Musician and Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer Maker
I am often asked how long it takes me to make a dulcimer. The answer is that I don’t really know. Someday I will figure it out. I do know that I am not making very much per hour!
Here are some of the things that require my time before making a dulcimer.
Design – It took [...]
This information applies to dulcimers as well as any wooden stringed instrument.
Wood, no matter how well seasoned, will continue to expand and contract with changes in humidity.
One of the primary causes of damage to stringed instruments is dehydration. An instrument can dry out in a remarkably short period of time. As the wood becomes dry [...]
I did not work on dulcimers for about two weeks. I was recovering from gallbladder surgery followed by bronchitis. None of this is a big deal but I had to take it easy for a while.
But now I am back to my old tricks and have picked up where I left off on three dulcimers. [...]
I am often asked which species of wood makes the best sounding dulcimer. Any answer would be very subjective at best. Each tonewood has the potential to become an instrument with a fine, unique voice.
There are some generalizations as to the potential tone of various woods but the outcome is dependent on the design and [...]
Posted in Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Lutherie, Music on Jul 31st, 2009
I find instrument making and playing to be intimately linked together. I enjoy doing both equally. Sometimes I lean more one way than the other for a while but the focus always swings back and forth and more or less balances itself out.
I also find myself focused on different instruments as well and the same [...]
Posted in Dulcimer on Jun 20th, 2009
Here are three new dulcimers fresh from the shop and a fourth that just had some minor adjustments made to the bridge:
They are resting on the porch swing as I pack for a trip to a festival in North Carolina. There are two other dulcimers going with me but they are shy and chose to [...]
I’ve been working on 6 dulcimers during the last several weeks. Here are some photographs of a few walnut dulcimers at various stages of the journey.
The influence of the back and sides of a dulcimer can effect the sound almost as much as the soundboard.
Over the years I have found that there are no hard and fast rules as to what works best. This goes not only for dulcimer backs but just about everything else too!
I have made dulcimers that [...]
I put a lot of time into choosing which pieces of wood become a finished dulcimer. Sometimes I spend hours deciding which board (or boards) will provide the top, back peghead, fretboard, endblocks and sides for a particular dulcimer.
I am currently working on two walnut dulcimers. One is curly with beautiful red, brown and orange [...]
My standard dulcimer setup features what I have found to be the most popular configuration with most players; 4 strings with the 6 1/2 and 13 1/2 frets. The action is set up for a balance of playability and clean sound (minimal buzzes if you play it hard).
I recommend this setup to most people unless [...]