Well I'm in to the organizing mode. I'm busy scanning all my notebooks of tab in to an iPad. I have 117 pages entered so far which is almost one notebook. I think I have six more notebooks to go, but there is some duplication of tabs. Getting rid of the notebooks will free up some space on my shelves.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Hi Ken, Your Christmas activities sound lovely. I forgot about the film A Child's Christmas! Adding it to my list of movies to watch. I know you're a gourmet cook so your goodies will be delicious. I just saw a recipe for Wassail that I want to try. Our Christmas will be quiet, too. Just the way I like it. Merry Christmas. Nina (from the Berea meet-up)
@beth-t , I knew as soon as you mentioned that the schoolchildren could identify a melodeon and a concertina, that you could not be located in America... and I was right, you're in Wales! How wonderful that you are playing in that new group you found, and going around to schools to play traditional music for the students.
@jan-potts , 20 minute play sessions four times a day?- that's what you are starting with? In my book that's a whole LOT of playing! Kudos to you.. 🙌🏻
Quiet home Christmas mostly. Sally's daughter is coming down from Baltimore so 4 of us for the traditional English Christmas Dinner.
Later this week we're going with some friends on a 1/8 scale mini-train Night ride around our favorite walking park -- Lakes Park -- where we volunteer with the bird patrol and trash pickup. The train museum goes all out decorating with lights and such long the several miles of track through the park.
We're also hosting our annual friend party to watch the classic Denholm Elliot version of Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas In Wales. I'm making mince tarts and apple biscotti for both events, with Apple Cider and non-alcoholic Wassail Punch.
Sounds like a great time! Now that you have Mari Lwyd, you can add the others by dressing up as Punch & Judy, Merryman and Sargeant.
You'll enjoy your new 'friend", I'm sure.
I recently joined a group of mainly retired people who meet to play traditional tunes. These last few weeks we’ve been going around local schools playing traditional carol tunes. It was interesting that the kids recognised all the other instruments (accordion, concertina, melodeon, mandolin, fiddle, flute, recorder, spoons etc) but not the dulcimer. Not even teachers knew what it was.
The excitement for the kids was that we also took along a Mari Lwyd - a Welsh Christmas/New Year tradition. But the excitement for me this last week was hearing from Folkcraft that my H series dulcimer has finally been shipped! Yes, my dulcimer acquisition disorder is serious. Despite only having bought my first dulcimer just over a year ago, I will now have three. :-) It may be some weeks before US and Royal Mail get my new toy to me, but I look forward to playing with it and finding out what a 1.5 fret is all about!
It's true that 6 String Dulcimer group hasn't been too active recently, but remember that you have to actually join a group to see the responses to all the discussions.
I'm sure there are as many responses to this question as there are personal musical styles, but I'm happy to chime in, not with specific song suggestions, but with types of songs and techniques that might be useful.
There are two different attributes to your dulcimer that might suggest special consideration. First, it is an octave instrument. You can play the same tab as everyone else but will be one octave higher. Sometimes, you don't have to do anything special and will blend really well. I sometimes take my dulcimette to my monthly dulcimer club and pull it out when we play Southwind, for example. My dulcimer really stands out from and complements the rest because of the higher register. But that higher register--and the shorter VSL that allows it--also means that the instrument has less sustain. The strings just stop ringing (or get really soft) much faster than those of a standard dulcimer. So one trick is just to play tunes that have lots of notes. I actually find it easier to play fast fiddle tunes on my smaller dulcimers. But if you choose tunes with half notes and whole notes, you will want to play a lot of arpeggios, basically playing chords one string at a time to fill in the spaces in the melody. To see what I mean about using arpeggios to fill in the spaces, check out the version of Raisins and Almonds I posted a while back.
