Forum Activity for @strumelia

When glancing at this thread while passing by, I didn't realize that Kathy doesn't live in the US. We Americans are rather clueless about making such assumptions. My apologies!!

Blue Lion dulcimers have an excellent reputation here in the US. Whatever dulcimer you might get from them Kathy is sure to be very well made, will have a good sound and be smooth to play, and will retain its value for resale as well.

I'm not really sure what makes the jean Ritchie model different from Blue Lion's other models though.

Are you choosing the Jean R. model for a particular reason?- to fill a particular playing need, or just because you like the looks of it? (either are good reasons of course).

Is there anything unusual about your playing style or your situation that effects your playing choices? things like arthritis, tiny hands, wanting to play chords or not, whether you play with a noter, etc?

Do you know how long a scale (VSL) the Jean Ritchie model has? That could be an important thing, depending.

Kathy,

I own a Blue Lion Jean Ritchie model. I, luckily, came by it used though in like-new condition. And the instrument was a custom order so is not exactly what you will see on the Blue Lion website. I play noter-drone style music on it and like its ease of play. For fit and finish, the quality of the instrument is very very good.

A photo of my BLJRitchie dulcimer can be seen here:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/photo/blue-lion-jean-ritchie-model?context=user

The dulcimer can be seen & heard on the videos of Old Joe Clark , Spotted Pony , and Arkansas Traveler from my FOTMD page here:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profile/RobinThompson

Hope this helps, Kathy! If you have specific questions, I'm happy to answer them as best as I can.

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

My do-over would be to not drop my violin lessons. I really should have stuck with it, but I was very immature and did not practice.

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Makes yer dulcimer kinda soggy doesn't it?

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It's not the destination that matters, it's the journey. I have been playing guitar since 1966, and there still isn't time to learn all the songs I want to learn. Dividing my time among several instruments doesn't make it simpler, but even if I concentrated on one, there are always new things to learn.Just enjoy every minute of it.

Paul

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Your comment really strikes home with me. I will never be an accomplished player ... but ... I am learning to strum just the melody to some songs I like. If I don't progress any farther, I can at least enjoy the music I CAN make on my dulcimer. I'm happy with that.

folkfan said:

I wish I'd discovered the dulcimer earlier since it is an instrument that I can play in spite of the way my brain is wired. In grade school, I pretty much gave up on the idea of actually learning to play an instrument and now there isn't enough time to learn all the songs I'd like to learn, but I do enjoy what I have learned.

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I wish I'd discovered the dulcimer earlier since it is an instrument that I can play in spite of the way my brain is wired. In grade school, I pretty much gave up on the idea of actually learning to play an instrument and now there isn't enough time to learn all the songs I'd like to learn, but I do enjoy what I have learned.

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I wish I had started singing out loud when I started playing dulcimer 35+ years ago; rather than singing internally for 25 or 30 years first!

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Had a crushed larynx in my 20's. Voice has been all over the place since. One day I have a whisper, next gravely, next very high... once in a great while ... deep, rich and not at all bad to listen to, just can't count on it to get all the way through a song ... but brother ... 'emme tell you what ... I'm whistlin' FOOL ! ! !

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I had a thing called Singers Node, which is a tear in a vocal chord. Caused by over stressing the vocal chord, without a proper warm up. In my case, our girls were small, and delighted to hear Dad sing about Little Red Riding Hood. They especially liked the Big Bad Wolf howling parts.Until it caught up with me. One thing I was told was you need to warm up your voice like an athlete warms up their muscles before running, or whatever. Singers node makes it hard to hit the high notes, and gives you a really raspy voice, VERY much like Louis Armstrong. I have often wondered if he had it, and was stuck with it. In my case, it was repaired with a laser surgery. That was a 20-something years ago. Here's some info on warm ups :

http://www.nyee.edu/pdf/voice-vocal-warm-ups.pdf

Paul

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thanks for the encouragement, Mary Z! When I was young, singing came more naturally. Now, I could have a cheap vocal coach if I'd just take the trouble to record myself singing-- when I listen to a recording I can hear when I got flat. On the one hand, I'm grateful I can tell that I'm flat. On the other hand. . . I've got no voice to sing lead yet used to be a decent harmony singer.

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Believe it or not--I've actually "done over" my biggest musical do over--and found it's never too late to do it over. :)

When I was younger, I mistakenly felt that you could only have one good banjo or one good dulcimer at a time.

I wish now that I had just gone ahead and bought every banjo or dulcimer that appealed to me, brought it home, played it, enjoyed it, and just laughed about all the fun it is to just buy any old instrument you want and not feel guilty.

