Forum Activity for @paul-certo

I use finger picks on the 12 string, and my dulcimers, but bare fingers on nylon stringed guitars, and my banjo. On the steel six strings, I sometimes use finger picks, sometimes not. Depends more on whether Mrs.Wanda is asleep than anything else. I play cleaner with picks on the doubled strings. Is the mandolin neck that thin? With 10 strings crowded in together, the Tiple felt pretty narrow, but I think it was the same width as his two ukulele. The 12 string, on the other hand, has room to land an airplane on the fret board. We learn what we practice, try it and see.

Paul

Paul, I assume you use fingerpicks when you fingerpick a 12-string guitar, correct?

One problem fingerpicking a mandolin is that the strings are so darn close together. The fretboard is more narrow than most soprano ukulele fretboards, for example. The right hand fingers would be really scrunched together. And the strings are really taught, much more so than guitar or ukulele strings (the latter of which are usually nylon as well).

I think it is theoretically possible to fingerpick a mandolin, but it would be pretty difficult in practice. A mandola might be more "doable."

Paul Certo said:

I don't play mandolin, but I finger pick everything else I play, even 12 string guitars, and my friends 8 string uke and 10 string tiple. Tiples have 4 courses tuned like a uke. Two courses are paired strings, and two are tripled strings. I don'r see a reason you couldn't fingerpick a mandolin, but I don't recall seeing anyone do it. Start a new trend.

Paul

I don't play mandolin, but I finger pick everything else I play, even 12 string guitars, and my friends 8 string uke and 10 string tiple. Tiples have 4 courses tuned like a uke. Two courses are paired strings, and two are tripled strings. I don'r see a reason you couldn't fingerpick a mandolin, but I don't recall seeing anyone do it. Start a new trend.

Paul

Nathaniel, I don't know of anyone who fingerpicks the mandolin. Crosspicking is common, but fingerpicking, not. There are several physical impediments to fingerpicking the mandolin: the strings are really close together, the strings are reallytaught, and all the courses have double strings. If it could be done, it would be with metal fingerpicks. But I've never heard ofit.Every style of mandolin that I've heard of involves a flat pick.

Nathaniel Jared Smith said:

Does anyone Fingerpick the mandolin and if so what patterns do you use. I'm knew at the mandolin and I would like to learn a bluegrass style that enables fingerpicking that also brings out the melody more.

A guitar player, I took a detour for a few years and played the mandolin. But that was beforeI discovered the dulcimer. Now when I jam with friends I bring my guitar and a couple of dulcimers, but not usually the mandolin. The main issue with the mandolin, I think, is that it can be very loud, so you have to consciously play softly so as not to drown out the other musicians (don't worry about the fiddle and dobro players, though). I love the mandolin on fiddle tunes, of course, but I also just like to play chords and add short little filler runs every now and then. The rhythmic potential of the mandolin is great, although I can attain almost the same effect with my 6-string baritone dulcimette.

I assume you know the David Schnaufer/Butch Baldassari album Appalachian Mandolin & Dulcimer. If not, you have a big treat waiting for you . . .

I played 2 finger chords (sometimes the wrong chords) on mandolin in the vid below, in an informal jam with 6 dulci players, another mandolin on melody and a guitar on melody every other verse. It's kind of nice to switch out the lead melody player, not only the person but other instruments. 2 finger chords rock

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=JmFtNOIT56w

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/rockininthefreeworld/forum/topics/ashokan-farewell-jam

