Forum Activity for @john-keane

I'm a fan!

I agree...very cool!

Robin Thompson said:

Stephanie, that dulci-bow built by John Hen-- um, I mean a "certain member from the UK" gives a really neat sound on that electric Yocky!

Stephanie, that dulci-bow built by John Hen-- um, I mean a "certain member from the UK" gives a really neat sound on that electric Yocky!

Stephanie, cool sound! That's your Jim-Bow?

Thanks for posting that link, Jeff! When I got to YT and saw it was a video of Butch Ross. . . well, I'm embarrassed that I neglected to mention Butch. Mark and I love Butch!

Gayle, as Geekling mentioned earlier, there are quite a few folks around here who use an electric dulcimer. There are also quite a few folks around here who can't stand it lol. I think it's neat to explore the different possibilities that the instrument can offer.

Hey Geekling, its about time you left your foray into stripping, and gave a us a tune with your 'J bow' ?

John

Geekling said:

Gayle, in addition to Bucko Futreal's terrific electric dulcimer videos, John Keane, magictime, and I have posted videos featuring our Yocky electric dulcimers. The ones by magictime and me were played noter/drone. Of course, noter/drone is always going to sound best on an acoustic dulcimer, but an electric dulcimer sounds pretty cool played with a noter. In fact, it's kind of fun to mash up the traditional with the modern. For my House of the Rising Sun video, I fingerpicked my electric dulcimer while again playing it noter-style. And now that I think about it, I really should try bowing my electric now that I've gotten better at it. That's right, it'll be electric noter/bow!

PS: I've been using a special bow designed for mountain dulcimers called a JimBow. Robin uses the real kind!

Gayle, I'm an old-time music dulcimer player. However, I like lots of different dulcimer music! A couple of my favorite "electric" players are Bucko Futreal (his videos can be seen here at FOTMD) and Jerry Rockwell.

EDIT: Both Michael "Bucko" Futreal and Jerry Rockwell play more than one instrument. They're two players who come to mind when I think of "electric" dulcimer music, though. Also, I need to smack myself in the head . Bing Futch plays great music on electric dulcimer.

New mando vid LOL

Been wanting to mess around with the mando lately.

Lol, in Newfoundland they called them ugly sticks

Hey that's pretty neat. I'll just look around and see if I can find some better pictures of them. My husband is a pretty handy guy and I'm sure he could build me one. I'd like something with a mini-washboard on it too me thinks .

If you ever get interested in learning clawhammer banjo, let me know and I can help.

Aha - that Boomba looks pretty cool actually ! Where would someone get one of those????

The banjammer - I see. I'm betting you could learn to play the banjo though too

Thanks Sue and Macy !

Jennifer - Hahaha, a full house of instruments!! LOVE IT. Everyone normally has at least one room in their house that gets drastically less use than others anyway right? So why not fill that room up with instruments. Not sure what a Boomba is, but i bet it's cool. Do you mean a banjo when you say banjammer? I think families that play together stay together, that's my philosophy anyway. I've yet to explore the fiddle though.

Yay, you got a mandolin! You're a natural Mandy!

Girl this is amazing ! Love it

LOL

Ken Hulme said:

Mando Mandy and the Goat Ropers -- now there's a name for a CW/Folk/OldeTyme band!

Ummm actually I already have a country middle name, so no need to do any changin'. It's better than Lynn even. It's Luanne (Lou Ann), so there you go. This girl is already country to the core. And I never wear shoes unless I have to (that's no joke).

Thanks for watching!

Strumelia said:

Mandy you sound like a total natural on that mando. Very impressive!

...are you going to change your name to Mandy Lynn now?

Mando Mandy and the Goat Ropers -- now there's a name for a CW/Folk/OldeTyme band!

Mandy you sound like a total natural on that mando. Very impressive!

...are you going to change your name to Mandy Lynn now?

Thank you!

the other instrument of interest cool Mandy!

Thanks for watching! Making music is just so fun. Even a simple little tune makes me smile.

Thanks Patty, yep $40 - well actually it came with a guitar too for a total of $80 with free shipping.

Mandy, great video!!! I love Old Joe Clark. That's a pretty mandolin. You only paid $40 for it? Wow!

Thanks for sharing

Haha , thanks Sue!

Here's the vid - fun little thing to play!

Haha Susie! Maybe I will work up to that many someday. We have a bunch already-

1. Washburn guitar (hubbys grandma gave it to him, it never gets played but it counts)

2. Martin guitar (gift to hubby from father)

3. Blueridge guitar (my guitar I got this year)

4. Gold Tone Banjo (my baby)

5. Dulcimer

6. uke (for my daughter)

7. Oil can banjo (hubby made, 5 string)

8. Cigar Box guitar (hubby made, 4 string)

9. Harmonica (never gets touched)

10. 3 "D" tin whistles

11. Egg Shaker with handle (not sure what it's called but it's cool and I've been using it in some of our group songs when the banjo isn't needed)

12. NEW Beater guitar

13. NEW Beater mando

Hmmm, guess that's it. Maybe something else lying around here that I forgot about too.