But your dulcimer is also a six-string dulcimer. I have a six-string baritone dulcimette, and tend to play songs with a lot of strumming. Fingerpicking doesn't work as well, but fast strumming is really fun with all those double strings. Think of the rhythmic role of a mandolin in a bluegrass band. Remember, however, that you can also take off the extra strings and have a 3-string instrument. My baritone dulcimette is currently strung only with three strings and is nice for softer, quieter tunes. In a sense, you have two instruments in one.
Good luck. I'm sure you'll find a bunch of tunes and develop your own style of playing them, something unique to you and your dulcimer.
The option to switch between strumming and fingerpicking, and even transforming it into a three-string instrument for a softer tone, adds a whole new dimension to your playing.
I'll be donating food and warm winter clothes to the homeless.
Well...this is new: After 2 months of physical therapy, my hand therapist just assigned me a practice schedule to strengthen my left hand after I wore it out this fall (in addition to the ongoing exercises and stretches). I'm to start with 20 minute sessions, 4 times a day and keep lengthening the time as I go through the next month or so. So I guess I'll be playing a lot of Christmas carols!
I just saw this post and was so sorry to hear that Dave had died, although I'm glad he's no longer in pain. I had a lot of respect for him, both as a luthier and being the all-around nice guy that he was. I own several of his instruments and was fortunate to be able to visit his workshop in Indiana. His instruments will be lovingly passed on for generations to come.
So nice to see this, from you Dusty. I've been wondering how you are, as the last time we had any contact was on Aaron's last Patreon workshop. I've kept up the alternating bass we were working on then, but am now working on ways to improvise, as well as make up something new that's interesting, so am trying to learn more chord theory progression stuff.
Well...this is new: After 2 months of physical therapy, my hand therapist just assigned me a practice schedule to strengthen my left hand after I wore it out this fall (in addition to the ongoing exercises and stretches). I'm to start with 20 minute sessions, 4 times a day and keep lengthening the time as I go through the next month or so. So I guess I'll be playing a lot of Christmas carols!
Hey folks. I just want to resurrect this fun Discussion that has been dormant for a couple of years. Please share what you're working on: a new song? a new build? a new technique?
I look forward to the photos. It sounds like an interesting project. It is amazing how a one little irregularity in a side can throw the whole instrument out of whack. It takes creative thinking to correct some of them.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Problem solved (by accident)!
This morning, I folded a piece of cloth and placed it under the center of the dulcimer, and using soft wood blocks, clamped the dulcimer on each end to my work bench. I was hoping that by putting it under some pressure, it would slowly begin to flatten out. I know, I know, this is not a common or excepted woodworking process for a musical instrument and a seasoned woodworker. I know better. I just get a wild hair every once in a while. While exiting my shop, I heard a large pop, went back and saw that one side of the dulcimer had blown out. Had it under a lot more pressure than thought. Anyway, l unclamped it, and was surprised to see that the bend in the dulcimer was almost completely gone. Also noticed that the blown out side seemed to be a little taller than the opposite side. Measured and saw the blown out side piece was 2mm taller toward the middle. That would explain the eventual warping of the body and fret board and also the slight twisting.
I now plan to carefully trim the excess material from the high side piece and reglue it, then continue the restoration.
I received this as a kit when I was a teenager about 50 some years ago, and had no real woodworking or finishing skills. It looks pretty rough. Now that I'm retired, I though it would be nice to restore it and get it singing again. Going to fabricate a new maple fret board. Ordered new fret wire and strings. Looking forward to bringing it back to life.
When completed, I'll post some pics.
Can you provide pictures?
Does anyone have any ideas in how to fix a warped dulcimer? It has a concave bend in it. Attempting to take the bend out of the body of an old teardrop kit dulcimer. I was able to remove the fret board that was warped as well, and now wanting to somehow flatten the instrument out. If successful, I'll install a new fret board and continue refurbishing it.
Thank you everyone for the info!
