I have my student dulcimer tune to DDDG, G on the base. But my red stain one is tuned to DAA, D on the base.
How do we tell which way to read the tuning so we know we have the right one on the right strings? Seems some we read left to right but some we read right to left.
Jan, I've seen that head, too, but it was on Edsel, not Fred. Seems that Edsel based some of his carvings of hillbillies on folks he knew. Now that they're all gone, we probably won't know who they are. I will say on the dulcimer in question the Eagle looks good enough to be Edsel's (not sure about the glass eyes, tho') and the pegs look "right."
Interesting take on music theory, Kevin--different from what we usually read on this site. It reminds me of a story a hammered dulcimer teacher tells of a music theory class he was taking where he was the only student who understood all the modes and how they worked. He said the reason he understood it was because he played the hammered dulcimer and all the modes are laid out there in plain view, so it's easy-peasy. (well, I don't think he said that last part!) So you have an understanding of one part of music theory because of a particular instrument you played. My piano teachers were always writing the circle of fifths on the front covers of my books...and even though I have a basic understanding of it as a dulcimer player, I still don't know why it was an important thing for me to learn on the piano (but I'm sure someone here will explain that to me!) By the way, when I was in elementary school, happily playing the piano by ear (long before lessons started in high school) I first played mainly on the black keys; I played in the key of F#. After a couple years, I suddenly switched to Ab--I have no idea why. I only played in the key of Ab for several years. Peculiar, I know. I'm picking up music theory in small, easy to digest chunks, for the most part. I took a Coursera class from Berkley School of Music that was good and I had Josh Goforth at Swannanoa for a week of music theory and that was great--he's amazing! Things are starting to click, bit by bit.
Yep - following DAd TAB would work every time in DDG for the melody (not chords) on the melody and middle drone string. You are playing in the key of G from the open melody string as 'do' against 5th drones.
Regarding how many tunings there are for dulcimer - the answer is both complex and simple (or is that the other way around?) There are hundreds of tunings if you count every variant repeated at every pitch and every inversion of that variant. You could drive your self mad trying to count them all. However, tuning the dulcimer actually follows some very simple rules. Here are the rules for noter drone playing:
Rule 1 - Where is the root note on my fretboard for the tune I want to play (the mode)?
Rule 2 - Is that root note at the pitch (key) that I want? - if not, then I need to retune the melody string.
Rule 3 - Do the drones blend with the melody string's root note of my tune in the timbre I want? - if not, then I neet to retune the drones to the root note and/or the 5th note of the melody string's scale that I'm going to play.
Every noter drone tuning configuration follows these 3 rules.
You could do something very similar to produce rules regarding chord melody tunings.
I should also say Jan, I think all the designs of the 'circle of fifths' are very interesting. They go back so far, a good history lesson. One of the paintings I just finished for a St. Jude donation was a circle design, would be interesting to place a bit of music theory within the piece.
With my brother and I's "Instrument acquisition and play wars" that one was easy for me (sort of?). The big 120 bass accordion for me taught me just that as the 120 buttons opposing the keyboard are arranged in the circle of fifths. Only one button is marked for identification and is usually the root bass for the key of C or a bass C note is sounded when that button is pushed. All of the chords are aligned diagonally and in the keys of the circle of fifths. From the middle C, C chord row, going up took you through the sharp keys and going down took you through the flat keys. That alone is when I discovered that there was indeed a key of G#, which of course sounds identical to the key of Ab. Written differently, yet the very same exact notes and chords. The ones that make you scratch your head are keys such as Cb or the key of B#. Legit in every fashion on paper and notation, but nonexistant when it comes to actual music that is played. Fun stuff (at least for a music nerd like me?) Kevin.
;-)
Wouldn't take much to tie my brain up in knots. I think the idea of a 'circle of anything' would have me going in circles and never getting anywhere but thanks for the thought of a merry-go-round ride. I don't even know how many sharps or flats make up what keys or modes, so it wouldn't be much of a ride. I wouldn't even get to start going in a circle other than I have seen the illustration of the 'circle of fifths'.
Everyday I am learning something new but I am still just a happy infant crawling alone with my dulcimer.
Now, Marg, if you want to get your brain REALLY tied up in knots, I suggest you study and memorize the circle of fifths, cycle of fourths, and Star of Modes!
.
