Forum Activity for @ken-longfield

I've never seen Norway spruce (at least designated as such) for sale in all of my visits to lumber suppliers. Our neighbors had three Norway spruce taken down in their yard perhaps 30 years ago. Had I known about making a sound board out of it I might have asked for a log. However, I doubt that a tree grown in central Pennsylvania at an elevation of 600 feet would produce a good growth ring pattern. It is an interesting article. Norway spruce is acceptable as a building material. Evidently 2 x 4s and other sizes of construction lumber are made from Norway Spruce. It is knotty.  It would probably be easy enough to find a section clear enough for a violin top, but there would be a lot of waste in any log.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Alex, you said the McSpadden you have is the 4FHWR. That model has a flat head (guitar style) peg head. The tuning pegs  are guitar style tuners. The nut goes on the face of the head. There is a small screw or two that secures the tuner to the back of the peg head. You remove the old tuner by taking off the string, loosening the nut and taking it off, and unscrewing the small screw. To install the peg you reverse the process. There may be a bushing as well. It pushes in to the top of the hole and the shaft of the tuning peg goes through it. I hope this helps.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I like that idea Strumelia. Thanks for suggesting it. 

Paul, I'm going to copy our discussion so far and paste it in that discussion "Has anyone made a scheitholt" in the Builders' Group.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I've never met anyone who has one of his dulcimers, so I can't comment on them. The other stuff is what I have in my files on dulcimer makers. I don't even have a guess as to how many dulcimers he made. Maybe there is someone on here from around Louisville who will be able to enlighten us. Sorry I couldn't be of help, Calvin.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Other than knowing that he was a Methodist pastor and made furniture and dulcimers as a hobby, I can't help with knowledge about his dulcimers. He lived around Louisville so folks from that area may know more them. He died in 2014 at the age of 85.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank you Strumelia and canard.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I received my somewhat beat up issue of Dulcimer Players News today, May 26, 2026. It is Vol. 52, No.2, May 2026. It contains the article I wrote, with Ken Hulme's help, entitled "Regarding the Name 'Scheitholt'". If you are a subscriber I hope you find it educational and enjoy reading it. If you don't subscribe to DPN (and you should) you can read the article here . You will miss the short accompanying article about the making of a scheitholt.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Paul, I am happy to look over any plans you create for a scheitholt. If you are interested, I can share the dimensions of the one I made. It isn't difficult to make; a simple box with a peg box on one end. It would be easier for me to share all that information by email. If you aren't comfortable sharing your email address here, you can click on my name and send a private message.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

At one time I thought I would shape a piece of wood to fit over the fret, cut the tang off of small piece of fret wire, and superglue it to top of the wood piece. I opted for a lot less work.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Paul, here is a photo of the reverse capo I use. It is the cap from a BIC pen. I cut off the clip end so it goes under the bass string. Some folks also shorten the cap end as well. I haven't done that since it sits on the side of the fretboard away from me it doesn't interfere with my playing. Plus it gives me ample room to handle it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 Reverse capo.jpeg - 191KB

Paul, nice to meet you! Yes, the hook holds the second string down and only that string. It presents a unique harmony to any tune you play. Strumelia directed you to the advantage of DAA tuning. I play in a many tunings. I started out in CGG, moved to DAA, and now play in many tunings including DAd, DAC, DAG, aaa, ddD, EAA, etc. I currently play with some friends who enjoy playing in DAA. Up until Covid hit I was also in a group that played exclusively in DAd. I'm not one who has a problem changing tunings.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Wally, that's a good idea. I use a reverse capo (one that lifts rather than compresses) on the base string to raise it to E so I can play some tunes in EAA. This idea is used by banjo players who install HO railroad spikes at the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th frets to capo the fifth string when they use a banjo capo on one of the first four frets. I've done that on my banjos. I've never tried it on a wound string. I think there would be enough spike to go into the fret board to hold the base string. If you decide to use the HO spikes and don't have any on hand, let me know and I'll send you some. I probably have five hundred or so.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song.