Iplayed MandolinuntilI damaged a finger on my left hand that meansI can no longer play 4 finger closed chords (Bluegrass style mandolin adds "percussion" to the ensemble using closed chords when not playing melody). I can still play melody to some extent; tunes range from Bluegrass or Old Time to Scottish or Irish Folk (Iwent to universityin Glasgow in the Folk Revival of the sixties, when I had pretensions to become a banjo player) Nowadays, it's Soldier's Joy to Wha' Saw the 42nd via Doon In The Wee Room, or Over The Waterfall. I now play a guitar bodied bouzouki, tuned GDAE, which I can do 2 fingered (it's amazing how many 2 fingered open chords there are and how effective they can be). Theoretically I play in what you might call a 'Garage band' but we meet on a boat about twice a year, so usually I strum unaccompanied; anything from City of New Orleans to Norwegian Wood, via (Dublin in) The Rare Ould Times, The Gresham Disaster, or Sinking of the Reuben James/Wildwood Flower. I have absolutely no idea where I am going to find folks with whom to join in on dulcimer. I will have to persuade my 'boat band' to play more Joni Mitchell!

As long as they are playing in D. And you are tuned DAD.You can follow along by only freting a single note for each chord. So when they play the A chord you only fret the A note and strum the remaining strings open. You can't go wrong that way... Later on get the guitar player to retune to open D.. or DADF#AD and let him play along with you doing the lead...Bob.

Thanks for the advice! I managed to play along a little on a couple of songs, I let them know I was in the key of D, and they let me know what chords they were using. I also managed to play about four songs, though I messed up on each and every one, I got through them OK. I swear I play them all flawlessly for the cats about a dozen times a week! Funny thing is, when I picked up my dulcimer to practice later, I was all thumbs.

It was a really fun time, so I'll just keep practicing and look for any opportunity to play in front of people.

This helps me (but it may not help you). My brain sort of thinks backwards sometimes. Anyway I recognize a bunch of guitar chords by sight just from watching guitar players play (and I play a bit too). So if I have my banjo or my dulcimer I'm watching the guitars in the room for the chord changes.

Good luck!

Beth,

Knowing I, IV, V chords in the keys of D, G, C will take you far. Listen for the chord changes and key off whoever looks to be the most solid rhythm player.

Have fun!

PS-My guitar-playing husband helped me with this. :)

A friend of mine is hosting a party room at our local Science Fiction & Fantasy Con which includes a music circle. Everyone else will be playing the guitar, and I will be playingmy mountaindulcimer. I do have extra frets, 1 1/2 and 6 1/2, and I know basic chords. And I do have a capo.

Any suggestions on how I can play along?

Quinn, thanks for that link, but I think the one referred to as not working is the one in the original post. Kyle Daniel Mills posted a link to research paper he wrote on C.N. Prichard, but that link no longer works. Back in November I visited CN's grave and place one of the copies I made of his dulcimers on the stone and took a picture. It was a memorable moment.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I too would like to read this paper, but I got a "file not found" message as well.

Nicholas, here is a link to a portion of Ralp Lee Smith's book, Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions, in which he describes information on CN Prichard who made the Huntington WV dulcimers, http://books.google.com/books?id=AKQ6k9EwD-kC&lpg=PA57&ots=... . I have pictures of the census records Ralph mentions on my page.

Nicholas Rickford Grant said:

The link to this file give me a "file not found" message. Anyone know the current link or how to get a look at the paper? It sounds interesting.

Thanks

Kyle,

Thank you for making your research available online. I've printed off a hard copy so I can read it tonight or tomorrow.

Greg

Kyle,

Hope you're able to put together more pieces of the Prichard; you've got the makings of a thesis.

Gotta tell you what a thrill it was for me to hear you in a jam outside Halliehurst one night. Just not enough noter & drone players jamming in old-time! I'll not be at Spring Week at Augusta--will be making a couple trips to North Carolina for music doings in April & May.

Hey, Kyle, great to see you back here! As you know, I enjoyed reading your paper at Augusta last summer (and hearing you play!) and I look forward to learning more about further research. (It must have taken a fair amount of digging to uncover information about when CN Prichard first came into contact with the dulcimer!)

Thanks for posting this Kyle, very interesting. I always wondered about those 'upside-down' hearts.

For it is written:

He who knows not, knows not

He who knows not that he knows not ...

... is a not knows .......

I'd rather be a "beginner" than an "ender" any day!

