Terry, rest assured that your fingertips will get used to fretting strings and the muscles in your fingers will also strengthen and stretch, making chording easier and easier. It just takes time. You are asking your fingers to perform tasks they've never had to do before.
Have fun and I'm sure you'll progress faster than you think.
I don't know if this will help you, but I just got a set of these the other day and here is the info on them:
Loop end, .023 wound, .014, .010. They say also that their strings provide a chenille wrap to cushion the spot where the string crosses over the end of the instrument. They also say you can get them by mail from them for $12 US postpaid. IF NEEDED you can unwind the chenille from the old string or use yarn or a pipe cleaner if you get strings without chenille from a store. If necessary, you can use strings .001 larger or smaller . A light gauge 5-string banjo set will give you 1 of each string you need for the Strumstick. Ha! That should give you all you need.
I downloaded a freebee called pitch pipe on my smart phone. It will play all 12 notes like a real pitch pipe. I find it remarkably accurate. I tune all my toys with it. There are tons of tuning apps to choose from... BTW a plain old pitch pipe or harmonica is good too... Bob.
With all the cut backs in school funding our children are no longer exposed to classes that teach woodworking, sewing, cooking, etc. I am thankful that my 33 year old son had those classes. Today he is an excellent cook, is able to do simple home repairs including installing all the cabinets in his pantry and can replace a button on his shirt. He is a professional musician. We worked side-by-side to build his 16/15 hammered dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I agree Pamela. I grew up in a time before computers when every girl and boy was expected to have a hobby and work with your hands. I would be less than half the person today without those hand skills I learned in childhood. I fear its a lesson lost today on our children... Bob.
Every year I make my annual trek to the saw mill to get a load of poplar. 90% gets cut up for making grave blankets. I select the nicer boards for dulcimers and bluebird boxes. Building dulcimers is no big deal once you get the knack. But its still amazing to me that a pile of rough lumber can be turned into a musical instrument. In our world today we place value on so much that is fake. Working with wood and playing wooden instruments helps keep it real... Bob.
Gregg, the link you posted above does not seem to work. (Long links get cut off, but if you use the link function, then you can use a different title and the website stores the longer URL so that it still functions, as I do below.)
However, I did find this article from the San Gabriel Valley Tribune . Is it the same one?
This article was written by Michelle Mills, a friend of Jeanie and I who also dances for our consort at the Rennaisance Faire with swords balanced on her head! www.sgvtribune.com/arts-and-entertainment-20131002/harvest-of-dulcimers-celebrates-the-music-of-the-past
You could do what we did once when we drove 30 miles to a friend's house and discovered we'd left our hammer bag at home. We took a wire coathanger and cut it and shaped it into hammers. Here's a very rough mouse sketch - I'm not sure where the originals are.
A bit heavy, but they worked surprisingly well. I'm sure you could do the same for a mountain dulcimer, and probably making them shorter would make them lighter, too.
The problem is that the 'hammers' need to have hammer heads. That's why plain sticks don't work, and splits of bamboo would be the same. If you have some 3/4" wide splits of say 2" bamboo, hammers with heads could be sawn out. You could try gluing small block heads onto sticks, also.
This is an unusual request, but I was wondering what sort of everyday items could be turned into those beaters used to hit the strings. I'm involved with some kids getting them to play some music together - as a sort of ensemble. The instruments and music are "folky", cheap and cheerful. A few of the children are the "strings section" - on those lap harps often sold as toys. So far they pluck the lap harps with a pick. But it's occurred to me that you can hit the strings on these lap harps, just like a hammer dulcimer. How would I go about sourcing/ making some kind of inexpensive pair of homemade beaters? Pencils and wooden chopsticks don't seem to work that great. Maybe slim bamboo canes?
Hi Mark, glad you joined our friendly site!
If you join our Beginner Players Group, and look at the discussion forum there, you will see several very helpful threads with suggestions about various instruments that can be great for beginner players. really any well made dulcimer will be fine for a beginner, and the folks you mentioned would be reliable as well. Much depends on your budget. But you may find some helpful advice in those discussions, and you can ask a zillion beginner questions in our Beginner's Group! 
Hi Still haven't gotten a drum, but am planning a little "expedition" to visit this drum maker over the summer - either or both at his workshop and/or a local music and crafts festival nearby in August. I know it's not in your neighbourhood, Lisa, but who knows, there might be other "northerners" on this thread, and anyway, thought it might be interesting. This is his website: http://www.sylvantemple.ca/products/TarBendir.html and this is a little video of his workshop, farm and drums. . Cheers.
