Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

Charley, I am glad to hear that you took the plunge in to mountain dulcimer. I hope you enjoy it and I trust you will get well soon.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'd didn't know Judy, but that was a fitting tribute.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

That's really nice work Mandy. You made a beautiful instrument which I am sure you will enjoy forever. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Pat, I have not had any instruments repaired at HMT, but I have visited the store many times over the years and purchased things from them. The folks have always been friendly and helpful. Reading about their repair people on the HMT website, I would not hesitate to let them work on one of my instruments. Take your dulcimer over there and see what they say.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Terry Duggins posted this photo on Facebook. I thought maybe Patty and some other folks here on FOTMD would enjoy it. I am leaving tomorrow for a dulcimer festival and will delete this on Sunday when I get home.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi, Joe. When the melody string is tuned to "d" and the melody string is tuned to "A" and the bass string is tuned to "D," you have the dulcimer tuned to the key of D. This key has two sharps in the scale, A# and F#. On a diatonic fret board those sharps will occur at the proper place in the scale. If the book was written for the CGG, there would be no sharps or flats because then you are tuned to the key of C. A diatonic fret board is defined by the spacing of the frets: long, long, short, long, long, long, short. When the 6 1/2 fret is added you are beginning to move toward a chromatic scale which is all short giving a full twelve not scale while the diatonic is only 7 notes. I think part of the confusing comes from trying to explain that the dulcimer is a simple instrument to play. I hope this helps.

Ken

"the dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Lynn gave you good advice. I am familiar with June Apple and Carl Gotzmer's craftsmanship. They are excellent instruments. I would not hesitate to purchase one if I had the opportunity to do so. I find June Apples to be delicate and very responsive. Just to let you know where I come from on this, I own quite a few dulcimers some of which I made. My "go to" dulcimer is a Folkcraft and I also play a Blue Lion frequently. If you can each one of those dulcimers, you will know which one is for you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I think this is a great idea. I'm not sure I'll learn how to make a video by then though.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Ruth, you have been given good advice. I have no experience building the Folkcraft kit, but have made or helped make dozens of Backyard Instruments cardboard dulcimers. I am sticking my neck out here, but I think Folkcraft would appreciate knowing what problems people have with instructions. I know I would like to know. That way they can improve the instructions. For example, the instructions should say the shorter piece (5/16 ths) is the nut and the taller piece (7/16 ths) is the bridge and the side with the two slots closer together should be toward the player. On your comment on winding the strings, I was not clear on what you meant by "excess." That should be the slack in the string and not the part of the string that does not wind around the post which is what I would call the excess. That part gets cut off.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song.

You folks are welcome. I need to make one correction, It is Mitchell Grogg, not Michael. I was thinking of Mike Slone when I did the first post. I really enjoyed seeing the folks from Hindman again.

Ken,

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

While at the Hindman Dulcimer Festival I met Michael Grogg, an anchor and reporter for WYMT television in Hazard, KY. He produced a series of videos on this topic. They can be found here: http://www.wkyt.com/searchresults?searchKeywords=dulcimer&group1=phrase&time=30&sort=score&sType=video

Our own, Mike Slone, appears in these videos.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

These videos are great. Jim did a good job of recording the action on video and in still photos. Rob is too shy to mention it, but Maddie MacNeil opened for him at the Friday night concert. Rob did himself and all of his FOTMD friends proud with a wonderful performance. I trust all of you will enjoy the videos.

I had a great time although I only managed to get to one workshop. I hope to return next year.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

David, thanks for sharing this dulcimentary about Archie Lee. It was interesting.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I don't have a problem with scratches from a pick and I play over the fret board all the time. I think it is a matter of learning. Some people pick their guitars to death. Look at Willie Nelson's Trigger. Others never get a scratch on them. It is all a matter of technique.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I never met Rod in person. We met online over at EveryThing Dulcimer.com. He was a welcoming presence and very encouraging of the new players. His death diminished our fellowship, but remembering him enriches us. Thanks for initiating this discussion CD.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Since it was written in 1675/76, I would say that it is not under copyright. I don't have tab for it. If I find the music written out, I will see what I can do. Don't hold your breath.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

