A Bowed Psaltery Gets A Tune-up & Travel Tips For Dulcimer Players
Good Morning, Y'all & Happy Friday!
This week I had the pleasure of working on a bowed psaltery, one made by Howard Rugg under the CapriTaurus brand name. Howard was the founder of FolkRoots Dulcimers, way back in 1968. I don't know the age of this psaltery, but my guess would be 1970-something.
Other than some wear and tear, the psaltery was in great shape. Except for the very, very, very rusty strings.
I replaced the strings, tuned it up, and gave it a quick play. It had a great tone, with very nice sustain.
Here's the psaltery:
And here's the tag on the inside:
CLICK to read a bit more about CapriTaurus history.
We do a LOT of repairs for all kinds of dulcimers. From instruments made by contemporary builders, to vintage/historic dulcimers that belong in a museum. I used to repair band instruments - trumpets, saxophone, and all the rest - but I haven't done those repairs in many years. At this point, I wouldn't have a problem replacing a few pads on one of my personal saxophones, but major work? I'll hire someone with more (current) skills!
Mountain dulcimer repairs, though? Bring 'em on - I fix a lot of them, and have plenty of experience these days.
Speaking of repairs, I often talk about the perils of traveling with a mountain dulcimer. Specifically, the perils of taking a dulcimer on an airplane. My general recommendation is "Don't Do It."
One of my customers/friends/supporters, Julie S., took a trip to Scotland earlier this year. She toured the country (Scotland) with a dulcimer group, under the direction of Larry Conger. Julie did a nice write-up about traveling with dulcimers on airplanes, and she was incredibly generous with sharing her research with Y'all. Here's what Julie came up with:
I recently traveled to Scotland with the New Caledonia Orchestra, organized by Larry and Elaine Conger. I decided that I wanted to check my dulcimer as baggage instead of attempting to carry it on. Carry on as my personal item would have absolutely been my preference. However, I have heard stories that there is no guarantee the gate attendant would allow an oversized item, even a musical instrument. Below is a compilation of information that I gathered for the best/safest case to check my instrument as checked in baggage. Note: My dulcimer is a standard dulcimer, but is particularly large. It is 38” long, 8” wide, and 4” deep.
DULCIMER CASES
I first looked into hard dulcimer cases. Several companies offer these. Some are hard plastic - similar to a rifle case, but not quite as heavy duty. And others are soft shell, with a hard inner liner. I inquired with a few of these companies and was told that even though these cases are very durable, they did not recommend them for airline baggage handling.
GOLF BAGS
• The older style, fully hard golf case is an excellent protective case. It does have excess space, so additional padding would be necessary.
• Most newer cases are a combination of hard shell top and soft bottom. These would not work for instrument protection. So just be aware when you are shopping. These are usually described as foldable or collapsible. Sometimes they appear in photographs to be completely hard shell.
• The cost of a new case was personally prohibitive, but eBay offers several pre-owned options for at or under $150.00 (my personal limit at time of search).
• These eBay brands seemed to be good options: Golf Guard & SKB. Both have completely open interiors, wheels, multiple latches, are lockable, completely plastic, and open lengthwise. And Flight Master, which has a completely open interior, the top comes off and latches onto the bottom, it's lockable, completely plastic, but whether it has wheels is unknown.
• The brands to stay away from, because the interior has molded forms to fit the golf clubs and accessories, and thus not enough room to fit a dulcimer: OGIO, and Flambeau.
• I decided that a golf club case was larger than I wanted to deal with, as they can be very big. But I think you might get two dulcimers in a golf club case, if that is a need.
HARD SHELL RIFLE CASE
Gun Cases. As I stated before, my biggest hurdle in this category was the depth of my instrument. Most cases were too shallow. But I did find one which is actually what I have decided to use for my travel.
• The brand and size that I found to fit the best is the GRWOLF rifle case. It's 43” long and cost $109.89. I purchased mine through Amazon (because I needed fast shipping), but you can also order directly through their web page - grwolf.com. This case has wheels, multiple latches, and is lockable. My dulcimer fits while inside its soft case (however, snug depth) and I will add foam on the sides. I feel that the soft case will offer the top and bottom protection that is needed. Traveling with its soft case is an added benefit because I will have that for transporting my instrument while there.
OTHER THINGS TO CONSIDER
• When case shopping make sure that you look at INTERIOR dimensions.
• Make sure you have room for foam protection, most will come with foam. You can order special hard core foam for added protection.
• Wheels are a plus for getting around in the airport, but you can purchase small luggage carts, which can be very small and manageable.
• I felt that multiple latches, and being lockable, were important features.
OTHER TYPES OF HARD CASES
• Camera Gear Case. I didn’t really research this very much. This seems to be a very good option. It is a manageable size, but it is a very pricey option.
• HPRC Wheeled hard case with cubed foam interior. It comes in various sizes; so just check the measurements to be sure that your instrument will fit. The sizes that I looked at were HPRC 6300W (too short for my instrument), and the HPRC 6400W. Basically this is very similar to the golf case, except in a more reasonable size for dulcimer transport.
