Forum Activity for @b-ross-ashley

That is so pretty! I can't wait to hear yours.

They're pretty cool at FOTMG, but we're MUCH cooler at FOTMD!

Macy Jayne said:

Wow, I just joined FOTMG yesterday and I'm truly amazed and see that is a very special group of people!

Wow, I just joined FOTMG yesterday and I'm truly amazed and see that is a very special group of people!

Val and Brian- wonderful sentiments and thoughts- they really hit home and are so true.

John Henry, I plan to get in a little epinette practice this afternoon- after I work on some machinery valve drawings for a few hours (um, gotta make a living too!). It's an exciting new challenge for me, since I think I need to develop a new method of 'attack' more in keeping with its epinette-ish charms.

What a fantastic gift and thank you from John Henry. I realized right away that this was a very special community of people as soon as I joined, and this gift to you is, in one sense, a gift to all of us. Thank you, Stumelia, for making such a great place available to us, and thank you, John, for this wonderful example of generosity and kindness.

Best wishes to all for a wonderful new year.

Kind regards,

Brian

Thanks folks, this site (and the people on it) has provided me with a lot of pleasure these last two years, impossible to 'shake everyone's hand' so to speak, so something made from reclaimed timber to the originator of FOTMD hopefully fits the bill, particularly if she shares it with us all, lol !

John

That's a nice christmas gift. Enjoy your new Epinette!

Lovely! What a fun surprise :)

Best wishes,

Mary Z Cox

www.maryzcox.com

If that don't prove there is a Santa Claus, what will? His spirit moves people to do special things, even if you don't see him. The story is almost as much fun as the gift, ain't it?

Paul

Wayne Anderson said:

What a great gift for the Queen Bee of FOTMD. When are we going to hear it sign, Lisa?

John, very thoughtful of you.

Such a wonderful gift and I visited some of the tunes I had not heard John Henry play earlier...thanks for making the references...but what a lovely tribute you made to his gift with those beautiful photographs. Stunning!

Yes John Henry is indeed a very special man.

I did indeed wait until Christmas morning to open the package! It was a real surprise because the shipping tube looked like it might contain a mouth bow or a violin bow or something- there is NO WAY an epinette could have fit into a cardboard shipping tube that slender....and yet it did! Even now I would never imagine it could fit back into that tube. I was totally amazed.

Benjamin- yes, I do feel very blessed in so many ways...and very grateful too.

Bobby, John Henry has special powers-- he would've known if Strumelia had opened that package!

Strumelia, I don't have to tell you you've got a treasure. And John Henry is a jewel.

Wow that is a special gift! Awesome

Bobby, you are just plain naughty. Brian would have known, and of course I would have known!

Bobby Ratliff said:

Congrats to you! John.......... that was mighty kind of ya!

But I have to say............ I wouldn't have waited! I woulda opened that package! I mean......... who woulda known?

One of the things I love about our little community here is how John Henry has endeared himself...to all of us.....

That is really cool! John Henry has outdone himself, but I can't imagine a more worthy recipient. Congratulations on your wonderful surprise!

What a wonderful gift. You are so blessed.

Well I just have to relate the extra special Christmas gift I received this morning...

About 10 days ago a Mystery Package arrived in the mail for me, a long thin sturdy mailing tube with no return address except for a rather cryptic customs stamp and the name "Musical Novelties Company". It also had a warning to not open til Dec 25th, so I just had to wait, wondering.

Finally Christmas morning arrived today!

The generosity and thoughtfulness that went into this gift is overwhelming. I'm still not quite sure it's really real! I hope I will be able to do it justice.

Fotmd member John Henry sent me an epinette des Vosges that he made. !!

He remembered how I had talked of wanting to get an epinette a year or so back, and he knew I admired his skills in both making and playing his own epinettes. How incredibly kind and sweet of him to send such a wonderful gift. It's hard to express how delighted, amazed, and humbled I feel. But I know I will enjoy learning to play some simple folk tunes and hymns on it, and it is already cherished. I will definitely post a video of my humble attempts on it in a week or two once I get used to playing it...though I cannot hope to play it as skillfully as John Henry has in his videos! But I'll play it in my own way as best I can!

