Forum Activity for @alex-lubet

They told me I would need a screwdriver and a small wrench.  Not sure why I'd need the latter.  Thoughts?

Thanks!

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.

I have an update and a question regarding my issue with a tuner for my high string on my McSpadden, which cannot hold a tune.  This began after I changed strings.  I replaced the high string three times and tightened the tuner to no avail.

I emailed the Dulimer Shoppe, who got right back to me.  After several emails and efforts, they decided I needed to replace the tuner.  Rather than sending my dulcimer to Arkansas, they told me they would send the new tuner to me, because the cost of mailing my instrument is not included in the warantee.  (I've done this before and sending a dulcimer from MN to AR is expensive.)

The folks at the Dulcimer Shoppe told me that, after I assured them that I'm not particularly adept at this kind of thing, it's not difficult.  I'm willing to give it a try, but I'm wondering if any of you who are, like me, not builders/repair people have done this and how difficult is it?  If I'm unable, I intend to use the luthier who's worked on my guitar and ukulele.

Your sage counself would be most appreciated.

Thanks so much in advance,

Thanks.  I do suspect that I'll need a new tuning mechanism.  It's not something I can do myself and my understanding is that McSpadden expects owners to use them for repairs.

Has anyone ever visited McSpadden in Arkansas?  I'm retiring next week and it's on my bucket list.

First, a gentle correction.  Amy Levy is the poet whose texts I used for my songs.  I'm Alex Lubet, composer and dulcimer player.

I agree with you, Strumella.  And of course I'll be getting in touch with McSpadden.  My experience with their service has always been excellent.

You all may find it interesting that I have two McSpadden 4FHWRs.  I needed to buy a second because my first was being repaired and I had a concert.  But now I have them with three and four equidistant strings (or did until I had to put a fourth string on the one I used for the concert).  I was really surprised at how different two dulcimers of the same model felt.  They sounded different, too, but I attribute that to the age of the strings and the pickup vs. contact mic. 

I really wish I could ever play without amplification.  When I played mostly guitar, I could occasionally play in a space where I didn't need to amplify.  Has anyone ever performed somewhere where they didn't need to amplify?

It seems that there's an issue with the dulcimer and not the string.  I changed strings three times and continued to have the same problem.  It was quite inconvenient as I had a concert Tuesday night.  I have another identical McSpadden (although with a contact mic, not a pickup).  I had it strung with only three strings, but added a fourth for the concert.  I was afraid to put on a whole new set so soon before a performance, especially since the problem I am having only occurred after a string change. 

Between the age of the strings and getting used to the contact mic, the sound wasn't quite as bright and I had to make some changes in the music.  A pickup only amplifies the strings, but a contact mic amplifies everything.  I normally do some "tapping" like guitarists do, but with a contact mic, all one can hear is the tapping and not the pitch, at least when playing harmonics.

I was pretty nervous owing to the last minute changes, but the concert was, I'm pleased to say, a success.  The program consisted of my own songs, set to the poetry of Amy Levy (from my album that streams in all the familiar sources) and an encore of Simple Gifts.  The vocal was by Victoria Vargas, I'm not a singer.

I'm also not a builder and will need to have my instrument evaluated and, I hope, repaired.  I love it dearly and would hate to have to replace it.

Thanks for reading and have wonderful lives.

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.  Greetings from Minnesota.

Is there such a thing as a bad string?  I put on a new set last Saturday and my first string keeps going out of tune, something that never happened before, even with strings that had been on for a long time.  (I always change them before a performance, such as I have next Tuesday, but it's been a while.)

I tightened the tuner (and then loosened it, for comparison), so that doesn't seem to be the problem.

I'm playing on four equidistant strings, with the first string tuned to A.  It's a McSpadden 4FHWR, which I love.  I do a lot of string bending, which, of course, can pull strings out of tune, but it's quite limited on the other strings and extreme on the first string.  I retune between songs, but this happens on the last song.

Any sage counsel would be deeply appreciated.

Thanks and have a great weekend.

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.

I've asked this before and not gotten a response, so please reply.

Are there any other Minnesotans in this group?  Would love to know, especially now.

Your newsletter is fabulous.  I encourage everyone to check it out.

https://www.dulcimer.org.uk/about-us/club-news/

In answer to your question, in our home we celebrate Hanukah and New Year's.  For Hanukah, we light our menorah and make potato pancakes.  Our kids are adults so we no longer give gifts.  It's very Jewish to get Chinese food for Christmas, so we did.  We also called my wife's family (in Hawaii, where she's from) who do celebrate the holiday.

