Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

There are jams, and then there are jams.  If you have just a handful of people -- say less than a dozen -- just go around the circle and get each person to lead a tune, in turn.  Ask everyone to bring a tune to lead, and 10 or a dozen photocopies of the public domain tab.  Jam groups like this tend to collect a lot of tab.

For bigger groups, the others are right that The Leader (a.k.a. you) should provide a tune list for each get together, and for the next get together so folks can go home and practice after finding tab for the tune.

@Strumelia, I am a fan of yours also!  :)

Thanks to everyone for more great advice!!   I will report back after we have our meeting this coming Saturday and let you know how it went!   

At that time Buck White had a honky tonk band (Buck White and the Countrymen) in Ft Smith, Ark. which played at a nightclub.  He was also the star of Little Joe's Country Caravan, a 30 minute country music show sponsored by Norcross Dodge, on KFSA (now KSFM) TV in Ft Smith.  I remember that for 2 reasons: I sang on that show a few times and I got a crush on one of his girls who sang on one of the same shows I did.

I also remember that old man dancing at the folk center for over half the show.  I wondered how in the world he had the energy to do that.  Even tho' my Grandfather was from Timbo, we didn't go to Stone County much.  Wish I could go back to that time and learn from some of those folks.

We went to Mt View/Timbo starting in 1966.  We made almost every festival until about 2 years after they built the folk center.  It was REALLY folksy when they had the festival in the high school gymnasium.  The Beers Family happened to be there in 1966 and they sang "Dumbarton's Drums."  Thought we were in heaven for sure.  When we got to the square on Saturday morning, a family in a van pulled up and started playing.  Nothing unusual about that.  But these people called themselves the "Down Home Folks."  Actually they were the Whites.  They are the group who played on the flatbed truck in "O Brother Where Art Thou?"  

The photos below show two memorable scenes: 1. Pickin' and dancin' on the square.  The man in the center was a tireless step dancer.

2. Jimmie Driftwood giving the audience the cue to start clapping so the performers knew their time was up!

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I wanted to convert my 28" scale length FolkRoots to a baritone. I spoke with Richard (the owner of Folkcraft) at Evart and he gave me the nut and bridge material to redo those and told me how to do it (so the slot spacings would accomodate the baritione strings and the intonation would be proper). I ended up not doing it myself, but rather took it to Folkcraft (we've wanted to visit them anyway). Richard did it for me and it sounds/plays great. The intonation is spot on. We didn't discuss a bass dulcimer though. I'd suggest you talk to Richard before you do anything like that. He's the maker of those dulcimers and only he would have the best information for you. Richard is a super guy to talk to and if you ever have the time, visit their shop. It's pretty cool. Real nice folks.

Hi all -

  Thank you all for your thoughts on this. I spoke with Richard (I think that was his name) at Folkcraft a couple of weeks ago about setting one of their make-your-own dulcimer kits as a baritone. His only suggestion was to perhaps order a longer fretboard and seemed to think that setting up as a baritone would be fine. The kits come standard with the 27". I did not ask about setting up as a bass at that time. I could call them back and see what they say about changing a shop-made dulcimer.

If you choose KMW, Karen and I will see you there as well!  There is a wonderful weekend festival (Homer Ledford Festival) right down the road from Berea (30 minutes or so) in Winchester, KY (Labor Day weekend).  Dana McCall hosts it and does a great job.

Thanks John, and Jan. All great information, and very much appreciated! I'm leaning toward KMW, primarily because I could drive there from my sister's in Berea (KY), and maybe treat her to some classes as well. No matter where I go it's a bit of a challenge (air fare, rental car) - but I have such wonderful memories of my time at Dulcimer U (WCU) that I have to make it a priority to get to another festival!

Is KMW primarily dulcimers? From what I can find online it looks as if they cater to dulcimers, but also offer whistle, etc

Jill

p.s. BTW Jan, I'll be in Richmond/Berea about mid November. Hoping to bring my Ginger.

Gale, I would check with the folks at Folkcraft before doing this.  The box might indeed need greater reinforcement to handle the heavier strings.

About a year ago I asked Janita Baker at Blue Lion about buying a baritone to use as either a baritone or a bass dulcimer and she suggested that stringing it for bass would throw the intonation off. So other kinds of adjustments might be necessary.

In past years I've been to these week-long events:

Kentucky Music Week, in Bardstown, KY     6 times

Dulcimerville, in Black Mtn., North Carolina  2 times

DulcimerU, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, NC    2 times

Swannanoah Gathering, Swannanoah, NC   1 time

Dulcimer Rendezvous (Road Scholar/Elderhostel Program) near Somerset, KY  2 times

John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC (learning the tunes of Jean Ritchie from Aubrey Atwater; a week with Janita Baker; Dulcimer Celebration '15)

• If I could only do one thing, I'd go to Kentucky Music Week. Sharing lodging brings the cost down considerably--as does camping.

