sender: Gillian M Alcock to: ulven@ihlpm.att.com cc: hammerd@mcs.com Sally, One source for Delrin is Cadillac Plastics, located in the Chicago suburbs, (Lombard, I think). Their phone is (708) 833-4424. They don't have 3 mm rod, but they do have 1/8 inch. Unfortunately, they used to carry black & white, but now only have white. The minimum order is 50 feet, @ $ 0.23 per foot in 8 foot sections. They also may be able to steer you to a source for black Delrin. Smaller quantities can be bought over the counter at their factory, but that probably wouldn't help you much. Good Luck. --- Juel Ulven (j.ulven@att.com) I was told by an English maker (Roger Frood) that you can simply dye the white delrin with fabric dye. Now I look forward to multicoloured bridges! Cheers Gillian Making Dulcimers in Australia Gillian.Alcock@anu.edu.au =================================================== From: "Alyn Iorwerth " Subject: Learning Reply-To: Alyn Iorwerth To: Hammered Dulcimer mailing list Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" *** EOOH *** Return-Path: Date: Wed, 17 May 95 05:41:36 MST From: "Alyn Iorwerth " Subject: Learning Reply-To: Alyn Iorwerth To: Hammered Dulcimer mailing list Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" Here's how I play chords - The principle is an arpeggio, played quickly, with the emphasis on the last note: diddle-DUM (3 notes), diddle-di-DUM (4 notes). Start with the lowest note, and work up to the highest. With practice, and a comfortable hammering pattern, the notes can be sounded almost simultaneously. For me, I can do this best when the notes are arranged across the instrument. For instance: -o-G- ---o -+--- -B-+ -+--- ---+ -o-D- ---o played B(R) D(L) G(R). Alternatively: -+--- -D-+ -o-G- ---o -+--- -B-+ -+--- ---+ -o--- ---o played B(L) D(R) G(L). As a right-handed player, I find the first easier, but it's worth learning to do both, as there isn't always the choice. Four notes is an extension of this. You'll find that the simple three-note major and minor chords can all be played in this way, with the notes arranged in a triangular pattern. There are other things you can do - as you mentioned you can just hit two notes - one with each hand. Or you can hit two strings with one hammer stroke at the point where the strings cross between the bass and treble bridges. Good luck =============================================================== Mail-from: From aol.com!emeades@mcs.com Thu Jun 29 23:15 CDT 1995 Received: from txbc by praxis with SMTP (1.37.109.4/16.2) id AA04950; Thu, 29 Jun 95 23:15:50 -0500 Return-Path: Received: from austlcm.sps.mot.com by txbc.sps.mot.com with SMTP (1.38.193.4/16.2) id AA27106; Thu, 29 Jun 95 23:14:21 -0500 Message-Id: <9506300414.AA27106@txbc.sps.mot.com> Received: from email56 ([192.88.169.5]) by austlcm with SMTP (5.65c/IDA1.4.4.1-Domain/OS) id AA03433; Thu, 29 Jun 1995 23:15:31 -0500 Date: Thu, 29 Jun 95 21:14:16 MST From: EMEades@aol.com Subject: Re: Source for Delrin & Music Wire To: hammerd@mcs.com Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" *** EOOH *** Return-Path: Date: Thu, 29 Jun 95 21:14:16 MST From: EMEades@aol.com Subject: Re: Source for Delrin & Music Wire To: hammerd@mcs.com Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" You can get it from Dusty Strings Dulcimer Company, if you can't find it locally. Their telephone number is (206) 634-1656. Ellen Eades =========================================================== Summary-line: 5-Jul DULCIMER9@aol.com #Re: Out of tune (on purpose) Mail-from: From aol.com!dulcimer9@mcs.com Wed Jul 5 23:00 CDT 1995 Received: from txbc by praxis with SMTP (1.37.109.4/16.2) id AA10472; Wed, 5 Jul 95 23:00:50 -0500 Return-Path: Received: from austlcm.sps.mot.com by txbc.sps.mot.com with SMTP (1.38.193.4/16.2) id AA02784; Wed, 5 Jul 95 22:59:24 -0500 Message-Id: <9507060359.AA02784@txbc.sps.mot.com> Received: from email56 ([192.88.169.5]) by austlcm with SMTP (5.65c/IDA1.4.4.1-Domain/OS) id AA07052; Wed, 5 Jul 1995 23:00:19 -0500 Date: Wed, 05 Jul 95 20:59:21 MST From: DULCIMER9@aol.com Subject: Re: Out of tune (on purpose) To: hammerd@mcs.com Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" *** EOOH *** Return-Path: Date: Wed, 05 Jul 95 20:59:21 MST From: DULCIMER9@aol.com Subject: Re: Out of tune (on purpose) To: hammerd@mcs.com Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" The following was posted to me directly, but I thought I would share my response with the entire list, since temperment is one of my pet subjects..... ******************************* Apparently