Forum Activity for @john-w-mckinstry

:Hi Stumelia, I tried looking for "Sweet Hour of Prayer" and my prayer was answered. Thanks!

Hi @john-w-mckinstry and @ken-longfield , I think this issue is now fixed.

Please post again if the problem reappears.  Thanks!

Thanks guys........that helped.

Very helpful Ken......thanks very much.

"Bagpipe" tuning is very traditional.  The when and where is unknown but we do know it was a pre-Revival tuning (although it wasn't called "bagpipe").  Unison (ddd) tuning has been around since at least the early 1600s, and we're pretty certain that the "dropped unison" or Bagpipe tuning (Ddd) was right there at the same time -- since the first 'fretted zithers' not scheitholts appeared in Pennsylvania.  In fact the earliest proto-dulcimers were most likely tuned to the key of C not D.  Key of D tunings really only appear and were made common during the Revival of the 1960s/70s.

I prefer Bagpipe tuning because it gives those of us who do not have a 6+ fret the same ability to play in two modes without re-tuning; as the 6+ fret does those who prefer to use DAd Mixolydian tuning.  

Dusty is right.   Dropping the melody string takes you out of Bagpipe and changes the key

@tonyg, I think you are correct, but you would be playing in different keys.

I assume you are playing in a drone style and have no extra frets.

Let's say your bagpipe tuning is Ddd.  With the D drones, you can play in the keys of D or G.

If you tune to DdC, you would be in the aeolian mode in the key of D or the dorian mode in the key of G.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems like when I'm in bagpipe tuning, and I lower my melody string a full step, I can now play in BOTH Aolian and Dorian modes.  Is this right?  Thanks.......

Could anyone here shed any light on what time period historically and where geographically bagpipe tuning....(not Galax tuning))....was more commonly used?  I find it to be quite versatile and also very traditional sounding.  I much prefer it to the more commonly used ionion tuning. Thanks for any info.

Another thunderstorm coming, so I picked a load of green beans before everything got drenched...

Thanks Ken, this is helpful in showing the issue is occurring both on windows and mac.

I am seeing the problem as well, and will try to get it corrected this coming week. Thanks!

Hi Linda! Yes, we are meeting at Union Chapel, 8284 Keister Road, Middletown, Ohio. We are between Middletown and Germantown.  During Daylight saving time we meet on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday evening, 6-7:45.  All levels are welcome! We help the beginners or anyone having questions. We have a traditional jam and share songs, discuss club news and activities, and laugh a lot! It’s very informal. If you use tablature bring what you have. You can send me an email and I will get back with you. Hope to see you this Tuesday!  Debbie

Strumelia,I searched for the same videos as John to see if I would have the same problem. I did. I followed the suggestions that you offered, but they did not correct the problem. I use a MacBook Pro running the version of Safari and  Mac OS Ventura 13.4.1 (c).

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song.

Hi Linda!  Hopefully @debbie-kopp-simpkins will see your post and reply here.
If not, perhaps you can call the church and check that the group is still meeting there, and maybe they can also help you get in touch with one of the group members as well. Have fun with your dulcimer! 

Debbie,

Please provide more details on the meetings. I am fairly new to the Mountain Dulcimer. 

Thank you,

Linda Wyatt

Try doing a hard refresh while actually on that error page:  hold down Control key and press F5. Again, try shutting down your laptop completely, and then start it again. (Don’t just hit ‘restart’)

I havde an HP Laptop  computer and use Chrome for my browser. At this point any title from the videos says Forbidden. As an example I tried looking for Down in the Valley, and Sweet Hour of Prayer. I am not sure quite how to show down the browser and start again.

John, can you please post links here of two videos that are giving you this error?

And... have you tried restarting your computer or device? Have you also tried closing and then re-opening your browser?

Is the problem happening on a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer for you? Have you checked if it happens on one of your other devices as well?

thanks!

I have found a different source for shipping instruments, books, cd's, or whatever. They ship USPS or UPS, but not FedEx at this time. I have found the rates can be 30% to as much as 60% less than going to the post office or UPS store. The service is free to use. The software by default gives the lesser rate via  xxx, but for $n.nn  more you can ship via  yyy.  There is a provision for pickup at your home or office or another address that is convenient if you don't have time to get to the post office or UPS pick up point.