• If I were by myself and cost was of prime importance and I could drive to southern KY, I'd go to Dulcimer Rendezvous for $599 for tuition, lodging and food.  The Road Scholar website makes Dulcimer Rendezvous sound like it's for beginners, but it's for all levels--Susan Trump has been teaching the advanced class the last few years.  This is a small event with less than 60 participants.

• Everything else considered, though, it is my desire to get back to John C. Campbell the next time I can work it out!  There is just nothing like a week spent at John C. Campbell Folk School!

I have also done "do-it-yourself workshops" at Wild Acres Retreat Center in the mtn. of NC. and at a bed n breakfast in the mtns. of NC.

I used a cheap guitar stand and a wrench to bend the holders to fit a dulcimer. $10,- and 10 minutes work.

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There should be no problem using bass strings as long as you accept the nut and bridge need bigger slots. the fretboard can be considered a big brace and, if the anchor points are in the tailblock, the body acts like a big, hollow, square tube which is also very strong. If the anchor points are on the fret board the system, fretboard/body, is somewhat weaker, but probably not enough to matter. I would suggest you check with a string calculator for the sizes to use for your [its] VSL. The ones you propose may not be good [apply too much tension]. I also suggest you not use a double melody as it will be pretty stiff to use. As an aside, I've installed bass strings on my regular dulcimer [home built] with no problem. Dan-goad has a valid point on the effect changing to a bass may have on potential value in the future, although you could replace the modified nut/bridge with new replacements if necessary.

The nut and bridge notches will have to be altered.  Most Baritone dulcimers do require additional structural bracing.  If it were me, I would NOT alter this Folkroots/Folkcraft dulcimer as doing so would reduce the future potetial value of the instrument.

Two guitars - one is a Washburn travel guitar

Hammer Dulcimer - a Songbird by Chris Foss. my wife plays it

Mountain Dulcimer - Folkroots D series I play it

Ukulele - Oscar Schmidt Tenor Spalted Mango

Piano

Two Recorders

Hi - I posted this also on the Everything Dulcimer forum....
  I just purchased a Folkroots/Folkcraft Model: D550s-520, Dated: 2-10-2004, from a member of Everything Dulcimer. I have ordered some appropriate strings to put on this instrument to enable me to play it as a baritone. This dulcimer has a deeper (3") body and has a nice throaty sound. Would it harm the instrument in anyway if I put larger gauge strings (.022, .022, .036 and .052.) on this instrument to try playing as a bass also? The owners of the music store I spoke with asked this question and I do not know the answer. Is the structure of a purpose-made bass dulcimer more reinforced than a standard mountain dulcimer? The string notchs in the nut and bridge might have to be altered?

Sheryl mentioned this tune in a recent post.  I had never heard it, so I went looking.  Here's what I found tabbed out 3 ways.  Please check it out and see if it's playable, etc.

Cherokee Waltz.pdf - 78KB

Good for you Sheryl!   

We often share photos of our dulcimers, but our overworked music stands seem to go un-noticed. I recently 'upgraded' the fabric on my music stand with leftover fabric from curtains I made last year. That got me thinking, do others do this too ? Do you have a 'skirt' for your stand? Did you make your own stand, or buy one from one of the few mountain dulcimer music stand suppliers? Please share your photos, and story, and let's give thanks to this support accessory. 

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Pass the Bacon!

Got the banjo bug. Just bought a 1930's 4 string tenor banjo. Should get it one day this week. I'll post some pictures, and hopefully a tune or two in the not too distant future. 

Thanks Jill.  Arkladulcifest takes place in Benton, Arkansas (in the Little Rock area).  It is hosted by Linda Brockinton, Karen, and myself.  2015 was our inaugural event.  We are delighted that Richard Ash and Duane Porterfield are returning in 2016 as instructors and vendors as well.  We had several "east coasters" this year, so we would love to see the west represented as well. 

Thanks Dusty! (I used to live in Alameda :-) I just might do that! Usually I'm busy with work/school in the beginning of May - but 2016 might be different. Taking the train would be fun!

J

Charles, if those dings and scratches were earned in the line of duty, then they only add to the character of the instrument.

Well perhaps as a warm-up to your week-long summer festival, you might take a weekend this spring and come up the coast to the Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering. I think it's the first weekend in May this year. You could probably take Amtrak and jam the whole ride up!

