Forum Activity for @robin-thompson

@anne-maguire It's wonderful you have given Biddie a safe home!  

Been a while!

My dog Biddie, who came to live with me in January 2020 is settling into a real sweetie. She has been a sweetie the whole time, but a pretty undisciplined one - now the is starting to learn some manners, and better behaviour! I don't know what the the first year or so of her life was like, but can guess it wasn't very nice. She was completely unsocialised, and terrified of everything, pretty much. She doesn't get the shakes when the grass is being cut any more, but she still hides under my desk. Her other great fear is water - she is terrified of getting wet. She will get her feet wet at the creek, but that's it! She is a Huntaway/GSP cross. Fortunately she has the Huntaway size, & some of the GSP spots but there rest of her is Huntaway, which is a working dog from New Zealand, an Australian Kelpie mix.

The little black cat (Bran) is doing very well. Lots of purrs, sleeping on knees, and all that lovely cat stuff. He did miss Pug, but he is an only cat now, and is enjoying all the attention. He and the dog are not friends as yet, but lbc is not afraid of Biddy, and has whopped her a couple of times!

 Biddy 3.jpg - 167KB

@paula-brawdy, I know this discussion is 5 years old, but a while back I refined my arrangement of Boys of Wexford and wanted to update it here: Boys of Wexford .

So much depends on the size of the peghead (or peg box), and the overall size of the dulcimer.
Choose pegs that don't look too big or too small for the instrument. Use your eye. 👁

My 29" vsl langspil was equipped with Wittner internally geared viola pegs:

It's an imposing instrument and violin pegs would have looked silly on it.

I personally go smaller rather than larger in my selection of pegs, Nate.  I like 1/2 size violin pegs on most of my builds.  I've always felt like many of those pre-Revival dulcimers had 'way too large of pegs for the size of the tuning head and instrument.  Probably, as you suggest, because the players had trouble adjusting hand whittled pegs with small heads and short shafts.  With well fitting pegs, and experience,  the issue is moot.  People have been playing small violins since the 16th century.

My two Holly Leaf pattern dulcimers shown here have different size pegs.  The larger one has full size -- 4/4 - violin pegs and the smaller one has either 3/4 or 1/2 violin pegs, I can't remember which.  When I made that smaller scroll head, the full sized pegs just looked out of place -- too big for the size of the head, so I got smaller ones.  The same taper reamer that I have works for all sizes of commercial pegs from 1/8 violin up  to full size cello and viola IIRC.

 final4.JPG - 115KB

Not a dumb question Nate.  There is no apparent socio-cultural link between Hammered dulcimers (a kind of psaltery) and the Appalachian dulcimer(a kind of fretted zither).  The only commonality is the shared "dulcimer" cognomen.  The hammered dulcimer was a popular parlour instrument in the 1700s and 1800s across Europe and the Americas.  It evolved from a Persian instrument dating back to the 900s which spread across Europe in the early medieval period.  The Appalachian dulcimer evolved from fretted zither brought to the Pennsylvania colonies in the late 1600s/1700s by folks we today call the "Pennsylvania Dutch".

You asked "...why is there such a noticeable cultural overlap between hammered dulcimer people and mountain dulcimer people?".   The answer, IMHO is that they are both, today, uncommon folk instruments (not guitars banjos or mandolins), and both -- as Dusty says, originally pure diatonic.  As you suggest, I too suspect that the connection only came about during the mountain dulcimer and folk music Revival of the 50s and 60s.  

Nate, it's not a dumb question at all, and I've wondered about it myself.  The historical origins of the two instruments are completely different.  The techniques of playing the two instruments are completely different. So what, other than the name, brings them together?

In terms of instrument design, both are types of zithers. So there's that.

But I think the more important similarity is that both are traditionally diatonic.  Yes, MD players like myself have added extra frets to get chromatic notes, and many professional HD players play modern instruments with chromatic notes added as well. But traditionally, both instruments were mainly diatonic.

Seems that Cello pegs or a good wrench are both way better options than making my own. Thanks
Nate

This question might be really dumb but I've been wondering this for years. What is the cultural link between hammered dulcimers and mountain dulcimers? To me the instruments couldn't possibly have much less in common. Their 'sweet sound' namesake  seems to be the only thing. From what I have heard in the past, hammered dulcimers are hundreds of years older, and it's mostly a coincidence that mountain dulcimers are called the same name.So why is there such a noticeable cultural overlap between hammered dulcimer people and mountain dulcimer people? Shops that build both or sell both, MD groups with a HD player, or vice versa. Even here on this website are a bunch of pictures by MD builders of gorgeous hammered dulcimers they have built. I feel out of the loop haha.
Thanks
Nate

You can buy pegs designed for viola or cello. Bigger than violin ones.

You are forgiven, my son.... go forth and dulcimorize!

Yep!  Sorry John; Credit where credit is due!  YOU made those Lyre pegs and the wrench, not Dan Cox,  and a darn fine job you did, too.  Mea culpa....

There were several folks who participated in International Appalachian Dulcimer Day on Facebook.

Ken, that looks like the wrench I made for you, to go with the pegs I made at the same time.

Nate -- here's an idea I got from Michael King, in England, my Lyre plan supplier -- a tuning key for wooden pegs.  Dan Cox made this one for me when he made the oversize pegs for my Oberflacht Anglo-Saxon Lyre.    You can approach the peg from almost any angle and the 4" or so length gives you plenty of leverage.  