the consonance of chords is more pleasant in some key signatures depending on the temperment used. As we play only in a few keys on the HD this is probably not a major concern. But it is interesting. ******************************** Actually, the hammered dulcimer is one of a VERY FEW instruments that can be successfully DE-TEMPERED. Since you usually play specific keys in specific areas and on specific strings, some notes can be de-tempered (assuming the instrument is tuned to the equal tempered scale used on most tuning machines) so that specific keys can be custom tempered. The harp and mountain dulcimer are the other instruments that come to mind. All others use the same notes in many keys, so what sounds perfect in one key will sound awful in another. I tune my F# and C# on the right of the treble bridge about 15 cents flat and I tune the B on the bass bridge about 16 cents flat. The result is STARTLING if the rest of the instrument is perfectly in tune to start with. (My instrument is a 12/11, with C# as the bottom right treble note) Note, however, that this tuning will make the "E" chord (when played using the "B" on the bass bridge) sound pretty out of tune. I either re-tune the "B" if I will be playing in "E" or avoid that note. Try it! For years, I thought the people who knocked tuning machines were out to lunch. I trusted technology. Now, I find that your ear will tell you that the equal tempered scale is NOT the best fit for the hammered dulcimer. All you people who have been complaining about the sound of that bottom C# will find a vast improvement. I initially used my ear, then discovered I could set my tuning machine to A438 for the above-mentioned notes. I now use the Korg Multi-temperment tuning machine, since you can custom tune all 88 notes of the piano scale plus/minus relative to the equal tempered scale. Let me know how it works! Paul Goelz Mail-from: From anugpo.anu.edu.au!gma692@mcs.com Thu Jul 6 17:11 CDT 1995 Received: from txbc by praxis with SMTP (1.37.109.4/16.2) id AA16264; Thu, 6 Jul 95 17:11:06 -0500 Return-Path: Received: from austlcm.sps.mot.com by txbc.sps.mot.com with SMTP (1.38.193.4/16.2) id AA09452; Thu, 6 Jul 95 17:09:40 -0500 Message-Id: <9507062209.AA09452@txbc.sps.mot.com> Received: from email56 ([192.88.169.5]) by austlcm with SMTP (5.65c/IDA1.4.4.1-Domain/OS) id AA07922; Thu, 6 Jul 1995 17:10:34 -0500 Date: Thu, 06 Jul 95 15:09:37 MST From: Gillian M Alcock Subject: Dulcimer temperaments. To: hammerd@mcs.com Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII *** EOOH *** Return-Path: Date: Thu, 06 Jul 95 15:09:37 MST From: Gillian M Alcock Subject: Dulcimer temperaments. To: hammerd@mcs.com Apparently-To: "Ray_Voith-RGMB30@email" Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII Here's a temperament that harpsichordists used in France and which sounds very nice on the dulcimer. If you are playing in the fairly central keys and using accidentals as accidentals, it will sound nice. If you insist on playing in B major for example, then you will have other opinions to which you are entitled! It is called temperament ordinaire. I did some recording with a harpist tuned to this and it was blissful. Playing with fixed pitch instruments and fretted instruments is a bit harder. If you call middle c in equal temperament "0" then tune your notes this way. It helps if you shift your treble bridge ever so slightly to the right, so that you no longer have a perfect fifth over the bridge, but one flat by 3.5 cents. c=0 c#= -23 d= -7 eb= -10 e= -14 f= +3.5 f#= -20 g= -3.5 g#= -25 a= -10 bb= -3 b= -17 Plot it out on your duclimer layout, maybe on paper first and you will see that the intervals over the treble bridge work out OK. It is the pure thirds that make this an attractive temperament. Let me know how you go! Gillian Alcock Making Dulcimers in Australia ------------------------------------------------ From: dulcimer@ix.netcom.com (Marc Weyl) Date: Tue, 25 Jul 1995 22:06:38 -0700 Subject: C-G-c Tunings I find that for my 90" fretboards the C-G-c tunings work realy well. (I use 10-12 or 13-24's) or (24-36-52 or 53 on my bass). One thing that I find is neat is that all the note in the "C" chord are just right there and I seem to just think a little better in "C" than in "D" :-) I don't find that some tunes sound "flat" or not in CGC as that's how I learned 'um. One side benafit is that the strings are just a little less tight and don't seem to cut my finger as much and have a much lighter feel when finger picking. TTFN - Marc