Having Fun(gi) With Spalted Wood & Playing The Blues
Good Morning, Everyone! And Happy Friday!
Today we're going to re-feature an "In The Shop" post from September of 2023. Richard is still in the thick of things moving the shop Up North, so he's not going to have time to sit down in front of his computer for another week or so. So for today, we're gonna have some fun-gi learning about spalted wood.
Until next week,
Toya-Folkcraft-newsletter-editor-who-loves-to-play-her-Folkcraft-dulcimers-on-days-with-vowels-in-them-too
(September 8, 2023)
Good Morning, Y'all!
Spalted wood. What is it? Does it make an instrument sound better? How does this happen? Can I request spalted wood on my next dulcimer?
What is it? Spalting is when a fungus grows in a piece of wood and leaves behind dark lines. So technically, spalted wood is partly decayed. A little spalting looks great, but too much spalting would weaken a piece of lumber.
Here's an example of "just right" spalting in a piece of hackberry:
32" plank of spalted wood, book-matched, with my 6" ruler laid on top for scale.
Utterly gorgeous. And plenty strong. (And also available for use on your next Custom Series dulcimer, if you ask nicely...)
Does spalting affect the sound of an instrument? Probably, yes. But not necessarily for better or for worse. I suspect that any effect this has would be trivial, so not something I would be particularly worried about. A top will have a little less "structure" with spalting, but not enough that we could correlate any difference in tone to the use of spalted lumber.
How does this happen? Spalting can occur naturally, in a standing, living tree, although it more commonly occurs when a tree falls, and is in contact with the ground. Fungal growth is a natural part of the tree breaking down and releasing its nutrients back into the soil for reuse. I've known woodworkers that will take freshly cut planks of wood, not yet dried, and leave them in a forest for a while, covered in moldy leaves. Totally natural spalting, helped along by an industrious sawmill operator.
Can I get spalted wood for my next dulcimer top? Yes. Find a plank of wood that you like online (at a specialty wood dealer). Your dulcimer top needs to be 32" x 5" x 1" (we'll cut it down to make a book matched pair of top pieces). If you send me a link to a cool-looking top piece you're considering, I'll let you know if it'll work for your next dulcimer. And every once in a while (like this week) I'll have some spalted wood in the shop that'll be gorgeous, too. Here's a piece of spalted hackberry on a finished instrument:
Purpleheart/padauk dulcimer with a spalted hackberry top.
Why so many choices for wood? When I first started making dulcimers, I was totally overwhelmed with all the options. And if you are, too, I totally understand. There's a link below to an article which talks about different woods, and when/where/why you might choose one over another:
Woods Used In Folkcraft Instruments Dulcimer Building
I hope you enjoyed this shop update. Now go play your dulcimers, and have a great weekend. Thanks for reading!
Richard-Ash-luthier-who-dreams-of-moldy-wood-sometimes
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ANTHONY GENNARO
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Anthony: I began playing on a regular basis around 2008.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Anthony: I made a dulcimer, from a kit, in 1970, but it collected a lot of dust until I picked it up again. I put the kit together in a woodworking shop at the school where I taught science. It came with only minimal directions, and so it's somewhat roughly built.
My family saw me struggling with it and purchased a FolkRoots D Series for me that I've been playing since 2009. In my photo, the FolkRoots D Series is on my lap, and in my right hand is the 1983 vintage FolkRoots D 0.00 that I found at a flea market in Coventry, CT, this past summer. I saw the FolkRoots symbol inside the body with Rugg and Jackel music company and thought, "OMG ! Wow! A classic." It has no 1/2 frets - a true purist dulcimer! On the stand to my left is the 1970 Tony G original - the only dulcimer that I made. Finally, on the table to my right, is a clay model of me playing dulcimer that was made by one of my sons, TJ. It plays music - a song of me playing a tune that I wrote for him. I am truly blessed by family and support group.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Anthony: I play mostly at home with family. But also jam at...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF ANTHONY'S INTERVIEW AND READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE ANTHONY AND YOU!
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!!!
No new player again this week (deep, sad sigh) to add to our world-wide, online dulcimer community today. But we're happy to re-feature dulcimer builder, and player, Anthony Gennaro. There's still plenty of room in the family, maybe it could be you next week?
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!
WE JUST LOVE HEARING FROM Y'ALL!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week it’s The Blues! Let’s have some fun playing an easy 12-bar blues progression. You’ll need a capo and the 1.5 fret for this lesson. 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.
PLAYING BLUES ON THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
by Steve Eulberg
Want more blues after Mandy's 12-bar blues lesson? Introducing Steve Eulberg's "Playing Blues On The Mountain Dulcimer"! This is a must-have music book for all mountain dulcimer enthusiasts, featuring renowned jazz and blues performer Steve Eulberg. Get ready to take your dulcimer playing to the next level with 82 pages of songs, technique, and yes - even fun! Who says regular old mountain dulcimers can't get down and jam some blues!? Trust us, you won't find a mountain dulcimer book "dulce-r" than this one!
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
DID YOU KNOW WE HAVE A SALE PAGE?
Everything from instruments cases, books, and even some dulcimer parts. It keeps changing, so stop by and check it out now and then, why don't ya?