Forum Activity for @john-henry

Here's a couple to start the ball rolling ! I met a busker playing a HD, we got talking, and he said when given his instrument by an elderly relative all the strings were rusty, so he had restrung it, but now had a job keeping it in tune. On examination it was plain to see that he had 'wound on' the strings the wrong way, so as he attempted to tighten a string he was raising the tuning pin. I took him back to our place, my wife fed him, and I restrung his dulcimer, and no, I did'nt put anything in his cap !!! Another story which I have mentioned on this site before, a friend purchased a Ledford dulcimer at a knock down price, only trouble was it resembled one of Charlie Chaplins boots ! Top and back just holding at the head, completely free of sides and tail, one side only holding at the tail. Long story short, pleased to say it finished almost as new (I posted a vid of me playing it on this site) That friend is John Shaw, currently in the USA, catch him at the Lincoln Theatre, Marion, Virginia if you can, well worth hearing !

JohnH

As a luthier, I've run across several dulcimers that have needed major repairs done. Some of them were my own! I think of the time I sprayed finish on one and had it hanging upside down to dry. Only it didn't stay hanging -- it fell and busted its head on the floor! Fortunately I could piece the splintered wood back together again, and the repair is almost unnoticeable.

I'm sure some of you builders have "tales of woe and intrigue" regarding old or damaged dulcimers that have looked almost beyond hope of saving. How about sharing one or two?

Jerry, I like it!

Howdy Folks:

I wanted to let you know about my new mountain dulcimer blog. After some months of frustration with Blogger, which is very outdated these days, I have nestled myself in at wordpress.com and I'm reading WordPress - the missing manual, by Matthew MacDonald (highly recommended!), so I can get up to speed. Anyway, have a look at my beginnings and see what you think... I just put up a post about pentatonic scales and the mountain dulcimer:

Jerry Rockwell's Dulcimer Blog

Just wanted to add a note to this, that I found the PBS website to work better in Chrome. If you use Microsoft's browser, this pop up to set your local PBS station keeps interrupting you. Of course, if you want to set your local PBS station, it's not an issue, but if you're just looking, it's insistence that you do so an annoyance.

I stumbled upon this while looking for the lyrics/chords to this song.

This is a project to have a collection of many versions of this song. The video submissions have closed, but there appears to be no deadline for submitting covers anyway to youtube as part of this project.

I suppose all the youtube clips are collated? Anyhow, I thought members here might be inspired to submit their own version of this song -

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/this-land/mission-statement/

Joy To The World is fun on mountain dulcimer. Good King Wenceslas is another one played around Christmas. The Friendly Beasts is another one.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Glad you liked them Ruth

"On Christmas Night" is better known as 'The Sussex Carol', here's Maddy Prior.

Plays really well in Noter/Drone.

Thanks for the suggestions, especially for the unfamiliar ones mentioned by John P. I don't know Il Est Nee or The Rebel Jesus either. I'll track those down.

Thanks for the suggestions, especially for the unfamiliar ones mentioned by John P. I don't know Il Est Nee or The Rebel Jesus either. I'll track those down.

john's right. Most of the "church" carols and Christmas songs are folk-based.

Hark is pretty nice if you take it a bit up tempo. But Jingle Bells, Chestnuts and that modern stuff just doesn't make it. Here's a list of Christmas music I just assembled, since I'm re-making my Giant List of Tunes I Know.

Away in a Manger

Il Est Nee

I Saw Three Ships

Hark The Herald Angels

We Three Kings of Orient Are

God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Silent Night (originally performed as a single guitar accompaniment to a solo voice in 1818)

It Came Upon A Midnight Clear

Oh Holy Night

Oh Come All Ye Faithful

I also do Once in Royal David's City and Dona Nobis Pacem, but they are more "classical" music in form, not folk. I do the modernLittle Drummer Boy with a striker. My favorite modern Christmas song is The Rebel Jesus by Jackson Brown, and it plays well on dulcimer.

Hi Ruth,

I think a lot of the older carols were originally folk tunes, it's the more modern 'composed' ones that are 'churchified'.

One of my favourites for dulcimer is "On Christmas night, the angels Sing", sounds like a Morris tune to me if ever there was one.

'Sans Day' carol and 'Down in Yon Forest' are a couple of other good one.

Hello, I am hoping for suggestions of suitable Christmas music that is still sort of folk style.

I am having trouble imagining traditional carols like Hark the Herald Angels or even christmas songs like Jingle Bells and Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire (wahtever it's called) played by an acoustic ensemble made up of dulcimer, guitar, autoharp, fiddle and doublebass. But maybe I am limiting myself?

Helen, I love to hear of all these musical adventures of yours! Wewant a little beginner sample vid of you playing a few simple tones on your didge.... soon! No need for perfection...we just want to see you starting out on it!

