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Post by Dick Glasgow on Jul 20, 2007 13:30:34 GMT 1
AH HA. So one previous owner then, right? ................a Mr F Flintstone! ;D
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gypsy
Dulci-Mt-D (140 - 160 Posts)
Posts: 154
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Post by gypsy on Jul 21, 2007 4:25:27 GMT 1
i suspect it was older than that. Whatta beast the old truck was. but it kept running and runningandrunningandrunning...........on the other hand, it was a pollution plant. i'll stick with my nice little honda mini van. the entire band, kit, and canopy fits in it, and the gas mileage is okay. It is a four cylinder, but i daren't say the mileage to thee........i hear you guys over there have WAY efficient cars!
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gypsy
Dulci-Mt-D (140 - 160 Posts)
Posts: 154
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Post by gypsy on Jul 21, 2007 4:35:16 GMT 1
And i thought this limerick apropos for this thread:
He hammered his box trapezoidal
So out-of-tune it annoyed all
The audience who
Shoved the box somewhere new
Now he has severe pains hemmorroidal
Tune it daily, tune it when in doubt, tune it OFTEN!
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Post by Dick Glasgow on Jul 23, 2007 10:06:16 GMT 1
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gypsy
Dulci-Mt-D (140 - 160 Posts)
Posts: 154
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Post by gypsy on Jul 25, 2007 4:36:41 GMT 1
'specially if it was my big chromatic, yes? LOL!
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Dulcetta
Dulci-Kankles (30 - 40 Posts
Posts: 35
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Post by Dulcetta on Jul 27, 2007 13:02:54 GMT 1
Being a newbie it takes me twenty mins plus to tune. ( I thought it would take hours..lol)
I do it by ear first then check with my tuner.
Trying to tune it according to note , rather than just walk up the courses, as it seems to tune easier that way, and is helping me to learn the location of notes.
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Post by Dick Glasgow on Jul 27, 2007 20:36:43 GMT 1
Yes Dulcetta, tuning by note rather than just walking up the strings - that's a great tip for anyone who is just starting to learn to play a H-D.
Those early tips can save a lot of work later.
Which reminds me, I heard of someone who learned to play the H-D in isolation & he was doing a great job by all accounts ...... but he was actually teaching himself to play it UPSIDE DOWN so the narrow end was nearest him! 
Och well, it's not the first time I've heard of Guitar's being learned upside down too. 
Cheers
Dick |
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Dulcetta
Dulci-Kankles (30 - 40 Posts
Posts: 35
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Post by Dulcetta on Jul 28, 2007 11:25:57 GMT 1
lol
The mind boggles as to how they can stretch the thicker gauge of bass strings to a treble pitch when tuning.
I had a guitar student who told me he was left handed. I showed him how to restring the guitar. Well the next week he had restrung it, but had decided to play it normally after all,he figured he was using both hands anyway..so guitar was effectively upside down with the left hand stringing.....
I'm laughing , but I wonder how many mistakes I will make before I find an expert to correct me.. smiles
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Post by Dick Glasgow on Jul 29, 2007 9:00:56 GMT 1
Dulcetta, if you haven't yet explored the links on our *Getting Started* thread here, I'd check them out.
You should find them interesting & helpful: Getting StartedCheers
Dick
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gypsy
Dulci-Mt-D (140 - 160 Posts)
Posts: 154
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Post by gypsy on Jul 30, 2007 3:55:03 GMT 1
Dulcetta, you will do fine being self taught. I suspect most dulcimer players ARE self taught, due to the uniqueness of our chosen instrument. I am one of two dulcimers in my COUNTY. So, get the books, and when a pro wanders thru town, see if you can buy an hour of their time to get tips. Just be clear on exactly what you want to know. The last time i bought an hour, the guy spent a half hour with me saying, 'i can teach you this tune, or that tune' . I didn't need to learn tunes. I wanted to learn a specific ornament that he does. For a beginner book, try Linda Lowe Thompson. She will have you playing within 15 minutes, and answers email questions. Really great lady, and good teacher. I use her books for students exclusively when i teach.
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Dulcetta
Dulci-Kankles (30 - 40 Posts
Posts: 35
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Post by Dulcetta on Jul 30, 2007 17:57:58 GMT 1
Thanks for the encouragement Gypsy.
The only book of Linda's I have been able to purchase in the UK so far, is her First Lessons book. I'm afraid it is not really much help to me. It is not lessons, just tunes, i.e. no exercises in technique or theory.Also I will never play many of the tunes as they are Christmas carols, and I don't celebrate Christmas, just Easter.
I'm trying to stick with chord practice and scales, the classical approach I'm used to, before even looking at tunes. I believe most folks could hammer out a simple tune with practice, I agree it is the ornamentation and technique which is where experienced players advice is most needed.
EDIT: Ignore that, I just realised I got confused between Linda Thomas (whose book I have) and Linda Thompson .
Haven't seen any of the latter's books in the UK
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gypsy
Dulci-Mt-D (140 - 160 Posts)
Posts: 154
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Post by gypsy on Aug 1, 2007 4:49:39 GMT 1
Ah. Linda Lowe Thompson...........she DOES start you off with tunes, which is great for a neophyte who has never played anything before......very encouraging. But still, with some good basic lessons in there. You might want to start with the Blue Book.....comes with 2 cds, and has 50 lessons. Very comprehensive on how to move a tune around the soundboard, transposition, and some ornamentation. Karen Ashbrook also has a fine book for ornamentation, and she also will answer questions via email.
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sitorimon
Dulci-Psaltery (0 - 10 Posts)
Happy Minnow
Posts: 3
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Post by sitorimon on Aug 22, 2007 20:40:11 GMT 1
Tuning for me now I've done it a couple of times is much quicker each time. I'm not sure I'm doing it right but if the strings are in tune its just a step forward from where I was before lol! With familiarity comes precision and speed  Si |
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gypsy
Dulci-Mt-D (140 - 160 Posts)
Posts: 154
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Post by gypsy on Aug 28, 2007 4:56:38 GMT 1
That's right. Trust me, as you tune more, your dulcimer will be smarter, and allow you to tune s/he very quickly.
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