Hopefully someday I'll get that upright bass too - that's for looks too because it's so beautiful.

I gotta say this little $40 mando is sweet sounding. The action is pretty good, the frets feel nice, and I'm just shocked at how decent it is for such a cheapo.

That's so cool your hubby made you a cabinet. So I take it he doesn't play anything? My hubby has basically just let his beautiful Martin collect dust until I started a weekly jam session here at the house. Now he's right in the thick of things and it has really rekindled his desire to play and sing.

Mandy, congrats. I play many different instruments too. Since you'll have a mandolin, you'll have to get a fiddle...they are tuned the same. Only the fiddle doesn't have frets. I'm learning on my grandpa's fiddle and got a mandolin to help with learning the notes. It took off from there. I enjoy sitting down with the mandolin and picking out fiddle tunes. Working on speed now. It has helped me with the fiddle. I've got 15 instruments now and have told my husband I'm done. He is VERY supportive...he's bought me several instruments as surprises. My latest gift...a new tenor uke which is awesome. Oh, counting my whistle and recorder...I have 17. My husband even buit me an oak cabinet for my instruments. He's such a great guy.

Well my cache of musical instruments is growing! Today the UPS man will deliver a shiny new mando and I'm totally psyched about it.

It all started last week when my hubby was sayin' he's really wanting a beater guitar to take and leave at work so he can play at lunch. So we started looking around online(been looking at music shops locally for awhile, but nothing has fit the bill). Came across a real cheapo one that gets really great reviews. Kind of hard to believe for the price, but for just a bit more you can get a mando too. So naturally I saw that and my brain was like "hey here's a chance to try out another instrument". So I said let's get both so we can beat around on both of them. I actually had a mando for a few months in 2005, so it's not completely new, but i had no clue what to do with the thing and it was gone quick.

So we bought them and it's gonna be here today! Now I know what you're thinking. Mandy, gheesh just get real good at one before you go jumping around all over the place. LOL. But I dunno it's weird. Most people get the dulcimer, or banjo, or guitar syndrome where they want a million of one instrument. Like - Dana for instance ( ) we all know she has like 20 dulcimers. Haha. Well for me it's just that I want every possible instrument I can get my hands on. Strange I know. But really I still want a stand up bass, a fiddle, and basically anything I can get. But I'll be honest, the fiddle scares me (haha).

So I'm gonna pull that baby out once it arrives and tune her up and go to town! After I youtube some chords that is, hahah.

Anyone wanna throw out any tips or advice it's all welcome.

My only problem with all this is that I'm not independently wealthy so I'm going to have to go back to work and won't be able to play constantly anymore! That's gonna be a sad musical day IMO, but at least a job will afford us the cashola to acquire more wonderful instruments. Catch 22 there I guess. Hahah.

Anybody know who won this? Looks like an Edsel to me, in which case somebody got a nice piece of dulcimer history, even with its "issues".

Geekling,

I wasn't clear about how I used to hold a mountain dulcimer upright to bow it. When I did this, the instrument was nowhere near the floor-- the lower bout was held/balanced between my knees.

Hey, friends, this same instrument is attracting attention on another FOTMD thread, too.

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/forum/topics/funny-ebay-listing

It's a cool piece of folk art. The fretboard does appear to have a radius to it. I suppose someone could've bowed it, holding it upright the way I hold my bowed dulcimers; I used to bow a mountain dulcimer this way. From the looks of it, though, I'd just call it a mountain dulcimer.

lol

Mandy said:

Love the looks of it, but my goodness that poor stump has been impaled by a TON of booze.

Love the looks of it, but my goodness that poor stump has been impaled by a TON of booze.

Sorry I can't offer any help, but I would like to add that that is a unique piece. I like it. It has very nice lines and appears to be in pretty good repair. I wouldn't change the soundholes. I have one with none. Sounds very sweet.

Raven it appears to have a radiused fretboard, and the bridge seems arched as well. I think you might be right about it beung a bowed dulcimer. You might want to see what Robim Thompson thinks she plays a bowed dulci.

Another example of someone building a dulcimer without a lot of clues. The staggered string pins are interesting. The peg in the tail block may be just to keep the end off the ground when you stand it in the corner. Another builder who does not understand the function of sound hole size to body size! Nice elliptical shape though,,,

Well I have seen dulcimers built as canes or walking sticks. Perhaps this is someone's version of a dulcimer cane??? Just a guess.

has a woman's head carved on the top like a old pirates ship.....anyone understand what that stump is on the bottom?.... is this a dulcimer for bowing?....said to be vintage ...strings are spaced wide......also now I'm addicted to the looks of some thanks FOTMD