Ken Longfield

Thank you Ken. I am looking forward to being a member of FOTMD and participating in the discussions. I am a beginner so it is quite interesting.        Frank

Thanks for the warm welcome!

I had one of those beasts in my shop for repair. The owner's brother broke the peg head off when they were teenagers. Thirty some years later he decided to have it fixed. I re-attached the peg head and he has been playing it ever since (about 7 or 8 years now). He bought a very nice shotgun case to keep it in.

You could have made it a 3 string by removing one string from each pair.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Not only is the Diamond dulcimer long, all the strings are doubled.  I don't know what I was thinking when I purchased it.  It is a beautifully finished instrument and I do enjoy the rich bright sound.  That is what sold me on it, but I truly didn't know what I was doing when I bought it.   Hopefully with conversations with folks like you and a few lessons and festivals, I should learn some things.  Because of the doubled strings, the callouses on my left hand are coming right along.

Thank you, Ken.  I just dusted off my 1976 Lucky Diamond dulcimer and am having fun.  It's been hanging on the wall for a long time and I was surprised when I took it down that it was almost in tune.  The tuners are wooden pegs and my arthritic hands can't handle them. My husband has to turn the pegs and push them in.  So I am in the market for a more modern one with geared tuners that I can handle and more frets. 

I had to put away my banjos which I have been playing for years because of--well--arthritis everywhere.  But after multiple surgeries and joint replacements, I am back to music again.  I have found the dulcimer  easier to fret because of the angle of the fretboard.  

I look forward to some good posts and conversations.

Caryl

Thanks for the warm welcome, Ken.  I'm taking up the MD later in life and am just now awaiting delivery of my first instrument.  Having played drums and percussion for a long time now, rhythm and timing is not an issue for me, but learning melodic theory is quite new to me (although I've played a bit of guitar and piano), so that's where I'm putting my attention while I await the dulcimer's arrival.  Looking forward to learning from you folks.

Thank you, Ken.

Thank you!  I look forward to being a part of this group.

Melody1

Thanks very much for the welcome, Ken.

My name is Russ and I live on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. 

This is a brand new path for me. I am 59 years old and have dabbled with guitar (rather unsuccessfully) in years gone by. Then a few years ago I saw a youtube video of a fellow playing a lovely tune on an instrument that I later found out was called a Mountain Dulcimer ( "I'll Fly Away" ). Since then I watched a lot more videos of dulcimers being played and people talking about them and how to play them and I started to feel the hooks get into me. People looked so peacefull all the time when they played and I found that very alluring, so decided I should get one for myself and try it out. Time went by, life was very busy and I never did get around to getting one over the years Then, a couple of weeks ago I happened to be idly looking online at a local misic store's web site as they were having a sale and I saw that they had a used dulcimer so I went and bought it. The instrument is a Green River Dulcimer from Ashville, N.C., built (according to the internal label) by "Paul Griffiths" in Oct 1983. It appears to be in great shape (except the tuning peg screws were loose and the pegs needs a little librication, plus the middle string was missing). I'll re-string it and get it fixed up  and hope to begin learning how it all works soon. An interesting but very sad back story that I learend from the internet: The fellow who owned Green River Dulcimers, a Mr. Bill Walker from Elkhorn, Kentucky, began making dulcimers (both mountain and hammered) in the early 70's. He moved to Asheville, N .C. in the late 70s where he also opened the Early Music Shop in Biltmore Village. In 1992 at the age of 49, he was murdered in his house by an intruder. His children ultimately decided not to continue the business. I think this makes this instrument a lot more special for me and I am proud to own it. Honestly, I don't even know how to hold it properly yet, but am very much looking forward to learning from people, both on this forum and elsewhere. Thank you for having me!

- Russ

Thank you Ken, it's lovey to be able to join this group - many thanks to those who keep it going, Sheila

Thanks for the welcome Ken. I’ve already gotten so much from FOTMD, and appreciate the work you and others have put into making it so interesting.

Thanks for the welcome, Ken.  I'm glad to be here, and I'm sure I'll be taking you up on your generous offer of help!

Hi, Ken, 

Thank you very much for being first to say hello and welcoming me to the community. I am looking forward to getting to know you all better. I am waiting on my Dulcimer to be delivered and having a hard time waiting. 

Is there a good starter book for a person who doesn't read music? Or any suggestions you have would be welcomed.

Again thanks 

Phil Smith Lt Col Ret.  PA, RN

Hi, Ken. Yes, attended all Shen U Dulcimer Workshops. So sad when they stopped. And just when I retired. You changed strings on my McSpadden once. Miss Maddie and Ralph so much. I hope to revive Shenandoah Strummers, our 1st dulcimer group that Maddie and Ellen Morgan started in 2006, in honor of Maddie. Looking forward to being a member of FOTMD and learning from all of you. Harmony, Danna 🎶☮☯️

Thank you Ken!

Thank you, Ken. I am excited to be a part of such a positive and supportive group.

Thank you very much, Ken! Looking forward to getting to know everyone!

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the warm welcome. t took a little for me to figure out how to upload photos. There's no apparent label. It seems a little unusual in terms of having a standing bridge more like a violin or cello (or banjo). I'll post something in the gourmand see if anyone recognizes it. If memory serves, I bought it at a pawn chop probably thirty years ago or so.

Thank you for the warm and gracious welcome, Ken. I'm really looking forward to meeting the folks here and can hardly wait to dig deep into some of the discussions.

Thanks for the welcome Ken. I have just purchased my dulcimer and am excited to start learning...any tips for a beginner?