You sound just like me Eileen...we both can't resist all kinds of activities and learning processes.... 
Thanks for your update, and yes I saw your Cretan Lyra - very nice! I'm going to learn the rebec the "baby cello" way too as it feels a little easier on the fingering and reach for me. Musical instruments and books - never enough of them and never enough time to learn and read. And now it's back to the veggie garden and its 101 tasks and projects! Not complaining though - it's all wonderful and what would we do without multiple learning curves??
Hi Eileen- great to hear of your latest research and explorations!
Time, yes more TIME is what I wish I had so I could learn to play and the instruments I would LIKE to learn to play! 
I have not had enough time to work on my frame drum as I would like, BUT I did get a rebec-like antique Cretan Lyra with a fiddle fingerboard- that I got on ebay and had it fixed by a luthier to be made playable again...and I actually HAVE been practicing that and enjoyng it a great deal. So that is GOOD. It's much like our little rebecs, with a bowl back too...but with steel violin strings. I play it in my lap like a little baby cello. Still not up to doing a little video yet- it takes a long while to play in tune, like most violin/fiddle thingys do. Glad to hear you got your rebec pegs improved- it really does have a lovely sound I think, with the gut strings.
Hi again after a long while! I was just going to check to see how you were doing on the rebec, and had to laugh when I saw the Frame Drums subject line and this post from you. I've been googling frame drums for the past several weeks, since I saw a local used ad for a north american flute and a bodhran. Then I started researching and discovered the tar, riq, bendir, daff, etc and - of course - started to get tempted! And here you are, one step ahead of me again, but on the same slightly eccentric wavelength! . I've narrowed it down to either a tar or bodhran for a drum. Have you seen the Layne Redmond websites and youtube on frame drums? They seem to be really good. My other "research" has been the 10-string lyre (like this one: The Old World Lyre by Musicmaker,) but it's quite pricey, so will go on just "researching" that for a while - Researching is so much cheaper than ordering! And, (yes one thing leads to another in this musical instrument obsession!) A shruti box in also in the research stage. I'm still playing with my recorder group and loving it, and even taking some lessons, playing a little on the dulcimer but not as much as I'd like, and I got the pegs fixed on my rebec by a local luthier and have made some very small starting steps. More time! Need more time. Anyway, greetings and thanks for posting a photo of your lovely tar. More temptation!
That is a very nice, rusticlooking drum. Good choice on the synthetic head; purists will whine about it, but most purists would not be playing their goatskin drums more than five minutes outdoors where I'm from. On a side note you'll appreciate, I build tackhead minstrel banjos using 12-14" Remo drums similar to this for the body:sturdy little drums that last, look authentic, have pre-attached non-stretching heads, and save a heck of a lot of production time in the wood shop.
Add cross braces to the inside of this drum, and it becomes a bodhran (though the notch would be unusual). Irish drums are usually a little deeper, but not necessarily so. As withmost folk instruments, depth and width are "eye-of-the-beholder" issues; and I prefer them somewhat shallow. I haveconsidered playingunbraced drums before, but prefer the bodhran because of the bracing. It allows you to insert your holding hand in the back of the drum, where it can strike, muffle, or tension the head. And the bodhran does not require a tipper; while it is true that most players use them, you will find some very traditional native Irish performers playing bare-handed.
Good luck, and have fun!
Looks like the head of one of those giant single string African banjos... Bob.
Hey thanks Travis!
I'll post more updates on this when I return from a mini vacation on monday. I'm currently on very limited computer time.
Here is my cool frame drum... I am in awe of it . I have to say it's a bit intimidating due to its size, beauty, and resonance. It looks like a planet or moon.
Did my first practice session yesterday... could be worse i suppose, but there is a LOT to learn and coordinate!
Putting in the practice time is the key to improvement of course. Happily, it's more fun than frustration to practice on it, and Brian says he doesn't mind the sound drifting down the stairs at all. I'm pretty lucky in that respect!
Oh my gosh...the 'Tar' frame drum arrived this afternoon!
---It's really beautiful. The Remo head is synthetic so will not sag in humidity (like my cheezy tambourines do), but they use a technique of somehow imprinting the head with a real photo image of goat skin- looks SO real, and has a nice texture like real dried hide. Even the sides are aged looking. Awesome! I'll take a picture tomorrow to post here.