 Tuning Key.JPG - 175KB

Thanks for the info. I have seen some chinese ones on ebay for 15 dollars each for the reamer or shaver, a couple times less. I assume theyre less precisely made or less durable than nice ones. Still, if premade pegs only cost 1.50 that would take a lot of pegs to be worth getting the kit. The main reason I might want to make my own is that I find pegs with a very large flat head to be much more comfortable than the smaller ones on a violin.
Nate

Nate, the "pencil sharpeners" you speak of are called violin peg shapers and used to be very expensive, as Ken said.  They're typically used along with tapered reamers, which also were very expensive.  Used together, they make the forming of pegs and their accompanying mounting holes easy to deal with.  

Do you mean the peg shaver?  If you're making pegs from scratch they are so much less work than trying to whittle a taper with a pocket knife.  They used to be very expensive but you can get them now for around $30 that will create several different tapers to match the taper of the peg hole reamer that you have to make a perfect fit. 

You can also make your own peg shaver with a block of HARD wood and the peghole reamer you already have.

Personally I use standard commercial violin tuning pegs, Unless you're trying to duplicate the pegs of a particular pre-Revival builder, they are just fine... inexpensive and available in a variety of sizes from 1/8 to 4/4 violin plus sizes for cello and viola. They can be found in a variety of woods and knob designs.  I've been paying under $1.50 per peg for the sizes I use.

What do y'all think of the pencil sharpeners designed for friction pegs? Are these a good method for creating tuners, or just an artetfact of a tradition?

I recently replaced  friction tuners on a Bill Davis 5 string dulcimer, I had to put some bushings in as the Perfection Plantary Tuners were to small, So glad I did, it is so easy to tune and holds tuning well.

Thanks for your supportive comments, @robin-thompson and @ariane.  I just love the fact that we are making IADD a way to celebrate our love for this humble instrument.

@nate, there is no doubt that dulcimer has a very bright, clear tone. Perhaps extra volume, too, although that's hard to gauge through the internet.  I look forward to hearing a full test run.

@dusty What a great online gathering y'all had on IADD!  And your play of "La Promeneuse" is wonderful! 

@nate The strums you gave on that conceptual instrument sure sounded good-- lots of punch.  I'm guessing with your dowels, footed bridge, and false bottom the instrument will project nicely on whatever tune you choose to put up to demonstrate its sound.  

Happy IADD, y'all!   

@Dusty - this is a lovely song and you played it so laid-back and formidable - I would love to learn "La Promeneuse"

@Nate - the dulcimer you have built looks great and very interesting and the sound is wonderful - I am looking forward to hearing you playing it when it is finished (and to hearing your wonderful deep voice again )

It was so cool to wake up on the west coast and catch up on the photos and videos already posted celebrating IADD.  My monthly online dulcimer club met today and I want to thank @Lisa-C for catching a screen shot before everyone left.

We played the American fiddle tune "Hollow Poplar," the Irish air "Bright Quiet Eily O'Carroll," and the Jimmy Rodgers tune "Waiting for a Train."

Then I also posted a tune on my own: "La Promeneuse," by the Québécois accordionist Réjean Lizotte.

Thanks everybody!

@lisa-c I love your photo!  As you wrote, we celebrate the sweet music and the community of caring players-- truly, a wonderful community. 

Celebrating the sweet music and its growing community of caring players. Thank you, fotmd, for this special #internationalappalachiandulcimerday.

@ariane Your music & your friendship bring joy to us!  I'll keep my eyes open for postings from around the world for IADD!  

@Alegre1 - Thank you so much for this lovely video - I have just watched it and enjoyed it very much.

@Robin & Mark - I am very much looking forward to hearing your video - your music is always balm for my soul and ears

Many greetings from Germany over the pond

Yes, the manufacturers offer different sizes.  Just select ones that are the proper size.  I know of three manufacturers-- Knilling (Perfection pegs), Wittner (Finetune pegs), and Pegheds, which are made in South Carolina!

Or, the geared tuners in viola size. Violin sized tuners might only look natural on smaller dulcimers. Check the sizes of the tuners and the instrument.

I agree with John,  If you want that traditional look go with Perfection geared violin pegs.  Simple to install.

I have had good results using Perfection geared violin pegs by Knilling.  The tuning action is very smooth for those suffering from arthritis or other hand conditions.  Any violin repairperson should be able to install them in a dulcimer.  They look amazingly like wooden violin pegs.  They are available from several online dealers.

A friend of mine recently had nice ukulele geared tuners put on a Jeffreys instrument and was happy with the result. 

I recently purchased an A.W. Jeffreys dulcimer from 1967 (I think - serial # 993). Although I wanted a very traditional style instrument, I am having trouble adjusting to the friction pegs. I'm thinking of replacing them with geared tuning pegs, as used by some violinists (not guitar-style tuners). Would welcome any thoughts or advice on doing so!

It's a great instrument-- Gary made fantastic instruments.    

Robin, that was a sweet box dulcimer!

Gary made wonderful box dulcimers and called them Prussia Valley Music Boxes because they weren't reproductions of Tennessee Music Boxes yet paid homage to box dulcimers.  All of Gary's instruments were well built and my PVMB sounded great!  Though I no longer have this box dulcimer-- a young music friend of mine has it-- here is a photo of it: