Musician and Dulcimer Maker
Posted in Dulcimer on Feb 8th, 2008
play dulcimer with three separate strings. Many dulcimer players use a doubled top string and a single middle and bass string.
I have assumed that the doubled top string probably came about to give the melody more volume against the drones when playing in the traditional style.
As dulcimer playing evolved and melody and chords [...]
A beautiful snowy day. I get to spend the day in the shop. In a few hours I will have set up another prototype dulcimer and will be playing it. It’s a nice way to start off the month.
I fret dulcimers after the instrument is completely assembled. Some dulcimer makers fret the fingerboard before gluing it to the soundboard and have good results but I prefer to true up the fingerboard once I know the fretboard won’t move or warp during the construction process.
I use a long sanding block to sand the [...]
The new album is coming along. I recently posted a rough mix of “The Seven Yellow Gypsies” for all to hear.
My original idea was to record arrangements that are identical to what I do when performing live; no overdubs, no guest musicians, etc.
On listening to some of the tracks I’ve recorded I’ve come [...]
I go back into the studio in a week or so to record more tracks for the album I’m working on.
I have a question. Do you prefer purchasing music on CD or by downloading? Let me know!
My plan is to make the album and each individual track available as a very high quality MP3. [...]
Posted in Dulcimer on Nov 25th, 2007
I find Google’s patent search to be a good resource for inspiration and research.
While searching for things dulcimer I came across this very interesting patent.
Aside from the foot pedal mechanism what interests me most about this design is the dulcimer itself. The wide hourglass shape, the modified scroll and the use of f-holes [...]
The reinforcement strip and back braces are being shaped with chisels and scrapers. The chisel in the center is a crank necked paring chisel. The cranked neck of the chisel keeps my hand clear of the work.
The sides are dampened with water and sandwiched with a flexible thermal blanket between two sheets of flexible steel. [...]
Many stringed instruments traditionally have binding around the edges of the soundboard. The binding protects the exposed end grain of the soundboard from damage.Dulcimer soundboards usually are not bound. I assume this was because many early dulcimer makers were not trained luthiers and they may not have had the tools, technique or inclination to add [...]
Here are a few photos of what I’ve been up to in the shop.
The peg head is sawn to rough shape with a Japanese style saw. Japanese saws cut on the pull stroke so they are easy to control. They also cut with great precision and leave the surface of the wood relatively smooth.
Once the [...]
Making an instrument with good tone, responsiveness and projection requires making the soundboard both light and stiff.
Many types of wood can be used with good results. Often it is the unique weight and feel of a particular piece of wood that makes it suitable for a soundboard. I have had very good results using a [...]
