Random musings

[mrjop1975]

Today decided to take my McSpadden walnut-redwood top teardrop over to get restrung. Found the guage sizes off the McSpadden website and went off to the music store which I had called to make sure they sold individual strings and in the sizes I needed. Funny thing the guy told me this was the 2nd dulcimer he'd scene there at that shop within the last 3 weeks. Small world right?

Anyways, took it home and started playing a couple songs. Then I decided to try Wildwood Flower, which was the first song I was shown on the dulcimer. Maybe it was because I'd played it out of DAd for so long that re-learning it out of DAA (which in fact was the first tuning I learnt it in) I couldn't get it right, but man. Has anyone ever had that happen? I'm going to keep trying it to make it right.

Have decided until we get moved and I get the money together to make do with the McSpadden but I just did not realize, even playing it noter/drone how much off a stretch that 28.5 vsl is for me. I like the quality and workmanship that McSpadden has, but that crazy standard vsl is kind of a stretch, at least for me anyways, for noter/drone playing and the chording I used to do.

Anyways, thought would share these random musings.

[deborahbozek]

I agree with your statement, "even playing it noter/drone how much off a stretch that 28.5 vsl is for me". I used to play noter drone in DAA but in the last year have changed to DAD playing melody/chord style because I now play in a group. I recently - about three months ago purchased the new 26 inch VSL McSpadden and I absolutely love it! I still go back and forth between tunings but tend to use DGD for noter/drone style playing now and DAD for chord melody. If you go back and forth between tunings I find it helpful to remember a song on DAA/DGD starts "three up" from DAD. If my song on DAD starts on the open string than the DAA/DGD version will start on the third fret. You can use all your DAA tab for DGD tuning.

[mrjop1975]

Oh, I am going in the opposite direction of going from chording or some chording to noter/drone, so I know the add and subtract 3 rule. I've tried DGd tuning in the past, but am wanting to play in a regular Ionian tuning, not a reverse Ionian tuning, which is why I am using DAA.

[folkfan]

You might want to try tuning down just one note and go into the key of C using CGG. It has a great sound and is easier for many people to sing to. Like DAA, it is a 1-5-5 tuning so Ionian tab works for it.

[Robin the Busker]

I have medium size hands and the top section of my index finger missing, and I'm actually a fan of the longer scale on the McSpaddens! I like the rich tone and sustain that the long scale gives and particularly the breadth of tuning possibilitites that longer strings provide. I use the standard McSpadden guages of 0.022w bass, 0.012 middle, 0.012 melody and those strings on that scale length will give a 5th spread comfortably for noter/drone playing from A to E on the bass and from G to d on the middle and melody. So I can pretty much cover the common modes in every common Appalachian tune key. And I probably use somewhere in the region of a dozen or so different tunings in my normal playing.

I do have some shorter scale instruments that I use for higher tunings, such as a Ginger which I keep in GDg and my Galax instruments are 26" scale tuned to d,d,d,d.

So thinking about it, to me scale length is more about where I can go with an instrument in terms of its natural voice and pitch rather than a physical playability issue.

But I can fuly understand why for some players the scale length is an important playability issue.

Robin