Forum Activity for @dusty

Let me start with three of my favorites.

Although I do have a copy of Leon Redbon's Christmas Island album, my favorite island Christmas music is A Hawaiian Slack Key Christmas .

There are a variety of artists on this album, but any fan of stringed instruments will have to love it. The first tune is a really mellow but happy version of Jingle Bell Rock, and some of the picking is just outstanding on all the tunes. With only one exception, it is all instrumental. It all has the gentle island feel and the serenity of silent night, but if ever a hot lick can be called soothing, it is found on this album. I listen tothis almost everyday during the month of December. And the last tune is Auld Lang Syne, so you can justify playing the music until the New Year.

Another favorite of mine is the virtuoso mandolin playing on David Grisman and Andy Statman's Songs of Our Fathers .

Although this album is not technically a holiday album, I tend to listen to it during Hanukkah, Passover, and the high holidays. It is filed with traditional Jewish music from Eastern Europe played in a modern style tinged with Klezmer and jazz sensibilities. The picking is top notch. These guys shred no matter what kind of music they play.

And more traditional is Chanticleer's Psallite! A Renaissance Christmas . Chanticleer is a male choir whose voices just meld together. Although their attempt to do gospel music on other albums falls short, they are in their element here singing the harmonies of classical compositions. Most of the lyrics are in Latin, so you'll need to invite a monk over to translate, but you can enjoy the precise solemn harmonies without understanding the words. I know I do.

Whatever you listen to or play, whether "Daddy's drinking up our Christmas" or "all is calm, all is bright," I hope music complements the joy of the season for all of you.

As we approach the holiday season this year, I want to admit that every year I treat myself to one album of holiday music. Over the years I've accumulated a decent collection, from Renaissance choral music by the Cambridge Choir to James Brown's Funky Christmas (Santa Claus goes straight to the ghetto, in case you didn't know!), from Charlie Brown's jazzy Christmas standards to El Vez (the Mexican Elvis impersonator) asking, "Mamacita, donde esta Santa Claus?"

I thought it might be nice if we shared with one another our holiday music recommendations.  I'll start us off with a couple, but if no one else joins in "I'll have a Blue Christmas without you."

Hi folks.

I just want to remind everyone that many common Christmas songs which we think are traditional and therefore are in the Public Domain are in fact under copyright. For a quick reference of some of the more common Christmas songs, take a look at this webpage: http://diymusician.cdbaby.com/2010/10/dont-let-a-lawsuit-drain-your-christmas-cheer-holiday-music-and-the-public-domain/

Yes!
That is Barb Feick's Public Domain group, all she wants there is PD music, nothing still under copyright; I've been a member for a couple of years now.
David Swanson said:

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/publicdomaindulcimer/

Thanks Paul for the link. And a big Thank you goes to Gary. I have been looking for something easy for my Grandson to play.

David do you have a link to that site's group location? I've never heard of it, thanks.

David Swanson said:

Also look at the Yahoo group publicdomain dulcimer. They have special sections for Christmas music, and divide up by tuning .

http://everythingdulcimer.com/tab/index.php Go to the link, scroll down the page to the EZ Christmas e-Booklet, and click the PDF link. You can download it free,thanks to Garey McAnally.

Paul

Hi Delores,

You can get away with just having one strap button on the tail block as Dusty says - no need for a strap button on the headstock. You can either tie a bootlace around the headstock and quick release to it - or, even simpler, just throw a bootlace loop tied to the end of your strap around the headstock (works best with scroll headstocks).

It's funny, when I first started playing I used a strap all the time. Then I moved to pads, and now I most often play without anything, particularly when playing the Ed Thomas or Charles Prichard replica dulcimers I have. I think that some of that has to do with the fact that painted poplar wood is just more 'sticky' than a modern super smooth dulcimer but I also think I've just got better at balancing the instrument on my lap as my playing has improved!

A strap is really handy though as it means you can sit on all sorts of objects at various heights and the dulcimer stays put!!!!

Robin

Delores, the placement of the strap buttons matters, but not as much as you think. Dulcimers are much lighter than guitars, and even those of us who use straps do not actually suspend the full weight of the dulcimer by the strap the way you do when you play the guitar or banjo.