That's fine, Shopdad. It is interesting to note that the wire frets on the scheitholt go under all the strings. A notable feature of the scheitholt is that under the second string at the fourth fret there is a hook which you can slide the string under and raise its pitch. I made this scheitholt out of a pine. Years ago when I was living in Maryland I purchased a pile of walnut lumber at a sale and this plank of pine was in the pile. It has been in the rafters of my garage in Pennsylvania for 43 years, so it was well seasoned. To me it has a tinny, nasal sound. Someday I'll get around to recording something on it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Shopdad, there is an interesting story regarding the scheitholt reproduction. I wrote an article for DPN, with some help from Ken Hulme, regarding the term scheitholt. It was to be published in the December, 2025 issue. I had submitted it August, 2024. We were camping in summer of 2025 and I was telling our daughter and son-in-law about it and remarked that I'd never seen a scheitholt. They challenged me to make one.

After a couple of months of research I came up with the measurements and developed a plan. I made it from a plank of pine I had up in the rafters of the garage. 

The article is to come out in the May, 2026 issue of DPN along with the story of building the scheitholt. The May issue's release date was pushed off until sometime in June. If you want to read the article as submitted it is available: here.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Shopdad, here is a link for the scheitholt: Praetorius scheitholt . And here is a link to one reproduction zitter I made: zitter .

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I did a quick recount today. I'm happy to say that I only have 21 mountain dulcimers at the moment. In addition I do have four PA German zitters and a reproduction Praetorius scheitholt I made.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Good ones, Wally and Shopdad. John you have recognized the beginning of the problem, if indeed one considers it a problem. Has anyone found a cure or end to it? It seems every time I sell one or give one away I accumulate a few more. I think I have it under control. For the last few years I've been about to keep the population around 23 or so.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thanks, Shopped. I've seen that photo before. She does have it propped up on a foot stool, but still it is a very large instrument.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Many folks who have been part of the mountain dulcimer for a while are aware of European instruments that share some characteristics of our mountain dulcimer, most notably a diatonic fretboard and drone strings. Back in 1952 Stig Wallin wrote about The Swedish Hummel for the Nordic Museum in Stockholm. This work has been available on the interned for many years. The problem is that it is in German with quotes in Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, etc. After writing an article about the term "Scheitholt" and sharing it with some friends, one of them sent me a link to the Wallin's manuscript. I thought it would be good to have it available in English and set about translating. You can find a link to it in a thread here called The Schwedische Hummel. It is a large file so the link allows you to download the 150 pages from my Dropbox.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

A couple of other interpretations of DAS and DAD are Dulcimer Acquisition Syndrome, Dulcimers Are Sweet; and Dulcimer Acquisition Disease and Dulcimers Are Delightful.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings  sweet song."

I've visited the Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View, Arkansas a couple of times. The first time was in 1974 and then again a couple of years ago. The folks at the Shoppe are friendly and certainly knowledgeable about their dulcimers. My wife and I had a good time on our last visit and I was able to play a few dulcimers. They usually have a good stock on hand. They have a great assortment of accessories for mountain dulcimers, books, CDs, etc. After my first visit Lynn and I became Pen Pals exchanging letters from time to time on dulcimer related topics. There was an occasional phone or two over the years. If you do any camping there is a nice campground in Mtn. View. We stayed there on the last trip. The Ozark Folk Center is also in Mtn. View and work visiting. Take in a concert if you are staying overnight.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Over the years I've put new tuners on many McSpadden dulcimers. I started by replacing wood tuners with metal friction tuners and then replacing those with planetary tuning machines. It's a relatively easy job to do on McSpaddens.

Thank you, Lisa. I never paid any attention to where this discussion was taking place. I'm glad you keep us organized.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

canard, please feel free to post your findings of interesting auction dulcimers. Not everyone checks auctions regularly and you may alert someone to something they are looking for. I appreciate you posting the information about Paul Pyle. He was a significant builder and contributor in the early dulcimer "revival" period. Folks should know about him. I am a dulcimer builder, player, and historian. While I find many new players lack a curiosity about the history of our beloved instrument, I take delight in those who do. Again, thanks for posting and please continue to do so.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

This is devastating news and a tremendous loss for both Christophe and all those who appreciate his Epinette des Vosges. I hope he will be able to recover and begin to promote the instrument again.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I was at the Appalachian Dulcimer Heritage Day in Sperryville, VA when I learned of Gary's death. It is sad that another great builder and player is gone. I met him at a festival once. He was struggling that weekend and not feeling at all well. He made it through but was not his normal self. He made really nice dulcimers. He will be missed by many in the mountain dulcimer world. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

