Well, I'm falling in love all over again with my Kevin Messenger teardrop dulcimer (see my avatar). I installed a set of Pegheds on it last week, and now I can zip from one tuning to another without sweat or foul language. It's like having indoor plumbing!

I'm also exploring the materials I got at the on-line Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering a couple weeks ago. I only attended one day, but received plenty of skill-developing information to keep me busy.

Non-dulcimer—I'm nearing completion of a book manuscript I've been working on since last November. It is a translation  with notes of a Japanese poetry collection from the 13th century. Here's one which seems particularly appropriate to our times:

 

 Fujiwara no Kiyosuke 

1104-1177

 

Given enough time, 

all these troubles may become 

like those of the past—

all those mean, hard, fear-filled days,

remembered with nostalgia.

 

nagaraeba mata konogoro ya shinobaren 

ushi to mishi yo zo ima wa koishiki 

 

I'm finishing up a 15 string plucked psaltery with decorations.   I gave my #25 plucked psaltery to my two little grandsons that came here with their daddy and they left today.   We made two canjo's for them.  One is 3 and the other is 8.   both could play both instruments.  sooooooooooooo fun.  aloha, irene

Doodling up a smaller version of my Burnsville Holly Leaf dulcimer.  This one will be only 5" wide and 30" overall, with a 25" VSL

I am working on a few kind of fast fiddle tunes. Trying to learn from a couple Phyliss Gaskins CDs. She is known for Galax dulcimer. I don’t have one, but I do have one of Bobby Ratliff’s Honaker style dulcimers that is tuned dddd (unison) and it suits just fine.

I'm constructing a mean-tone walnut hourglass Thomas replica for a guy in Yorkshire.  The body's assembled, but needs trimming and pegs, nut, bridge, frets, strings, etc.

Thank you, Dusty.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

It looks like you're doing very good work with those zitters. @Ken-Longfield.  That kind of preservation is obviously important.

--
Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator

As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie

Learning “Carrickfergus”. Mostly got the tune down (cgc) now starting to work on the other two strings. 😉

Well, I finally finish the restoration of a Pennsylvania German zitter. I purchased two of them back in the Fall of 2019. The other one was easier to restore as I just had to repair a few cracks and reglue some joints. The top on the one I just finished was beyond repair and I had to make a new top. Here is the instrument.

Ken,

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thought I'd resurrect this discussion thread. What are you guys working on?  building a new instrument?  learning a new tune?  putting lyrics to a melody you wrote?

I was watching an episode of the BBC series Poldark the other night and heard a charming Irish jig called "Haste to the Wedding."  I'm working on it now.  Not quite up to speed, but we're getting there.  I'm playing it on my Ron Ewing octave dulcimette, which is a 3/4-size instrument.  The smaller frets and the proximity of the strings make it a bit easier to play faster tunes.

--
Dusty T., Northern California
Site Moderator

As a musician, you have to keep one foot back in the past and one foot forward into the future.
-- Dizzy Gillespie

Share with us what music and/or instrument you are currently working on!

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
updated by @strumelia: 03/02/24 09:45:20PM