Ed Thomas Replica by John Knopf

[Scott Allen]

Now that had my toe tappin'! Nice job on "Forked Deer".

Scott

[Robin the Busker]

Here is another tune on the dulcimer. This is "Good Ol' Rebel" but played in a minor key rather than the usual major key for the song. I'm using a reed noter and a Kentucky style vertical quill to strum. The tuning is 1-5-4 dorian, and the key somewhere near C# !!!

Oh, I'm a good old Rebel, now that's just what I am;
For this "Fair Land of Freedom" I do not give a damn!
I'm glad I fit against it, I only wish we'd won,
And I don't want no pardon for anything I done.

Good Ol' Rebel - lament - 192kbs - 23 april 12.mp3
[ 3.19 MiB | Viewed 739 times ]

[Robin the Busker]

Here is another tune played on my Ed Thomas replica. For this tune I followed the 1917 writings of Josephine McGill who talked about the strings of a Kentucky dulcimer being struck with a piece of leather while the melody string, with frets under it, was noted with a reed. And occasionally the skilled player would reach over and sound a note on the third string where the melody string did not go low enough.

So here, I have played Arkansas Traveller with a reed noter and a piece of old leather - and ocassionally I have reached over and sounded the 3rd string where the melody string does not go low enough. The third string in not fretted but 'sounded' by touching both the string and the edge of the fretboard with the noter at about 45 degrees. The tuning is D,A,A or close to - the first two strings in unison and the third a fith below as Josephine wrote in her notes.

Ark Trav - Ed Thomas with leather pick - 19 May 12.mp3
[ 3.09 MiB | Viewed 687 times ]

[folkfan]

Very nicely played, Robin. Your playing makes the Arkansas Traveler really bounce along. I was wondering what type of leather you used. Is it smooth on both sides? I tried using leather as a pick once, but found that the rough side seemed to cause a drag along the strings. Sort of a snagging effect. Have you had that problem and if so how did you solve it?

[Robin the Busker]

Hi Folkfan,

I used a piece shoe repair leather. I asked for some scraps from our local harware store (who also repair shoes) and they gave me a handful. That piece in the photo (that I used for the recording) was a bit stiff so I took a file to it and filed off the shiny side and some of the rough side so both sides were the same consistancy. Having one side drag and one smooth is a bit off-putting but if they both have the same amount of drag then the pick feels OK. It sheds some burrs on the strings but plays and sounds nicely. What I will say though is that every piece of leather I have tried is just a little different in tone, just like feathers are. If you get a good bit of leather cut as you like, it will last longer than a good feather (I can burn through a strumming feather in one evening session at the pub!) but it will still need replacing at some point. And you can't go to your pick tin and take out another just the same. Each piece of leather and each feather and each noter for that matter is unique. So you do get a lot of practice at listening to the tone of your instruments and making adjustments to whatever you are strumming with!

Robin

[jcrdulci]

Wow!! That is a fabulous sounding replica, and looks very faithful to the original from what I can see. I have a 1966 Jethro Amburgey which sounds something like it.

[Robin the Busker]

[

Hi jcrdulci,

It is a great instrument and very different in tone to a modern dulcimer. I'd love to hear your Amburgey!

Here's what Ed Thomas may have sounded like playing his dulcimers had one of those folklorists actually gotton around to recording him during a field trip!!!!!

Ed Thomas Replica - 1920s style recording.mp3
[ 2.05 MiB | Viewed 618 times ]

Robin

[strumelia]

Robin you should probably identify that audio clip a little more clearly lest some folks get confused.

Here is a cylinder recording of a sister song about another Indian maid: "Silver Bell", very popular from 1910.... http://youtu.be/zsfCzlbKZyQ Indian themes were a whole genre then, as part of the Adirondack Great Camp craze.
Clearly way slower and less 'swingy' sounding than the modern Red Wing version we are used to hearing nowadays (Red Wing having been composed in 1907). Notice the beat is played very straight up- 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4... and the easy walking/dancing pace so popular then.

[Robin the Busker]

Robin you should probably identify that audio clip a little more clearly lest some folks get confused.

Here is a cylinder recording of a sister song about another Indian maid: "Silver Bell", very popular from 1910.... http://youtu.be/zsfCzlbKZyQ Indian themes were a whole genre then, as part of the Adirondack Great Camp craze.
Clearly way slower and less 'swingy' sounding than the modern Red Wing version we are used to hearing nowadays (Red Wing having been composed in 1907). Notice the beat is played very straight up- 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4... and the easy walking/dancing pace so popular then.

? You wait until they hear the wax cylinder I found at a trunk sale of Amon Melton playing "Bohemian Rhapsody" on his Galax dulcimer in 1867

I'll have to re-save Red Wing as another file name (I didn't expect the file name to appear; it doesn't if you link to an mp3) - no problem. I caught this version of Red Wing from ID Stamper (minus the 1-3-5 tuning!!!!) - Well, he did know Ed Thomas as a youngster so there was some poetic licence!

It is not really surprising that a lot of parlor "pop" tunes ended up in the old time repertiore of the 20s/30s. It still happens now. I was at a session on Friday night and we played a lot of old time, some bluegrass and some old Welsh tunes. But the highlight of the evening was a bar full Italian students singing "La Bamba" while I banged out the guitar riff in noter drone

[Robin the Busker]

Here is a cylinder recording of a sister song about another Indian maid: "Silver Bell", very popular from 1910.... http://youtu.be/zsfCzlbKZyQ Indian themes were a whole genre then, as part of the Adirondack Great Camp craze.
Clearly way slower and less 'swingy' sounding than the modern Red Wing version we are used to hearing nowadays (Red Wing having been composed in 1907). Notice the beat is played very straight up- 1,2,3,4,1,2,3,4... and the easy walking/dancing pace so popular then.

I've got the Silver Bell melody - but what the hell are you supposed to do with your drones when the key shifts by a 4th into the chorus

[strumelia]

I've got the Silver Bell melody - but what the hell are you supposed to do with your drones when the key shifts by a 4th into the chorus

well, I guess you're 'supposed' to stop playing drone-based music and make modern chord-based music instead...
...get with the times, young man!

[mrjop1975]

Robin, thank you for taking the time to make and post music you've made with your Ed Thomas replica dulcimer. I know those wooden pegs have to be a chore to try to tune, so better you then me On a serious note though, I wonder if there is a way to make a replica of that model, but instead of the pegs, use zither pins? Because if there was, I'd be tempted to try to get one.