My first dulcimer was an Applecreek teardrop. In 2008 my wife bought it for my birthday. She was a middle school art teacher and she saw it in a catalog of classroom musical instruments. I had never seen anything like it before, 4 strings?...why are only two close together?... what the heck is the wooden stick for? Thank heavens for the internet! I found the "Everything Dulcimer" website and Ken Hulme's article "I Just Got A Dulcimer-Now What?" and I was on my way. Shortly afterwards I found this site, Strumelia's blogs and Robin Clark's video lessons were invaluable. My Applecreek is now hanging proudly on my wall, frets a bit worn, a few dings and scratches.   

T.K O'Brien student model. I really liked it but ended up selling it at a festival when I felt like I needed to thin the herd. Still miss it a bit, as it was a great instrument to start out on.

Hi  rob-n-lackey ,

Yes, I have David's/Butch's album. It's wonderful! The baroque period is my favorite - please arrange baroque for the MD and let me know! I know what you mean with Festivals - so many great teachers and options it can be overwhelming!

John K, I'm not familiar with your festival (but I am familiar with your music!). Thanks.

Jill

After playing Erin Roger's dulcimer after a Scenic Roots concert, I had to find one! My parents moved from Kansas to Missouri, and live in a town between Branson and Springfield. For my birthday, my mom surprised me by taking me out and we stopped by this little music shop called Cedar Creek Dulcimers... 

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This is probably heresy but I play a drum in our group. It allows the new/not as fast/proficient players to set the speed, helps all players to get used to playing, adjusting to a metronome, helps tremendously in learning those songs with out of the ordinary, difficult, timing and every one usually starts/finishes at the same time.

A bass or guitar could do the same thing.

A Jenny Wiley dulcimer we got for the family to learn.  I played trumpet and a little piano years ago and my wife played guitar.  We haven't taught the kids either but we way this at a festival and figured it would work well in the homeschooling curriculum.  My son is playing it now.

The dulcimer jams I've attended mostly played fiddle tunes, which do tend to accelerate faster and faster until there's only one player left standing.  Maybe the solution is to mix in some ballads -- how fast can they play Barbr'y Allen?  Do we really want to find out?  Well OK, yes, I would love to watch a competitive high-speed Barbr'y Allen, but only once. 

I wish I knew more dulcimer groups that encouraged people to sing along.  Lots of people find it hard to play and sing at the same time, but in a group they could just sing, just play, do both at once, or take turns, whatever is comfortable for them.  When a tune is too hard for beginners to play, they could sing.  Or strum chords.  Or strum drones.  Or tap rhythm.  I think it's more fun when people don't feel like they all have to play every note, in every song, exactly the same way everyone else does.

Eureka!  I just had my genius idea for the day: Everybody gets a kazoo!  If that doesn't loosen them up, I don't know what will.

With the holidays coming, this is a great time to play songs that everybody knows.  Chances are, you'll not only have singers, you'll get harmonies.  Surely they won't accelerate to breakneck speed on Oh Come, All Ye Faithful.  Will they?  Maybe the kazoos were a mistake...

Kimberly, I would second the idea of announcing ahead of time some of the tunes you are going to play. Some groups choose a song book together that everyone buys. In my group I post a list of our songs with tab on our website so people can practice before coming to the group.

In general you will want to play much slower than feels right, assuming you have lots of beginners.  It is standard in Irish sessions to play each song three times, but when people are trying to learn, that may not be enough.  When teaching songs, you may have to play more than that.

And although it isn't common enough in dulcimer circles, I spend some time demonstrating and discussing how to join the jam even when you don't know the song.  It was not written in stone on Mount Sinai that everyone has to play the melody all the time.  Teaching people how to add rhythmic or other types of accompaniment when they don't know the song will help everyone feel included.  Most people in my group play across all the strings, so I teach them how to isolate the chord changes and just play those as backup until they learn the entire melody. That also allows us to play some songs up-to-speed some of the time and still include everyone.

Strumelia, thanks for posting on this.  I am forming a new uke group, and hopefully dulcimer, and the advice you have offered is very valuable.  Answers a ton of questions.  I almost feel like I have highjacked the thread, since this was for Kimberly. 

Thanks for posting Kimberly.  Great question.  For me personally, you couldn't have timed it any better.

And Rob, I appreciate what you had to say too.  Good stuff. 

First of all....Kimberly i'm so pleased to see you posting!-  I'm a big fan of yours.  

Rob has given some great tips already.

My 2 cents-   If you are 'leading' the jam you may have a certain short set list in mind that perhaps you have let the group members know about in advance.  Still, it's good to also allow folks to go around the circle at least once and be able to choose a favorite tune for everyone to play.  Two hours should certainly allow for all this.  