Because my wife is Japanese-American, New Year's is a big deal.  New Year's Eve, we make Japanese food.  This year, it was sushi and yakisoba, fried noodles.  It was a somewhat simpler spread than in years past, but we're not as young as we used to be.

I may have mentioned this before, but I started playing dulcimer (after decades of guitar, bass, and ukulele) when my wife composed a piece for her Japanese fusion ensemble (of which I was a member) and dulcimer was the closest thing we had to a particular Japanese instrument.  I've given concerts in China (even on tv) and South Korea and audiences (and composers) love it.

I have some health issues and I got to meet with a dietician yesterday, who was very positive about how careful I've been, especially in preventing diabetes.  Per her recommendation, my New Year's resolution is to drink 64 ounces of water a day.  I also plan to compose some songs on poetry of Emma Lazarus, who's best known for the inscription on the Statue of Liberty.  That seems timely.

Happy New Year to this wonderful community.

A piece from my new album with vocalist Victoria Vargas.  Amy Levy Songs of Love and Loss:

Hi All,

I hope everyone is enjoying their respective holidays.

I was fortunate to receive the gift of two new reviews of my latest album, with vocalist Victoria Vargas,  Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss :

https://www.jwvibe.com/single-post/alex-lubet-featuring-victoria-vargas-amy-levy-songs-of-love-and-loss

https://wruv.wordpress.com/2025/12/23/alex-lubet-amy-levy-songs-of-love-and-loss/

Please consider checking them out, along with the album.  Much of my music (much of it for duclimer) streams on all the usual sources:  YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora.

Thanks and Happy New Year,

She picks up her dulcimer at 1:19:00

Apologies if this is old news to all of you, new to me and very cool:

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well in all ways.

Here's the latest review of my new album:

https://www.ragtalent.com/post/alex-lubet-release-a-record-with-victoria-vargas-from-written-works-by-amy-levy

If you'd like to hear it, it streams in all the usual places, including Spotify and YouTube.

Have a great rest of the week.

Hi All,

I hope you're having a great week.  Here's "At a Dinner Party," a track from my new album, Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss .  Victoria Vargas is the vocalist.  The poem is (of course) by Amy Levy.  Yours truly is the composer and mountain dulcimerist (if there's such a word).  The whole album streams on YouTube and many other platforms.  Please give it a listen.

Jean Ritchie's version, with an unusual, non-dulcimer accompaniment.

Hi All,

I hope you're all having a great day and looking forward to a great weekend.

As of today, my new album,  Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss

https://neumarecords.org/home/ols/products/alex-lubet-amy-levy---songs-of-love-and-loss

Is streaming on all the usual sites, including Pandora, Spotify, and Apple Music.  It's on YouTube, too, but currently hard to find and, as always, in individual selections.  Please give it a listen if you're interested.

Best,

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.

Here's a review of my new album, Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss.  It will stream starting this Friday on nearly all the familiar sources.

Have a great day!

Alex Lubet sets Amy Levy to music – Dulcimer meets Neo-Classical – AM_plified • The magazine for powerful music.pdf - 1.6MB

You might also find  Gates of Song  useful.  

https://www.transcontinentalmusic.com/PDS-Gates-of-Song-(Congregational-Edition)-75907

It is published by Transcontinental Music, a major published of Jewish music of many kinds.

Hi,

Thanks for your email.

As far as I know, there's no collection of Jewish music for dulcimer, but I'd love to see one.  I know Jessica Comeau is among players who has at least one Jewish song in her repertoire.  My setting of Hinei Ma Tov is my album Three Strings and the Truth:  New Music for Mountain Dulcimer.  It's out of print (the label folded), but it streams on many sources.  I've performed other Jewish songs as well.

I'm a composer (and Jewish) and have composed and performed a great deal of Jewish music.  Thanks for asking about this.  I hope someone rises to meet the challenge.

Best,

Thanks so much, Robin, again!  

At the risk of hubris, there's not a whole lot in the classical world that's written for mountain dulcimer, beyond what I've written and pieces written for me.  I'm pretty sure composers avoid what they think are limitations, especially the traditional non-chromatic fretboard and three-string configuration.  But these are things I love.  I've never considered getting a chromatic dulcimer (not that I have anything against it), probably in large part because I've played guitar for decades.

It's perfectly possible to play chromatic music on a dulcimer with a traditional fingerboard, if you're interested, and it rmakes you find interesting combinations.  Three basic ways of playing chromatically:

1) non-standard tunings

2) bending notes

3) harmonics

I hope some of you will listen to the album when it starts streaming soon.  My earlier albums are easy to find online on many streaming services.

