Forum Activity for @dan-goad

Are you playing from dulcimer tablature or standard music notation, Dalton?

Hi Lisa,

My point was that it shouldn't be happening on a desktop screen either. otherwise you're limited to a few 'preferred widths', and losing real estate..

i told you to get the Jurassic plugin

John, I've always read that squashing a desktop browser screen does not accurately replicate what happens on true mobile devices.  I imagine tests are usually better on a real mobile device?

Wish I could lose weight by just squashing my screen... 

John, I am confused. Why would you want to make your screen narrower and narrower?  Instead of changing the shape of your screen, use CTRL - to decrease its size and CTRL + to increase it. That way the aspect ratio stays the same.

On my laptop, I can reduce the size of the screen as much as I want and it all stays visible and functional.  When I increase its size, it works until 150%, when it looks like Dan's screenshot above. But no matter how the site is laid out, if you increase more and more eventually you will run out of space. You can break the laws of man, but not the laws of physics.

I don't see any differences between IE, Firefox, and Chrome in terms of the size of the screen.

I'd be inclined to take the image out of the top nav bar and put it underneath where it will scroll away. Currently there is  an issue with resizing, even on a desktop machins. (start with your browser window at almost fullscreen and gradually make it narrower and narrower. Firefox)

No problem George!  Be sure to look over all the tabs and settings in your "Account Settings"-  you get lots of choices on how you want your account to work here!  

Update:  Hey George- beatuful new avatar you added there!  

Thank you very much, sincerely, computer challenged, appreciate your time.

Dan, I'm sorry you're having trouble here, but your anger seems misplaced.  As testified to by others, the site is working on iPads, Kindles, Nooks, and both tablets and phones using Adroid. So your insistence that there is a coding problem with the site is suspect at best.  Not only that, but Strumelia, myself, and others have spent a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to help you.

I will say this as plainly as I can. The toolbar should not be there. Instead, on mobile devices, you get the mobile menu icon, which is that series of 6 white squares and rectangles. I can see it on your screenshot, so I know it's there. When you click that, you get a menu that has all the options of the toolbar. Please give it a try.

Hi George, 

Dusty said:

 George, once you are logged in, hold your cursor over your name in the toolbar (but don't click), and you will see a drop-down menu.  Click on "Account Settings."  Once there, you will see the generic picture with an option underneath it to "upload new image."  Choose that and then you can upload a picture from your computer.  When you are done, don't forget to "Save Changes" on the bottom of the screen.

Let us know if you still can't do it. 

I was able to add my personal photo to profile, but when I post anything in forums, it just comes up with the stock dulcimer photo, how do I change that to a personal photo, Thanks from a very computer challenged individual!

Dan, if you purposefully zoomed in, then the only issue is that the tool bar that would show up on a website viewed from a pc is now in the mobile menu icon, meaning those white squares and rectangles.  Click on that and a new toolbar will appear with all the options you would normally see. It did not exist on the old site because that site was not enabled for tablets and smartphones. This one is.  The mobile interface is not identical to the regular website view, but once you get used to it, it should function better.  (For the record, I still use my pc whenever I actually want to do anything other than listen to tunes.)

Yes, I did get a good deal on it, less than half what it retails fro, (which was still a good chunk) But really enjoying it, thanks for the feedback

lol Dusty.  I hear what you are saying.  I think these are points that might be addressed further down the road.  They'd require some in depth testing and there are other issues which take precedence for a good while yet.  Not saying these things are not important, just that a bunch of other other stuff requires my time ahead of them, and it'll likley be while...a couple months maybe, before I can approach them.  I'm still in the 'gros-tuning' stage rather than the 'fine-tuning' stage.  

One thing i will say though- this site was built on a Jamroom platform, but was put together so that it could import and support our various familiar ning-platform content and functions.  To do that, some areas were coded differently from other areas, which intentionally makes them behave a little differently from each other.  The Forums area for instance is not quite the same as the Groups features, or the video area that combines uploade, vimeo, and youtube videos all together.  The site's areas all do function a bit differently from each other, and their coding is different, so different areas of the site might not display exactly the same on some devices...just a thought that may or may not be relevant to what you brought up.  :)

Lexie, She did let me play one. I didn't have a pick and I had just cut my fingernails but I was able to manage Old Joe Clark. I wasn't able to sell it, lol. I did receive a 10% discount coupon to Tamarack. First time I ever received anything for playing (struggling for sure) an instrument. 

Hmm . . . are you saying I'm dumb?  Them's fightin' words. 

You are correct, almost.  I do indeed see that same toolbar when I go do "Discussions."  When I go to my Home Page, however, I have a drop-down menu rather than a tool bar.  And in some areas (Music, Audio, Groups, etc.) there is neither a toolbar nor a dropdown menu.   The mobile menu icon is always there, so navigation is always possible, but it seems odd that there are different possibilities in different screens.

P.S. I was only kidding about fighting.  I would only punch you with my lips on your cheek  .

Those are the TABS you would normally see in the Forums area, if you are responding to an email notification concerning an updated discussion you are following, for example.  It would take you here for instance, where you'd need to see and navigate between those discussion area TABS:  http://fotmd.com/forums/forum/new_posts

Those tabs links do not appear on the site's main page.

Similarly... If you go to your profile page , likewaise you'll see a selection of navigation TABS that you would normally see on your profile page: Latest Activity, Audio, Video, Events, etc.

Strumelia, using my Android phone (a new Samsung Galaxy S6) I do indeed see the mobile menu icon when I go to the FOTMD main page. In that sense, I can navigate the site fine.

However, if I access the site directly from an email notification, not only does that icon appear on the upper left, but I also have another tool bar (which takes up two rows in portrait mode) that lists "discussions," "newest posts," "my posts," "settings," "categories," and "your settings." When I go directly to the FOTMD homepage, I do not see that toolbar.

And yes, Dan's screenshot looks like he is zoomed in too much.

Dusty, do you mean the top brown site links bar?  Doesn't the desktop links bar normally get replaced by the universal mobile menu icon anyway, when the screen is small, like on a small phone?

I can produce a similar effect to Dan's screenshot when I zoom in my desktop view too much, even though my desktop is not a mobile device.

Goes to every concert and jam:  the 2013 Berg cherry 5-string that appears in most of my videos, acquired in part through the generosity of a dear friend and fellow dulcimerist.

But...

Will be buried with me:  my very first dulcimer, a McSpadden FM12s that was purchased brand new in 1998 for $180, with an apology from the salesman for having to charge so much!

Seems all of my favorite instruments, dulcimer or otherwise, have stories.

Dan, you might need to reduce the size of the screen. Depending on how big your tablet is, that might make it hard to read the words, but it looks to me like you have it sized at least to 125% if not 150%, and you can't get the whole screen. You mention zooming in above, but I think you need to zoom out.

For the record, I just tried for the first time to access the site from my Kindle HD 7, and it works great. The site automatically resizes when I switch from landscape to portrait mode and I see the entire site with all the buttons.  The print is a little small, but I have glasses that make me see like a marksman. 

However, I did just try to view the site from my Android phone, and I find the tool bar is hidden in ways similar to Dan's screen even though the rest of the page fits fine. Maybe there is an Android problem.

Patty that is cool that they have dulcimers etc. Is that tab books below them?

Did you play them for the lady so she could sell one?

John, who made that dulcimer in your picture?

I would change the name to something like:

Neuhauser Dulcimers

Don's Dulcimers

Something simple yet descriptive.  Enzo Ferrari used his name...look how well that turned out.  lol

Gotta agree, Stephen...  Even without the somewhat sexist connotation, the site name/first page title just doesn't jump out and grab ya!

