Dulcimer build

Dulcimerpete · Post by **Dulcimerpete** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:28 pm

A few weeks ago I said I would post some shots of my next dulcimer build. For those who are interested I have set up a blog:http://dulcimerpete.blogspot.com/. I am very pleased with the tone and on the whole it looks OK. And Michael (the new owner) is happy.

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:36 am

Thanks for posting those Pete. I've never heard a dulcimer played before, at least that I know of. Do you have any examples of some of your instruments?

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:50 am

Nice build Pete, not a Dulcimer person (no exposure to them) but I like your work and that jig is killer! looks like it does everything but put a finish on the Dulcimer.

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 6:46 am

Oooh that looks nice Pete. Appalachian style.

You Tube has heaps of dulcimer players Allen, I think its really evocative.

woodrat · Post by **woodrat** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 7:19 am

Hi Pete, It's John here who supplied the wood for your dulcimer. I enjoyed looking at the blog and seeing how you made it. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:46 am

Hi Pete. Brings back old memories building Dulcimers. I have built quite a few in years past, here is a picture of my very first instrument of any kind, a dulcimer. I had no plans just an magazine article and photo's, turned out ok tho. Top was Cedar [still use timber from that stash] back and sides were ply
Built in 1974 possibly and hung on the wall ever since, fun instruments to build.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 11:12 am

Hope the shovel (sans handle) wasn't put there for comparison Taff

John Maddison · Post by **John Maddison** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:34 pm

Allen wrote: ... I've never heard a dulcimer played before, at least that I know of ...

Here's a little reminder ... try to keep your eyes off Joni long enough to check out the instrument build as well ...

youtu.be/

Aint she sweet?

Allen · Post by **Allen** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 5:19 pm

Can't say I've ever heard that song before John, but it was just brilliant. Thanks for posting that. Gonna look for some more of Joni. I haven't listened to any of her stuff in years.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:42 pm

People tend to think only of Joni as the chick who played the theme to Woodstock. What ppl dont realise is that she wrote the song and that as well as being a consumate vocalist she is also a master guitarist. I love her use of open tunings.

kiwigeo · Post by **kiwigeo** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 8:47 pm

Heres Joni with possibly the best back up band ever assembled....Jaco P on bass, Pat Methany on guitar, Lyle Mayes on keyboards and Don Alias on drums. Later on in the same concert Tom Scott puts in some work on the sax. I think the venue is The Hollywood Bowl in LA. (A very young) Methany and Jaco are cooking as is Joni....she's playing an Ibanez and I think its a George Benson model but dont quote me on that. I saw Joni playing live in Christchurch NZ back in the early 80's and she was playing the same guitar.

http://video.google.com/videosearch?cli ... ent=safari

John Maddison · Post by **John Maddison** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 10:12 pm

As if THAT wasn't enough ... in 2000, at the age of 57, her voice had changed noticeably due to vocal nodules, a compressed larynx, and the lingering effects of smoking and having had polio as a child. But she could still turn it on, even without a dulcimer or Ibanez guitar:

youtu.be/

Apologies Peter for sending this thread slightly off on a tangent

sebastiaan56 · Post by **sebastiaan56** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 4:48 am

She is also an accomplished visual artist and her album of last year is terrific, she re-recorded Big Yellow Taxi for the first time. Released by Starbucks I believe.

ozziebluesman · Post by **ozziebluesman** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:30 am

Hey Pete that is a wonderful looking instrument. I have heard one of these played well and they sound great. Cindy Lauper used on on Australian Idol in a live version of her song "True Colours" and it was nothing short of outstanding.

Joni is the Queen of open tunings and we can thank her for many interesting guitar sounds through her quest to take the guitar to different levels. What a voice though!!!

You instrument looks very good indeed. Did you follow a plan for is it your own design?

Cheers

Alan

Dulcimerpete · Post by **Dulcimerpete** » Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:34 pm

Thanks for the support guys. It is much appreciated.
The dulcimer appeals to me because it is reasonably easy to make and reasonably easy to play. The basic (and oldest) tuning arrangement gives two open strings (tuned to 1 & 5) and a single melody string with a diatonic fretboard. The sound is very distinctive. Let me know if you would like a few more youtube references to (less distracting

) examples of dulcimer music.
In answer to Allen H's question my sequence went like this: I imported a professionally made dulcimer from the USA and taught myself to play it. I was a little disappointed to find that it sounded more "tinny" and less "silvery" than I expected and so I started to plan to build my own. I bought a kit to find out how they went together and a plan from a respected luthier. The kit went together easily and had a tone much closer to what I wanted. I was hooked. From that point on I started building from scratch with locally available wood. My present design is a selected mix of features of the plan and the kit with a few details from the professionally built intrument. However, I really learnt how to do it from forums like this one and the building forum at EverythingDulcimer. com. My thanks to you all.

Dulcimerpete · Post by **Dulcimerpete** » Thu Jul 09, 2009 9:16 am

Hi Taf. They really are fun to build. In the mid 70's the dulcimer revival was well underway in the US and I know some were built here then, but the idea just took off over there (the heritage was important - its part of their pioneering past). Pity it just drifted along over here.

Two things caught my eye in your photo, (apart from the beaten iron resonator ready for the next one

). The shape is interesting. Long slow radius in the upper bout and short round in the lower. Looks good. But the other thing is the pegbox. Is that a carving?

Taffy Evans · Post by **Taffy Evans** » Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:14 pm

hi Pete,
Yes it is a carving of a buffalo head, I lived in he N T. Certainly shows its 40 odd years now.

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