Hmm....I never thought about those being "Egyptian heads" (plus I'd been told the other story by a reliable source). I could swear I've seen some with the hair parted down the middle and drawn into a knot at the nape of the neck. Maybe that's something I dreamed....(a "nightmare", Patty would say!!! lol)
Kristi said, "Whoops, guess I should have mentioned treatment presupposes a cased dulcimer. "
I was thinking "cased", too. I would wrap the instrument in cloth and then fill in packing materials in all the empty spaces. Close the case. Then I would wrap the case in bubblewrap because I've never had a problem with it, if it's not right next to the wood inside the case. Now comes the more difficult decisions. How valuable is this instrument? Is it irreplaceable? How far is it traveling? Who's shipping it? If you followed the advice to put it in a "corregated cardboard cement form tube" then you'd just shove it in there, fill in the spaces, fill in both end, tape, and you're pretty much done. But I've never done it that way, so my experiences is only with cardboard boxes.
You will pay a whole lot of money to ship UPS, esp. if they pack it. I've personally had experiences where shipping the dulcimer was more than the price I paid for it--that just doesn't make sense!!!! If I have the time to pack it well and send it USPS, then that's what I do. It saves a lot of money, but you do need to pack it well! If you can double box it, that's best. But if you can't, then PLEASE get a VERY STURDY corregated board shipping box, add extra pieces of cardboard front, back, wrap cardboard around the ends of the case, and make sure ALL the spaces are filled. Shake it. Add more.
Just please do NOT use a box that a vacuum cleaner came in from the department store, etc. They have no STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY--"the ability of an item to hold together under a load, including its own weight, resisting breakage or bending.' You have to assume rough treatment by shippers. When you get done packing this instrument, you should at least be confident that IF you stood on it--but don't!!!--then the package would not bend, collapse, etc. If that's too hard to wrap your mind around, then think about it being at the bottom of a stack of boxes--and each of those boxes on top of it are holding a case of copy paper or two....
I once had an irreplaceable instrument sent to me in a practically indestructable instrument case--that I was not able to buy--and then paid to have the case shipped back across the country...and that was the right solution for that item. The case was then packed, as I described above, in a sturdy outer box.
I had someone send me an instrument that was rattling around in a box with a few sheets of newspaper crushed into balls at the bottom of the box. That it survived the trip of 100 miles without even being in a case is, in fact, a miracle.
Hope these tips help. Just don't put yourself in a position where if something goes wrong, you say "I should've".......
Jan.... I thought it said Gertrude Martin on the back of the head and that might have been the owner. My assumption, incorrect it seems, was that it had an Edsel label in it.
No, Jan, Fred told me they're Egyptian heads since the Bible speaks of dulcimers in Eqypt. As far as I know, and remember from seeing all the instruments in his shop, the heads were identical on Fred's.
This was the point I made in a note to the seller: ...so if the dulcimer said Martin with no first name, how could one be sure which brother had made it?
The seller was claiming Edsel had made it, but when I asked why he thought that, he didn't give me a straight answer--and then blocked me from bidding on it. He was saying the carving on the instrument said G erwin Martin, Swannanoa, NC, but said "That's how Edsel signed many of his" and said he got this information "from the web".
What it actually said, however--and I told him this--was "Genuine Martin", not "G erwin Martin". I wasn't questioning that it was made by one of the brothers, I just wanted to know why he was convinced that Edsel had made it.
I really don't think think there's anything out there on the web to support a signature of G erwin Martin, as he is claiming. I think he knew he had a Martin dulcimer and it would sell for the most money if it were touted as being made by Edsel. The outcome is that someone got a fine example of a dulcimer made--maybe--by one of the Martin brothers of Swannanoa, NC....
Oh--and those heads Fred carved on his? My understanding is that they were likenesses of relatives and other women in the community that he personally knew.
No, Fred, died several years ago. After I bought my 1st dulcimer from him, I'd stop at the shop when I was in the area and talk to him for a little while. Nope, never seen nor heard of a "Genuine Martin." I'd think they were the kind of folks who wanted their full name on them.
Rob, do you recall ever hearing that they were signed "Genuine Martin" without the name Edsel, Fred, or Wade?
Is Fred still living? This "Fred told me" comment sounded like a recent conversation....
I loved it Cynthia, I really did. Thanks for sharing.
Great stuff Cynthia. Non stop fun at the Wigington Mansion :)
Easy to play along with and you've a good voice when you loosen up too.
On our new site, to add a video, you don't use the youtube "Embed code"or "Share This" code to add videos.