There are two places where you might want buttons. One is on the very end of the dulcimer. You can see here where McSpadden puts those strap buttons: http://www.mcspaddendulcimers.com/searchresults.asp?cat=49 . The top three pictures there show where the stap buttons would normally go on the bottom of the dulcimer.

The bottom two pictures on that page show strap buttons underneath the head of the dulcimer. Both pictures show dulcimers with flat heads. I don't know if you can still access that spot with a scroll head. But you can probably avoid installing a strap button there anyway. Get a leather shoelace and run it around your dulcimer underneath the strings just to the left of the nut. Loop that leather shoelace through the hole in your strap and tie it tight. If you are nervous, run it around the dulcimer twice.

Delores, the only question is whether your dulcimer already has strap buttons. If it does, then attach the strap to the buttons. If it doesn't you need to add strap buttons.

That is a task you should be able to do yourself, although every now and then you hear of someone botching the job. You will want to pre-drill a tiny hole for the screw that comes with the button. And it can't hurt to put some soap on the screw itself so that it glides more easily into the wood.

If you are nervous about doing this yourself, any guitar shop can do it. Just don't let them charge you more than a nominal fee since it will take them no more than 5 minutes.

My favorites are Sue Carpenter's quick release, adjustable mountain dulcimer straps. Others have copied her design, but I think she was the original. Here is the link tothe catalog page of her website: http://www.suecarpenter.net/catalog.htm . Scroll all the way to the bottom and you will see one of her straps in red. They come in a wide variety of colors.

For anyone on facebook, i've opened a page called Brush Strokes by Dana. If you are on FB pleace stop by and like it. The 100th person to like the page will recieve a free 11x14 acrylic PET Portrait!

That is GREAT John I can always use good advice.

Hi Dana, not an artist, but spent 25 years in the business as a tech. I've seen a lot of artwork up close and personal and spent an awful lot of time working with artists, curators, restorers, owners ...

john

Hey John, Thanks for the tips, they are great, gave me some ideas for my next pic. I'm trying to get depth and that is hard to do sometimes. Love the idea of the fish lips above the water. You give some great advice. Do you paint? Thanks again. Dana

Thank you Dana.

These three world designs are difficult to pull off sucessfully, You've done very well.

It's always the top layer that is the most difficult to fill out fully. The bubbles help so maybe a few small ripples on the surface would add something, where the stones break the surface perhaps. How about a one of the carp just breaking the surface with a lip and causing little circles, The reflection of a cat licking it's lips.

A little photographic tip, try throwing a dark blanket over the chest. This kills the reflection off the painting, and more importantly kills the reflection on to it giving more even lighting over the surface. Reflected and raking light is your enemy on canvas.

john

john p said:

Very well executed Dana.

A longer range shot showing the overall design would have been nice

john

I don't know what I'm doing half the time Kimberly. LOL Never know till i'm done. Where do you teach an art class? I used to volinteer at the Jr High to be a teachers aid in art class when they had a sub or needed help. I really enjoyed it.

Kimberly M. said:

Wow, Dana! Very cool! I need you to come here to Memphis to teach my art class. I have no clue what I'm doing. lol.

John as soon as it's finished I'll post a full pic of it so the whole picture can be seen at once. Thanks

Very well executed Dana.

A longer range shot showing the overall design would have been nice

john

Not trying to advertise on the site but i do commission work if anyone is interested. Graphite pencil portraits and houses or building. Pets and animals, acrylic paint, graphite pencil and watercolor pencil. Message me if interested. You can check out my art work on my FB page under albums or some of my work is on here under my photos. Thanks. Dana

Thanks Susie and Patty

Dana, that is absolutely gorgeous!!!

That's a neat idea Garey, but i won't be hanging it in my house I have no room, all my walls are covered in dulcimers. lol Might put it for sale on Ebay and see what happens. Or stick it in the closet with the other pics. HAHA

Garey McAnally said:

Sooooooooo cool, Dana. It almost feels like you could reach out and touch the koi. I'm wondering where you will hang it. Sounds crazy, but it seems like you would naturally look at it from above. But, how would you display it on the floor??? Wouldn't it be neat mounted under the glass of a coffee table or a large tray.

Thanks Robin and Carrie.

helen I've been drawing and painting since I was 12 yrs old. I have some of my artwork posted in my pictures here. The one of the swan is the first thing I ever painted at 13. I stopped painting and drawing for a long time after I got married. Just doing little things here and there. I painted a heck of a lot of Demolition Derby cars and Mud trucks with cartoons for friends during that time. But didn't get back to painting things I wanted to till about 98. I have had no training or schooling in art. Just High School. I just love it.