Have a wonderful week!

Thanks again, Robin.  You're very kind.  I hope I'm making a contribution to the dulcimer world as well.  As you can probably tell, I make some different tone colors on the instrument and I'd love to have an opportunity to share them.  You can probably also tell that I use lots of different tunings and, on the album, four equidistant strings.  Four strings was a new thing for me (I have an album called Three Stings and the Truth), but I'm hooked, althougn there are virtues in three strings as well.

The album should be streaming in a few weeks.  I'll let you all know.

Thanks again and have a great weekend,

Hi,

I hope you're all doing well.

I haven't noticed anyone mentioning being from Minnesota (like me) and I'm wondering if anyone else is.  I know there are at least a few other dulcimer players, not sure whether they're in this group.  I live in St. Paul, so I'm especially interested in Twin Cities folk.

Thanks and have a great weekend.

Thanks so very much!  You're the best, Robin.

I hope I'm humble enough to refrain from calling my work "groundbreaking," but I'm delighted that you did.  I would call it "different."  Possible reasons:

1) I'm a classically trained composer and have taught composition for almost 50 years.

2) I'm totally self-taught on dulcimer, which is now my main instrument.  I've been playing for about ten years, guitar, bass, ukulele, mandolin before.

3) I'm seriously left-handed, but have always played all my instruments right-handed.

4) I have pretty eclectic tastes, that include all manner of American, world, and classical music.

Streaming soon!  I so appreciate you, Robin, and this wonderful community.

Streaming soon on all your favorite platforms:

https://jazzweekly.com/2025/08/stories-not-for-the-faint-of-heartalex-lubet-amy-levy-songs-of-love-and-loss-professor-girlfriend-my-mother-in-love-the-summer-sessions/

Thanks, John, very insightful.

I listened to her rendition of Barbry Allan this morning and was taken by her ending every verse on scale step 2.  I kept thinking that perhaps she might resolve it in the final verse, but she did not, which was perhaps fitting, given the lyrics.

Hi,

A good week to you all.

I've been doing a deep dive into Jean Ritchie lately, for the dulcimer of course, but also for the words of the ballads.  What has struck me is that so many of these songs were even centuries old and from distant lands.  You all know this, of course.  But I find it so interesting that Kentucky folk would preserve lyrics that were so far removed from their day to day life.  We're all glad they did, but one must also wonder why.  (Needless to say, new songs were being composed as well.)

Does anyone who knows more about this than me have any insights they'd like to share?  That would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance and have a great week.

Thanks!

Good to know, thanks so much.  I think much of what I do is grounded in being entirely self taught (on dulcimer), at some distance from the mainstream dulcimer community.  It's great to have so many really knowledgeable people like you from whom to learn.

When my vocalist friend Victoria and I were planning to do a set of songs together, I shared some Jean Ritchie recordings with her.  I've thought we might do some of her songs together.  Victoria has an operatic voice, but she's done musical theater, too, and she has great diction, expression, and rhythm.  Not all classical singers have her diction and rhythm.

I usually play with four equidistant strings these days and use many different tunings.  But I really enjoy tuning three or even all four strings to low D.  That's great for droning, obviously, but also great for bending, as the strings have different tensions.

I would say Jean Ritchie.  It's more obvious in other pieces.  

But I would say it's really the drone and not the noter that has been the influence, as I don't use a plectrum of any kind.  And, to be honest, I've been interested in drones forever.  My parents were progressives and brought me to see Ravi Shankar when I was quite young.  They (and my older brother) were folkies, so I'm pretty sure I heard Jean Ritchie even before I started guitar, about 1966.

I was also a fan of the one-chord jams that 60's rockers like Cream, the Dead, and Santana played, and still love the modal jazz of John Coltrane and others.  And I love medieval music, which only rarely has actual drones, but often has long held bass notes (which were called "tenor").

I'm a very left-handed lefty who plays right handed (was never given the opportunity to play left-handed, as I started on my brother's guitar), so no one should ever look at my right hand technique, especally young people.  I have a couple of noters, but I really struggled with them.

Thanks so much for asking.

Hi All,

A medieval instrument that looks a lot like a dulcimer but serves a very different role as accompaniment only to melodic instruments, sort of like a drone without a noter.  I think you'll enjoy this.

Have a great weekend.

I enjoy your work, too.  I really appreciate the noter-drone style.  It's been an influence.