I used to feel that I didn't deserve a bunch of beautiful instruments--but now I don't feel that way anymore. Instrument builders don't build them for folks as rewards--they build them for folks who will play them and enjoy them. :)

And yes--it's wonderful to have the instruments you really want to play.

The other thing that I have "done over" is that it is okay to just let an instrument "go" to someone else. I've sold and given away and traded perfectly good instruments because sometimes it just seems that the new person and that instrument are right for each other now. And it isn't painful and I've never felt any regret.

That "do over" started with a man who just called me up and told me he had been wanting to buy my old bass for over 30 years and it was never for sale and he was wondering if I might finally sell it to him. I almost said no just on a reflex--but stopped--and glanced over at that bass--standing in a corner--with a light coat of dust--and it looked kind of sad--so I said "okay--why not?" I gave him a fair price--he came and got that bass the next day--took it directly to a job in a chicken wire bar--they looked so happy together and I never missed it once!

Best wishes,

Mary Z. Cox

www.maryzcox.com

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Robin,

You can still sing--but you have to approach it as another instrument. I recently heard Joan Baez on NPR and she said that although she was able to "just sing" and sound wonderful when she was young--as she has got older--she has a voice coach and does voice exercises everyday just to be able to maintain some pitch, tone, and volume.

If professional singers have to do all this to keep up their voices--regular singers most definitely would also have to exercise and train to keep up their voices too. :)

Best wishes,

Mary Z. Cox

www.maryzcox.com

Robin Thompson said:

As a teenager I sang a lot and have sung very little as an adult. I wish I would've kept singing because it's fun and I can read music for singing. My ear for singing is no longer good. I go flat a lot, doggone it.

PS-(I can't sight read for playing dulcimer-- either mountain or bowed. Wish I could. Though I am glad I can play by ear.)

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

As a teenager I sang a lot and have sung very little as an adult. I wish I would've kept singing because it's fun and I can read music for singing. My ear for singing is no longer good. I go flat a lot, doggone it.

PS-(I can't sight read for playing dulcimer-- either mountain or bowed. Wish I could. Though I am glad I can play by ear.)

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Dorene I wish I had had you as a teacher my life might be completely different now. I might have been a headliner in Vagas! LOL Really I wish I had been incouraged in stead of discouraged. You sound like a great teacher.
OH and one more thing I had a senior moment Ms. Nimix was my home ec. teacher sorry Ms. Nimmix. Ms. Gilkey was the music teacher. I can't believe I did that.
Dorene Dennie said:

I teach choir in a middle school...I once had a girl who passionately loved to sing and was completely off pitch and loud. What an opportunity! I will make this short, but it is a long story. Bottom line is that I worked with her a lot and within a few months, she was finding pitches. By the end of two years, she went to our state's solo/ensemble competition and got gold...in the highest division. A teacher had told her to give up music before she got to me, but she didn't listen. I'm sure she's out there today somewhere and singing every day. I'm glad you found the music in your life again!! No one should ever take that from someone...especially not a music teacher!

As far as what I would do different...I wish I would have had the opportunity to learn to play by ear. I am classically trained, but I'm launching an adventure in folk music to see if I can reclaim my natural abilities to play by ear. It was pounded out of me from the very beginning. I am grateful for my career in music, but I'm also excited about exporing this whole new approach!!

Dana R. McCall said:

When I was in Jr High I wanted to be in the chorous ok I no spelling sorry. I loved to sit in my room and sing along to the little GE record player mom had gotten me. So when in music class (Ms. Nimmix) the baine of my existance said there were going to be tryouts I was thrilled. She had us all line up and we were to sing a song can't remember what, as she walked along and sorted us in to different groups alto, suprano, tenor or whatever. I was whatever. She kept moving me from one end to the other and back again. I have the same prob today changing keys to much starting in one and jumping to another. Finally she threw the hands up and gave up on me. She said in front of everyone she just didn't think music was my thing. I was devestated. I really did give up on music didn't even listen to the radio much. My kids would get mad because I didnt like to listen while I was driving in the car. Then I found the Mt. Dulcimer Music is once more the happiness in my life. The kids get upset now because they can't shut me up. LOL Ms. Nimmix

Sorry forgot the point. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't have listened to Ms. Nimmix and give up I'd kept on then till I found my nitch . Never give up!

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

In the words of John Lee Hooker," Let that boy boogie-woogie. It's in him, and it's got to come out!"

