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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
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."
I'm coming in to this discussion a little late, but if you want to buy a great quality instrument you can't go wrong with a Folkcraft or Folkroots (made the same people). They are consistently good instrument. Blue Lion is top of the line and worth every dollar you pay for it. After that Robert's list above is pretty good. I'd add David Lynch's Sweet Woods Dulcimers.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Dusty, a few we do here in the east are Down In The Valley, Red River Valley and You Are My Sunshine. There is also Clementine, Rocky Top and Tom Dooley.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
That's a nice find Jennifer. I am having trouble figuring out the second picture. Do the strings go under the round metal piece or over it? Under the metal piece it looks to be a walnut bridge with slots for four strings. Or maybe that is where strings cut in to the end of the fret board. The nut definitely looks like a replacement.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
Amen to that Robin.
Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."
