Forum Activity for @ken-hulme

You can't go wrong with a dulcimer from Dave "Harpmaker" Lynch, who hangs out here occasionally.

http://sweetwoodsinstruments.com/dulcimers.php

His Hourglass runs $325 and is offered in half a dozen top woods and nearly as many body woods to get just the look you want. Dave is a great builder whose instruments have a warm and deep sound. Even his Student Model, for $125, although not an hourglass shape, has a better sound than instruments costing much more. He's easy to work with too, to make you just the instrument you want. Why settle for a second or fifth hand mass-produced instrument, when you can have one made just the way you want?

I have seen a bunch of McSpaddens on craiglist lately . 150 to 175.

If you're looking for good value then take a careful look at what you can find on the second hand market.
Something by a good maker that hasn't suffered damage will be the equal of anything you can buy new.
Second hand McSpaddens are a fairly safe bet, they tick most peoples boxes and have a good reputation for servicability.

john

Syd, You'll get many suggestions. I'll just offer a couple, that have proven to be well respected dulcimers. McSpadden and Folkcraft.

Love the Traditional Music site! Looks like lots of possibilities there. Thanks!

Ken Hulme said:

Barbara - this site won't give you tab, but it does give lyrics and sound files so you can learn by ear. Arguably the best ballad site on the Internet: www.contemplator.com

Here's another that's good for ballad and other music, lyrics and more:

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/traditional-music/

Barbara - this site won't give you tab, but it does give lyrics and sound files so you can learn by ear. Arguably the best ballad site on the Internet: www.contemplator.com

Here's another that's good for ballad and other music, lyrics and more:

http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/traditional-music/

Thanks for the tips. I am really excited about trying some favorite songs, altho I like the folk tunes too. I really enjoy the ballads most.

Rich said:

I too like some other songs. Hal Leonard has a host of EASY Fake Books with many songs from Beatles, songs of the 40s or 50s, Christmas and so on. They are allin the key of C and you have to be able to read notes, which just takes a little practice. Be sure you look at the EASY Fake Books. They are 20 dollars and each has over 100 songs. Rich Jonas

Thanks for the help. I printed out Battle of New Orleans and can't wait to try it. I'll also check out your article.

Ken Hulme said:

SMN = Standard Musical Notation -- sheet music with lines and blobs with/out tails. Not Tabulature. I worked the tune out myself, but have never sat down and actually tabbed it out. I learn songs by ear rather than from Tab or SMN - after I can sing/hum/whistle a tune I can pick it out. As I pick out the tune I generally write down the fret numbers and create a tab for the song. But All I ever really keep is the first few measures as a memory aid.

A lot os shet music can be found on line, free. Also some dulcimer tab. You just have to google the tune name with 'dulcimer tab' included.

Have you read my beginner's article here called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It's here:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcim...

Battle of New Orleans dulcimer tab (DAA tuning) is here:

http://sniff.numachi.com/lookup.cgi?ds1=A&ds2=A&ds3=D&t...

SMN = Standard Musical Notation -- sheet music with lines and blobs with/out tails. Not Tabulature. I worked the tune out myself, but have never sat down and actually tabbed it out. I learn songs by ear rather than from Tab or SMN - after I can sing/hum/whistle a tune I can pick it out. As I pick out the tune I generally write down the fret numbers and create a tab for the song. But All I ever really keep is the first few measures as a memory aid.

A lot os shet music can be found on line, free. Also some dulcimer tab. You just have to google the tune name with 'dulcimer tab' included.

Have you read my beginner's article here called I Just Got A Dulcimer, Now What? It's here:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profiles/blogs/i-just-got-a-dulcimer-now-what

Battle of New Orleans dulcimer tab (DAA tuning) is here:

http://sniff.numachi.com/lookup.cgi?ds1=A&ds2=A&ds3=D&ti=BATNEWOR&tt=BATNEWOR&tab=d

Thanks for your input. I always loved "The Wreck . . ." used to sing it to my son who was born the same year the ship went down. I think seeing the anniversary in the news made me wonder if I could play it. Sorry, "SMN?" Think kindergarden here, I am really a beginner. Did you purchase the music or tab it yourself? Do you have a source where I might find some of these songs? I can read enough music to convert the sheet music, I took a (very brief) class and we learned how. "The Ballad of New Orleans" is another song I like -- seems like it would lend itself to being played on the dulcimer. Thanks again. I will post my progress on this front.

