Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: catspaw49
Date: 02 Nov 99 - 09:21 AM

Or ship the thing to me and I'll send it back in a week.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: catspaw49
Date: 01 Nov 99 - 10:35 PM

Dear midk,

Please take this in the best possible light as I certainly don't mean to be offensive in any way.

Experiment around a little. How does it sound? Arke was exactly right regarding strings. Try a bit larger gauge if you want and if it sounds good to you, go ahead and regroove the saddle and nut. If you mess it up its no big deal...easily replaced.

The App is not much for formality and most players change things around to suit them. Also true of what some of us do with guitars, banjos, etc. If you are too unsure of yourself to try this alone, send me a personal message and I can either walk you through it or suggest someone in your vicinity that could help. Do you have any string shops locally -- guitar perhaps -- that do repairs well? Can they suggest someone locally?

This is not a big deal.... a little trial and error if nothing else to get the gauging right and some light filing. No real tools needed, even for cutting the nut/saddle. Let me know through personal message if you like and I'll be happy to do what I can for you. Don't be afraid that you'll ruin the instrument...you won't.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From:
Date: 01 Nov 99 - 08:47 PM

Example: The baritone dulcimer made by McSpadden comes tunned AEAA Mixolydian tunning. I prefer an Ionian tunning which would lower the Melody string to EE. They do't recomend this, saying the sound is not so great. They said they would have to make it a 3-string culcimer and use .026 wrapped melody string. This would mean plugging one of the holes in the flat peghead. I was hopping that someome had one and had successfully restrung it to Ionian tunning.

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: catspaw49
Date: 31 Oct 99 - 09:51 PM

And Peter comes from perhaps the ultimate first family of dulcimers!

I'll check out the Corries page and keep me posted on your progress. I'd say it "sounds good" but that's yey to be seen!(:<)}}}

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 31 Oct 99 - 09:43 PM

Pat,

Actually I have. I've decided that the cello body is thick enough to make two instruments out of it. One will be a JJ Niles type dulcimer and the other may be a hurdy gurdy.

I'm also tempted to try a combolin as used by the Corries. Look at them in The Corries Home page if you aren't familiar with them. (Sorta Hardanger Guitars) I know that by mentioning that name I am open to ridicule and worse but hell, at 49 I can take some heat.

I agree with what you said about cosmic freakery and dulcimer construction. Peter Pickow said he likes to use the bottoms of old dresser drawers. Thin, flat and cheap. A lota zen used there, Huh?

Don

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: arke
Date: 31 Oct 99 - 04:56 PM

The pitch of dulcimer strings is determined by several things, but mainly by the guage of the strings and the distance between the nut and the bridge. Since the McSpadden Baritone has the same length fretboard as the standard models they should tune to the same pitches. If you want a higher pitch that you are getting try lighter guage strings. If you want a lower pitch, try heavier guage strings. It may take some experimetation. One thing you may have to do is to reknotch the nut when you change guages. If the slot is too big you can get a buzz in the strings. If the slot is too small, the string will not settle to the proper level. It could also buzz.

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Oct 99 - 11:34 PM

Yeah Don..and I remember you mentioning that before. Have you started yet?

There are any number of sizes and the names vary a good bit. Its never been much of a "formalized" instrument. In the words of somebody (I forget who-old age), "The traditions in building Appalachian Dulcimers is to be non-traditional." I think that's one of the things that rips me the most at the dulcimer fests...Somebody is always saying that traditionally it is this way or that--or this wood or that---What a lot of crap!!! DULCIMER ZEN!!! ooogie-boogie-uuggie-buugie!!!!!!!

Niles used to use some really outlandishly sized instruments...part of his schtick. I guess that's why I don't see what the problem here is. Seems dead easy, so I must be missing something.

Spaw

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: DonMeixner
Date: 29 Oct 99 - 10:54 PM

Paw,

McSpadden? Aren't there many types of larger dulcimers? Church dulcimers and bass instruments. I have a 1/2 size cello body that I'm turning into a lap dulcimer this winter. Fun project it seems. Don

Subject: RE: Help: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE?
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Oct 99 - 08:34 PM

Sorry I missed this......tell me more about what the problem is? Are you simply after a string gauge for the tuning or what? As a builder, I really don't get what you're after here as the idea is not all that complex unless I don't understand. Give me a little more info.

Spaw

Subject: Baritone Mountain Dulcimer tunned AEEE??
From:
Date: 28 Oct 99 - 12:11 PM

Why is it so difficult to find a mfg, such as McSpadden, who can tune baritone to AEEE? If anyone has, what guage strings did you use? Rockwell said it could be done, but 6 to 9 months wait. Would appreciate any help or info available. Thank You