Forum Activity for @patty-from-virginia

302. Happy Birthday FOTMD and Congratulations Lisa!!!

342 Happy Birthday FOTMD

295. Wow, Strumelia, your baby is growing up.

Guess the secret number and enter

FOTMD's 5th Anniversary

Pickled Dulcimer CONTEST!!

FOTMD is 5 years old!

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The contest is now CLOSED ...

In honor of the fast approaching day of FOTMD's 5th birthday , July 29 2014...

All members are invited to participate in

FOTMD's 5th birthday Pickled Dulcimer Contest !

Please READ the rules and conditions below carefully before entering....

Make your GUESS for the number of pickled dulcimers in the giant pickle jar !!!

Please note that the picture above is merely symbolic - so it's no use at all trying to count the dulcimers in the picture.

I will give you a hint though- the answer is a random number I will pick that is more than 10 and less than 500. And it's perfectly ok if some people guess the same number. Before the contest begins, I will tell FOTMD member Bobby Ratliff the secret winning number , for safe keeping. ...and don't try bribing him for the answer! lol!

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The following prizes will awarded to the closest guesses:

FIRST PRIZE:

John & Karen Keane's new dulcimer CD "Moonburn":

PLUS! : Mark Gilston's dulcimer CD

"Grandad's Favorite Oldtime Music on Mtn Dulcimer"

PLUS! : A leather dulcimer key fob/keyring customized with your own initials, made for you by Bobby Ratliff:

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SECOND PRIZE:

Nina Zanetti's dulcimer CD "Beside Still Waters":

PLUS! : A leather dulcimer key fob/keyring customized with your own initials, made for you by Bobby Ratliff:

_____________________________________________________________

THIRD PRIZE:

John & Karen Keane's new dulcimer CD "Moonburn":

PLUS! : A leather dulcimer key fob/keyring customized with your own initials, made for you by Bobby Ratliff:

_____________________________________________________________

Fourth and Fifth PRIZES:

A beautiful handcrafted leather dulcimer key fob/keyring customized with your own initials,

made just for you by Bobby Ratliff ! :

_____________________________________________________________

Thanks and much appreciation for our prize sponsors and donors!

Hey even if you don't win a prize, consider visiting the links below and treating yourself by buying yourself a prize anyway from our wonderful and talented contest supporters:

John & Karen Keane

Mark Gilston

Nina Zanetti

Bobby Ratliff

Right.

I don't know what it would be called if you were to play a GEC or if it would even sound right.

Just a clarification, an inversion is the notes of a chord in a different order, low to high, eg., CEG is the basic C chord, EGC [1st invr] and GCE [2nd invr] are inversions. Just move the lowest note to the highest.

Ken, me too. That's why I've found it easier to play the double melody strings on the McSpadden. The only problem is that I've gotten used to just one string. To hear the double strings sounds strange. Yep, it was Larry's day

Must have been Larry's day to put the tops on when your dulcimer was made Patty. I find 1/8th inch to be pretty much the norm. If the are wider I find that I tend to split them apart. I have thin fingers.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I just measured my 1984 McSpadden's double melody strings and the distance between them is 1/8 inch but I have to say it's closer to being 3 mm. Yes, I checked with both rulers keeping in mind some members here use metric Now I wonder if Larry McSpadden used a metric ruler? Yes, I said Larry because his name is on the label

My pleasure entirely John, lol !!!

Have you finalised the detail of the trip yet (I'm asking 'cos I'm both curious and extremely jealous )

John

John Shaw said:

Thanks for pointing out my lack of numeracy, JohnH! I meant 3/32", of course!

Sorry, John - forgot to reply to the second part of your post. The USA trip is from 23 September to 7 October. We got our work permit-type visas yesterday at the American Embassy in London.

Thanks for pointing out my lack of numeracy, JohnH! I meant 3/32", of course!

Hhmmm! Slightly less than 3/16"..........? getting very near to 1/8" says I , lol !!! Slighty less than 1/8" ? Now that might be 3/32 " , which, should I now use doubled courses, I also would find to be too close together !

How you doing John, have you made your USA trip yet, no change here, we just keep plodding on. Regards to Angela.

John

John K, I think you and I must have been looking at different dulcimers! 1/8" would suit me fine for a double course, but it seems to me that most modern makers put the two strings closer together than that - typically 3/16" or slightly less. My left hand playing style involves a lot of sliding, and I find that if the strings are closer than 1/8" I push them into contact with each other much of the time.

