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slap me silly posted:Here's a little secret - press the "Sheet Music" button Whaaaa...  slap me silly posted:And if you only have the ABC
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May 17, 2016 22:40
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Hedningen posted:So, ended up finding a good set of secondhand pipes via a Facebook group for pipers. BC Childress chanter, along with a nice pipebag and a set of bellows by Dow, which are gorgeous leather-and-brass, with really comfortable sheepskin padding. You can do a lot worse than one of Bruce's sets to learn on. I met a guy who had a practice set from him and it was in tune and easy to play, though a bit muffled-sounding (that could also be a reed issue). His workmanship is pretty good though. If you're unsure about the reed the only solution is having an experienced piper play your chanter. That's something you could ask your teacher to do if you meet in person. IMO the difficulty of the pipes is slightly overstated, once you get over the initial humps a lot of the difficulty comes from maintenance and having a set that actually plays well. If you have a good instrument it's not much harder than anything else really. That being said, it's definitely not a hobby instrument though, you really need to be passionate to stick with it. Good luck with the reedmaking, it's a great skill to have. Mickey Dunne said that if you make a reed every day for a year you are on the right track. Haha. Edit: One piece of advice is to listen to a lot of solo piping music. Like, every spare chance you get. Listening is such a huge part of learning this instrument, it's just as important as practicing. You need to have how you want to sound etched onto your brain before you can make your fingers do it. If you're obsessed with it your progress will be a lot faster. Rhombic Drive fucked around with this message at 16:46 on May 19, 2016 |
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May 19, 2016 16:31
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Long ago, TTFA mailed me a Swedish spelpipa, along with a booklet entitled "Jag blåste i min pipa..." which is all in Swedish but luckily, musical notation doesn't require much explanation, even when it's your own weird custom tabulature thing. I promised him I'd make a recording of it, but then I moved, and I'm basically a guy who sucks so I never got around to it until now. But today I pulled out the book and the spelpipa, took a few minutes to figure out one of the songs, and here it is: https://soundcloud.com/phamnuwen/tulu-pa-logen I like the sound way better than a tin whistle.
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May 22, 2016 22:25
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So, some time back this thread helped me get a Taishogoto off ebay. Well, I did keep on with it and enjoyed it enough that I just ordered a much nicer Yamaha model second hand from Japan. I'll post pictures when it arrives in a couple weeks.
Autoexec.bat fucked around with this message at 19:21 on May 23, 2016 |
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May 23, 2016 19:09
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Familiar Foreigner posted:So, some time back this thread helped me get a Taishogoto off ebay. Well, I did keep on with it and enjoyed it enough that I just ordered a much nicer Yamaha model second hand from Japan. I'll post pictures when it arrives in a couple weeks. Awesome, were you the goon I walked through the settup over Skype, or a different one? What kind of music are you playing on your taishogoto? Just got back to my place in DC, and immediately tuned up my beater Yamaha classical to DADGAD and been playing that. Getting back my cheapie English concertina and will use that to see if I want to try playing one for Irish pub sessions (Anglo is far more traditional but EC imitates fiddle or flute stylings well) and my friend who was babysitting my $4k Duet concertina I'm having a beer with and getting it back. Also getting my Indian kanjira drum back from a friend, will probably hold off on buying other drums for a bit and focus on that one since it's tiny and awesome with lots of bass for its size. At a recent family wedding I gave my 2yr old niece a Suzuki Airwave harmonica, clunky childproof plastic $12 thing that plays really well, and another friend I bought some for years ago said even her toddlers couldn't break them. I also re-connected with a 17yr old cousin I hadn't seen in a decade, and now he's a big theater kid and plays uke and other things, so I sent him a $100 package of small Meinl percussion (shakers, guiro, etc) and a Toca talking drum, so that should get him set up right to explore percussion with his artsy friends, and impress the ladies/gents (not sure which is his thing). I owe my other uncle huge for saving me thousands by storing my stuff at his NoVA house while I was overseas, so debating getting his daughter one of those adorable pocket French Horns (apparently it's actually a cornet/flugelhorn curved into FH shape but she should be able to puzzle it out) as a combination thanks and a graduation gift for her so she can hang out on the quad in college and be the weird-but-hot chick playing miniature brass along with all the freshman chump guitarists.
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May 25, 2016 13:57
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Anybody near Novato can pick up a case of blues harmonicas in 10 different keys for $30. Also a Clarola harmonica that plays prepunched paper rolls and is p sweet.
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May 25, 2016 15:36
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Awesome, were you the goon I walked through the settup over Skype, or a different one? What kind of music are you playing on your taishogoto Yep, that was me. I've mostly been playing simpler stuff as apparently the one I have is missing about 6 keys compared to a standard model, hence the new one. It seems eastern traditional stuff plays best though.
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May 25, 2016 16:12
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There's a guy near me in Frederick that does cool cigar box instruments, banjos, guitars, mandos, dulcimers. Am considering getting an old time 5 string banjo made with a cutaway neck. Anyone mess with these things? Looks like a fun thing to hang on the wall and plunk around with from time to time.
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May 26, 2016 02:26
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Planet X posted:There's a guy near me in Frederick that does cool cigar box instruments, banjos, guitars, mandos, dulcimers. Am considering getting an old time 5 string banjo made with a cutaway neck. Three words: fretless, nylon strings. You'll thank me later.
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May 26, 2016 02:52
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Tap, I've always wanted a hammer dulcimer. I'm going to check out this one: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/msg/5603907907.html . What should I worry about?
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May 26, 2016 03:23
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I would buy that for $145 just to see how it sounds and because it's got some history. I would probably then gift it to my buddy who actually plays so he could enjoy it or sell it to a student. But, if $145 is a lot for you that might not be a great idea. Look for cracks in the wood, see how it sounds (hard to tell because it won't be in tune, but give it an ear anyway). It will need new strings and hammers - that will add to your outlay.
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May 26, 2016 04:40
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I think it will mostly matter whether I can convince my husband that a weekend trip to Petaluma would be fun.
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May 26, 2016 05:56
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Aside from generally checking the wood, I'd look to see if the top is sagging under all that weight. *Some* indentation of the top is afaik normal, so might need to read up a little. From what I hear, the maker was a pretty good one, and apparently was murdered at age 49. Expect that you may need to nudge the bridges around, set up the action/intonation since probably nobody has in ages. With all those strings, same with autoharps, in your shoes I'd try polishing the strings to remove corrosion so you can play it for a while before putting out $50+ on new strings, make sure you dig the axe first. Hammered dulcimers are just like the Chapman stick with me: an instrument I find really cool but I hate the music that like 90% of people play on it. I've heard some really cool rattly/droney avant-garde stuff on HD, and enjoy Persian and Indian santoor, but so many folks playing HD in the West choose the absolute lamest "Ye Dance of Ye Shamrock Pixies" Celtic-lite junk, the same way all the Chapman players stick to either softcore porn soundtracks or the cheesiest of prog rock with painfully unstylish effects pedals.
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May 26, 2016 14:03
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Does anyone know how to read Japanese string sizes? Both the middle strings are missing on the one I ordered and the manual says I need 3 細線 2 細巻線 and 1 太巻線. Failing that what are the ideal thicknesses for 3 octaves of G? My old one had .028(.71mm), .020(.51mm), and .010(.25 mm) strings but I was never quite sure that was correct.
Autoexec.bat fucked around with this message at 14:48 on May 26, 2016 |
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May 26, 2016 14:16
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I have an excellent local stringed-instrument store (Gryphon Strings) that is trusted by my friend the luthier, so if I like it, I'll probably just ask them to restring and re-set-up.
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May 26, 2016 15:32
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Three words: fretless, nylon strings. I'll consider it, especially because fretless may bring the price down a bit, and im not looking to spend a whole lot. Other reasons? "Fun"?
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May 26, 2016 16:54
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Arsenic Lupin posted:I have an excellent local stringed-instrument store (Gryphon Strings) that is trusted by my friend the luthier, so if I like it, I'll probably just ask them to restring and re-set-up. Hell yeah I used to live near there and bought my first banjo from them. 
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May 26, 2016 16:55
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Planet X posted:I'll consider it, especially because fretless may bring the price down a bit, and im not looking to spend a whole lot. I believe *this* should answer your question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdNTnwCe2rU But for reals, fretless is great since you can great sliding effects, plus microtonals if you're into that. The nylon is easy on the fingers and has this great mellow plunky tone; I will bet you that anyone you show it to will be surprised how a banjo can avoid that bright twangy ping that figures into it being a running joke. Your neck and soundboard will also hold up easier under nylon strings. TapTheForwardAssist fucked around with this message at 16:01 on May 27, 2016 |
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May 26, 2016 19:23
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I'm considering it for sure. I have a Deering Goodtime 5 string, and a Gold Star 5 string. The latter is set up pure Scruggs, the former I took the resonator off of to do a dual Scruggs / old time set up. I didn't want to get a tenor banjo because I already have a mandolin for that kind of tuning. Someone was telling me to have the cigar box built "A scale", so I guess that's a shorter scale tuned "up" to open A. Maybe I'll do that, I don't know. I figure a cigar box banjo isn't going to be really rich and low, so maybe get it in an A scale for something different, and if I want to frail in G or C, I use my goodtime for it. Hell I dont know Actually that Sweet Sunny South sounds like it's tuned up to A? Planet X fucked around with this message at 01:19 on May 27, 2016 |
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May 27, 2016 01:10
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Oh man, you all are making me want to take up Irish tenor banjo, again.
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May 27, 2016 03:40
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slap me silly posted:Oh man, you all are making me want to take up Irish tenor banjo, again. Your saying this makes me feel a *lot* better about myself, because there are instruments I've hacked around with a bit and then lost interest in, and I always felt this made me a person lacking in gumption.
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May 27, 2016 06:52
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If you're in the Bay Area and have $4K to spare, you can get a cimbalom.
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May 27, 2016 07:20
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I got my new Taishogoto today and I'm really impressed with it so far, and it only took 3 days to ship from Tokyo to Atlanta! As promised, here are some pictures.   Also I most definitely had the wrong strings on the old one, so I ordered a proper set from Japan directly. Autoexec.bat fucked around with this message at 14:49 on May 28, 2016 |
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May 28, 2016 14:45
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I now own a hammer dulcimer. Pictures later. I have hammers on order, so it'll be awhile before I can put up some music.
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May 29, 2016 03:51
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Familiar Foreigner posted:I got my new Taishogoto today and I'm really impressed with it so far, and it only took 3 days to ship from Tokyo to Atlanta! As promised, here are some pictures. I'll admit that when I envisioned various instruments a random goon might fall for, taishogoto was not one I expected. Sure, I figured a couple goons with a ton of instruments would buy one to mess with a few times a year, but you seem beyond that point. I take it you're tracking down tabs for it, learning some of the repertoire and all? With its numeric system it's got to be one of the more straightforward ways to learn a Japanese genre. By the way, I notice there have recently cropped up several hurdy-gurdy makers in cheap parts of Europe, making gurdies for like $700 or so. There's one dude in Siberia whose banner ads I get popping up in the margins of other sites, so he seems to be putting some effort into marketing. Anyone tracking that development, or been on the look out for an affordable HG? I don't know enough to recommend or no.
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May 30, 2016 01:36
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Well, it is the straight forward nature of it that appeals to me, and I'm not playing it daily or anything but yeah, it's fun to mess with and complements my electronic keyboard well. That particular one was about $120 shipped which for it's condition is amazing and was most likely from some kind of pawn shop. I don't really need tabs as the numbers map directly to regular notes, 1 being C, 2 being D etc. Also the thing doesn't have to sound super harsh like most English videos of it show, for example https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5a-kpYVom6U and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kihC4Ahu0Fs Autoexec.bat fucked around with this message at 16:53 on May 30, 2016 |
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May 30, 2016 16:37
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Hey, Tap, the hammered dulcimer is in lovely condition. I'm pretty sure it was owned by two people in a row who meant to learn dulcimer and didn't. The guy I bought it from had bought it in an estate sale, which is probably when it got separated from all its necessary accessories. I have ordered hammers, a gooseneck zither-pin tuner, a screw-in leg (for playing while sitting), and a soft-bristle duster. I'll probably make a cover myself, since I have loads of scrap canvas around for the outside and various quilting fabrics for the inside. This dulcimer dates to 1987, and was made by Bill Walker, of Green River Strings. Bill Walker lived in Asheville, NC, then and now the Berkeley of North Carolina, and owned an early music shop, as well as making both mountain and hammered dulcimers. Mr. Walker was murdered by a home intruder in 1993 and the business shut down. Posters to EverythingDulcimer.com like the quality of his work. I don't know which woods it's made of; my friend the luthier is currently overseas and I'll have him check it out when it's home. It's a 12/11, which means 12 strings on the treble (left) bridge, 11 strings on the bass bridge, translating to 2 1/2 octaves, and is in C, which is standard for an HD. 12/11 is small for a hammered dulcimer, and this size was/is sold as a beginner's instrument because of the limited compass.. It weighs 13 pounds. The '70s and '80s folk-revival hammered dulcimers had very heavy bodies to withstand the enormous force of the strings, coupled with a floating (not attached to the body) soundboard for optimal sonority. Nowadays hammer dulcimers have much lighter bodies with a lot of cross-bracing. The whole thing:  The sound rosette:  The pinblocks and wood are in fabulous shape. The steel strings are so tarnished they're rough to the touch; I'm going to try a string polishing cloth before I try steel wool. Tap, have you ever tried a Magic Eraser on strings? Unfortunately, Gryphon Strings' dulcimer-repair dude has just broken a leg and will be out for months. Restringing hammer dulcimers requires a micrometer, because no two manufacturers used the same range of thicknesses on strings. Resetting the bridges if the instrument won't stay in tune is also an expert's job. Most important of all, even untuned this has a lovely tone. Fortunately I already have a harp tuner, so assuming none of the wires snap (ask me about my violin E-string injuries) I'll be good to go. Now I just have to teach myself dulcimer! This poor box deserves better than a third forgetful owner.
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May 30, 2016 19:19
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I don't know anything about hammered dulcimer, but my buddy's Dad is Ken Kolodner, who is a very accomplished dulcimer player and Old Time fiddler. Here's his site: http://www.kenkolodner.com/ Maybe get in touch with him if you need some help with something, or just enjoy the videos / lessons / inspiration, etc
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May 30, 2016 21:37
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Unfortunately, I'm on the West Coast and he's on the East. Looks like a great guy, though. I found somebody who gives hammered dulcimer lessons over Skype, and I may be giving him a whirl.
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May 30, 2016 22:52
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That's a nice little HD and great price! And as a harpist you should have no trouble figuring HD out. Remind me, was it you that had a couple cool harp books of like Icelandic tunes and whatnot? Try some of those out on HD? For me, again I'm keeping music expenses moderate for the moment so I don't do severe overkill coming back (just got my kanjira drum back, and have a clavichord and a lute awaiting me in Austin). But I want something cool for basic string jamming, maybe take to pub sessions (since my melodeon is a little loud for my skill level, and Duet concertina just can't keep pace with a session since the fingering layout is made for complex harmonies and not high-speed melody). What I'm doing is pinging the Portuguese guitarra dealer I used to hang with in Porto, ask him to find me a good one in the €500 range (my prior one was great and just €275), do some settup work on it, pack it with any accessories and spares for DADGAD tuning and a hard case, and mail it to me in Austin. I think I can come out under €700 total and have an awesome open-tuned "cittern" that I can take to sessions, jam with friends, etc. More compact scale length than a bouzouki and more distinctive looking with the weird head and tuners. I also have vague, vague plans to someday work up a set of American Revolution songs with one other musician, and guitarra could be a great choice as the primary backing instrument since it resembles the English guitar of the era so wouldn't be at all anachronistic for political pub songs.  Been slowly taking my instruments out of storage in DC to prepare for the move to Austin; I don't have much stuff and I want to take care of my music gear so instead of a pod or movers I'm thinking to just rent a cargo van for a one-way and drive it down. Adds gas and cheap hotel costs, but otherwise really comparable and avoids me having to take a flight, plus I won't have to leave behind wine, cleaning supplies, and other stuff that's probably worth a couple hundred that I can't send with movers or on a plane.