The service is found at Pirateship.com.  I have used it with good results.

 When I go to search for past videos I get a message that says: Forbidden You don't have permission to access this resource. Apache/2,456 (Debian) Server at fotmd.com port 443  Do you have suggestions as to how to remedy this situation?

I picked up another flute from High Spirits. I've been wanting one of their ebonized walnut flutes, so when I found a generous coupon code, I just had to get it. The turquoise cabochons really look nice too. Crow flute in the key of A. It has a beautiful, warm tone. I also picked up a second Spirit Flute earlier this year. I'm at 5 now, I think that's enough.

@dulcimerplayersnewseditor Fiona, so happy to have you here!  Though I don't read tablature nor SMN to play music, I am a supporter/subscriber of Dulcimer Players News because it is a valuable resource.  

Hello! I'm the new editor and publisher of Dulcimer Players News, so I wanted to chime in on this wonderful discussion. 

To answer the most pressing question first - no, I do not eat spinach. My mom's a nut for the stuff, but I haven't been able to develop a taste for it. For my dark green leafy vegetable full of iron fix, I prefer pesto. :)

The other more existential questions are a little more difficult to tackle. 

For a little bit of context, like many of you, I was deeply saddened to hear that Ashley would be winding DPN down. I reached out in mid-May about the possibility of taking it on and keeping it going, and the transition happened very quickly. By the end of June we made the transfer and I reopened subscriptions.

I plan to continue DPN as the full color, glossy, quarterly print publication that it has been for many years, because I think there is still a place for print in a changing world. That said, as many of you pointed out, the music and media industries have changed drastically even in just the past 5 years, let alone 50, so it is clear that DPN must adapt in order to remain relevant. Just as musicians have recognized the need to maintain multiple revenue streams and manage a multitude of platforms to reach fans, DPN also needs to find more ways to reach many audiences. 

What exactly will that look like? Right now, I have ideas but no definite plans. Doing more digitally could take a few different forms. Several of you commented that digital magazines aren't exactly appealing. I agree; many tend to be hard to read and enjoy, and I don't think they've matured as an industry. Some print publications (like the New York Times and Wall Street Journal) have successfully moved into a paywall system, which may be a better fit for DPN. Will there be a DPN presence on TikTok? I'm sure there should be.

Another important existential question is what makes DPN valuable? Or phrased differently, what does DPN have that Facebook groups, other online dulcimer pages, and even this forum don't? The way I see it, there's a lot of information on the web, but what the internet often lacks is perspective and curation. I think that is where DPN can help. Connecting the dots between disparate threads and groups, seeing patterns in transient posts, and collecting it in a digestible, appealing repository. 

For the moment, I am focused on getting my feet under me with the print publication and as a first time small business owner. To figure out what's next, I want to hear from readers and supporters. I promise to be transparent and communicative about any changes.

Great info- thanks so much, Editor! (and best of luck for DPN!)

You can also find backups up of EverythingDulcimer.com by using the Internet Archive's (Archive.org) "Wayback Machine." For those of you not familiar, "The Internet Archive Wayback Machine is a service that allows people to visit archived versions of Web sites. Visitors to the Wayback Machine can type in a URL, select a date range, and then begin surfing on an archived version of the Web." (see https://help.archive.org/help/wayback-machine-general-information/ )

You can go to web.archive.org and type in any web address to see if it has been archived. They don't have every website ever made, but they do have quite a lot, often with many backups for each, archived by date.

The most recent back up was June 6, 2023, here: https://web.archive.org/web/20230607130049/https://everythingdulcimer.com/ . There isn't any information about an impending shutdown, so perhaps this outage was unplanned or unintended

You can also find archives of Bruce Ford' farewell letter, with links to the downloadable tab archive, articles, builder and events lists, etc. The last time it was archived was Dec. 20, 2019, here: https://web.archive.org/web/20191202023935/http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/  

The last archive of the full original website was on May 29, 2018, here: https://web.archive.org/web/20180529131557/http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/

There are many other dates when the site was archived - these are just the highlights!

Thanks Leslie!

Cool to note the link on that page to Bruce Ford's heartfelt letter to members when he decided to close the original everythingdulcimer site in 2018 (not the later copycat site created by an anonymous person). I'm glad someone chose to preserve Bruce's letter of intent.