I, also, think of myself as a "learner". And I'm always learning about new things that I hadn't, yet, discovered that I didn't know. Ya know?!

Thanks Strumelia, Ive been wondering how I was going to tell when I was no longer a beginner. Now I dont have to worry about it any more, I will always be a beginner. Now its just a matter of to what degree.

I think that we are beginners as long as the amount of what there is yet to learn is larger than what we already know...and that's certainly true for me! And maybe we are all simply 'learners'. May we never stop learning until we die...

We all were beginners once upon a time...

Hi Van

Thanks for the input I'm a beginingplayer and having a great time trying to learn to play. The dogs howl, the cats run and hide and friends dont come by much any more, but I'm having a great time.

I couldnt agree with you more about the people at McSpadden, I've called them a couple of times and they were very helpful. I just wish that they had a dealer in my area.

Thanks Ken, Boy am I getting an education.

Ed - neither friction nor geared tuners should "be an issue". Those are not wooden tuning pegs, which occasionally can be an issue if you aren't used to them; they are top of the line metal pegs nearly as quick and accurate as geared tuners.

Hi Geekling. Thanks for the info and advice. The seller is asking $200.00 for the Dulcimer with hard case and original sales document. The tuners are an issue and I couldnt tell for sure in there picture if they were friction or geared but with the info that you have given me I'm sure they are friction. They say it is signed and dated 1991.

Thanks again everyone

Ed

Age isn't a prob. they usually mellow out and just sound better with age.

Thanks everyone for the input andas I expected, everyone seems to like thier McSpadden Dulcimers and the service.

and Barbara the one I was looking at wasn't on e-bay, but thanks for the info and the link.

My very first dulcimer was a walnut hourglass McSpadden. My daughter has it now. It has the most beautiful resonant voice one can imagine, and is so smoooooth to play. An excellent choice!

And their after sales service is as good as you'll find anywhere.

[edit] not surprising really ... they more or less define the highest standards for volume manufacturers

john p

You usually cant go wrong with a McSpadden. Everyone I have heard that has one loves them.

Can anyone give me any info on this dulcimer, good, bad, or otherwise?? I am new to the dulcimer world and could be classified as a pre beginner Thanks

Wow, folkfan, looks like you could be in for several years' worth of fun exploring that site! :)

Found this site when looking for some sheet music.

http://levysheetmusic.mse.jhu.edu/index.html

I'm going to have to go back and spend several days just browsing. Wheeeee

Yes certainly,

John mentioned A aeolian in his post, which is probably the one A tuning it would be difficult to reach - but e,e,e,e A ionian, e,e,d,d A dorian and e,e,d,d A mixolidian (6+) should be fine with the 0.010s he has fitted.

Strumelia said:

Robin Clark said:

Hi John,

You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret

Robin, if he does what you describe above, and also tunes the two melody strings up to ee, won't he then be able to play in A ionian?...which is more useful than just A dorian... just pondering here.

Barbara, my response to your original question is that practically speaking, I myself only really 'need' two dulcimers- one for playing in A and G, and the other for playing in C and D. That's assuming I don't 'need' any other dulcimers due to aesthetic reasons like them sounding different or enjoying playing with different fret patterns or sizes.

Robin Clark said:

Hi John,

You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret

Hi John,

You don't need to tune down for A modal tunes - leave your strings at d,d,d,d (or d,d,d if it is a 3 string) and just place a reverse capo under the two drones near the first fret lifting them to e,e . This gives you a tuning of e,e,d,d, (or e,e,d for 3 strings). You now have key of A dorian starting atthe 4th fret The end of a chopstick makes a good reverse capo(the term 'false nut' is probably a better description).

Ahh... I see that you can tune up to e with your strings so simply tune to e,e,d,d. If you have a 6+ this tuning will also give you key of A mixolidian for tunes like Old Joe Clark, June Apple etc as well astunes in A minor such as Frosty Morning, Shady Grove, Cluck Old Hen etc

Galax players often play overtwo 5th drones rather than root drones.