In 1960, my brother and I had one guitar between us and it was frustrating. We wanted to play together, but we couldn't afford another guitar. Since this was the time that The Great Folk Scare was in full swing, we had a couple of Sonny & Brownie LPs and Hohner Marine Bands were about $2.00, so we each bought a harp and tried to sound like Sonny, with little success, until we read an article in Sing Out! magazine where Tony Glover explained cross harp, palying in the key of E with an A harp. Suddenly it all came together.
Here are the harps that I play regularly. The little box fits in my guitar case.
@Rachel, yes, on a lot of social media platforms such as Instragram, Facebook, and YouTube, and even business software such as Teams, the @ symbol is a way to express that your comment is specifically a response to one individual. At FOTMD, if they allow notifications, members will receive an email when someone identifies them in a discussion. You may receive one when I post this comment. 
But if you have subscribed to the discussion, then you would get one anyway.
Here's a tune on the Tiple that I recorded for a ukulele group I belong to. I had been fooling with the tiple and a 14 string banduria, which is why I credit the tiple with 4 more strings than it actually has.
Here's one I learned from The King Of The 12-String Guitar, Lead Belly. Alabamy Bound
I love playing the call & response.
I don't own a 12-string, but at the start of COVID I borrowed my brother Bob's Epiphone 12-string for a couple of weeks which turned into over a year because of COVID.
Here's a sample of Carl Martin's Vegetable Dance , played with a flat pick.
I promise I won't ask anymore questions after this one that doesn't pertain to starting a new discussion!! Responding to comments - I want to respond to each of your comments. I tapped Ken's name and saw the circle thing that that usually has words in it. Does that mean when I go to the top and type my response and post it, it'll have the @Ken which notifies him he has a response to his comment?
Oops, Dusty and i were posting at the same time... thank you Dusty for your excellent post which covered all the basics! 
Hi Rachel.
What you 'see' and icons/buttons etc... will depend on whether you are using a desktop/laptop, a tablet, or a phone. On mobile devices, site action options are typically found in your phone drop-down menus for the site, rather than as visible buttons on the pages. Personally I find it easier to navigate the web version of FOTMD, on a laptop or desktop.
Groups have both a Comment Wall and their own group discussions. The Groups section of this site has groups that address particular focused subjects that might not be of interest to most members- such as Galax Dulcimers, Fingerpicking, Dulcimer Builders Group, Chromatic dulcimers, California players... you get the idea. Remember that a member will not see all the Group discussion replies until they JOIN that group. Groups are independent and completely separate from the site's main Forums area. Groups are meant to be 'focus groups' for those who share special interests. There is a little overlap since nothing is perfect.
The "Forums" section of this site has general subject areas, and in each of those areas you can create discussions/threads. It is always fully visible and you don't need to 'join' it. It functions similarly to typical traditional online forums.
You can 'follow' both Groups and Forum Discussions to be notified of new posts in that discussion.
It's a good idea to search a subject to see if you can find answers that have already been given. If not, then feel free to create a new discussion thread for your specific post.
I do realize a tutorial on how to use this site might be quite useful to some folks. However, it would take me weeks to create a tutorial. Aside from my not having the time to devote to that, I know from many years of experience that most people wouldn't read through it anyway- they'd see a big tutorial and then they'd just go ahead and skip that and post their question directly, as they do now. 
The closest we have to a tutorial is this "How Do I..?" forum discussion... which does seem to help answer some of the more common questions, and it gets revised from time to time. It seems to work 'well enough' from a practical sense. 
I hope this helps! 😍
@Rachel, I'll do my best to respond here, but for the most part, I think you got it. And I certainly appreciate you making the effort to learn how the site is organized rather than just posting willy nilly all over the place. Thank you! 
Groups, as you say, pertain to specific interests. Importantly, you have to join a group to see all the posts. There is no cost to join nor a vetting process, but the idea is that group conversations are more intimate in that they only involve those with that special interest.
Forums are available to all members of FOTMD and address more general issues than those handled in Groups.