I accidentally found an Everything Dulcimer Archive of all of their tabs. Here is the address. It looks like one of their members saved the tab archive.

https://hakapiksmerlinwizard.wordpress.com/dulcimer/

I'm going to my favorite monthly contra dance tonight! I usually attend 2-3 dances per month, in various nearby towns. I'd go every weekend if there were dances every weekend. Tonight I'm giving a ride to two neighbor twins who'll soon be headed to college.. they are wonderful dancers, very enthusiastic and upbeat to talk to. Usually there are people of all ages at contra dances, from age 5 to 85. Tonight's dance is in a very large old community center building with a wood-floored Hall with a stage, like a typical Grange Hall. This dance usually has anywhere between 60-120 people. Fun tonight! 😊

Chances are there is a monthly contra dance within an hour's drive of where you live, closer if you live in an urban area.

I love that film!  It's fun to get a sense of the various personalities. 

I always wish people danced more, just in a social setting.  It puts a light in people's eyes. 

When I'm making a long slide with my thumb, I often pluck the string partway through the slide. Sometimes at half the distance I'm sliding to, sometimes wherever it fits into the rhythm nicely, sometimes to emphasize a specific not along the way.

Dusty thanks for the recommendations, I'm working on the song with all the suggestions made so far.    I may have to break up the slide with a hammer-on

Barb, Please create a new thread in our For Sale forum for selling your dulcimer. This location is not for selling items. Thanks!

Hi Tippa, yes I still have it. I've been dealing with some hand/health issues that stopped me from listing it here again & on eBay & with a couple of folk music teachers in my area. Rick seems to have adjusted his prices a little since I bought it & a couple of things I paid extra for now are standard so that's good. :) As I've said....it is in showroom condition & I have extra strings, etc. so let me know if you are interested. I don't know about you but I really struggle with connecting conversations here on FOTMD so could I ask a favor and have you message me directly. I saw your posting early this morning but have been gone all day & only had time to respond now so please excuse the delay. Thanks for your interest.   Barb

Hi, have you sold this dulcimer?  I might be interested. 

Some loss of volume when employing multiple slides or hammer-ons consecutively is inevitable.  A pickup goes a long way to solving that problem, and some dulcimer fretboards are more responsive than others.  So a lot of this is out of your hands (so to speak).

However, if you slide more deliberately and sharply from one fret to the next, you can create some extra pressure that will increase the volume and make the move sound more like a hammer-on.  That is hard to do if you are sliding across several frets to get to a single note, however.  This is something to work on. 

In general, I do not consider the tablature indications for the left-hand legato techniques (hammers, pulls, slides) to be mandatory parts of the tablature.  Depending on your fingering, a slide may be more appropriate than a hammer or pull or vice versa, so you have to take the tablature as a suggestion and develop your own approach.  You might simply break up that long slide and pick the string again at some point to get the volume you need.  You might also reduce the volume of the rest of the tune so that the loss of volume from the extended slide is less noticeable. And since good artists deliberately vary the dynamics of their playing, you might embrace the loss of volume as an expressive part of the arrangement.

Here are Boo-Boo and Teddy chillaxin' on the couch. (with Teddy's little mini-me 'tiny teddy' stuffed cat peeking out from the cushions)

Bubba looks so comfy!!

I remember Sally Ann's little kitten pix.

Thanks all for responding.  Yes, Ken I am playing across the strings & the downward slide is on the Melody string. I've also texted Brett & based on what you & Brett are saying I need to work on my slide skills for this tune.  It's beautiful so now it's a simple matter of working to finesse this tune.

I only play with a noter and it is challenging to me to get the exact sound I want when sliding to a lower fret.  It is a balance of noter pressure with speed (I'm talking getting a nice "falling away" sound on a slower tune) to get the sound I want.  I don't do it well consistently-- it's hit and miss for me. 

@jimws --   The effect you describe is not related to the dulcimer or it's maker.

I assume you're playing Chords or Fingerdance style rather than Noter&Drone. 

Have you listened to Brett's rendition?  Or just read the tab/SMN?  Are you certain that the volume reducing to zero is not intentional? 

Are you sure you are maintaining the same downward pressure from one end of the slide to another?  As Nate suggests, maintaining the volume of a slide is easier with a noter than with fingers.