upload your chosen avatar picture: your Account TAB, and your Profile TAB.  Also remember to SAVE your changes at the bottom of each page before leaving the page, after uploading your new picture.

I changed my profile image. It is current on some pages but has the "old" image on others? What am I missing guys?

if you make a playlist they will

dusty is right.  thinner picks produce more pick clack than thicker ones.  actually a pick made from various plastic food containers might work

for you.  as far as recording place the mike up closer to the nut.  dunlap made picks made of delron that work well.

'No Man is an Island' John Donne

No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.  And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Just a few thoughts here.  

First, thinner picks have a lot more pick clack than stiffer/heavier picks.  In general, beginners start with thinner picks and as they get more experience and control they move to heavier picks. Anyone annoyed with pick clack might simply try heavier picks. Your playing will become a bit more precise in the process.

Second, you can minimize pick clack (but not get rid of it entirely) with a different technique. Hold the pick loosely, not tightly in your hand, and think of it as gliding over the top of the strings rather than getting into each one and really plucking it.

Third, some folks claim that pick clack always sounds louder to the player than it does to the audience. I supposed you could test this by making a series of recordings with the mic in different places, but I've never tried myself.

Fourth, a leather pick (or those felt picks that some uke players use or even rubber picks that I use for an acoustic bass) would all have less pick clack than a plastic pick, but that doesn't mean they are equally versatile. Although I think you could probably strum OK with a leather pick, I am not sure you would have the control to flatpick, meaning playing long single-note runs.  So if you always strum across all the strings it might work OK, but if you want to play a fiddle tune or a filler lick the leather might not provide enough precision.

I encourage everyone to experiment with as many different types of picks as possible.  Eventually you will find the one for you.  I use a standard guitar pick (the Dunlop Tortex picks) and the only ones that I prefer more than those are way too expensive (like the BlueChip picks that range between $35 and $75 for a single pick!    ).

Is there a way to play many with out clicking on each one. Have them play one after the other?

I use herdim picks, made in Germany. I would love to try a pick that didn't have the clacky sound. I don't like ones that are too hard or thick. Would be hard maybe to have a leather one that would hold up and not be too hard or too thick. Glad you found a type that you like.

Welcome to FOTMD

woah, I live on Sycamore Haven Drive in Nauvoo, Illionis and there are soooooooooooo many Sycamore trees here.  hummmmmmmmmmm.  I'll be learning more about that wood FOR SURE.  thanks for the photos. 

Yep, that's quarter sawn Sycamore. Very often it will appear to look like snake skin.

Another vote for sycamore.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Fair Flower of Northumberland is Child Ballad #9, and hails from the old English East March a.k.a. Northumberland, which is south of the River Tweed (at that point the border between England and Scotland).  My ancestors, lived along the north bank of the Tweed, in the Scottish East March.  John's rendition is quite beautiful.

Ah!  Thank you Randy!  I was a bit confused since Robin posted it.

How beautiful!    We will all miss John...and as Robin said-  Fare Thee Well.

Lisa....that's John playing the dulcimer there...I'd recognize that index finger anywhere!

Robin, did you perchance compose that pretty tune in memory of John Phillips?

It's so pretty to hear you play it!

Mike, I need a repair made to a tuning peg on one of my dulcimers-- due to life circumstances, I haven't yet gotten to it.  Your dad posted step-by-step instructions for how to proceed with the fix.  Whether I attempt the repair myself or take it to a luthier, your dad's instructions will be with me.  

Ayup -- sycamore.  Not "bird's eye" which is a specific pattern, but as Dan see "highly figured".

John came up with his own way of explaining and simplifying the sometimes wild and deep talk about modes.. made superb sense talking about "home fret" and "gapped scales"....playing 2 or 3 or 4 modes in one tuning.....clarified my thinking f'sure...

sycamore fer shure

Just found Folkcraft's website where they have wood sample photo's under Dulcimer building supplies............John and Dan are on the money.........Sycamore.

I vote for sycamore.  My Noah's Ark dulcimer is sycamore, and the color and figure look just like that.  Almost a fur-like appearance.