I hate to see see someone stifle another person's creativity. My brother tried hard to play trumpet in school, but gave it up when told his mouth wasn't shaped right. The teacher told him he could do well if he put the effort he was making into a clarinet or sax. He had no interest in those, so he stopped music altogether. But he can imitate a trumpet with his mouth, so how wrong could it be?

Paul

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

If I had it to do over again, as a girl i would have chosen to take violin in school instead of 'cello. Then i probably wouldn't have had to sell it when I moved so often- I could have taken a little violin with me easily and continued playing instead of selling my cello at age 22 and then not playing any music at all for years. Playing violin also would have enabled me to transition into old-time music as a fiddler pretty well. :) As it turned out, I sort of came into old-time music through the back door, the l-o-n-g way around instead, through mandolin, banjo, and dulcimer.

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Since it's only been a very few months ... that's easy. I would have started asking questions sooner here at FOTMD. I knew so little that it was difficult to even ask anything. I still don't know much, but I do know to go ahead and ask and then we'll work it out in the ensuing discussions.

That would be my advice to any one new to music, the mountain dulcimer or FOTMD.

Sam

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

When I was in Jr High I wanted to be in the chorous ok I no spelling sorry. I loved to sit in my room and sing along to the little GE record player mom had gotten me. So when in music class (Ms. Nimmix) the baine of my existance said there were going to be tryouts I was thrilled. She had us all line up and we were to sing a song can't remember what, as she walked along and sorted us in to different groups alto, suprano, tenor or whatever. I was whatever. She kept moving me from one end to the other and back again. I have the same prob today changing keys to much starting in one and jumping to another. Finally she threw the hands up and gave up on me. She said in front of everyone she just didn't think music was my thing. I was devestated. I really did give up on music didn't even listen to the radio much. My kids would get mad because I didnt like to listen while I was driving in the car. Then I found the Mt. Dulcimer Music is once more the happiness in my life. The kids get upset now because they can't shut me up. LOL Ms. Nimmix

Sorry forgot the point. If I could do it all over again I wouldn't have listened to Ms. Nimmix and give up I'd kept on then till I found my nitch . Never give up!

My biggest 'do-over' wish in learning music

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I often think about things I might have done differently over the years if I could start to learn to play music all over again from the beginning.

I don't mean the most obvious thing of "I wish i had started playing music earlier in my life"- that's too easy.

I mean something like "I wish I had gotten a guitar instead of that flute I started on", or "I wish I had joined that choir in school like I had wanted to", or "I wish I hadn't listened to that teacher", or "I should have bought that accordion!" (ok maybe not that one...lol!)

There are doubtless also some of us who would not wish to have done anything differently at all!

What would you do differently now if you could go back in time to when you started playing music?

updated by @strumelia: 08/03/23 05:31:41PM

Tuning to the CGC tuning will also give your dulcimer a very pretty warm tone which sounds nice against a voice too.

I usually keep one dulcimer in this tuning just for some singing. :)

Best wishes,

Mary Z. Cox

www.maryzcox.com

As for your tuner, in the USA, the standard for A is 440. Not all countries use this standard. When playing with other people, this ensures that your notes will match theirs. Any where in the US A is 440, so we all can play together. If you play in other countries, you reset the tuner to that country's standard.

Paul

Check out Laura Elders Video on here of The Blackest Crow that is being played AEA on her baritone.

Charles E. Jones said:

Hello Dana,

I haven't been anywhere yet where I could hear different dulcimers. I have read some about the barritones. I'd like to hear one. I hope to make it up to Black Mountain or Boone NC soon and visit the shops there. Thanks for the info.

Dana R. McCall said:

Charles my group plays everything in CGC you play it just like DAD tab. Chords are all the same. If you really sing low you might want to get you a baritone dulcimer later. You can tune to AEA it is really low and mellow. Some dulicmers you can put heavier strings on and tune to AEA . AEA plays just like DAD and CGC DAD tab works for each of these tunings.

Charles E. Jones said:

Thanks. Are you able to play everything in CGC that you could play in DAD?

folkfan said:

I'm with everyone else on this. For singing go lower. CGc would be only one step down from your DAd tuning, and does make for easier singing. I don't even tune up to D anymore as I always want to sing with my instrument. I'm in CGG or lower for everything.

FINALLY I am receiving the recognition I deserve.

Strumelia said:

Thanks. Are you able to play everything in CGC that you could play in DAD?

Yes. Just tune down to CGC and pretend you are still in DAd. (Just remember you are now playing in the key of C- in case you ever want to play with others this will make a difference.)

Sam says:

I too know more less.

Well Sam, you know what the definition of an expert is:

Someone who knows more and more about less and less until finally they know everything about nothing.