"Newer"songs are often still under copyright, and you probably won't find dulcimer tab for them, as paying the rights fees to publish them can be costly. You can tab such songs out from 'sheet music' for your personal use, if you can read SMN. Interesting that you mention Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, as Nov 10th was the anniversary of her sinking. I play it in Dorian Modal tuning - DAG or CGF

For starters, I would avoid music written for any of the Bb instruments. This would include Trumpet, trombone and tuba, and maybe a few more.

Music for any C instrument will work, which is a lot of leeway. Guitar, mandolin, banjo, fiddle/violin, piano/keyboard, and I think all the woodwinds are C instruments. In some cases you may need to shift up or down an octave to reach the lowest or highest notes in the sheet. For instance, a guitar in standard tuning can play notes almost an octave below the dulcimer tuned to DAD. To play these sheets, you may have to shift everything up an octave on the dulcimer. Not really a problem. The fiddle may have more high notes, and less low notes than the dulcimer. You may find some songs require you to play an octave below the fiddle. Mandolin has the same tuning as fiddle, and the same range. This is really not an issue, you can adjust the octave. Music for the 5 string banjo may be closest to the normal range of a DAD or DAA dulcimer, but the 2nd, 3rd & 4th strings of a guitar are right there as well.

Finding dulcimer books is easy, if you are close to a festival, or a store that sells dulcimers. If not, try online. There are several places doing online/phone sales. Prussia Valley Dulcimers ,in Waverly, Ohio; Elderly Music in Lansing Michigan; and Amazon.com all carry dulcimer books. Also, the major music publishers have web sites you can check for music. Hal Leonard and Mel Bay are probably the two biggest in the US, I'm not sure who covers other countries. Looking for specific types of music can be tricky, though. Many books are written as instruction books, teaching how to play. They usually contain older folk songs, as most of these are in the public domain, meaning the author/publisher can use them without paying royalties. With modern songs,royalties must be paid. There are books focusing on some modern songs, but you pretty much have to see the table of contents to decide which books you want to buy. There are books on swing, blues, classical, rock, and probably more. A festival is a good place to look for books, as vendors will bring a lot of books on a lot of musical styles. And will probably know what is available that they haven't got on hand.

Also, maybe FIRST, try the tablature section at Everything Dulcimer. You may be able to download or print some of the songs you are looking for. http://everythingdulcimer.com/index.php Again, copyright and royalty issues may make modern songs harder to find.Tablature is in some ways better for a dulcimer player, as we sometimes require different tunings. You can learn where all the notes are, but once we change the tuning, the notes move. And some notes are lost and gained with each tuning change.

Paul

Try any dulcimer sales store for the books. If they don't have what you want they may be able to point you in the right direction [Mel Bay is a music book publisher]. The folks in the 'Rockin' in the free world' group may also have some suggestions. As far as the second question, try a search here for translation or transposing. You can use any sheet music but you are going to have a big learning curve. The easiest way is to get a music notation such as TablEdit or Finale, etc., and enter the notation as shown in the sheet music and follow the program's directions to transpose it to the key you are going to use. You could also pick it out by ear but that may prove to have somedifficultiesalso. If you're planning on singing the melody and chording, you may find the chords/words [only?] online.

Really a beginner here. I have some favorite songs I would like to be able to play. I've bought a couple of beginner books that have some of the old time songs, which is fine, but there are some newer songs I'd like to learn. Is there anyplace I can find newer music for the dulcimer? Also, if I can find sheet music to translate myself, should I be looking for a certain kind of arrangement like stringed instruments, or is any sheet music for the song okay? I like "story" songs such as "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitgerald," and "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" Thanks for your help.

Just got back from Berea, took the Ledford to Warren May to be restored and a old one of his that i found #646 to be checked out. He said I got a real bargin on the Ledford and that it was worth 900 dollars. That is 850 more than I paid for it. Good profit margin there. He said it was an easy fix and would be playable when he got it done. All the frets were in good shape. He said it was made to play in DAC tuning. Something to do with a shorter 1 fret ? I can't wait to get it back, but told him I was in no hurry, want him to take his time and do it right. And his father in law passed away this morning at the age of 94. I was very sorry to hear that. Warren told me the noter in with the old dulcimer of his I took in was one made by his father in law. He couldn't believe to be as old as it is the dulcimer and case were in new condition just like they had just left his shop and it was 40 yrs old.

SCORE!!!!!!!!!!! Congrats!

susie i need to recount, i've got them all over the place plus a couple loaned out. I'm not sure how many i have right now, plus i SOLD one. ewwww i don't like saying that word.

How many dulcimers does this make for you? Congrats on the find!

