Forum Activity for @alex-lubet

Reasons NOT To Get a Chromatic

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

My musical background and approach to the instrument are, I think, pretty different from others in this group.  One thing I find impressive is how nice and welcoming (almost) everyone is.  This is quite different from other types of musical communities in which I live and work, where competition and differences of opinion and values can get pretty nasty and even harmful.

As far as the instrument's future, you might find the following interesting.  For the preliminary exams my doctoral students in music composition take, I always have them compose a work for dulcimer.  The reason for this is because I think a professional composer should be able to learn to write for a new and unfamiliar instrument.  I choose dulcimer because it's especially challenging as a new instrument (and because I'm a pretty good judge of what is and isn't playable).

One doesn't need to be able to play an instrument to write for it.  (Such a requirement would make composing music for orchestra impossible for all but a few.). But, in the years I've given this assignment, four of my students have obtained dulcimers and taught themselves to play.  In part, I'm pretty sure it's just because they wanted to do a good job on their exam, but they were also so interested that they just had to have one.

I would also note that many Asian musicians (and audiences) I've worked with (including my wife) really like the instrument and find it works with their musical traditions.  There's reason to hope for the instrument's future.

Have a great rest of the weekend and a great week.

Reasons NOT To Get a Chromatic

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Thanks, Randy.  That's actually one of the easier listening pieces in the set.  There are some that folks may find scary, as I use some tunings that invite dissonance.

But please elaborate.  What is it about my playing that argues against buying a chromatic?  I hope folk realize that this is a strictly personal decision.  I've heard folk do things on chromatic instruments that impressed me.  I'm just not interested in doing them myself.

I try to listen to something unfamiliar every day.  (I'm semi-retired, so I can make the time.). They're mostly things I'd never dream of doing or couldn't do, but there's always something to learn and enjoy.

Again, have a great weekend, all, and appreciate each others' company in this wonderful community.

Reasons NOT To Get a Chromatic

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

It seems we can all agree that the etymology of the word "dulcimer" relates to sweetness, but etymological origins have only a limited relationship to the evolution of words' meanings.  Take for example, the names of many of our states that have Native American origins.  How many of us even know the original meanings?

I'm happy to grant that sweetness one way many/most of us hear the dulcimer when played in familiar ways.  But we even have a group on this page for folk who like and use amplifiers, pedals, and other gear that produce sounds that are certainly something other than sweet.  Some of that sweetness may also owe to standard tunings and the music they inspire.

As a composer, I like the idea that sweetness is one possibility, but that the dulcimer is capable of quite a range of colors and that these yield many modes of expression.

Here's a piece that I think expresses that range of color and expression.  Three strings, no gadgets, but beautifully recorded to make me sound far better than I really am:

Have a great weekend.  This is a wonderful community.

Reasons NOT To Get a Chromatic

Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions

Hi All,

I hope you're doing well.

I'm personally more interested in the chromatic dulcimer question than the "what is a dulcimer?" question.  I would observe though, that the etymology of a word and its evolved meaning over time are someimes quite different (and sometimes not).

Writing only for myself, I've chosen not to get a chromatic dulcimer.  The following may sound like hubris, but that's absolutely not my intention.  I'm a classically trained composer.  I have a PhD in composition, which I've taught at the University of Minnesota for nearly fifty years.  I pretty much only play my own compositions and pieces written for me by others.  I mention this only because I'm fully acquainted with highly chromatic music.

But I choose not to own/play a chromatic dulcimer.  After fifty years of guitar, I added dulcimer to my instruments and it's by far my favorite now.  For me, a chromatic fretboard doesn't present particular challenges or inspirations, including discovering chromatic melodies and harmonies.  I have three principle means of deriving chromatic pitches:

1) Tunings:  I've found about 75 (on 3 and 4 equidistant strings) that I like.

2) Note bending:  Both sliding, blues style, and bending the note before I play it.

3) Harmonics that aren't available by stopping the strings.

I've come up with all kinds of, to me, interesting things that would never have occurred to me on a chromatic dulcimer or guitar.  It's one of the reasons I love it so.  I may discuss others in the future.

