Forum Activity for @folkfan

A copy of this post is also found on Everything Dulcimer. Please excuse the repetition.

On the eve of Thanksgiving and the coldest day of the year so far in Northern California, while chopping vegetables in preparation for tomorrow's feast, I watched my daughter sitting on our couch in between my parents as the three of them wrote the fifth or sixth chapter of what has become an on-going story about two families of grasshoppers who learned to put aside their differences and get along together. The joy they all obviously felt in their collaboration, though, pales in comparison with the joy I felt observing it. Indeed, my family is healthy and we have many relatives and friends to be thankful for.

But I am also thankful for all of you.

With the exception of one day in July 2009 when I attended the Redwood Dulcimer Day, my entire dulcimer experience has been digital. I first discovered the instrument in a YouTube video by Stephen Seifert, I located a luthier online and contacted him via email, and I learned my first half-dozen songs by copying YouTube videos. Other than that one day in Santa Cruz, the only dulcimer I've ever heard live has been my own, and I know no one in my "real" life who plays.

But here I am, over 18 months after obtaining my first dulcimer. I still play as often as work and family allow, and I am still enthusiastic about the instrument.

The fact that I am still so excited about playing this instrument is certainly due in large part to the support and camaraderie I've discovered at ED and FOTMD. These two websites have remained an important part of my dulcimer life for the last year and without all of your friendly and supportive enthusiasm, I don't know whether I would still be playing the dulcimer. I would like to think my love for the instrument is genuine and would have lasted anyway, but I don't know whether I would have continued to study the instrument if I had no one to share that interest with.

So I say to you all, thank you. You have helped sustain a joy in my life that I hold precious.

I do indeed hope one day to meet many of you in person, but even if that day never happens, I will always be thankful for the interactions we've had online.

And no, I'm not crying; I've just been chopping onions.

Furman Thornton dulcimer from 2002

Upper bout

Lower bout

I have Blair 285

Mark Jones said:

Check out more Mark Blair Dulcimers online at www.markblairdulcimers.com and also see the Facebook page forMark Blair Dulcimers. My name is Mark, I was named after Mark Blair, he was my Uncle. I hadn't tracked down #290 yet!

Dave shattuck said:

I just bought this on eBay, and I am thrilled. It was built by Mark Blair, #290. He made around 600+. All walnut I believe. These holes he uses are patented. Also the Smithsonian bought one of his dulcimers

Eastern Kingbirds. These were the first sound holes I ever cut.

So many different sound holes designs, mine also now.

yes, very nice

Dana R. McCall said:

I love natural knot holes for sound holes and have several dulcimers that way. I don't think it make any difference in the sound they are just pretty.

My neighbor just gave me #285 for FREE!

Dave shattuck said:

I just bought this on eBay, and I am thrilled. It was built by Mark Blair, #290. He made around 600+. All walnut I believe. These holes he uses are patented. Also the Smithsonian bought one of his dulcimers

I just bought this on eBay, and I am thrilled. It was built by Mark Blair, #290. He made around 600+. All walnut I believe. These holes he uses are patented. Also the Smithsonian bought one of his dulcimers

Sharon, I like your instruments/sound-holes, especially the Scheitholt!

Sharon Setzer said:

I have hummingbirds, circles, and f/Celtic knot sound holes.

John D Hedrick said:

I like your designs. Do you use ink or burner for the outlines?

Jack Ferguson said: I wood-burn the design.

Nice rosettes, John. I've found my "blossom" designs to be popular.

Nice rosettes, John. I've found my "blossom" designs to be popular.

Nice rosettes, John. I've found my "blossom" designs to be popular.

So now I can contribute something to this interesting thread as well...

These are the soundholes of my modified Cedar Creek kit dulcimer. I drilled them myself yesterday. A simple, timeless design made with three wood drills of 6, 12 and 18 mm (about 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 inches).

Hi Robert,

the "diamond" pattern on those psalteries look great!