If the dulcimers are "revival" instruments, mainly post 1950, I don't see any problem in modifying it. I would look to be able to undo the modification if necessary. I have a very early Folkcraft dulcimer (1962) but don't value as much my 1931 James Edward Thomas dulcimer. I think instruments made by individuals should be valued more than instruments built in group shop. Having said all that, you run a business. Do what you think is necessary to move your inventory. You are not keeping them as an investment. And anyone who thinks of owning a mountain dulcimer as an investment probably is kidding themselves.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

When I first started making dulcimers I used violin varnish as that was what my teacher used since he was a violin maker. I think I made three or four dulcimers with this finish and started looking for something easier and less labor intensive. I tried both brush on and wipe on polyurethane finishes, but did not like the look of them. For most of the rest of time building dulcimers I used a spray on lacquer finish. Once I got in to making reproductions I started using oil and shellac finishes. I've also used milk paint. Now, to answer your question, I don't think any of the are the best finish. It just depends on what you are trying to achieve. I think for the end user a lacquer finish is the easiest to care for finish. It cleans and polishes well and looks good plus it can be satin, semi-gloss, or gloss so you can go from understated to flashy.

You can't buy denatured alcohol (labeled as such) here in Pennsylvania either, but you can buy denatured alcohol as fuel for alcohol stoves.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I talked with Doug Naselroad the other day and he hopes to be able to have the Homecoming in November 0f 2026. I think the dates he mentioned to me are Nov. 5, 6, and 7. It still depends upon receiving some funding to make this possible. If it happens I plan to be in Hindman for it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

You're welcome, Dusty. The Road to Recovery is an excellent program for recovering addicts. Not everyone stays at the Stringed Instrument Company. Some go on to further education and other jobs. I spoke with one of them last year who now has a Masters degree and is teaching at a community college. He continues to come back to speak with employees encouraging them to keep working in the program. Some stay on and become permanent employees at Troublesome Creek. Doug said the recidivism rate among Road to Recovery is very low. He did tell me the number but I can remember it. I do all I can to support Road to Recovery.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Last night (4/6/26) PBS News Hour featured The Road to Recovery program and the Troublesome Creek Stringed Instrument Company in its final segment of the broadcast. I thought they did a good job. Here is a link to the video: Rebuilding I hope you enjoy it. I spoke with Doug Naselroad shortly after the segment aired and he told me he hopes to hold the 2026 Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming the 5th, 6th, & 7th of November if funding for it comes through.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Happy Easter to you as well Richard. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I agree that it is a Blue Lion.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Very nice instruments, Shopdad. I just worry too much about temperament. I follow this philosophy.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 images-1.jpeg - 9KB

This is an e-book, so you have to download and print it out yourself. However, it has everything you need to know about mountain dulcimer chords. https://www.melbay.com/Products/93858EB/dulcimer-chord-encyclopedia.aspx?classificationSId=D09

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Lisa, I think you are on the wrong side of the river for me way as I go by. I'm planning to head down 9W to see my cousin in Bergen County, NJ. Thought I'd take the old route instead of the big highway and relive some memories of driving up the Hudson River when I was young.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song,"

Here is a photo to show that we are at the Dulcimer Association of Albany's festival in Latham , NY. We met up with each other yesterday and reconnected with many other friends here. Here is photo of us together at the Saturday evening concert.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

 IMG_0922.jpeg - 288KB

I just learned today that John Huron who led many in the building of Thomas type dulcimers died on the morning of March 6, 2026. His obituary can be found here:  John Huron . I met John when I attended Dulcimerville in Black Mountain, NC. He restored my J.E. Thomas dulcimer to playing condition and gave me the inside mold in case I decided to build one. He was a part of current mountain dulcimer history. Rest in peace, John.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

According to Doug Naselroad there will not be one this year. They were unable to secure funding to continue the homecoming. Funding primarily used to pay the workshop leaders and provide meals and housing for them. Other participants paid their own housing and meal costs. 

Ken
"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

In 1976, Appalshop made a movie entitled "Sourwood Mountain" which is about I.D. Stamper. He plays the mountain dulcimer in it.

There is also the "Hearts of the Dulcimer" video about the West Coast dulcimer community.

I have a VHS tape which Lynn McSpadden gave me. It told how they make dulcimers at the Dulcimer Shoppe. I don't if there are other copies floating around. He told me he send it to his dealers.

Jean Ritchie plays a mountain dulcimer on an episode of Pete Seeger's "Rainbow Quest" TV show. 

You can find many videos with the dulcimer on YouTube. Some are clips from movies and TV shows.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Still waiting for my February DPN. I do have a First Class Mail subscription. Can't wait to read it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."