The important thing about that is that it can allow a relative beginner to start a tune they know, at a tempo that is do-able for them.  I feel that when someone at a beginner level chooses a tune, they should be allowed to have it NOT speed up.  I remember how bad i felt long ago at my very first club setting when I was a beginner player -- every single tune would eventually speed up so that I had to drop out.  I certainly understood this and everyone knew I was a rank beginner, but I looked forward to being able to start my one tune at my pace when it was my turn.  It was finally my turn to pick a tune.  I began the tune very slowly, as that was the best I could do.  Several more advanced players very quickly sped it up and half way through the first time through it, I couldn't keep up with my own beginner tune, and had to drop out.  That felt really bad.
As the group leader, you can prevent this from happening.   You could handle it by starting the jam with a welcome to the new beginners, and by assuring them that if they start their own tune slowly, everyone will follow and respect THEIR tempo and not speed it up.  Indeed, if others speed it up anyway, you can after the tune ends then say "OK let's play that tune one more time through but SLOWLY this time so we can all play together".

This is also the reasoning behind having some time set aside for a slooow beginner session or a beginner teaching help session.  No one should go home from a jam without being able to play through even one tune to the end.  A separate beginner help time would accomplish much the same goal, HOWEVER I still think it's important for seasoned members to be able to adapt to different tempos set by whoever starts a tune, and learn to not run roughshod over others simply because they themselves 'can' play everything fast. Playing well in a group is a SKILL that requires the ability to adapt to others in order for the group as a whole to succeed and sound good, after all.      Tunes can be at varied tempos...some can be expressive and slow while others can be fast and lively.  Then everyone can have a good time!

Two hours can get eaten up pretty quickly by pre-socializing, late arrivals, announcements, tuning issues and broken strings, book/stand/chair shuffling, and misc talk.  If you add a half hour of slow/beginner help, I think it should not be a part of that 2 hours, but rather come first and be in a different spot to the side if possible, to discourage seasoned players from joining in or disrupting it.

If I had a week to devote to a festival, I believe it would be Kentucky Music Week.  The variety of workshops and instructors is my reason, although I don't know if I'd take more than 3.  I used to think if I wasn't involved every hour in some sort of workshop I wasn't doing it right.  Now I'm more selective and think I learn more or at least retain more. 

Classical mandolin, eh?  I'm arranging some baroque tunes for dulcimer.  Maybe I should write a mandolin part?  Have you heard David Schnaufer & Butch Baldassari's album "Appalachian Dulcimer & Mandolin?"  Just the 2 instruments in the hands of 2 modern masters.

Pick tunes that most people know to start, even if they have to use the tab.  Keep a steady rhythm.  Don't go too fast, at least the 1st couple of time through.  Sometimes up here in the club jams they play a song through twice at a slower tempo for the beginners then play it up to speed the last 2 times.  Encourage the more advanced players to play a harmony part or chords if they can.  Let everyone have a turn picking out a tune to play.  For me, 4 times through each is enough, although if it's short or you're trying to learn it more times would be fine.  Lastly, just because everyone doesn't "know" the tune that doesn't mean you shouldn't try it.  If 4 or 5 folks do know then the others can watch the hands of those that do and try to pick it up.

Hope this helps

Jill, we would love to see you at Arkladulcifest!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/arkladulcifest/

Thanks everyone!  I have printed out your responses and made many notes.  I can't thank you all enough for your great advice.  We have tried to meet several times and the weather has been against us.  One time, there were dereche-type winds that prevented many from coming out.  Another time, flooding rains.  Now that winter is approaching, we will probably have massive snow storms!  LOL!!!!

I suspect that this information may already be on this site somewhere and I am not as familiar as I should be with how to do an effective search.  So, please, if it is available, just point me in the right direction!

I got so much great advice on starting a dulcimer group that I wanted to ask you all another question.  Even though I have been playing the dulcimer for over 30 years, I have very seldom played with others.  Now that I am starting this group, I need some tips on how to lead jams.  ANY information on leading a fun and effective jam would be greatly appreciated!!

(The few times that i have played with more than one other dulcimer, I have a horrible time hearing the sound coming from my dulcimer because it seems that I can hear everyone but my dulcimer.  That usually makes me quit playing because I can't tell what I am playing.)  

Dana, I imagine the vacation you, Jan, and Gail have had has been good for each of you girls!  Hugs from me! 

Hi everyone,

I would like to start thinking and planning for a good MD festival next summer (2016). I'd appreciate your thoughts. I went to WCU to Larry and Elaine Conger's about 5 years ago - my first. Loved it! But it's really a challenge for me to get to WCU from San Diego! I have family in Kentucky - any thoughts on Kentucky Music Week? What about Swannona (sp)? I particularly enjoy Celtic and harp-like playing, but I'm also starting to learn Old Timey music on the MD as well. For what it's worth I have a background in bluegrass (mandolin) - and also play classical mandolin as well. But I'd like to focus on the MD this year and I probably can only get to one Festival.

Thanks for your help!

Jill Geary

San Diego