It's so dainty , I've never played such a pretty little dulcimer-thing before!

Despite it's diminutive size, it has a very resonant bright voice- it really really makes me think of sleigh bells jingling through the cold sparkling crisp snow. So festive and cheerful! I feel like i'm in a Dickens story, receiving such a lovely gift. So unexpected.

John Henry, I just don't have adequate words to thank you for this precious instrument.

Here is our kitty Sheba and also myself getting to know our beautiful new epinette des Vosges this Christmas morning 2011!:

Here are some of John Henry's videos of him playing the epinettes he makes, he plays them so very beautifully, who could not succumb to their charms? :

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/a-french-waltz

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/good-king-wencelas-1-12-2011-wmv

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/mingulay-boat-song-1

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/the-gloucestershire-wassail

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/trial-run

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/video/bouree-caree-de-st-chartier

Congrats on making your order with Nic. You'll really enjoy it, I'm sure. When I ordered mine, he had to box it and ship it half-way around the world to the tiny island I was living on in the Pacific.

Yes I can see this might get addicting! They are so beautiful, and unlike piano's it is easy to find a place to put them!

Barbara Pak said:

Wonderful Vivian! I can't wait to see the photos! That sounds exactly like what I'd like to have too!

Congratulations, Vivian. Those concert dulcimers of his sure look beautiful. So many dulcimers, so little time. . .

I got a hourglass concert...that's what he called it anyway...he had a beautiful teardrop, but I seem to be drawn to the hourglass...I wanted dark walnut bottom and told him to pick whatever he thought was best for the soundboard. I love the look of the ebony fretboard too. I am soo excited to see it. Anyway, I have a piano and a hammered dulcimer to keep me busy in the meantime...@Strumalia...I have braces on my teeth, so some instruments are out! I have been attempting to learn the bagpipes as well, but with these braces it is just impossible...oh well, a year or two from now will just have to do. In the meantime, I can get into the hammered dulcimer, and read up on the mountain dulcimer. I will send photos when I get it.

This is probably not the thread to post this on, but I am looking for an arrangement of Carol of the Bells for either hammered dulcimer or mountain dulcimer. I saw it played on You Tube and the player said it was arranged by Bill Flanagan...can't find anything on it online. If you have info on where I might find it I would really appreciate it. Thanks!

Vivian, that's very exciting- congratulations! Maybe you can get a jaw harp, limberjack, or harmonica to keep you busy and distracted during the wait. I highly recommend such diversions!

I am soo excited...I just ordered my dulcimer from Nic Hambas, and also some instruction books and a CD from Larkins Dulcimer..what wonderful friendly people! I will now have to wait a few months to get it, but will spend my time listening to tunes and reading, so I should be able to stand the wait!

Hi Gary...you can pull up several videos on You Tube...just do a search under Nic Hambas...he plays several different instruments that he builds...really pretty!

Garey McAnally said:

I just looked at his website www.hambasdulcimers.com What a beautiful dulcimer ! He appears to be a gifted luthier. I would love to hear one of his dulcimers. The sound is the MOST important thing. It would really help if an experienced dulcimer player could help you (especially during the 1 week examination period he gives). Hope youfind a wonderful new instrument to enjoy on this journey.

I checked out his site he does make some beautiful instruments.

Thanks, yes I have to agree it is very beautiful and t would be best if I could hear it first, but there are no builders, much less players that I have been able to locate in my area, so I am just having to go by the recommendations of more experienced players that I can access online...He has been around building for a long time, and I got his name from several different sources, so maybe it will be really great...I wrote to him but haven't had a reply yet...the Holidays and all...Thanks for your response and good wishes!