Here are some of my psaltery sound holes. The diamond pattern I got off a psaltery web site long ago sorry I don;t remember who's. I enjoy making this pattern with a 3/8" wood file. The hummingbird came about after I inlaid a hummer marquaty on a cedar top... Bob.

Here's a few from my dulcimers. The top one is from my first dulcimer, which was made in Scotland in the mid 1980s. Next one down is from a David Beede "eedy beedy" dulcimer and the last two from my Ken Bloom 5 string

Cool, thanks!

Barbara P said:

Mandy, take a look at this paper written on the Huntington dulcimer. The inverted hearts have a meaning (or more than one meaning). Here's the link:

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/forum/topics/huntington-dulcimer-r...

Hmm ok thanks Strumelia. Guess it's just me, I also wonder about why lots of banjo's have stars on them. They sure are nice no matter what the holes are. LOL

Mandy, if you look through books with photos of pre-1940 dulcimers, you'll see all kinds of shaped sound holes- circles, half moons, S shaped, F clefs, diamonds, tiny holes drilled in various patterns, hearts, and various other interesting designs. The Kentucky hourglass dulcimers do seem to have more hearts than old dulcimers of other body shapes from other regions, but overall in pre-revival dulcimers there are more round sound holes by far than any other shape.

Mandy said:

Great thread here! Can someone tell my why traditional dulcimers seem to all have the heart sound holes? Mine does and most I've seen do as well. Someone enlighten me please. Thanks in advance.

...because hearts are traditional???

Great thread here! Can someone tell my why traditional dulcimers seem to all have the heart sound holes? Mine does and most I've seen do as well. Someone enlighten me please. Thanks in advance.

birds of prey

That's a poplar top. Some poplars develop the most amazing colors. Something about the soil that they grow in, I believe. Had a top once that went from cream yellow green blue purple red to brown. Called that instrument, "Joseph's coat".

carol anderson said:

Nice looking dulcimer!

Beth Hansen-Buth said:

My Folkcraft Northern Cherry has heart & vine tone holes. They have a wide variety to choose from on their website. I made my choice for 2 main reasons: 1 - I wanted something that reflected the tradition of heart shaped holes in the Mountain Dulcimer. and 2 - I wanted tone holes too small to lose a pick in! I used to lose my picks all the time in my guitar when I had one. I did not want that annoying problem to happen with my dulcimer too!

My Folkcraft Northern Cherry has heart & vine tone holes. They have a wide variety to choose from on their website. I made my choice for 2 main reasons: 1 - I wanted something that reflected the tradition of heart shaped holes in the Mountain Dulcimer. and 2 - I wanted tone holes too small to lose a pick in! I used to lose my picks all the time in my guitar when I had one. I did not want that annoying problem to happen with my dulcimer too!

Great idea to show sound-holes. Here are some I've made at www.appflutes.com

The trillium is Ontario's provincial flower. This 1974 Oskar Graf is the only dulcimer I've ever owned. It has an extremely thin cedar top, which has been smashed in and repairedtwice. I replaced the handmade friction tuners and the ebony dowel that held the string loops(until itsnapped in two).It still sounds great. Oskar hasn't made dulcimers in many years. He's in demand as a guitar maker now. A few years ago I brought the dulcimer to Oskar's presentation at the guitar symposium at Queen's University here in Kingston. It was a surprise not only to him, but to a number of attendees who didn't know what it was.

My favorite Dulcimers have round polycarbonate lined sound holes. I have three.

Gila Mountain Dulcimers

Her website still has supplies and things to go with the dulcimers, but she's no longer building them. It's an absolutely beautiful instrument, too.

I have two other dulcimers, but this is the one I play, made by Kerry Anderson, who sadly is not making instruments anymore as far as I know. This was one she had already made that I really liked, and the savings from having a custom design were nice, too!

I have one too.. Is yours made by Jim Goode at Mastertone Dulcimers in West Virginia?

Dana R. McCall said:

This is one I have with walnut sides and back and a cedar top with walnut soundholes

Some creative ideas andcool looking pieces!

Now I need another dulcimer like a hole in the head, but should I run across one of those natural knot hole examples that strikes my fancy, I'm in !