Forum Activity for @byron-kinnaman

I have two dulcimers, one I call favorite the other second best.

I have both an old fashioned paper calendar hanging on my office wall and calendars on my computer desktop and my ipad.  The digital calandars are kinda cool because many of them will allow you to set popup reminders ahead of important events.  Lots of stuff I'd forget if it weren't for that.   

I haven't even tried that one yet.  lol..... I may have the classsical guitar music for it.  I think it won't be doable for a diatonic instrument

An open scroll certainly makes changing strings a lot less hassle; true also of an open flathead.

Ok, I've found some versions.  If you don't mind giving a liseten, Shelia, maybe you can tell us which one is the one you'd like.

This  is one I think you mean.

 If you can find a copy of The Autoharp Book by Becky Blackley, many of your questions will be answered. The book is a bit dated as it was published in 1983, so it does not take in to account the many improvements made in the autoharp by individual builders over the past 32 years. While there are not as many autoharp festivals as dulcimer festivals, they do exist. I highly recommend participating the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering here in Pennsylvania. It takes place the last full week in June every year. Some dulcimer festivals offer a workshop or two on autoharp. MEG stands for Music Education Group and Oscar Schmidt sold a couple of models of autoharps with the MEG label on them. I think some of the first 21 chord harps were sold with the MEG label.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Robin!

To send a PM:

As Robin said, Hover on your top navbar NAME LINK, and the drop-dpown menu will show "Private Messages"-  click to get to your Message area.

There you can see past message threads you may have sent or received.  To create a NEW pm, look there top right for "New Message" button.  go there and start typing a name, like John...and all members with John will show in a list as you type (autofill) and you pick which John you want to send it to. and you type your PM and then send.

Make sure you look in your "Notifications TAB" in your Account Settings area, to checkbox the things you would like to receive email notifications on...like be notified when you receive a private message, for example.

Hope this helps!

After listening to a number of versions of Erin's Shore, I settled on John P version. I play it in Eaa  tuning n/d style. Yup you have to drop down to the bass for two notes but its worth it...A mixolydian tune at its best... Thanks Sheila for turning me on to this song... Robert

What a beautiful instrument, Jerry!  

Though I don't recall where I read the comment, it seems I've seen someone stating how they'd not seen an open headstock on a dulcimer. . . I don't know I have until now. 

Hi, Sheila!  

Click on your own name at the upper right side of the page-- your name is next to the magnifying glass search icon.  In the pulldown menu under your name, you will find a link for sending private messages.  

Hope this helps!

Thanks to the wonderful help of John P, the tab is now attached to this thread!  Thank you, Sir.

Dave, I hope to be in Sallisaw before the end of the month.  Maybe we can get together and do a little picking?

Shelia, I sent you a private message just to show you how it works.  You can "pick it up" by hovering the mouse over your name in the upper right part of the screen.  Should say, "private message (1)" (something like that.) Click on it and it takes you to the "email" area.

Rob - you should be able to attach a .pdf to a post.

Update(cog wheel) your original post, look for the attach file selector at the bottom.

I only have one. It is a Dulcimer Factory. It has ivy sound holes so I named her Ivy Pearl.  Pearl is for Elma Pearl my mat. grandmother. If I ever get another one I will name her Jewel after my pat. Grandmother.  Kind cool both my grannies have gemstones for names.

K,  Thanks Stumelia.  I thought I could fill my calendar with the cool stuff that comes up.  Guess I will have to keep my little green notebook and I mean old fashion iwth pages of paper in it and no stylus but just a good old fasion pencil.

TW

Hi Rob, Dave in Sallisaw, Ok.  Sure would like tab for Battle of the Somme.

ANYONE who would like a copy of "Battle of the Somme" follow the above instructions, since there seems to be no way to post it here on a discussion.

Battle of the Somme.pdf - 73KB

Lois, thanks for your photos of these practical instrument haulers!  I love to see things being repurposed!

Thanks, also, Ken, for the photo of the Wonder Wheeler, which I also own.  People who are hauling hammer dulcimers especially like these because you can slide it in one side and then use the mesh bag for the rest of your instruments.  I like this one, too, because you can push it and because the big wheels handle curbs and steps pretty well.  If I'm not hauling my hammer dulcimer, though, I prefer to go with something smaller.  Something like a trash bin with swivel castors and storage on the outside.  With a push handle!

You're a good man, Rob N. Lackey.

Well, here you go. I finished the  "Battle of the Somme" Tab in Dad.  3 pages.  Page 1 - melody low register; Page 2 - melody high register; page 3 - adding chords.

I just followed you; now you need to follow me and send me a private message with your email so I can send you the pdf

Hi Shiela,

This is one of those Mixalydian tunes that have an awkward range for N/D players. You either have to borrow a couple of notes off the bass string, or play up the top end.

The fret order is for the top end, and keeps all the notes available on the melody string. If you want to use the bass string then reduce everything by 7.

Probably the best option if you have a 6+ fret is to shift to the Dorian and reduce everything by 3. (except 9 => 6+)

The clip is A'AA for 1st part, key of A Mixalydian ... but use Ddd or DAd if you like, key of D Mixalydian.

2nd part is DAG, key of D Dorian

Re  " The Battle Of The Somme "   First off it was one of the first tunes I learnt on the dulcimer . I learnt it by ear from the playing on a Fairport Convention album . I originally understood that it was written by an unamed piper who was killed in the battle ( the battle went on from july to very nearly October 1916.) However i later found out it was wriiten by a known  piper ( the name evades me  ) who indeed died as a reult of wounds recieved in the battle , probably on the first day 1st July 1916 .being evacuated , died later in hopital in the U.K. It is  a slow march, I am told that it qualifies as a " Retreat March " which means the music played as the soldiers prepared for the nights rest when in camp. A beutiful tune with a real kilt swing to it 

my pup, saint is right with me when I'm playing. If I go to long (way over an hour) he will come around in front, look at me than put his head on the strings. He is sweet and as soon as I pick up the dulcimer he goes right to our spot. He is a good companian.

Hey rwarren.

Over the years I've used several items from the Happy Traum and the folks at Homespun.  They are all really good.  I used a couple of bluegrass packages (including the 4-hour bluegrass workout, which I highly recommend) and one harmony singing course (by Robin and Linda Williams) as well.

I don't know the Lorrain Lee Hammond dulcimer course, but she was a pioneer in the modern dulcimer and if you are a beginner, that is probably a good product.

I have a copy of the David Schnaufer DVD and can say that it's very good, but he doesn't teach a general approach to the dulcimer as much as teach a series of songs.  I think the only general information he provides is some stuff on playing the major scale both up the fretboard and across the strings. But then he just goes into the songs.  So the Schnaufer DVD would be good only if you want to learn those songs, whereas the Hammond CD set is probably a more coherent introduction to the dulcimer.

Those are the only two dulcimer items I know of offered by Happy Traum.

I purchased a used McSpadden on ebay. It was and is still in very good shape. My McSpadden has the scroll head. It came with the Grover Sta-Tite metal friction tuners. They are okay but I had the geared tuners McSpadden now uses retro-fitted on it...a big thank you to Ken Longfield and Kevin Messinger. I sent an email to Jim Woods. I gave him the serial number and he told me when it was made and the material used. He also told me that they went to the geared tuners in the 1990s. If you purchase a used McSpadden before that you will have the Sta-Tite metal friction tuners if you get a scroll head.

I have one from 2002 that is plywood, if that helps narrow it down.

Hi Shiela,

There are a few candidates for Erin's Green Shore that come to mind.

Most likely it's a tune often known as Paddy's Green Shamrock Shore.

Or There's Lough Erne's Shore, a great slip jig.

Or maybe The Wee Weaver -that mentions Lough Erin's shore.

I can do you a fret order and sound clip for any of them if that's any help.

I found the music to "Battle of the Somme."  It's not in copyrite so, I can do a tab of it.  I can do it in DAd, but being composed for the pipes and have a lot of drones, what about DAA?  Ah..... maybe I'll do both just to see which sounds better.

Wow,  "Battle of the Somme."  I haven't heard any one other than Alan Freeman play that one.  I'll look around for it.  "Cavantino" I'm not familiar with it.  There is a dance form called Cavatina.  Do you know of an author for it?

What kinds of tunes are these?   Traditional irish maybe?

Fascinating site! 

Here's another neat site for early recordings.  

  http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/

Lot of old minstrel tunes, the pop music of the day, was recorded on cylinders.

i used to buy scraps of the plywood from lynn to make door harps and various craft items.  this plywood was a very high quality veneer core

product about 3/32 inches thick.  lynn told me it was specially made to his specs.  i still have quite a stack of the material in the shop.  the  backs were a big time saver as they needed little or no sanding....or braceing. 

I call them by their makers name mostly, ie the Yocky,or my Berg. I do have 2 McSpaddens so I call the walnut one "Stripe" because of the light stripe on the back.

John   knopff named my Thomas   replica   but otherwise no names.  I did name a jackhammer   once    ...  jack ! 

Barbara, I've been naming the dulcimers I build for the past couple of years.  

They're usually Bible names, taken from the Psalms.  Each one is different, kinda like those Cabbage Patch Kids.

Mine is named Lark, short for Meadowlark, because the lovely joyful song means spring has arrived on the prairie. 

Thanks Rob! I couldn't remember where I found it on the Web.