Thanks. Are you able to play everything in CGC that you could play in DAD?

Yes. Just tune down to CGC and pretend you are still in DAd. (Just remember you are now playing in the key of C- in case you ever want to play with others this will make a difference.)

Sam says:

I too know more less.

Well Sam, you know what the definition of an expert is:

Someone who knows more and more about less and less until finally they know everything about nothing.

With the dulcimer and modal tunings, you can play any tune using the same note relationship. A DAd tuning is a 1-5-8 relationship. The 1 is the first note of the scale (a D), the 5 is the 5th note of the scale (an A/as in DEF#GA) and the 8 is the octave higher d or the 8th note of the octave (DEF#GABC#d). Any other 1-5-8 tuning is played with the same tablature and fingering. CGc, AEa, GDg, EBe are the keys of C,A,G, and E in a 1-5-8 tuning. This tuning is commonly called Mixolydian mode, which isn't quite accurate as many Ionian mode tunes are played in this tuning as well.

I use a CGG which is an Ionian mode tuning. The note relationship of this tuning is 1-5-5 with the melody string being tuned to the same note that the middle string is tuned to. The scale starts at the third fret and I would use DAA tab not DAd. DAA, CGG, GDD, AEE, EBB are all 1-5-5 tunings in the Ionian mode (no half frets used).

A simple example of the difference in the two tunings is Brother John. In a 1-5-5 tuning, I'd play 3453, 3453, 567,567, 787653, 787653, 303, 303.

In a 1-5-8 tuning I'd play 0120, 0120, 234,234, 454320, 454320, 0-0middle-0, 0-0middle-0.

In either tuning (CGG, or CGc) I'd be playing exactly the same notes CDEC, CDEC, DEF, DEF, FGFEDC, FGFEDC, etc.

The only tunes that I can't play when tuned in CGG are true Mixolydian mode tunes with a flatted 7th note of the scale and are played on the 6th fret (NOT the 6+) in a 1-5-8 tuning. Old Joe Clark is an example of a true Mixolydian tune. It has to be played in a 1-5-8 tuning and uses the 6th fret. The only difference is between the Mixolydian scale and the Ionian scale is that one flatted note. That's why so many tunes are now tabbed in DAd, as you can play two different modes with the same tuning since most modern dulcimers have 6 and 6+ frets which gives you the correct note for either scale.

Charles E. Jones said:

Thanks. Are you able to play everything in CGC that you could play in DAD?

folkfan said:

I'm with everyone else on this. For singing go lower. CGc would be only one step down from your DAd tuning, and does make for easier singing. I don't even tune up to D anymore as I always want to sing with my instrument. I'm in CGG or lower for everything.

Charles my group plays everything in CGC you play it just like DAD tab. Chords are all the same. If you really sing low you might want to get you a baritone dulcimer later. You can tune to AEA it is really low and mellow. Some dulicmers you can put heavier strings on and tune to AEA . AEA plays just like DAD and CGC DAD tab works for each of these tunings.

Charles E. Jones said:

Thanks. Are you able to play everything in CGC that you could play in DAD?

folkfan said:

I'm with everyone else on this. For singing go lower. CGc would be only one step down from your DAd tuning, and does make for easier singing. I don't even tune up to D anymore as I always want to sing with my instrument. I'm in CGG or lower for everything.

Dear Charles;

I too know more less. And Lisa has NEVER seen me dance! Welcome to FOTMD.

Sam

I'm with everyone else on this. For singing go lower. CGc would be only one step down from your DAd tuning, and does make for easier singing. I don't even tune up to D anymore as I always want to sing with my instrument. I'm in CGG or lower for everything.

HI Charles,

As per you being the village idiot, may I point out the old Japanese proverb:

We are fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance!

I always liked that one.

you are not the only person to find it difficult to sing in the key of D.

My first recommendation is to simply tune your dulcimer down one whole step on every string, from DAd to CGC. That way you will be in the key of C instead of D. See if this solves those few highest singing notes for you. A lot of people play and tune their dulcimers in the key of C. It will not present any problem at all unless you are trying to play with others who are in the key of D.

If that's still too high for your voice, we can get you into the key of G instead and have you sing in the lower octave. This would be 3 whole steps lower than D. But try simply tuning down to the key of C for now- that might be all you need. It's easy to tune one step DOWN on every string to CGC from DAd!

Hello Dennis, for what it is worth I have posted a few 'constructional' details on this site of a TBM I made last year, shown in some of my photos, with additional comments contained in a couple of blogs. Also put up a couple of Vids of it being played. Glad to help if I can?