Best,

That's so kind of you to say.  I really appreciate it.  I also appreciate the great contributions you make to this community.  This is not just a great place for music but for kindness and sharing.

Have a great weekend, Robin and all.

Hi All,

I hope everyone is well and enjoying life.

This is,  A Farewell , a song I composed for my friend and colleague, mezzo soprano Victoria Vargas.  The poem is by Amy Levy, a Victoria era Anglo-Jewish writer, well known in her brief life (she died by suicide at 27) and admired by Oscar Wilde.

https://soundcloud.com/user-356765105/07-a-prayer-7

I'm on dulcimer, of course.  I'm unaware of any other dulcimer recordings or performances that feature an opera singer.  Please check it out if you have the time and inclination.

Have a great weekend and thanks.

Hi All,

This is the ad for my new album on Neuma Records.  I'm not trying to sell it (although I wouldn't object), I just like the ad a lot.  It should start streaming sometime next month.

https://neumarecords.org/home/ols/products/alex-lubet-amy-levy---songs-of-love-and-loss

It's quite different from anything else I've heard for dulcimer.  As I've said before, I've been a classically trained composer and professor for over fifty years, but have also always played folk and popular music instruments and taught the history of rock music.  The album consists of songs with texts by Victoria era, Anglo-Jewish poet Amy Levy, beautifully sung by my colleague, operatic mezzo soprano Victoria Vargas.  It's an unusual combination, borne first out of our friendship and then our musical instruments.  I could have written for a more conventional accompanying instrument, but Victoria really liked the dulcimer and the idea of performing together.

Thanks and have a great day.

Hi All,

Greetings from Minnesota and a good week to you.

Mostly for curiosity, I'm asking those of you who teach dulcimer whether it's generally easier to teach someone with prior string instrument or none.  Although I don't teach dulcimer, as a teacher of music composition, I often assign students to write for it, as it's a challenging instrument to learn in that capacity.  On occasion, I've noticed that guitarists struggle with the "reverse" order of the strings, while non-string players don't have that issue.

In an analogous way, I have a colleague from Ghana who teaches West African music, both non-music and music majors, the latter mostly classical musicians.  He often finds the former take to African rhythms more readily, not being nearly as acclimated to the very different rhythms of classical music.

Thoughts?

Many thanks in advance,

Very interesting contributions, thanks so much.

For the most part, we declare ourselves right or left handed depending on how we write.  The only other such declarations that come to mind as being in common parlance are how we play string instruments and baseball (or, I suppose, cricket).  Notably, Ringo Starr was forced to write right handed but calls himself left handed and says that it informs his playing.

I read an interesting article some years ago that refers to "mixed handedness" when folk do different tasks different ways.  Besides playing right handed, I (used to) bat right handed.  Another article I read on the subject reported that there's no relationship between the hand we use to write and how we hold a shovel, rake, or similar implements.

On guitar, many players who fret mostly with their left hand also fret or "tap" with the right.  I occasionally do this on dulcimer 1) for certain harmonics 2) for effect, if I do it really hard, or 3) to play a pitch while I'm holding down another string with my left.

Have a great day!

Thanks, Nate.  I couldn't agree more.  It's one of the things I love about the dulcimer world is a sense of choice that differs so much from the classical music world where I've made my living all these years (while mostly playing folk instruments).  Even guitar feels to me like there are more fixed ideas about technique.

Things I do that I think might be easier for a lefty include bends (especially before I play a note, getting a chromatic pitch just right), harmonics (ones I've never heard anyone else play), and making big jumps all over the fingerboard.  OTOH (pun intended), I'm often blown away by right hand stuff other folk do that's way beyond me.

Have a great day.

According to published research I've read, when the right hand plucks and/or bows, it's doing the more difficult task.  That may well seem counter-intuitive, but it also explains why it's the norm on every instrument everywhere.  That seems particularly remarkable on instruments without frets, although manipulating a bow with finesse is tricky.

That being said, as a very lefty lefty, I've struggled all my playing life with developing a facile right hand on quite a few instruments (this despite having earned my living in music all my life).  But I also agree that that are really interesting things one can do playing right handed while having a particularly deft left hand.  I'm pretty sure this is what led me to composing my own music (or my own parts) that allows me to use my left hand to its best advantage.  It's also why I wouldn't think of teaching any of my instruments, since my technique is pretty idiosyncratic.  (I've taught classical composition and related courses for almost fifty years.)

I've shared a few pieces, but you can hear a bunch on nearly all the major streaming services, including YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music.  New album dropping any day now.

Thanks!