The Group Consensus
In casual discussion with some of the other 50+ travelers on this trip, there were several who used rifle cases and golf club cases. There were some who traveled with hard dulcimer cases and some who carried their instrument on as a personal item. Most of the instruments arrived safely. I did hear of two people who tried to carry on their instrument, but when they got to the gate they were told they had to “gate check” the instrument. One of these did have some cosmetic damage, but which fortunately did not affect the playability. One traveler who checked their instrument in a gun case did not have identification on it and it was lost for three days, so be sure to put an ID tag on your case.
So, as with most circumstances, there are pros and cons to this situation, and there’s no perfect solution. However, I did travel with no issue with my dulcimer in a rifle case.
The dulcimer trip to Scotland with the New Caledonia String Orchestra was a wonderful and memorable experience. The trip next summer is in the works. They are planning to go to Ireland. So get ready to pack your dulcimer!
Julie S.
What Richard Recommends
I recommend a hard plastic rifle case all the time for people. Measure your dulcimer's soft case carefully, and find the smallest hard plastic case that'll fit your soft case. Use your soft case around town, and the heavy plastic case (heavy refers both to construction and to weight!) for when the instrument is out of your hands. Most of the better rifle cases have wheels on one end - it's manageable, but bulky. You probably don't want to use a case like this for your weekly dulcimer club get-togethers, but it's perfect for when you absolutely have to fly somewhere.
The airlines absolutely do not care that you bought a "gun case" at your local sporting goods store. They see these cases all the time, often containing rifles or shotguns. They'll x-ray the big plastic case (containing your dulcimer) and won't bat an eye.
Taylor Swift's guitarist doesn't have to worry about getting an instrument to an exotic venue. His instruments are transported in heavy cases, along with the band's other instruments. The guitarist shows up, and his instrument is magically waiting for him, because of the hard-working crew that's responsible for tear down, transport, and set up between every show. But most of us dulcimer players, even famous ones like Bing Futch or Dave Haas, still have to haul their own instruments, so maybe these tips will be helpful for you. Or maybe... you'll get a job playing dulcimer in Taylor Swift's band!
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend. Make some nice music!
Sincerely,
Richard Ash - luthier-who-uses-UPS-to-get-his-instruments-around-the-country-rather-than-trust-the-airlines
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: BILL PENDLEBURY
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Bill: I was first exposed to the mountain dulcimer in 1973, but have only been playing regularly since 2017. The teardrop dulcimer in the picture is a spruce and mahogany instrument that I built from scratch in 1973. The only thing I knew about the dulcimer back then was the information from Jean Ritchie's book and instructional record album. I learned a few simple tunes and then the dulcimer became an attractive wall hanging. I attended a few festivals with my wife and became interested again, so I built a dulcimer from a kit and started to learn to play. Then I met Richard at the Black Mountain Music Festival and played some of his wonderful Folkcraft instruments.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Bill: I ordered my first Folkcraft shortly after returning home from the 2018 Black Mountain festival. The dulcimer I'm holding is my gorgeous butternut and walnut Folkcraft dulcimer. It has the Hearts & Vines design for the sound holes and a 25" VSL.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Bill: I have a room at home where I do most of my practicing and in good weather, I enjoy playing on the porch in the photo. My wife and I have performed in church and also...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF BILL'S INTERVIEW AND ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE BILL & YOU!
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM MORE OF YOU!
No new Folkcraft Player to feature again this week (Sigh), but we are still glad to re-feature Bill Pendlebury. Greetings, Bill! Your newsletter editor lives in PA, too, and has attended the Dutchland Gathering a couple of times. What a lovely group of people and a very well organized event, too.
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep The Family Growing?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Send an email to: newsletter@folkcraft.com
2) With the answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to receiving your submission & featuring you in our newsletter real soon!
1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
2. When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
3. Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
4. What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
WE'RE OFFERING A $25 FOLKCRAFT GIFT CARD TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE FOUR EASY QUESTIONS LISTED ABOVE, AND SENDS IN A PHOTO (OF YOU WITH YOUR FOLKCRAFT DULCIMER). IT'S REALLY SO EASY TO DO!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
In this follow up to last week's lesson, Mandy Tyner shows you how to find our three main chords in another spot on your fretboard. Have fun! Just click on the image below to listen & learn.
We have a slew (that's a fancy luthier word for "bunch") of videos for you to watch on our YouTube channel. Click here to see the full list. Be sure to comment on a video, and subscribe to the channel - either action helps us a LOT with YouTube's suggestion algorithms.
MUSIC THEORY FOR MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
by Jim Miller
Explains why we do what we do when we play. Covers scales, modes, intervals, chords, harmony, and inversions. Helps you become better at playing by ear. (23 pages)
Check out these great five-star reviews for this book
✮✮✮✮✮ Just Enough. Many books on music theory are overwhelming. They include too much information and are not geared towards a beginner. This book offers just the right amount of information and at a good pace. Additionally, its dulcimer focus makes it much friendlier and more approachable than more comprehensive introductions to such a large subject. (GKW - 9/8/25)
✮✮✮✮✮ Great Summary & Diagrams. This booklet about music theory for the mountain dulcimer is concise, easy to read, and a good information locater to have on hand (Joyce - 11/9/24)