Well Robin - while I haven't tried N/D yet, I sure have to be totally and whole-heartedly in agreement with you! Everyone here understands the passion and love for the dulcimer - in all its wonderful forms and varieties! I know for sure that FOTMD has certainly helped me and helped keep that passion alive!
Amen to that Robin.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Well said Robin ! If I had'nt 'joined' I doubt very much if I would be making or playing now, I knew of some outstanding MD players, none of whom played N/D, or used a quill ect ! Different now
John!
Dusty;
The ball can be carefully crushed if necessary, been there, done it.
You are right, Jean. The only difference between the two is the way the string connects to the instrument. There is no difference in tone or functionality. In general ball end strings are easier to find because they fit guitars that use end pins. If ball end strings fit over the little brad nails on your dulcimer, or if you have a dulcimer with end pins, then go ahead and use them. If not, loop end strings are the only option.
From the comments so far, it appears thatthere really is no functional difference for tone or playability. I'm using ball end strings on instruments that have very slim metal pins to anchor the string. It always looks as though the pin is so slim that the ball (really a brass circle inserted in the loop) will save some stress that would occurif I were to put the "naked" loop on the pin. And I save the old brass circles, too, and re-use themon a plain loop if that is possible. About where strings break, most of the time mine break at the tuning peg, but the last time a string broke, it was at the pin below the bridge. Really. And I was able to save the brass circle since it was still on the pin.
Thanks to everyone who answered, and of course more input is welcome. I've played for about 20 years and never have had a good explanation of loop vs. ball end.
Robert,
Please explain how you use them for bushings on loop end strings.
robert schuler said:
Whenever I change strings I save the ball ends. I always find uses for them. Keep some and use them as bushings when using loopend strings... Bob.
Whenever I change strings I save the ball ends. I always find uses for them. Keep some and use them as bushings when using loopend strings... Bob.
No difference as far as I'm concerned. Strings break near the tuner whenever they break on me, that's the area that the metal is worked the most.
This may have some discussion threads already and if so I apologize for not finding it. My question concerns using loop or ball end strings. The two types seem to be interchangeable on my instruments, in that the little nails that hold the strings will anchor both types easily. Is there some preference based on performance, or functionality, or some other characteristic that would guide me? I like the look of ball ends better, go figure what that is all about. I'm not on good theoretical ground with this idea, but it seems to me that the ball end puts less strain on the string, thus lessening (delaying is more the case) the likelihood of a break. I find myself replacing just the melody string on my Folkcraft fairly often, but I retune that top string a lot to accommodate different tunings. Thanks for all the (anticipated) helpful comments.
I looked at your dulcimer Kitty. I don't think the holes were enlarged as the shafts of the new tuners appear to be narrower than the holes. I can send you three rosewood violin pegs if you wan't to try them. If I lived closer to you, I'd do the work for you. You could remove on tuner and try the peg. It it works then you could remove the others. Email or PM me if you want to talk about this some more.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Hi Kitty. The answer is: it depends. If the original holes were enlarged, the pegs would have to be specially made to fit. If they were not enlarged it would be no problem at all. I can't recall if the Pickows used commercially available wood pegs or if they made their own. If they made their own, then someone would have to make copies of them. Didn't you post a picture of your dulcimer here somewhere? If so, I'll see if I can find and give a bette informed opinion. I'll look for some other pictures of dulcimer made by the Pickows.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
One of the biggie competitionsis Winfield, KS.
Get out of Rust Belt, Richard, and come down to the Sunshine State. We'll start that Old Fogies Dulcimer Championship and Grouper Eatin' Competition. Should be real successful, as most of the northeatern US and Canada migrates here between Thanksgiving and Easter. Literally 10% of the population of Canada comes to Florida annually....
One of the biggie competitionsis Winfield, KS.
Get out of Rust Belt, Richard, and come down to the Sunshine State. We'll start that Old Fogies Dulcimer Championship and Grouper Eatin' Competition. Should be real successful, as most of the northeatern US and Canada migrates here between Thanksgiving and Easter. Literally 10% of the population of Canada comes to Florida annually....
Looks perfect, Robin .. thanks.
Thanks Dusty. Sounds like someone needs to set up something for us seniors. You know, the first annual "over-the-hill mountain dulcimer and wheelchair shuffleboard jamboree."