Sure is pretty!  Mr. Mize made nice instruments, beautiful workmanship. 

I don't know much about wood, so I'm afraid that I can't help you...but you have one beautiful dulcimer there. Congratulations and enjoy!

Possibly a highly figured sycamore!

I was amazed on my frequent searches on E Bay, that I found a Bob Mize, 2001 4 string dulcimer in absolute perfect condition, either very cared for or never played. The workmanship is amazing, but I have no idea what the top wood is, there was no info at all on the listing other than it was a 2001 Mize. 

 Please take a look at photos of the top and would appreciate any feedback on what you all may think it is, I've had several friends who have worked with various woods, but they can't nail it down. The most frequent choice right now is possibly birds eye maple, whatever it is, it's gorgeous. Great tone, yet soft quality.

 IMG_1290.jpg - 138KB

Erin, I am not sure about apps or downloads or even iPads, but there are plenty of free audio conversion websites where you upload an audio file and specify what format you want the file in.  IF you just Google something like "online audio converter" you will get several options.  One I have used is available here , which allows you to specify the format you want the file converted to and also the quality (which equates to size) of that file.

Erin, I record my videos with a little canon vixia camcorder and load them to my computer using the "Image Browser" software that I think came with the camera. Then I use a free app called "Any Video Converter" to edit out all the bad takes etc. and to convert from MP4 to MP3.  MP4 is usually too big for this site. Then I load the MP3 on to Youtube and voila from Youtube I can share it here on FOTMD.

Patty's right about that, Erin-  you can set your video to private, semi-private, or public on Youtube, but you won't be able to have it selectively view-able to only certain people here on FOTMD-  it has to be set to public if you add it here on FOTMD.  I'm talking about if you want it to be in our site's general Video section.

I'm not sure about Vimeo as I've not personally uploaded videos to that site. For Youtube you would have to make the video public in order to share it. There is an option for private but I don't think that will work for linking your video on this site for every one to be able to see it.

Adding audio/music files to FOTMD Music section:  

1) upload either an MP3 (and if it's too large a message will say so)

OR  2) Add it as a Soundcloud clip. (you have a Soundcloud account where you've already uploaded your audio clips) -Soundcloud is like Youtube but for audio clips.

Adding a video to FOTMD video section:

1) Follow the instructions to add a YOUTUBE video that you've already uploaded onto your Youtube account.

2) OR... Follow the instructions to add a VIMEO video that you've already uploaded onto your Vimeo account.

Note- you can upload an MP3 directly from your computer to the Music section.  You cannot upload a video directly from your computer to the video section.

Audio files: Convert them to .mp3 as the files are much smaller and more compatible with just about every application. There are a number of free packages that will do this. I use Audacity, it's fairly user friendly and means you can edit your recordings to improve the quality as well as save them in different formats. Sort of photoshop for music!

Video files: Upload to Youtube or Vimeo and then link to them from here.

Robin

Try uploading to Youtube or Vimeo. You can then reference the link when you do Add video on this site.

Erin, I record my tunes on my Mac using Garage Band. I think it saves as a MP4 which I don't think is compatible here. I use a free app to convert it to a MP3.

There have been a number of discussions about the Seagull over on ED, and in spite of the company's reputation as a guitar builder, the consensus is that the Seagull just isn't "up to sniff".  The fret pattern is 'strange' at the very least.  It reminded several people of the problems with the 'made offshore' First Act dulcimers a number of years ago...

Hey Ozarklady.

I can't explain why, but the Seagull is made with one full octave, meaning it goes to the 7th fret. However, it has no 6th fret. Instead, it has only a 6-1/2.

Seagull is a fine guitar company. They make very good and affordable instruments. I have a 12-string Seagull that I like a lot. I've also heard that many Merlin owners love that instrument as well. Think of it as a stick dulcimer like the McNally Strumstick, which only goes up to the 10th fret or something. If I were going to get a Merlin, though, I would have a 6 fret installed.

You might consider poking around in the Stick Dulcimer Group here at FOTMD. I'm sure some folks there are more familiar than I with the Merlin.