---It's pretty big...18" across. It sits vertically, on one knee while you play with one hand holding the top and the other hand doing most of the strokes. Has a very resonant nice tone, since it's tight. My arms are sore after just an hour's practice for the first time...to be expected I guess.
---After watching some Youtube lessons for the past few days, I knew some of the beginner moves to try out, and although I've never actually drummed before in my entire life and naturally don't sound good yet, I found it was still tons of fun to try the different tone effects in combination. There is a lot of variety in sounds one can get using your hands on a frame drum like this. Even Brian was surprised at the different sounds coming from upstairs after just an hour.
I'll be needing to do LOTS of practice, since I've never done any real drumming before- I pretty much still stink at it. But wow, so much fun, I didn't expect it to be so fun! That'll make practice very enjoyable.
Good advice, thanks Skip and JohnHenry!
I imagine it'll be a while, if at all, that I manage to get a bit of control and sound like anything. I was amazed at how many great free youtube lessons there are out there for frame drums, and I can just play slowly along to whatever tunes I punch up on my computer- the advantages of living in the hi tech age! I'll be using my hand rather than a tipper/beater stick, so that may make the volume more controllable. I ordered a "Tar" rather than a bodhran. It will be shallower depth than most bodhrans I think. But it 18" diameter, so fairly large..best to be held vertically on the lap while sitting I think- thats what most people do with that size frame drum.
I've had a couple of cheap tambourines sitting around for a couple of years, but still can't play them very well. But maybe if I practice on this Tar enough, it'll eventually help my tambourine playing as well...might make sense. I'd love to be able to play a decent tambourine when in minstrel banjo gatherings. Always good to have musical options in various playing situations!
I have three Bodhrans ! Before coming back to the MD I played HD for many years in all sorts of sessions, and found it convenient to have a drum by my side to 'bridge the gap' when tunes arose that I could not cope with. I did'nt always use a 'tipper', quite often relied on the fingers of my right hand ,and frequently used a 'brush' type beater, offers a softer option ? And of course you can always 'dampen the sound, your hand , duster ,tea towel, knick...whoops !
Main thing to remember, you may think your timing is great, others may not ! Softly ,softly catches monkee !
JohnH
I've had a bodhran for several years. I use it at a couple of jams I go to. I prefer playing it with others rather than my dulcimers. I was a bit concerned about taking it at first, but now most of the folks want it because it helps with timing [metronome effect]. The biggest problem I had was being too loud. I don't play it very well but that doesn't matter, it's fun and it really has helped keep the groups together, specially the speed demons in the HD group. I just recently bought a cheap tamborine to mess around with. Now I can have jingles along with a very small drum. :>)
Ok, so I recently ordered myself a "Tar" -a frame drum based on those from North African and Middle Eastern cultures. It should arrive in a couple of days. Thank goodness for Youtube beginner videos, that's all I can say...lol. Not sure what I'm in for, or whether I will have any sort of success. It might be that all I do is annoy Brian and the cats, and become shunned in my own house. But I'm game to find out!
Frame drums are single-headed hoop frame drums. The smaller ones are often hand-held while the larger ones can be held vertically on the lap. Their head diameter is wider than the hoop is deep. In most cultures they are played with the hand, though Irish bodhrans are typically played with a tipper or beater.
Anyone else here who plays frame drums?- please share! As a total drum beginner, I'd love to hear about what you do with your frame drum.
P.S. I was partly inspired to 'go for it' by member Helen of Australia, who recently bravely agreed to share with us her beginning adventures with a didgeridoo !
Hi Tumble,
Whatever you do in private is your decision, and is not the responsibility or concern of this site. Just please do not discuss or arrange such exchanges publicly here, as our site does not encourage or condone copyright infringements.
Thanks for asking!
Ok now I have a new question:
I know sharing publicly on this or any other website written tab for a song is a big NO NO if it is still registered with ASCAP or BMI but if I figure out on my own MD tab for a newer song and share it through private email with another MD player friend is that going to send me to the calaboose?
Hi Cyntia! The whole album is so beautiful. It's hard to choose a favorite, but I suppose the stand out tracks for me were: I Sing Praise to Brigit, Miner's Dance and Lucina's Lullaby. It's definitely a lovely album. The arrangements, the production and the performances are so exquisite.
It's called "Soul Tending." It's absolutely gorgeous! Highly recommended!! I just got it, and can't stop listening.