With all the cut backs in school funding our children are no longer exposed to classes that teach woodworking, sewing, cooking, etc. I am thankful that my 33 year old son had those classes. Today he is an excellent cook, is able to do simple home repairs including installing all the cabinets in his pantry and can replace a button on his shirt. He is a professional musician. We worked side-by-side to build his 16/15 hammered dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Joy To The World is fun on mountain dulcimer. Good King Wenceslas is another one played around Christmas. The Friendly Beasts is another one.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks Ken. Looks like a good resource.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Just sharing that the contest is over at the Walnut Valley Festival and the 2014 mountain dulcimer champions are:

First Place - Duane Porterfield, Mountain View, AR

Second Place -Jonoathon Schultes, Tulsa, OK

Third Place - Jonathan Dowell, Los Alamos, NM

Congratulations to this years winners!

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a new song."

Steph and Keith were looking forward to this event when I was out there this summer. Maybe next year I can plan a visit to my son's around this time. Glad you had a good time Kristi; and all of the others who attended I am sure had a good time as well.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I haven't done any recording lately. When I was recording I used a Sony mini-disc recorder. I like Sony products also. They make excellent video cameras. When I was looking for a camera about six or seven years ago I went to a Best Buy. The guy showing me cameras tried to steer me away from Sony because they made audio products. I told him that when I worked in TV the only cameras we used were Sony and they were excellent. Kind of quieted him down.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I, too, enjoyed the video on the "Birth of a Kantele." Thanks for alerting us to Orange Kantele.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

A photo would help Dan.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi Wayne. There are many book/CD combinations available from Mel Bay. Cripple Creek dulcimer has many good songs for playing at the park. Check them out at Mel Bay's website: http://www.melbay.com/Products/CategoryCenter/D09/dulcimer-mountain.aspx

While I have been depleting my stock of Mel Bay books, if you see any you like, you can PM me to see if I have it still in stock and I can make you a good deal on the price. Or you can email me at: longfieldsfolkmusicshop at embarqmail dot com. I hope you find some things you like. Enjoy your dulcimer journey.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

John, it would be helpful to know specific songs you would like to play. Rocky Top and Foggy Mountain Breakdown are songs that you will not find in most dulcimer tab books. I play Rocky Top but in DAd tuning. There are several places on the Internet where one can find free dulcimer tab. Here is one place: http://everythingdulcimer.com/tab/index.php#R

Ken

The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Looks like you are reading this correctly Jan. As usual, buyer beware! It pays to know with whom you are dealing in these transactions. One of the reasons I have stopped buying off of eBay.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Great news Kristi. Enjoy your new dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Kristi, I feel for you. It is frustrating and disappointing. I hope you Blue Lion turns up soon at your home. The IIR is a wonderful instrument. I have one.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Julian, like the others above, I am sorry for your loss of two fingers. I do hope you will find a way to continue with the mountain dulcimer. Best wishes as your recover from your injuries.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to Strumelia and everyone who participated for making this a fun contest. Happy Birthday FOTMD! We are fortunate to have this website and virtual community.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

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Must have been Larry's day to put the tops on when your dulcimer was made Patty. I find 1/8th inch to be pretty much the norm. If the are wider I find that I tend to split them apart. I have thin fingers.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I have seen a few of these, mostly in museum exhibits. Never played one though.

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I'm not one who likes to have unplayable instruments sitting around. Repair, restore, play.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Absolutely exquisite! That is a real treasure. Enjoy the dulcimer.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

The nut is a fixed position while the bridge is not. I know, the bridge is in a slot on my dulcimer's fret board so it must be a fixed position. The ideal placement of the bridge is "theoretical" in that other factors come in to play, e.g. the thickness of the strings, string height, etc. This is why some bridges are "compensated" or angled to insure proper intonation. So measure from the fixed position, not from the moveable.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I too use the tape on the end of a pencil. Just like Joe said, ". . . works like a charm."

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Currently I am using 3 string because it is easier to do hammer ons and pull offs with a single melody string. This is for chord/melody style playing. For my noter/drone playing I use 4 strings most of the time. So I can't choose A or B; I need to choose both A and B.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Looks like your husband did a good job Maryann. Usually at festivals when I work on someone's dulcimer I do it in private so they don't see me drilling holes or pounding on their precious instrument. These instruments are tougher than they appear. BTW, another former Jerseyite here.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."