IIWM, I'd just use  

Dulcibros, Dulcimers, Little Dulcimers & Galax Style Dulcimers

for tht first page title...

My favorite is the Ron Gibson Jenny Lind that I got last February. I enjoy playing it so much that it greatly dampened my raging case of DAD. (Note that I said "dampened", not "got rid of". It's a beautiful instrument.

BTW, I adore the Sasquatch design, complete with little footprints, shown above.

Yeah, the name should absolutely be changed, imho.  The name is so terribly important, and the current one gives an icky effect.

My favorite...

Same old mongrel I've always played. I've built up a bit of a collection over the years, but nothing else comes quite close to the old '4 of Hearts'.

Maybe the John Pearse should get an honourable mention - small, light and always a delight to play. Use it a lot to work tunes out on.

This is a doozie of a question for me as it just depends on what songs I want to practice.  Some songs sound better in certain keys, so I let that by my guide.

I am a lazy person.  My go-to dulcimer is the one that's most convenient to get to.  Usually that's the dulcimette hanging on the living room wall.  Unless I'm in the kitchen, where the cigar box dulcimer is hanging on the wall.

When I leave the house, I take the McS Ginger because it has the nicest gig bag.

I need a dulcimer that comes when called.  And I want to hire a guy to tune it.

As an actual female person, I can say that never for an instant did the phrase "Double D Dulcimers" strike me as having a sexual connotation. However, now that you mention it, Don might not be happy with the image search results if someone Googles "double d dulcimers" and accidentally hits return before typing the "dulcimer" part.

Stephen,

I looked at the site and my first recommendation would be to change the name from the current Double D to something that isn't sexist and won't run the risk of alienating his potential customers.  I have been teaching web design and interactive media for about 10+ years and if you need any help with the design, I would be glad to help.  But I would seriously have him rethink his site name; the sexual conotation does not become the quality of the instruments that he appears to create.  Women have it bad enough in the media without having to feel objectified when they go to a dulcimer site to buy a dulcimer.

Well there you go then Charles-Thomas, I've learnt something new today, I've always made a new one when I thought an instrument sounded a bit off !!!

JohnH

I remember dulcimers being for sale in a gift shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I don't know if that is still the case. That was over 40 years ago.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

For the most part my go-to dulcimer is my all walnut Folkcraft FSH. When I'm playing noter/drone it is either my J.E. Thomas or the Prichard reproduction dulcimer I made. Because my Blue Lion has a built-in pick-up, I often use that one when playing out in noisy venues.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Carl Gotzmer makes very good instruments. Here is a link to the June Apple Cellomer page. http://www.juneappledulcimers.com/pages/Cellomer/ I would not play it as a bowed dulcimer. I would play it as a regular dulcimer. I hope you got a good deal on it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I think I'd treat it as a Bowed Dulcimer -- play it with a bow, upright in your lap like a cello.  Ken Bloom is the "Godfather" of the modern Bowed Dulcimer... www.boweddulcimer.com

The old site was not mobile-responsive, so it could be zoomed-in/out all as one picture of each page.  Of course that would mean endless scrolling on a smartphone, so not good.  Dan, can you maybe post a screenshot here of your menu area taking up half the screen?  What hapopens in vertical orientation for you?

Ken, thanks for your take.  I don't have much control over the virtual keyboards on people's devices, Im afraid.  But glad to know otherwise you are not having a problem. 

I'm writing this using my Nook Tab4 in Portrait Mode.  

In Landscape Mode the virtual keyboard hides the text area and I can't see what I'm writing.  Other than that, no problems zooming in or out or resizing.

my favorite is usually my latest acquisition. But I do like to play the others also - some sound better in different tunings than others so the tune I am playing sometimes decides which gets played. Also I have my 42 year old project dulcimer that I keep messing with that is starting to sound pretty good after the addition of metal tuners from wooden pegs bridge/nut adjustments.