Look on youtube - there are loads of videos of people playing didges while simultaneously playing other instruments. It looked to me fairly easy to make a stand to hold the didge in a comfortable position so you can just press your mouth to it when you want to play.

Hardest part of course is learning to play. It's easy enough to make it sound, and put rhythm into it too. But conquering the circular breathing is a nightmare. I've got to say I failed !

Helen, that would be a tall order! I can see doing something with a foot, but given the clumsiness of holding a didgeridoo, I don't know how doing anything else with the hands would be manageable. There IS a travel didgeridoo made of a square block that could possibly be mounted to a stand...hmmmm...

My mind is already working on some sort of a 'holder' which might allow the playing of your didge at the same time a dulcimer................... Do you have a choice of 'keys' ? This is a truth; I used to play in a pub session wherea

guy often turned up with THREE, and they were all different !

look forward to you posting soon???

John

That's great! I love my didgeridoos (or didgeridi?)!

Thanks Ken. Looks like a good resource.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That is a great resource! Thanks Ken!!!

Just discovered this online collection. If you love American folk music you owe it to yourself to vist and at least scroll through the titles.

http://kodaly.hnu.edu/

contact the Ozark Mtn Folk Center in Mtn View. someone there might help you

Congrats to all of the participants!

Just sharing that the contest is over at the Walnut Valley Festival and the 2014 mountain dulcimer champions are:

First Place - Duane Porterfield, Mountain View, AR

Second Place -Jonoathon Schultes, Tulsa, OK

Third Place - Jonathan Dowell, Los Alamos, NM

Congratulations to this years winners!

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a new song."

LOL! No problem, Gwyn. Jerry has a brand new album out too called "Tapping at the Edge of Paradise" that isn't yet on iTunes, but you can download it here: http://jerryrockwell.bandcamp.com

Oops, Guy. My husband was talking about a friend named Gary while I tried to concentrate!

Thanks Gary, I hadn't seen that one before. It would be nice for when I practice at home, too.

Haven't played for a yoga class, but I do like Jerry Rockwell's album Nine Meditations for Dulcimer in my yoga practice!

This is one of those off the wall questions. At the yoga studio where I practice, there have been some special workshops offered. A couple who leads yoga practice while the husband plays his cello to enhance the moves. One with a guitar. I spotted a studio in North Carolina that offers something like this with the mountain dulcimer. I'm curious if anyone here has ever done something like this with their dulcimer or their own yoga practice?

Wish I could have made it, but I had to work! Cyntia told me it was a wonderful event (even without A/C in the concert hall... yikes!).

I'm sure you had a blast, Kristi, and how nice of Gregg to put you up. Maybe next year I'll be able to meet you down there.

I hear you have some weather coming your way, so stay dry!

Steph and Keith were looking forward to this event when I was out there this summer. Maybe next year I can plan a visit to my son's around this time. Glad you had a good time Kristi; and all of the others who attended I am sure had a good time as well.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Jeanie, her sister Jan, and I really enjoyed your visit and glad you got home safe, now don't drown in a desert in this weather you have coming at you!

THIS SATURDAY IN L.A. BRING YOUR DULCIMER AND COME PLAY So far we have 5 people coming for sure, 5 maybes, and 10 can'ts but put us on the mailing list. Which is not that surprising this time of year. We want this to become an at least once a month get together happening on a week day evening. Please friend me here on FOTMD or Psaltery Strings for more information.

Hi Alice, we are having our first BP/Dulcimer Together Saturday, Dec.13th, please friend me here on FOTMD for more information and directions. Looking forward to meeting you and hearing about your Dulcimer adventures!

Alice C. Dolamore said:

Hi , I would love to join your group. You do not know me because I go to Ohio from May through October so i can play the dulcimer with groups and go to many of the festivals in the East coast area. I use to go to the festival but have not been for many years as I am in Ohio. I have dulcimers, baritone, banjammer,and my newest addition Dulci-Bro. I live in La Crescenta.

Please let me know when and where. I will be leaving Ohio next week to return to California.

Alice Dolamore

The idea of having this Bowed Psaltery/Dulcimer Get Together from 1:00pm to 9:00 is to allow people to come and go as they wish, some people have said are planning on showing up right away and leave after a couple of hours, some have said they are coming around 7. 9:00 is when we figure to wind it up. We will be seeking consensus on when would be the most convenient day of the month to start having once a month get togethers.Please friend or message me here on FOTMD for more information and directions.

Well Geekling, you are always welcome over here any time you feel like visiting, but yes it is intended as open house come and go, we will have a food area, maybe circle up to play tunes especially after it gets dark, should find enough going on at any moment.