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Location:

Location: Reedsville, PA
Country: US

My Latest Followers:

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youtube videos: 1

images: 72

events: 2

Groups: 1

I am retired and live in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania. I built my first mountain dulcimer in 1974. I continue to build mountain dulcimers, hammered dulcimers and do repair work on them as well as guitars and banjos. I enjoy old time music, bluegrass, and folk music from before and after the folk scare of the 1950s and 1960s.

Latest Activity

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@ken-longfield • 19 hours ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "Truss Rods?":

"Guitars and banjos need truss rods to stabilize the neck because of the pressure from the strings. On most dulcimers the strings are not anchored to the neck..."

@ken-longfield • yesterday • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @jamneb:

"Welcome to FOTMD Jamneb. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 2 days ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @jessica-tyree:

"Welcome to FOTMD Jessica. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 2 weeks ago • comments: 10
Posted a new Comment on Happy Dulcimering!:

"Very pretty. I like it. Thanks for sharing. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 2 weeks ago • comments: 5
Posted a new Comment on @wendell-g:

"Welcome back to FOTMD Wendell G. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet..."

@ken-longfield • 2 weeks ago • comments: 12
Posted a new Comment on My first N. Carolina Mountain Dulcimer build:

"Very nice, Bob. I need to find some butternut. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 2 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @jigs:

"Welcome to FOTMD Jigs. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. There is a West Virginia players group..."

@ken-longfield • 2 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @bennyb:

"Welcome to FOTMD BennyB. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. We have a few member here from England,..."

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @jeffq73:

"Welcome to FOTMD JeffQ73. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @cindy-frick:

"Welcome to FOTMD Cindy. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @cornbread:

"Welcome to FOTMD Cornbread. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 5
Posted a new Comment on @gary-vandenheuvel:

"Welcome to FOTMD Gary. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 8
Posted a new Comment on Testing Lacquer v Polyurethane:

"Besides mountain dulcimer, I belong to banjo and guitar sites as well. The topic of finishes and sound comes up occasionally with pretty much the same..."

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @weird-things:

"Welcome to FOTMD Weird Things. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet..."

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 8
Posted a new Comment on Testing Lacquer v Polyurethane:

"Hi, Matt. I've never done a test, but I did use a wipe on poly finish for one of my dulcimers. I can't really say how it impacted the sound of the dulcimer..."

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "video Mr. Wilson at Mountain Dulcimer Museum in Hindman":

"Thanks Robin. Randy is a very patient teacher whether with children or adults. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @tim:

"Welcome to FOTMD Tim. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @animal:

"Welcome to FOTMD Animal. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 3 weeks ago • comments: 5
Posted a new Comment on Where the fingerboard meets the soundboard:

"With arches in the fret board, I would leave the sound board intact. It does not make sense to me to have a large open space under fret board in that..."

@ken-longfield • 4 weeks ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @marshall-goers:

"Welcome to FOTMD Marshall. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 4 weeks ago • comments: 6
Posted a new Comment on Another one done :

"That's a beautiful dulcimer Sheryl. Thanks for sharing it with us. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 4 weeks ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @releanna:

"Welcome to FOTMD Releanna. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 4 weeks ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @bopmatt:

"Welcome to FOTMD Bopmatt. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • 4 weeks ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @debbie:

"Welcome to FOTMD Debbie. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @joann1130:

"Welcome to FOTMD Joann1130. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @mrswelsh2015:

"Welcome to FOTMD MrsWelsh2015. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet..."

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @george-s:

"Welcome to FOTMD George S. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 10
Posted a new Comment on fret wire crown height and width:

"I use the Stew-Mac #147 narrow/medium. The width is 0.080 and with crown is 0.040 with a tang of 0.062. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song""

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 10
Posted a new Comment on fret wire crown height and width:

"Larry, on my modern dulcimers I use a medium size fret wire while the traditional dulcimers I build have thinner wire staples as frets. People who tend to..."

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @labmaestrophd:

"Welcome to FOTMD LabMaestroPhD. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet..."

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on @linda-fisher:

"Welcome to FOTMD Linda Fisher. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet..."

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @clornbjorn:

"Welcome to FOTMD Clornbjorn. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @bricksnbeatles:

"Welcome to FOTMD Bricksnbeatles. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet..."

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "The Drifting Thread...":

"Beautiful Irene. I'm glad you are able to share it with us. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

@ken-longfield • one month ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on @richardmck:

"Welcome to FOTMD Richardmck. It is good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation in these discussions. Ken "The dulcimer sings a sweet song.""

Latest Group Discussions

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Current build

Here are some photos as I near the completion of this project. The...
@Ken Longfield 7 months ago - Comments: 15

Tuning peg knobs

I have a customer who is having the tuning pegs replaced on two of his...
@Ken Longfield 11 months ago - Comments: 23

Wood Choice - Food For Thought

I came across this experiment for classical guitars and found it...
@Ken Longfield 4 years ago - Comments: 13

The Ugly Dulcimer - A Story

Somewhere and at sometime someone decided to build a mountain dulcimer...
@Ken Longfield 2 years ago - Comments: 8

Repairing a Diamond Dulcimer

While this is not a build, we do not have a specific area to show...
@Ken Longfield 6 years ago - Comments: 17

PA German Zitter

Here are some photos of PA German zitter reproduction I'm making. There...
@Ken Longfield 3 years ago - Comments: 17

Not a Mountain Dulcimer

A few folks here at FOTMD know that I was working on a hammered...
@Ken Longfield 7 years ago - Comments: 9