Although I'm not in Hong Kong any more, I'm still in pretty isolated circumstances, at least when it comes to the dulcimer. No open mikes around here, just closed coal mines and factories mostly.
There are an enticing number of dulcimer festivals out there, and so far I've only been to one. But I haven't dug up much on competitions.
Richard, I have no experience with competitions personally, so I can't give you the specific advice you seem to be after. I can tell you that there are no age limits, but the dulcimer national champions of the last several years seem to all be pretty young. I think that is probably due to a couple of factors. One might be that some young folks out there are playing pretty darn good dulcimer. Another might be that once you win you lose the drive to do so again, so many of the best dulcimer players simply aren't interested in competing or no longer feel the need for such accolades. Another might be that judges like to pretend the demographic data for dulcimer players does not skew pretty old, so they are consciously or unconsciously biased towards young folks.
If you are serious about the competitions, you should look into the specific rules and prepare yourself to work for a year or so gearing up for one. Some might mandate that you play a traditional song, for example, or there might be specific categories in which you can compete. I personally enjoy your playing a lot, but you have a very unique style of play. I seem to remember what feels like a lot of original material (and a lot of bending on the middle string!) in your playing. That might work for some competitions and not others.
But if your reason for seeking a competition is only to give your playing a little kick in the pants, I might ask why it has to be a competition. Do you ever play open mics? It might be that preparing for a performance is all you need to get back in the proverbial saddle. Additionally, although initially developing material for a competition might involve some creative playing, you will also spend a lot of time just playing over and over the same arrangements. Even if those arrangements are really good, you are likely to feel bored by them after the second or third month of playing them ad infinitum.
Lots of FOTMD members have been national dulcimer champions: Linda Brockinton, Sarah Morgan, Aaron O'Rourke, Erin Rogers, Nina Zanetti, Larry Conger, and some others whom I am forgetting right now. You might consider contacting them directly and asking for advice.
Now that I'm back in the US for awhile, I find myself growing complacent with my dulcimer playing. Maybe its just because I'm getting older, but I haven't felt like I've made any progress in awhile, and I'm often disinclined to play.
The idea of participating in a dulcimer competition is appealing, not because I could possibly win anything, but I think it would sharpen up my focus and improve my playing.
Any suggestions on where I might throw my hat into the ring? I'm in Pa. Also, are there age limits? Are the contests only intended for young people?
Thanks Dusty and Maryann.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Q: How many dulcimer players does it take to screw in a lightbulb?
A: We'll never know; they keep arguing about modes even in the dark.
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When tyrants tremble thick with fear
And hear their death knells ringing
When friends rejoice both far and near
How can I keep from singing?
-- traditional American hymn
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"And when one person taps out a beat, while another leads into the melody, or when three people discover a harmony they never knew existed, or a crowd joins in on a chorus as though to raise the ceiling a few feet higher, then they also know there is hope for the world.
-- Pete Seeger
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And I have this one on my home page:
New arts shall bloom of loftier mould,
And mightier music thrill the skies,
And every life shall be a song,
When all the earth is paradise.
-- John Addington Symonds from "These Things Shall Be"
Reply by Cindy Stammich on
How many dulcimers does a dulcimer player need???
Just one more
Reply by Regina Bartlett on
Pluck it and strum sing and hum it's all good!
It has been said "We may live without music, but not so well"
There is so much truth in this!
Chris Stammich posted this in the Drifting Thread:
Just for fun.....
Once upon a time I wanted to start a collection of "favorite sayings" regarding the dulcimer, or music in general.
Tull Glazener was gracious enough to get me started with "String Side Up".
I loved it! However, I didn't keep at it, so I thought now would be a good time to see if anyone here has something fun to add
So, I decided to create a discussion just for this topic.
My favorite saying: "The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Another one I've seen on a poster is: "There ain't no notes on a dulcimer. You just play it."
I'll try to copy the other responses for the Drifting Thread and post them here.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Kevin ! From what I have seen of his work you will not be disappointed ! Enjoy your journey, and share it with us, this site is very accommodating to all
JohnH
Thanks for the advice. I have traded a few emails with Dave Lynch and ended up purchasing one of his student models today. Now this journey really begins!
Both are good instruments. With the Sweet Woods student you have the option of trading it in later for another model. On the other hand the custom Folkcraft will be a lifetime instrument. That's not to say that the Sweet Woods student can't be a lifetime instrument as well.
There are many places on the Internet where you can get free instructional material for learning mountain dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