But i need to say also that was a couple of years ago before money was as tight. A lot of things(antiques) that were bringing good money a couple years ago are down right now. I just hope it goes back up one day.

Dana R. McCall said:

Tom most of the ones down that low a number I've seen go for 1000 to 1200

Tom McDonald said:

Great find, Dana! Just curious: what do you figure this is really worth once restored?

Kevin I spend way to much time on the net. I search all over for them. Just been lucky and got good deals on all of mine so far.

Kevin Messenger said:

Man why can't i find these deals. Great job Dana, looking forward to seeing your Ledford. Kevin.

Tom most of the ones down that low a number I've seen go for 1000 to 1200

Tom McDonald said:

Great find, Dana! Just curious: what do you figure this is really worth once restored?

That's just incredible...good for you!

Man why can't i find these deals. Great job Dana, looking forward to seeing your Ledford. Kevin.

Great find, Dana! Just curious: what do you figure this is really worth once restored?

LOL Patty I can always find more room for another dulcimer! I'll post pics tomorrow before I take it to Berea to Warrens shop.

Patty from Virginia said:

Dana, good for you! Put them on the ceiling. After all, Fred Astaire danced on the ceiling. I can't wait to see the pictures

Thats whats wrong with this one JH the sides have come loose. but no cracks or splits. Rest of the body is in really good shape. Looks like the glue just dried out.

John Henry said:

Chuckle, Robin, how you doing, I might have guessed you would come back at me (I have actualy done a refurb on a Ledford , JohnS purchased a very beat up instrument, reminiscent of one of Charlie Chaplins shoes, bad case of glue failure for some reason, it looked like hide glue to me ?)

John

Dana, good for you! Put them on the ceiling. After all, Fred Astaire danced on the ceiling. I can't wait to see the pictures

Chuckle, Robin, how you doing, I might have guessed you would come back at me (I have actualy done a refurb on a Ledford , JohnS purchased a very beat up instrument, reminiscent of one of Charlie Chaplins shoes, bad case of glue failure for some reason, it looked like hide glue to me ?)

John

LOL sorry ya'll but I think it's a keeper, John I'll just have Jimmy boy build me another wall! Or I might start putting them on the ceiling.:)

I offer $77 and John Henry will do the refurb for free!

John Henry said:

$76, and I'll do the refurb for free?

an onlooker

$76, and I'll do the refurb for free?

an onlooker

Hey, Dana, I'll give you $75 sight unseen! Hope to see pictures of your new treasure!

Huh ! for starters that thar wall ain't big enough to take more, and in any case the sun/light will only aid the timber to bleach its true colour a tad, and just what in tarnation is that Jim doing letting you run riot in such a fashion, time you came to heel gal! (hasty signing off !!!)

Good on you

John

Lordy, Lordy.... You just getting too many of those, Dana. Pass 'em around

LOL Don't choke John H. What can I sayI'm just a ledford magnet. LOL

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

John

Well while crusing Craigs list last week...I saw a dulcimer that caught my eye. Looked like a Ledford headstock and it had diamond sound holes and staple frets. Called the number and it was a pickers site that buys out estates and resales. I asked if they knew who made the dulcimer and they said no. I asked how much they wanted and they said 60 bucks, so I told them I would take it.

I got it in the mail today, they failed to tell me the glue had come loose from the sides and the bridge was missing but other wise it's in good shape, just needed a clean up. I looked inside and couldn't find a name anywhere, so I was dissappointed. But still it looked just like my other ledfords except it is about a inch shorter and the tail piece is a litte different. so decided to try again to find a name. Got my book light out and ran it down the sound hole and guess what....there it was in pencil Built by Homer Ledford Winchester KY Number 1163!!!! For 60 bucks and 10 dollars shipping. I'm going to run it down to Warren May in Berea and see if he will restore it for me. I LOVE a bargain.

Thanks for all the comments, I have now amended the original caption with the picture!

John

One difference between the function of a 'normal' capo and a 'reverse' capo is- a normal capo merely presses the string down to the fret, so the notes are governed by where your frets are. A reverse capo actually becomes a sort of fret, independent of the real frets. It can be positioned for example in the location of a 1.5 fret and give you that note even if you do not have a 1.5 fret on your instrument. That is an interesting advantage. Another advantage to a reverse capo is that by its very nature it can be positioned under one, two, or all strings- thus being very versatile compared to a 'normal' capo that presses down onto the strings. This is made possible partly because the reverse capo is automatically anchored firmly by the strings that run over it, whereas a normal capo has to have some sort of anchoring clamp that can hold firmly- not easy on an instrument with no neck, as we all know!