JohnH

I'm a computer idiot and it's mostly dumb luck that I can do anything with the machine that turns out okay.

We're patient here, Dennis.

When they got us voice mail at work, I told my boss he was going to have a parade of body men using his phone to check for messages. He told us we had to do that at home, and I told him my rotary phone wouldn't do that. For 3 or 4 years afterwards, I was assumed to be living at Green Acres, and having to climb the pole to answer or make calls.I don't have much confuster knowledge either. When the library got computers and gave up the microfilm catalogs, I was lost for a long time. My wife would send one of the daughters to "Go get your Father out of trouble." She finally dragged me, kicking and fighting, into the 20th century just as it was ending. I can sympathize, I still don't know how to work the darn things.

But it's true, we all like to drool over each others new toys, and even more so, to hear how they sound. When you're ready.

Paul

Hey, Dennis, I didn't own a cell phone until my parents bought me one for my fiftieth birthday! And I didn't want it then-- forget it most of the time when I leave the house. (We don't get cell service here at the house but do when I walk out into Wayne National Forest about a mile's trek or so from the house. For fun, I've take my cell phone with me to call my parents from out in the woods. )

Dennis,

Paul's right-- we love to see stuff!

Since you're new to dulcimers, we won't insist on an immediate video, but patience will only last so long!

Have fun learning.

Paul

Dennis,

In the years I've been involved with mountain dulcimer, I've seen nothing but praise from folks who have gotten Dave's Student Model. In the dulcimer world, there are a few makers who offer entry-level instruments that would put instruments of other types costing a lot more to shame.

Enjoy your Sweet Woods!

PS-Dave's a nice guy, too!

updated by @robin-thompson: 02/13/16 08:53:46PM

Jouhikko/Tagelharpa

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

Today I had lots of fun buying a new bow for my two tagelharpas. Yes, I've decided to call them by their Swedish name, tagelharpa (which means tail-harp) rather than their Finnish name jouhikko, because I found that NOBODY could remember the name jouhikko. So now I'm calling them 'tagelharpas' which my friends seem much better able to pronounce and remember. I also like that it means 'tail harp', after the strings made from twisted horse hair.

Anyway, the two bows that came with my tagelharpas were becoming a little problematic for me- one was too small and lightweight ...skittered around and didn't give me a hearty tone. The other, which looked cool because it was made from a bent stick bark and all...gave a good tone but was a little too heavy- difficult to be agile with it when playing.

I went to my local music store and was able to try out about 7 bows for cellos and for violas- full sized ones and half sized ones, etc. None of them were very high quality or expensive, but that was fine- I was just looking for a good weight bow I could work with better than my current ones. I had also been borrowing an old cheap fiddle bow from Brian, but that was too light and a little too long again. that told me I should maybe look at the viola and cello bows.

After spending 45 minutes rosining and trying the bows back and forth in the music store, trying them on my tagelharpa (much to the amusement of the various teenage electric guitar customers coming and going).... I found the nicest feeling one with the best tone of the bunch was a full sized viola bow. There were two of them for sale- for $80 and $40, and oddly i liked the feel and tone of the $40 one better. It was made in China. I know it's not a very good bow, but it's a step up from what i've been using!

So I went home with a new bow to practice with, it was quite exciting for me!

I had been shamefully neglecting my tagelharpas over the past 2 months, but for the past two weeks I've plunged back into practicing them again. I found that changing my practice time from evening to morning really helped me, as too often in the evening I was simply too tired mentally to want to get practicing. It seems more inspiring and fresh somehow in the morning, so that change is helping me to better stick with it and progress.

I also ordered a book and CD of simple Finnish kantele tunes which are specifically for the 5 string kantele and will likely be perfectly suited to the tagelharpa which is based upon a 5 or 6 note note scale.

I am very slowly making progress. But more importantly, I am still really loving playing this instrument even though it's a great deal of work and a huge challenge for me.

Jouhikko/Tagelharpa

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

Thanks guys! Yes randy, I shouldn't apologize so much- after all it does sound not so bad for only playing a month. I'll try to stop groveling!

robin, this instrument is really designed to play a drone constantly. I'm not so sure bowed dulcimer is, so it's possible you may well have to work harder than me to get the same drone effect.
Randy Adams said:

....what's Brian think of it? Does he offer a few pointers?....or disappear with the cats?... : ).....

Jouhikko/Tagelharpa

Adventures with 'other' instruments...

Lisa!!! You've been holding out on us. Doggies, that sounded good!

I can't for the life of me bow a decent drone on my bowed dulcimers on any consistent basis. For my own amusement, I'll keep trying, though.