Vivian, I own dulcimers by different builders. The builders, in no particular order: Jerry Rockwell, Paul Conrad (Timbre Hill), Gary Sager, the Bakers (Blue Lion), Keith Young, and Rodney Hensley. As for my instruments-- I love 'em all. And there are several more builders who make fine instruments. (In the mountain dulcimer world we're most fortunate because there are many good builders; one not need spend $$$$ to get a good, playable instrument. To me, my dulcimers are worth more than they cost.) Though each of my instruments has a different sound, they share one very important quality: they're set-up to play easily. What one is looking for in the sound of an instrument is highly subjective, though.

Happy looking!

Your right Ken everyone thinks there child(dulcimer) is the most beautiful to look at and listen to.Singing there praises to High Heaven.(like me) You really have to get out there and try some for yourself to see what you like. Touch and feel them and listen to them yourself to get a idea of what you want. You can listen to someone sing the praises of a builder all day long but it might not sound that good to your ear. Each person has his own preferences and hands on is the best way to chose what is best for you.

I got on here singing the praises of my kids(dulcimers) LOL when to some they might be or sound ugly as(Homemade sin) as my mamaw used to say.

Welcome Vivian;

Everyone is going to tell you that the one they have is the best, whoever the builder is.

I will only say that I've been playing for nearly 40 years, and when I finally got around to having a custom dulcimer made, back in 2006, it was Nik Hambas that I commissioned to make it for me. You can see at least a bit of Sea Eagle in my avatar photo.

Truth be told, I personally think that buying a fancy, expensive instrument right out of the gate, isn't such a good idea, but that's just my opinion, and you obviously think differently. Dulcimers are not like guitars or mandolins or violins, etc. There are some passable instruments out there that are "gratuitously" expensive. There are some great instruments that are moderately priced. There are some pretty instruments being passed as good whether or not they are fine players.

Caveat Emptor is what I'm trying to say. If you don't know what goes into making what you think of as a good instrument, it can be easy to make expensive mistakes. What makes a good instrument can't even really be determined until you've played for a year or so and decided what style of playing you want to take up and what sorts of music you want to play.

I have a Modern Mountain that has a wonderful sound and sustain they are great instruments. Also Bill Rich in Tenn make a beautiful sounding dulcimer. Someone on hear had a Blue Lion for sale a couple of days ago for a good price. I am not that experienced a player but I know what sounds good. Nice to meet you and hope you enjoy the site.

Hi. I am new (today) to this site, but have been investigating some dulcimer builders for a several weeks now and searching for insight and opinions on them, as well as the things that I need to know before purchasing one of these lovely instruments. I am a complete novice and want to buy a good instrument, one that will be great as a I progress as a player. I have several other types of instruments and really think that getting the best instrument you can find is a sound (haha) decision, as well as investment.

Among the many I have been looking at Blue Lion, McSpadden, and Bear Meadow come up often as highly recommended, (among a long list of others) but I am really looking at Nic Hambus. I think they look so beautiful, but I am wondering if I can get any input from experienced players as to the instruments he builds. I am so new that I feel I don't know the questions to ask, much less the specs to specify in building an instrument, so that I must to a degree rely upon the builder to give me the best choices...any input on this? I recently had a James Jones hammered dulcimer built, and it is really a wonderful instrument, so I had good success there, but I want to try a different builder for this instrument.

I would appreciate any input that more experienced players might be able to give...realizing, of course that many aspects of my question are subjective, still, experience is valuable, and that is why I am asking! Thanks, Vivian

Merry Christmas Rod

It doesn't seem like 3 years.

Dave

Bobby, that's a beautiful thought.

Gone but never forgotten.

Just about two years ago I returned home from hospital after heart surgery to find a package from Rod, his book ! Plus the news that he was no longer with us ! I miss him, for his forbearance , infinate patience, and willingness to guide !!! On here and on 'Paltalk', he helped me (my abysmal knowledge of things 'computer' is long standing) and in the early days of this treasure that is FOTMD he was a presence ! As Lisa has said, always remembered !

JohnH

Every Christmas day I envision Rod playing his dulcimers and sharing his knowledge and wonderful enthusiasm with others. 'Deputy Mo', we will always remember you so fondly!