Inside a given Forum and inside a given Group are Discussions on specific topics. In either a Group or a Forum, if you find a Discussion on a topic you wish to engage in, you can post in that Discussion thread. If you look around and there is no Discussion on a topic you wish to talk about, you can create a new one.
In fact, this Discussion thread is specifically about how to create a new Discussion in a Forum, so if you scroll to the beginning you will see efforts by Strumelia and me to answer that question.
Admittedly, there is some overlap between the Forums and the Groups. Beginner questions, for example, seem to pop up everywhere. But in general, keeping things organized with clear titles for Discussion topics organized in the appropriate Group or Forum makes it easy to find old conversations. When I first joined as a beginner, I had dozens of questions, but most of them had already been asked and answered in Forums or Groups, so scrolling around the site allowed me to find those answers right away rather than post a question and then wait for someone to read my post and answer.
I will also admit that some of the Groups are pretty quiet. You can see tumbleweed and hear crickets when you pop in there. We could probably weed some out, to be honest, but sometimes all it takes is one person to pose a question or make a comment and activity starts percolating again.
Always best to use the Search function first before creating anything new -- someone else over the years may have already answered the question your have, or experienced what you have etc.
Forums are major categories of Discussions -- General Dulcimer/Music, Instruments, Resources
Groups are specialized subject areas -- Beginner Questions, Music Theory, History, playing styles etc.
Discussions are specific subjects/questions/observations which you create within a Discussion or Group -- What do you use to make your dulcimer shiny? Where can I find a dulcimer from a certain maker?, Which strings should I use?
If you are asking a new question, start a new Discussion in a Forum or Group rather than add it to an existing discussion -- others may want to know the answer to your question but won't be able to see/find those answers easily if they are buried in a non specific discussion.
In a Forum Or Group Discussion, near the top you will find a white square button with a black + sign. Click the button to name and create your new discussion question/observation/subject.
I need clarification of the differences between Groups, Forums and Threads. My initial impression is:
1. Groups pertain to a specific interest. Within groups there are threads. I should choose the correct thread pertaining to the topic of my question/comment then make a post.
2. Forums is a "Group" that pertains to multiple topics that contain threads. Again, I should search the appropriate thread that addresses what I want to talk about, then make a post.
3. Groups do not contain Forums and Threads.
4. You can start a new thread within both Groups and Forums.
If there is a tutorial about how to use the different functions of this website I could really use the help.
Any comments on my statements above will be appreciated Thanks
Thanks for sharing your video Macy Jayne. It must have been a fun project. I enjoyed watching it.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
That is funny. I think it is the living who put the pressure on to preserve what our ancestors did.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
I read something funny today online:
"Tradition is peer pressure from dead people." 😂
A thread for drifting from subject to subject, just for fun!
Glad to hear it's working for you Macy Jayne.
And again... welcome back! 
Yes that worked, in the app I used Share to copy to a new window, then copied that lol.
OK I just now posted a test video, a YT video called Clyde the Limberjack.
It worked fine for me. As I wrote in the thread I linked to below, I pasted in the full browser URL link when adding the video. I did NOT use the "share" link that Youtube provides when you click on 'share' on your youtube video's page. Are you guys doing this?
Macy's link that she posted in the first post of this thread looks like the Youtube-provided "share" link (it has a question mark in the middle of the link, but no "watch?" in the middle of the link... as my full browser link has.)
To add a youtube video, you have to copy and paste in the full URL address of the video that's in the window at the top of your web browser.
Please do that and tell me if it works. It just worked fine for me. Do NOT use the youtube "Share" button link.
Thanks for any further details.
Yes but are you following both the suggestions in the thread that I just linked to?
It's hard for me to 'guess' what exactly you are doing. Instead of posting a general link to your YT video here in this discussion, can you please copy/paste here the exact thing that you are putting in the site field that is resulting in your getting the error message?
I have had same issue same message for month or so. Something changed.
Hi Macy Jayne, good to see you here again!
Can you please look through this thread and tell us if it solves your issue?:
