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I play the banjo and lap dulcimer, and dabble with a few other things like the bodhran, ocarina and bones. A few years back I had a Blue Lion dulcimer which had a GORGEOUS, mellow, rich yet sweet tone. Hard times forced me to sell it (heartbreak!), but I'm about to get a new one, yay!  I can't wait. It looked just like this one...the sound in this video is AWFUL, the instrument sounds SO much better than this!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUZCpntLRHg In southern California, a fantastic traditional music, dance and storytelling festival is put on every year by the California Traditional Music Society, you can go and take classes or just sit in on them on many of the instruments talked about in this thread, or just listen to concerts or find impromptu groups sitting around and jamming. There are also numerous booths selling instruments and crafts. The next one takes place September 10-11th, I've been to several and they are AWESOME. GO. The CTMS also has house concerts throughout the year. Also in southern California, in Claremont, is the Folk Music Center, a mind-bogglingly cool store/museum of all things musically weird--intruments, books, accessories, CDs, toys, etc. It's an honest to God treat to go to and well worth the drive, be prepared to spend an hour or two just looking around the store and experimenting with instruments. Dorothy and Charles Chase used to own it, very cool folks, Dot taught me how to play banjo, mountain dulcimer, bodhran & bones. Both Charles & Dot have passed on, but it's still in the family--Ben Harper, who is their grandson, owns it now. They have a cool folk music festival every year, it's just like the one at CTMS but maybe a bit smaller--but equally amazing. I volunteered and worked it several times a few years back, got to hang out with a jam with people like Sam Hinton (VERY cool, interesting guy and a national treasure, sad he's gone). Fun times.  The Claremont village is a cool place to walk around anyway, go there! The Folk Music Center is right across from Rhino records.Bodhrans! The traditional Irish drum, you can change the pitch by holding your hand against the head from the back, some have a crosspiece that you can squeeze to get the same result.  Basic how-to and demo video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUO-rW6rcB8 Bones! Yes, originally made from rib bones. Mine are made of Cocobolo wood, but any hardwood will do...pine makes a very soft tone, usually too soft to hear in a group but good for practicing so you don't drive everyone in your home nuts while you are learning. Another instrument you can carry with you anywhere! Cute introduction video by Don Flemons: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMokBr9cTxM&NR=1 Fun thing to try with your mountain (lap) dulcimer: Rather than strum or pluck it, get a wooden chopstick and holding the small end, use the large end to hammer the strings just like you would a hammered dulcimer. Just hold the chopstick lightly between your thumb and forfinger extended out towards the keyboard and tap the strings with it. Experiment with it, hit it harder some times, softer others, it's fun. A plain old wooden pencil works too, but I found I like the wooden chopstick best. Bouncing the chopstick off the strings gives the music a pretty, ethereal tone that reminds me of balalaika music.  fake edit: The second dulcimer pictured in the OP is actually a Banjomer, unholy bastard child of a dulcimber and banjo, invented by Doug Thompson--also from the Claremont Folk Music Center, nice guy, kinda quiet... Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 06:07 on Jun 30, 2011 |
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Jun 29, 2011 21:38
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Bolkovr posted:Anyone play the banjola? Ever tried a banjo mute? It's a metal piece that you press onto the bridge, doesn't hurt the intrument but makes it MUCH quieter. I have one like this, despite what they say here mine never fell off--just make sure and press it on tightly enough: http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/P180.htm Or, use this model: 
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Jun 30, 2011 00:18
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Thought I'd share some pics of my little teardrop backpacking mountain dulcimer, made in 1986 by Folk Roots (Rugg & Jackel) before they sold off the company, which then became FolkCraft. Folk Roots also made higher-end dulcimers but mine was the simple 'backpacker' model:  The soundboard and back are both nice hunks of Flame Spruce. This was my beat-around instrument for many years, it got hauled to more folk festivals, vacations, hikes, and Renaissance Faires than I care to remember. It has held up well, the only thing I've ever done to it is to add a strap button on the tailpiece...and since it lacked a 6 1/2 fret, a chunk of paper clip held in place by a strip of masking tape--which inexplicabley stayed in place and worked just fine for more than 20 years. v v I think I'll treat it to having a REAL 6 1/2 fret installed soon.If anyone else has one of these or is interested in the history of Folk Roots, Howard Rugg (one of the founding partners) posted in a thread over on Everything Dulcimer--he has the original book in which he noted the build details of every single instrument they made, and is helping people find out when their instrument was made, what number it was that day, materials it is made of, etc. Very cool! http://www.everythingdulcimer.com/discuss/viewtopic.php?t=8635 For instance mine was made on April 17, 1986 and was the 5th one made that day. This thread inspired me to break it out and clean & re-string it, it still sounds great. It has a nice, bright, sweet tone...not as loud, mellow and rich as my Blue Lion was, but very good considering it's modest orgins. You don't need to know how to read music in order to play mountain dulcimer (or banjo, for that matter)--the music is written out in tabulature format. Lots of tabbed stuff on the web. Music that is written in tab simply tells you which fret and string to place your finger on--super simple. You can also change the tuning on your strings from D-A-D which is Mixolydian, to Aeolian mode tuning (C-A-D), Dorian (G-A-D) or Ionian (D-A-A). Mountain dulcimer is one of the easiest instruments to learn and play, Hell, you don't even need tab, you can just play by ear. Speaking of button accordians, I have two Hohners out in the garage awaiting restoration if possible. I got them at a yard sale years ago, both were damaged in a fire but amazingly, still play.  I'd place them as being made around 1930 or so. No pictures right now as they are packed away.
Velvet Sparrow fucked around with this message at 03:47 on Jul 4, 2011 |
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Jul 3, 2011 23:03
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:Hey, this is identical to one of the charred button accordians I have out in the garage! Cool! The other one I have is considerably older and is red/gold. Your picture with it closed I think shows the reason mine survived a fire with only some charring to the outside. Tough little beasts!Also, the Japanese priest playing the flute while wearing the basket on his head looks like he paying a bar bet. 
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Jul 4, 2011 19:50
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^^^ Give it to me, please, please!  TapTheForwardAssist posted:Is...is this ACTUALLY made from a metal bedpan as it appears? Because that would be AWESOME. Also, future banjo players be aware: when you fret a banjo, you do not use the pads of your fingers like you do when playing guitar. You brace the pad of your thumb on the back of the neck and use the ENDS of your fingertips to fret, holding your hand in a claw-like manner, and you gotta trim your nails off damned short. Since banjos are VERY tightly strung with superkeen-o metal strings that take a hefty amount of pressure to fret, learning to play can be a painful experience at first until you develop BANJO calluses on the end of your fingers--NOT guitar calluses. Just FYI.
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Jul 6, 2011 07:41
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