If any of this sounds interesting, I have channels on all the major streaming services and several albums, but I really only wanted to join this very interesting discussion, not to self-promote.

Have a great rest of the week.  It's no longer scorching here in MN, but we're having several days of heavy rain..

New to the group, several questions

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Thanks again, Nate.  The tunes I've posted actually use pretty standard tunings, DAc and DAD with a first fret capo.  I'll be sending some others with more unusual tunings.  Everything is streamable on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Bandcamp, and other platforms.

Have a great day.

New to the group, several questions

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Thanks again, Nate.  I have three dulcimers, one of which cost me $20, is on loan, and I may never see again.  I keep three strings on one, four on the other.

I can adapt to a new tuning pretty quickly.  I'm not sure why, because ukulele essentially being a transposition of guitar (long my main instrument) drives me up a wall.  I have to pretend it's a guitar and not think of the pitches I'm actually playing.  If I was reading tab, of course this wouldn't be a problem.

At least on four strings, I haven't found many tunings that I didn't think work at all.  For me, it's a question of working with a tuning until I find something interesting.  If I were more concerned with playing familiar chords, I'd probably reject more tunings.

Have a great day.

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Thanks, Nate.  With only one exception, all the tunings I've used go low to high, which would eliminate some of those possibilities.  The only exception was Eb D F# A.  One of my former students wrote me a piece with many Eb4's.  When I originally played it, I bent the D up to Eb (with three strings), which obviously wasn't ideal, so I went to four equidistant strings, with an Eb on bottom, below the D, and only used it to play those low Eb's.  Never used that tuning again.

I haven't worked much with tuning the D string lower.  I almost always keep it on D.  I'm sure I'll get around to it.

Best,

New to the group, several questions

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I had to look up Galax tuning.  I use all-unison tuning sometimes on both 3 and 4 strings and it's indeed powerful.

I spend a lot of time exploring different tunings.  I've come up with about 75 and I think they're more interesting on a 7+1 fret dulcimer than a chromatic dulcimer, although I've never played the latter (and have yet to get interested in buying one).  My interest may stem from a background in classical music and jazz.  I admire and enjoy more traditional repertoires, but I don't play them.  I'm sure the folk who do are better at it than I'd ever be.

If you're interested, I've got channels on most of the major streaming services and three albums (on dulcimer), with another dropping soon.

Have a great week!

New to the group, several questions

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I spent some time this morning trying out your suggestions.  They offer some new possibilities.  I've been playing 4 equidistant strings for over a year.  I wonder how much difference that makes regarding fingers and thumb.

New to the group, several questions

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Thanks for your answers.  My answers to yours:

1) I knew about Stephen Seifert.  I wonder if he started on guitar, like me.

2) There's a whole literature about string instruments that says, contrary to what may seem like conventional wisdom, that the right hand does the harder work.  I'm very left handed, but was never given the option of playing lefty.  It's been limiting in some ways, but I can do some things with my left hand that righties would find challenging.  Check my stuff out on YouTube, Spotify, or Apple Music (or other streams) and see if you agree.

3) I'm passionate about alternate tunings, on 3 or 4 strings.  I think I've found about 70 and they open up worlds of possibilities.  But I have no interest in a chromatic dulcimer.  (I have a guitar for that.)

4) Staff notation is probably not very useful for learning other people's repertoire, unless it's for vocal melodies.  But I compose a lot and I've been reading staff notation forever, so I use it.

Thanks so much.  Such a great community.

New to the group, several questions

Site QUESTIONS ? How do I...?

Hi All,

I hope you're having a great weekend with better weather than here in MN.

I'm relatively new here.  I'm completely self-taught on dulcimer.  I've played for about ten years, after about fifty years of guitar and I'm a classically trained composer and music professor.  Dulcimer has become my main instrument.  My questions:

1) Because of my background in guitar, I mostly use all four left hand fingers and only occasionally my thumb.  Anyone else out there use this technique?

2) Anyone else left handed, but play right handed?  If so, do you think this affects your playing and if so how?  (I play fingerstyle, but I think my technique is unorthodox.)

3) Does anyone else spend a lot of time exploring alternate tunings?

4) Does anyone else use/like staff notation?

Thanks so much,