Nice! I've been trying to find a Swedish hummel. I've found a violin maker that makes them (no price, I'm guessing not cheap). She even ran a build your own hummel course at the Korrö Folk Music Festival last year.
I need to clarify that I am the second owner of it- I bought this hummel from the original owner who commissioned it from Ben. I have wanted a hummel for many years and was lucky to be able to get this one when it came up for sale. But I didn't request the half frets fretboard myself. I believe JJ Niles made a few fretboards this way, and the practice started long before Niles. The sound holes are patterned after an instrument in the Allen Smith book, I believe. The peghead is inspired by a scheitholt in the Mercer Museum.
To use the frets, you really need to be fretting with your fingers so you can reach over to catch the half notes when needed, on the third 'melody' string. Being a flat picker or fingerpicker with your right hand would help as well. You'd tune that 3rd string the same as the main pair of melody strings. Since I'm strictly a noter player these days, I will not likely be using the half frets, ....I can simply play this instrument with the noter as I would any diatonic dulcimer. It has a wonderful full deep sound with the extra drones and deep body. But I can't really do justice to the half frets...maybe one day I will get into the new technique for using them.
Right now though I'm concentrating on bowing my new langspil. That's a huuuge learning curve for me, and I can only focus on one major challenge at a time.
It's a beautiful looking instrument, for sure. I don't understand the fretboard at all, though. Maybe a video someday demonstrating how to use the full frets, partial frets, and drones?
Robin, its VSL scale is not longer than many mtn dulcimers. But the body is deep and that peghead is of course intimidating, adding lots of overall length.
Nice! I've been trying to find a Swedish hummel. I've found a violin maker that makes them (no price, I'm guessing not cheap). She even ran a build your own hummel course at the Korrö Folk Music Festival last year.
Thank you all kindly!
I need to clarify that I am the second owner of it- I bought this hummel from the original owner who commissioned it from Ben. I have wanted a hummel for many years and was lucky to be able to get this one when it came up for sale. But I didn't request the half frets fretboard myself. I believe JJ Niles made a few fretboards this way, and the practice started long before Niles. The sound holes are patterned after an instrument in the Allen Smith book, I believe. The peghead is inspired by a scheitholt in the Mercer Museum.
To use the frets, you really need to be fretting with your fingers so you can reach over to catch the half notes when needed, on the third 'melody' string. Being a flat picker or fingerpicker with your right hand would help as well. You'd tune that 3rd string the same as the main pair of melody strings. Since I'm strictly a noter player these days, I will not likely be using the half frets, ....I can simply play this instrument with the noter as I would any diatonic dulcimer. It has a wonderful full deep sound with the extra drones and deep body. But I can't really do justice to the half frets...maybe one day I will get into the new technique for using them.
Right now though I'm concentrating on bowing my new langspil. That's a huuuge learning curve for me, and I can only focus on one major challenge at a time.
Beautiful.
It's a beautiful looking instrument, for sure. I don't understand the fretboard at all, though. Maybe a video someday demonstrating how to use the full frets, partial frets, and drones?
That's an incredibly beautiful instrument, Lisa! Ben does a great job building.
With the long peghead and the bridge so close to the tail, it played a trick on my eyes! lol
Robin, its VSL scale is not longer than many mtn dulcimers. But the body is deep and that peghead is of course intimidating, adding lots of overall length.
It's surely a pretty instrument, Strumelia! Is it as big as it looks?