Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

 If you can find a copy of The Autoharp Book by Becky Blackley, many of your questions will be answered. The book is a bit dated as it was published in 1983, so it does not take in to account the many improvements made in the autoharp by individual builders over the past 32 years. While there are not as many autoharp festivals as dulcimer festivals, they do exist. I highly recommend participating the Mountain Laurel Autoharp Gathering here in Pennsylvania. It takes place the last full week in June every year. Some dulcimer festivals offer a workshop or two on autoharp. MEG stands for Music Education Group and Oscar Schmidt sold a couple of models of autoharps with the MEG label on them. I think some of the first 21 chord harps were sold with the MEG label.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Here you are Dusty. During the time that Lynn McSpadden owned the company some of the dulcimers were made from solid wood. These were the higher priced models. From my converstations with Lynn, the reason he gave for using plywood for back and sides was to insure a consistent quality of sound and construction as the plywood would be more stable than solid wood. This also accounted for there being only two types of wood offered; cherry and walnut. When Jim Woods acquired McSpadden all solid wood became the standard. I do not know the reason for this, but it may be due to discontinued production of the plywood used to make the dulcimers. I understand that the David Schnauffer model was discontinued because McSpadden could no longer get the cherry plywood that David specified for his signature model. Maybe this is more than you wanted to know. Now back to our regularly scheduled discussion.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Probably the one thing you should know about McSpadden instruments is that they are high quality instruments that hold up well. The usual cautions about used instruments certainly apply. You want to make sure that there is no damage or bad repairs. Check to make sure the frets are smooth and level. If you can not see the instrument in person, make sure you can return it if not satisfied. McSpadden dulcimers hold up very well.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I don't think you are the only one, but I don't name my instruments.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

This will be wondnerful Lisa. Thanks for taking on this project.

Ken

"The dulcmer sings a sweet song."

LOL, Lisa. We are all discovering new things with the new site. You are doing a great job keeping things running smoothly. I hope you still have all of you hair, wits, and patience. Thanks.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

For me it does, Lisa, but I can't answer for the others. I noticed that if you put your cursor over the last posters' name, you will see when they posted the last response.

Wow, I learned something new. Thanks Lisa.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I remember dulcimers being for sale in a gift shop on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I don't know if that is still the case. That was over 40 years ago.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

For the most part my go-to dulcimer is my all walnut Folkcraft FSH. When I'm playing noter/drone it is either my J.E. Thomas or the Prichard reproduction dulcimer I made. Because my Blue Lion has a built-in pick-up, I often use that one when playing out in noisy venues.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Carl Gotzmer makes very good instruments. Here is a link to the June Apple Cellomer page. http://www.juneappledulcimers.com/pages/Cellomer/ I would not play it as a bowed dulcimer. I would play it as a regular dulcimer. I hope you got a good deal on it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 I definitely would bid on that if I were in Oregon and could pick it up. I have only seen pictures of those and the patent information in magazines. It is a very interesting instrument.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

This is the one I have used at various festivals: http://hardwareonlinestore.com/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&view=productdetails&virtuemart_product_id=77058&virtuemart_category_id=86603&gclid=CjwKEAjw2ImsBRCnjq70n_amv14SJAChXijN8a6bekBnRJfDi1v2wQsvq7_942f64SCsJaHRbJADwhoCqfbw_wcB  I can carry a couple of mountain dulcimers in it and have also carried a hammered dulcimer with it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Michael, I purchased a pickup from Folkcraft for my Folkcraft dulcimer and installed it myself. It is an under saddle/bridge pickup. If you don't have the skills and tools to do it yourself, take Dusty's suggestion and send it to Folkcraft to have it done.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I am extremely grateful for all the hard work Strumelia and others put in to making the move. I am sure that it has been an experience of mixed emotions and will continue for a while as various issues arise and get ironed out. To Strumelia, the moderators, and those who took part in the various tests of this site: THANK YOU!

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 Jean, I'll give it a try at explaining it to you.

1. Click on you name in the upper right hand corner of this page. Do not click on any of the drop down options.

2. When that page opens there should be a bar under your name with several different options. One of them is Events. I think it is the fourth one from the left.

3.  Click on that tab and it will take you to a page called Events that will be blank.

4. On the right hand side there will be a plus (+) sign. Click on that to create your event to be added. I hope this helps you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Call the luthier. You should have the string height adjusted for easier playing or you won't play the dulcimer.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I agree, with the Hondo/Sears possibilities. I have some Hondo ads from the 1970s that I will check, but the soundless look like the ones I have seen on Hondo dulcimers.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Since the beginning of the year I lost 25 pounds and am still working my way downward. I did this mostly through portion control and a slight change in diet. I am limiting sweets, not going for seconds, etc. Now that winter appears to be over I am to get outside more and increase my exercise. I hope to double my weight loss by the end of the year. I have more energy at the moment.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Congrats on getting in the top three; especially for a first time try. Now that you know the ropes, you can move ahead.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Hi Sherrie. There is no really definitive answer. Some dulcimers in the late or mid-1800s had a 6 1/2 fret, but no seventh fret. Regular use of the 6 1/2 fret probably began in the mid-to-late 1960s. The 1 1/2 fret has been around for quite a while as well. It has gained more popularity in recent years. I think we have discussed this in the History of the Dulcimer forum. You can look in that forum or do a search.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Although not dulcimer specific, County Sales is having a sale on all of their 3500 series of old-time music CDs. The CDs are just $7.00 each. For fans of old-time music there are some great gems here.

http://www.countysales.com/categories.php?category=SPECIAL-SALE-ON-COUNTY-3500-SERIES-CDs

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Monica, sorry. I forgot that Gary's website was hacked and down at the present time. I have never had any problem with Just Strings. Good prices and good service.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Not to confuse things even more, have you checked the price at Prussia Valley. Contact Gary Sager and see what he sells strings for. I buy bulk strings from Just Strings.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I build both hourglass and teardrops. I prefer the hourglass just because I like the look of that shape.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

William, those pegs are just pushed in when assembling. They are what is known as mechanical friction pegs. I see that the peg box is also three pieces. It looks to me like the center is cut out before gluing it up.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Skip's suggestion is what I would go with. Just be careful with a heat gun as the surface of the wood can heat rapidly and burn. Another option is to heat a palette knife and work that in to the space between the end block and back. It will be difficult to match up the sides and back when you re-glue, but if you take your time and are very patient you can do it. Best wishes for the successful completion of your project.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You are correct Kristi. I have quite a few places bookmarked for researching tunes, people, instruments, etc. It is worthwhile having a place where all of these are available saving people time in searching for them.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

This is a place to post general folk music resources for folks interested in more than just the mountain dulcimer. The first one I share came from a post over at Banjo Hangout. It is a site called Folk Music Worldwide: http://folkmusicworldwide.com . This is posting of radio interviews with people primarily from the great folk scare of the 1950s and 60s. There is some interesting conversation here. Have fun listening.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

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."