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Jun 1, 2016 14:03
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Been slowly taking my instruments out of storage in DC to prepare for the move to Austin; I don't have much stuff and I want to take care of my music gear so instead of a pod or movers I'm thinking to just rent a cargo van for a one-way and drive it down. Adds gas and cheap hotel costs, but otherwise really comparable and avoids me having to take a flight, plus I won't have to leave behind wine, cleaning supplies, and other stuff that's probably worth a couple hundred that I can't send with movers or on a plane. I am legit excited for your move back to Austin, I think the only local goon meet I went to was very shortly before you moved, and I only got in to this thread since after then. While no means an expert I've enjoyed learning some Irish trad music on my whistle and flute. I've also been meaning to write up an effort post about the great highland pipes, as motivation for preparing for my first solo and band competition later this year
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Jun 1, 2016 21:19
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Tap, do you have a guess on what this is? I would have passed it by as obvious wallhanger, but I'm very curious about the gourd (?!?!) back E: I am also in love with this charango. However, I already have two new instruments to learn and very little house space. Arsenic Lupin fucked around with this message at 23:35 on Jun 3, 2016 |
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Jun 3, 2016 23:31
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I'm from West Virginia, and my grandpa played the Appalachian dulcimer Should I learn how to play dulcimer
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Jun 5, 2016 06:34
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Yes. They sound really pretty and you can learn to make pretty sounds quickly. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDUNdRm5Toc <= Jean Ritchie, who single-handedly popularized the Appalachian dulcimer outside the hills it came from.
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Jun 5, 2016 07:25
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I bought a Seagull Merlin Dulcimer and have been on an inspiration binge since I picked it up. It's a beautiful instrument and really relaxing to play. Super nice for summer since it's easy to carry around as well. I made a track with it : https://soundcloud.com/brknbrns/dulcimer
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Jun 5, 2016 16:45
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Smoking Crow posted:I'm from West Virginia, and my grandpa played the Appalachian dulcimer There's really zero reason not to: it's an awesome instrument, easy to learn, inexpensive, and you personally have cultural reasons to learn. AbrahamLincolnLog has current dibs on me finding xim an affordable dulcimer on ebay, but if xe already has one or isn't looking at the moment, I can help you sort out eBay options. Just let me know what price range you're looking at (broadly, "under $100" or "$100-200" is fine) and if you have any strong preference in body shapes, or no pref. Here's a good clip of some old-school dulcimer playing, and this kind of thing would be extremely easy to learn even if you have zero music background: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bJfOzoz0-xI
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Jun 5, 2016 19:30
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:There's really zero reason not to: it's an awesome instrument, easy to learn, inexpensive, and you personally have cultural reasons to learn. I'd prefer under $100 and wooden, if it's possible
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Jun 6, 2016 04:33
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Smoking Crow posted:I'd prefer under $100 and wooden, if it's possible Cool, here's my pull for today. I would just encourage any goon bidding to mention so and which item(s) in this thread so we don't have goons outbidding each other. - This Green River is gorgeous, if it somehow goes under $100 shipped (not likely but possible) it'd be a steal: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Green-River-Dulcimer-with-Case-/182157424057?hash=item2a696db5b9:g:1lMAAOSwUfNXR8NZ If someone has more budget, this would be well worth it at $150 shipped even if the bids climb. - This unlabeled one seems a decent cheapie, I'd go no higher than $80 shipped: http://www.ebay.com/itm/36-Unbrande...n8AAOSwqBJXU0U5 - This Dulcimer Factory ends today, no case, but shipping costs and bids are both low, $90 or under would be totally fair: http://www.ebay.com/itm/The-Dulcimer-Factory-Mountain-Dulcimer-/291778038599?hash=item43ef538b47:g:p9YAAOSwepZXTN18 Bear in mind with any of these you want to spend :5bux: on a set of new strings.
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Jun 6, 2016 15:30
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My new baby is a Green River, and I did some research. They're well-respected dulcimers by a maker who got murdered in a home intrusion, after which the business shut down.
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Jun 6, 2016 17:12
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Cool, here's my pull for today. I would just encourage any goon bidding to mention so and which item(s) in this thread so we don't have goons outbidding each other. I'm gonna try and get that Green River
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Jun 6, 2016 18:58
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