It's all about personal preference, of course, and I know other players who find my preferred 1/8" is too far apart for them because this distance makes them push the strings further apart from each other.

(I should perhaps add that I spend most of my time playing dulcimers with a single-course melody string, so the problem doesn't arise in either direction!)

Hi, Babs!

The usual spacing between the 2 melody strings (in a course) is 1/8". I have seldom seen any variation in that. It seems to be a good spacing, and most builders use it. I think if the strings were set closer together, they might clash with one another in some situations. A little extra space would likely be OK, but you need to allow for it when playing.

Why would this be any different to playing noter drone on a 3 stringer ? In any case you get very little volume advantage from double strings. Just more tuning to do all the time !

Jon Kay made and played dulcimers with scallops cut into the top of the fret board. I played one and it ledto alighter touch since there was no fret board to push down to only enough pressure to tighten the string over the fret.

As I re-read the first post, I wondered if the scollops were on the fretting surface, or underneath, where the fretboard makes contact with the instrument top. The latter is a fairly common design, the idea being the top would be able to vibrate more freely glued contact with the fretboard.

I have played guitars and banjos with scolloped fingerboards. The idea is they are faster and more easy to play because finger placement is less critical. There is also the idea that it is easier to bend notes.

Sometimes the metal frets are set flush to the top of the flat fingerboard, then the wood between the frets is scooped out.

I didn't care for them, but some people like them.

I have seen a few of these, mostly in museum exhibits. Never played one though.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I've only seen one dulcimer that had deep wells between the frets instead of a flat fret board. It was up for raffle at a dulcimer festival. Tried playing it but didn't care for the feel. I finger dance the melody line and it just didn't feel right.

I'm not one who likes to have unplayable instruments sitting around. Repair, restore, play.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

It depends on what you want it for. If you just want it as an antique, leave it as is. If you are into restoring and playing then make it playable.

I'd say make it playable!

Very nice, Phil. As a native hoosier myself, I sure appreciate that hickory.

BEAUTIFUL for sure! congratulations.

Wow, Phil--this is a beauty! Great choice of woods, great workmanship, great artistry--and choosing the Phoenix bird rising from the fire, that is genius! You've both brought something very special into creation.

Phil, as a favour I'll take it off your hands for $10 hard cash !!!, lol its a beauty.

John

Absolutely exquisite! That is a real treasure. Enjoy the dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That is beautiful Phil !

Phil, that's very pretty. Jack did a great job!

That is a beauty, Phil.

One of the prettiest I've ever seen.

I just received my New Dulcimer this morning From Jack Ferguson. Jack has out did himself with this one. I started this build almost two years ago but we all know the string of bad luck I had. I was never able get much done on it. so it sit as a pail of wood. Bobby was going to take a shot at finishing it for me. The bad luck followed with it and bad health kept him from doing the build. Then Jack stepped up and was able to bring my dream to life. Along the way things changed and the ideal grew. one reason for the sound holes of the Phoenix is a sign of rebirth. My life and the life of the Dulcimer Have both been given that 2nd chance.

The reason for the name Ol' Hickory, is that it is mad from 99 percent Indiana Hickory The finger broad is Purple hart, witch just sits it off. The on-board electronics provide under-bridge pickup with 4-band Equalizer, and a convenient LCD Tuner.

10313311_795439613824319_7957196491532473264_n.jpg

Folkfan, your example of Brother John may be EXACTLY where I need to start. Really, I'm pretty happy with DAA, might should leave well enough alone. Sure appreciate the help from you folks.

If you've got your instrument now tuned in DAd, then the tunes you played in DAA can be played by subtracting 3. If I play Brother John (in DAA) as 3453, 3453, 567, 567, 787653, 787653, 303, 303. In DAd it's 0120, 0120, 234, 234, 454320 454320, 0 0middle 0, 0 0middle 0. The one advantage to staying in DAA for noter/drone or melody/drone style is that you have notes below the starting note of the scale (3) to play on the melody string, but in DAd you have to hop over to the middle string for the lower notes as in the ding, dong, ding in Brother John. I find hopping over to the middle string awkward. If DAd strikes the right note with you, though, then play on. Oh, and one more item, the 9th fret note in DAA becomes the 6+ in DAd.

Glad to see you on again, Sam! Robin's told you about all you'd need to know to start.

Well you just told my what I needed to know. Straight, simple and my head doesn't hurt from pages and pages of (well meant) explanation that I would not have a clue about.

Thanks Robin ... you da cats!