A New "Old" Project

Back maybe 20 to 25 years ago, my sister was wandering through a yard...
@Ken Longfield 3 years ago - Comments: 2

Stanley Hicks article

Although not dulcimer specific, Stanley Hicks played a significant...
@Ken Longfield 4 years ago - Comments: 8

The Story of the Dulcimer, Second Edition

This is just a notice that it is available for pre-ordering on Amazon.
@Ken Longfield 5 years ago - Comments: 14

PA German Zitter

As I understand it, Jean Ritchie saw a PA German Zitter in the...
@Ken Longfield 5 years ago - Comments: 0

Old-time West Virginia bands

County Sales currently has these two CDs on sale for $7.00 each if...
@Ken Longfield 5 years ago - Comments: 1

Wartz Tab Book Corrections

In the Wartz tab book for the DAA "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms,"...
@Ken Longfield 6 years ago - Comments: 2

My First Prichard

It is not quite finished, but I thought I would share a photo of my...
@Ken Longfield 6 years ago - Comments: 15

J. E. Thomas Dulcimer #1465 played by Joe Collins

Here is a link to a video of Joe Collins playing my James E. "Uncle...
@Ken Longfield 6 years ago - Comments: 6

String tension calculations

Over at the Banjo Hangout I saw a posting for a string tension...
@Ken Longfield 6 years ago - Comments: 7

Latest Audio

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Latest Videos

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Landis Valley Zitter

@Ken Longfield
2 years ago - Comments: 17

Latest Photos

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Latest Forum Discussions

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The New ED

Posted: Sunday April 19 2020, 10:50 AM
By: @Ken Longfield

Guitar project

Posted: Tuesday January 28 2020, 9:13 PM
By: @Susie

Just For Fun - sayings regarding the...

Posted: Monday April 8 2019, 5:54 PM
By: @Strumelia

Sad News

Posted: Tuesday January 15 2019, 8:16 PM
By: @jeffrey charles foster

Capritaurus Dulcimer - Oh My!

Posted: Thursday November 22 2018, 7:56 AM
By: @Robin Thompson

Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming

Posted: Monday February 26 2018, 12:56 PM
By: @Jan Potts

Ukulele construction

Posted: Thursday September 14 2017, 9:42 AM
By: @Ken Longfield

Hindman, Kentucky

Posted: Saturday November 26 2016, 9:14 PM
By: @John C. Knopf

Wayfaring Strangers

Posted: Thursday February 4 2016, 1:05 PM
By: @Ron Larson2

Clifford Glenn

Posted: Sunday July 26 2015, 10:17 AM
By: @Ken Longfield

For Old Time Music Fans

Posted: Friday April 3 2015, 1:07 PM
By: @Ken Longfield

Folk Music Resources

Posted: Wednesday February 11 2015, 1:18 PM
By: @Ken Longfield

A photo for Patty from Virginia

Posted: Thursday January 15 2015, 8:28 PM
By: @Patty from Virginia

The Dulcimer in Eastern Kentucky Videos

Posted: Thursday December 11 2014, 5:41 AM
By: @Rob N Lackey

2014 National Mountain Dulcimer Champions

Posted: Sunday September 21 2014, 7:35 AM
By: @John Keane

Encyclopedia of Appalachia

Posted: Friday October 19 2012, 10:17 PM
By: @Ken Longfield

Comments

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08/11/20 09:15:42AM @jamneb:

Thanks Ken, I used to haunt these pages years ago, Covid has finally given me the time to learn the instrument I brought back in 2013!

08/01/20 12:17:16PM @wendell-g:

Thank you, Ken. I appreciate the kind welcome!

07/04/20 03:12:08PM @richardmck:

Thanks Ken! Very happy to be here.

06/20/20 09:21:04AM @floralin:

Thanks for the welcome, Ken!

06/08/20 10:58:38PM @maryn:

I have a Blue Lion that is phenomenal to play so knowing Janita is a geologist also is pretty cool.

06/07/20 07:25:59PM @papageno:

HI Ken,

Thanks for the welcome.

Best,

Roger

05/28/20 09:37:06AM @pamela:

Thanks for the warm welcome, Ken!

05/26/20 04:41:50AM @corryvreckan:

Hi Ken, thanks for fixing the typo although there was no need! I'm currently on furlough from work so I have plenty of time to practice. I take advantage every day - the biggest problem is holding myself back so that I learn the basics thoroughly before I go trying more complicated things. So far so good....

Best regards,

Pete

05/25/20 06:43:57AM @corryvreckan:

Thank you Ken, I'm looking forward to learning more and hopefully sharing more as I learn. Just so you know, Corryvreckan (with a 'k') is a whirlpool off the isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Mull is the home of my clan, hence the choice of name :).

Pete

05/17/20 01:47:43PM @907woman:

Thanks Ken for the welcome! Best regards, Colleen

05/16/20 10:42:25AM @coop:

Thanks Ken for the warm welcome! So much to learn, warm regards. Coop

05/12/20 10:37:59PM @syoung:

Thank you so much! I love the dulcimer and it reminds me of summers spent in the ozarks listening to my grandfather play it when I was young! Im excited to be a member of this group!

Steven

05/11/20 04:20:29PM @becky-park:

Thanks for the welcome-So true -The dulcimer has a sweet sound of its own!

05/11/20 10:58:12AM @connorc:

Thank you for the welcome. I am sure I'll be in the discussions as soon as I have an idea what I'm talking about. I have to lower the action on this cheap dulcimer first, then I can get down to some serious learning! (It's in my profile pic and is all I could afford - hehe)