Helen Seiler said:

Wow wow Dana. That is amazing. How many years BD (Before Dulcimer) have you been painting. You are a very talented artist and musician. Loved the pitter patter of paws in the background. (Sounds familiar) Helen

That's just cool, Dana!

Been in the mood to paint the last few days, so my dulcimer hasn't had much attention. But I have been having fun indulging in my other hobby, my first love before my dulcimer. Painting! couldn't find my camera so I videoed what I been doing.

Nice collection! I sold reso ukes for a while a couple of years ago, which is how I found out about D tuning. I had a small batch made butcouldn't get the down pressure I wanted on the cone from GCEA so I had a chat with a friend of mine who has an original National from the early 30s and who is an expert on National guitars (I had copied the tail block off of his original National uke for the small run I had made). It was him who told me "Oh they used to play these in D not C", and that extra tone up to ADF#Bgave me the down pressure to really get the cones singing as I wanted.

Robin

Yes, I have a couple I have concerts, tenors and baritones in high and low tuning, depending if If Im strumming or finger picking.....I do prefer low G though. My 8 string uke is really only a strummer with notes picked out, it's quite hard picking rolls with 3 fingers.

The ukulele is typically played in a variety of keys, without changing tuning. The string to string relationship of both tunings is the same as standard guitar tuning, except for the high 4th string. I keep a low G on my tenor uke for more low notes, but if I want the high G, I can always borrow Mrs.Wanda's uke. It's nice having multiples in the house!

Paul

Robin, I'm glad you jumped in here- you have lots of solid practical knowledge in this particular subject!

Hi Nigel,

Yep - that's know as C tuning for ukes (C6 actually). Smaller ukes, particularly during the early part of the 20th century, were tuned a tone higher A,D,F#,B (D6) and played in the key of D.

It would be great if they were in C...but they are GCEA tuned, not open....

By the way, the capo is great! Ta very muchly!

No - they can just tune up from C to the old 1930s D tuning

Nigel Caddick said:

Ha ha, thank you Robin LOL

I will have to get the other 22 ukuleleists to buy capo's then.....

Ha ha, thank you Robin LOL

I will have to get the other 22 ukuleleists to buy capo's then.....

Oh I just love these multi-confusing questions

Nigel - You can actually get away with murder on a dulcimer working out of D,A,d with or without a capo to assist, unless the folks you play with go somewhere really weird like A# minor

You don't have to play full chords on the dulcimer - in fact many dulcimer 'chords' just contain two notes (0,0,0 for D or 3,3,3 for G are examples) so you can play in other keys with a bit of thought and simply miss out the notes you don't have and substitue a harmony note. For example:there's a C chord at 3,4,6 and an F chord (without an F) at 6,8,6 and a G chord at 3,3,5 and the relative minor (Am without the 3rd) at4,4,4. So you can strum along in the key of C adding the odd fill or partial melody from D,A,d.

You can also work melody over drones at a session(playing modal tunings) and the other instruments will fill in the chord changes while you hold the root and/or 5th of the primary key within your drones. This is my prefered method for sessions although it involves re-tuning. I also like to play on a short scale instrument tuned to highG,d,g - same chord shapes as D,A,d but with G as the home tuning as I feel this tuning tends to lift the instrumemt up over the top of the guitar (just personal preference).

With a standard set of string gauges and a bit of thought you can get pretty much into any key and scale (mode). And I would look at the dulcimer as an instrument of possibilities rather than restrictions

Of course, if most of the tunes you play with friends are in the key of C then you can always get the guitarist to put a capo on a fret 2 so you can all play in the key of D

Robin

Oops....yes you're right.....

I think I meant to say to capo it up the the 3rd when it's in D....which would give me G....I think.......gettingconfused.com...LOL

I think I'll get a D stick with a capo for D & G and another stick in C......that should cover it....

We don't play any in Em I don't think....oh...Hotel California...just the one then.

Actually, Nigel, capoing at the 3rd fret in CGcc tuning will give you F, not G. G would be the 4th fret since it's the 5th tone of the C major scale. Oh, and capoing on 2 will give you a nice E minor, too.

Rob