When you click the "+" to add a video, (Youtube in this example) --it asks you for the video's "ID or URL" ....it means exactly that.
So for your YT vid in your post, you can either paste in your video's URL from your browser: (looks like:https:// www.youtube. com/watch?v= G_BSxXwUCLc)..(i added some spaces to break up the link here)
OR......
the video's Youtube ID , meaning simply: G_BSxXwUCLc
I believe it works the same way for Vimeo videos.
Thanks for the nice comment Oliver. New link for Careless Love on uke:
Good idea Lisa, that sounds like a much easier way to obtain beeswax (and apply it) than I had imagined. I remember seeing beeswas candles at the farmer market... Thanks!
You can just buy a little beeswax candle- either a taper or a votive. But make sure you buy it from a real beekeeper, cause lots of commercial 'beeswax candles' are only part beeswax, with lots of parrafin mixed in to be cheaper. And parrafin doesn't have that 'sticking factor' that real beeswax has, that you are seeking for this purpose.
Jan, there were 3 Martin brothers, Fred, Edsel & Wade. Fred made a lot of dulcimers all with a carved "Egyptian" head on the scroll. Edsel carved all sorts of things on his. Wade... well, not sure how many he made. Fred told me, "not many."
Novel idea Ken! Seriously, I’ll check the honey stand at our farmer’s market.
Sheryl -- from bees
Your local Farmer's Market probably has a honey supplier who has beeswax for sale as well. That's where I get mine -- from a beekeeper friend.
Just oredered a second pair of bones, went for the Minstrel style teak bones. Starting to rock the right hand, need to bring in the left. 
Jan, it wasn't me. Something about scroll heads staring at me while I play bothers me, LOL
p.s. Lisa, where is a good place to get beeswax?
"Edsel Martin" dulcimer just sold on eBay today and I was interested in whether or not it was purchased by someone on this site and, if so, they might want to share photos, comments, etc. about this interesting dulcimer. I think 3 of the Martin brothers made dulcimers and put interesting carvings on some of the peg heads. The pegs were hand carved wood, as well.
One of my current solutions for storing cased instruments upright is to put them in one of those folding hampers with no lid. This is the one I have...it's 14 x 14 and 22in. high, so depending on the size of your instruments and the type of cases, you should be able to get about 4 in here. This is perfect for tucking away in a corner and for leaving the instruments accessible for you, but not in jeopardy of damage from a dog or child running through the room. This one is 14.99 from Target, online, and you can pick it up at your local store and save on shipping....but they are not stocked IN the store.
OK Sheryl, no vids for you ... Yet. Strumelia, game on! I'll be practicing.
Here's a PDF of the article "I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What?" that I wrote several years ago. It's an illustrated glossary of dulcimer terms, plus answers to many beginner questions about tuning, playing, care and feeding of your new friend.
Sheryl....yay!
I read that if you rub a piece of beeswax up and down on the EDGES of the bones only, it keeps them from sliding out or down. I tried it and it works well. doesnt take much, but may need doing periodically.
I got my bones in the mail yesterday; as I had hoped they are pretty mellow. Haven't had time to revisit Dom Flemons videos so I can start out right, but of course I have been "playing" with them. My ring finger bone keeps sliding down...but I have managed to do some clacking. It seems like the less I concentrate on them, the better I do. I tried them out in the car this morning, to the radio, and actually managed to hit a couple of beats on Hotel California. Fun times!
Bob, before you ask, I am not ready to make a recording or produce a video. 
Only if the deadline is Sept 14th, and video doesn't have to be more than 1 min long. And can be full of screwups.
AND, that we can just embed the vids in this thread instead of throwing them the main video section. lolol... how does all that sound?
Bob I'm now suspecting that you are a secret virtuoso spoons player, unbeknownst to everyone here. 
Here's a challenge for you. If you post a video of you playing bones, I'll post one of me playing spoons. What do yout think?
Once I can get through just maybe a minute or two of rattling without totally screwing it up and falling on my face, i will try to make a little sample, Bob! If only to help encourage others to be accepting of their beginner skills. 
But of course as we know, I could do just great for a few minutes, then turn on the camera and suddenly I can't do a single thing! -always a frustration... ;D
Fun in the workshop! I just got a package of Noter blanks that I'll be working on this weekend. Two each of (left to right) Bloodwood, Purpleheart, Padauk, Yellowheart and Wenge. All are much harder than the usual run-of-the-mill hardwoods.
I Just Got A Dulcimer 2016.pdf - 1.1MB