Here's The Scoop!
Good Morning, Everyone - and Happy Friday!
Today we're featuring an "In The Shop" from the spring of 2023. Its focus is on one of the more unique customizations Richard's been asked to do.
Until next week,
Toya, your-newsletter-editor-who-might-scoop-an-unfinished-tenor-uke-off-the-shop-wall-but-doesn't-have-a-scoop-on-any-of-her-Folkcraft-instruments
(April 7, 2023)
Good Morning, Y'all!
We get a lot of requests for customizations on the dulcimers we build. I suppose that's one of the advantages of custom-ordering an instrument, rather than buying "off the shelf" at a giant music store.
Here's a new one for our list of requests. Look closely at the fretboard, just to the left of the strum hollow. You'll notice that a few of the frets are missing, and that the fretboard has been cut away an extra 1/8" (or so). This is pretty common for banjos, but I'd never seen it done on a dulcimer. Common enough in the banjo world that they have a name for this - it is a "banjo scoop."
Benefit? On a dulcimer, strumming and/or picking right above the last few frets is usually the sweet spot - the best combination of warmth and volume. Moving the pick closer to the bridge is a lot louder, but also more nasal in tone. Moving the pick closer to the middle of the fretboard (fret 7, thereabouts) gives a lot more warmth, but at the cost of most of the volume. The usual "sweet spot" is above fret 16 or fret 17. With a banjo scoop, it is nearly impossible to hit the fretboard with a pick, since the fretboard is farther from the strings.
Disadvantage? You don't have as many frets (notes!) to work with. We've removed frets 15 - 17 on this fretboard to install the banjo scoop. So when you capo at fret 3 or at fret 4, you won't have two full octaves to work with, since some of the frets are gone.
Would I have this on my personal dulcimer? Probably not. I have a really light touch in my right hand, and even on my oldest dulcimers, I have zero fretboard wear from my picks. And I really like playing the high notes sometimes, and would surely miss the frets above the high D. For some people, this might be an AMAZING feature, though.
Does a banjo scoop affect the tone or hurt the instrument in any way? Not at all. If anything, the extra lightening (weight wise) of the fretboard might give a bit more volume or sustain, but probably nothing noticeable.
So, do you want one of these (banjo scoops) on your next dulcimer? All you have to do is ask...
Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend!
Richard Ash, luthier-who-gets-to-hang-out-with-Wendy-Songe-tomorrow!
PS: If you're singing the "Two Scoops of Raisins" jingle right now, that's totally normal...
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: ALAN RICHTER
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Alan: I started playing mountain dulcimer in the mid '80s after buying a new South Korean-made one for $7 at a flea market. After taking a class or two through the McHenry County College, I seldom picked it up for many years as I continued to play whatever instrument I could get my hands on, but mostly electric guitar.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Alan: In the photo above I'm holding my chromatic mountain dulcimer that Richard Ash recently repaired (Spring of 2022). I told him I wasn't concerned about aesthetics to get the bridge back to its proper place, but the insertion of three screws, and the blending of the surface where they are positioned, makes it look like it was part of...
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE WANT TO INTERVIEW YOU!!
We don't have a new "playa" to feature this week - but maybe we will by next week? (hint, hint) But we are still glad to refeature multi-instrumentalist, Alan Richter, who joined our online dulcimer community in March of 2022. How's it going, Alan? Still doin' lots of pickin' and grinnin'? There's still plenty of room for more of you, folks! Maybe we could feature you and your Folkcraft dulcimer(s) 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, Mandy shows you a few bluesy rhythms. The idea here is to add interesting things to basic songs to make them your own. One groove can make a song special, so work to add your own flavor by incorporating these concepts. 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.
BAKER'S DOZEN #12 - JAM TUNES AND BEYOND
by Shelley Stevens
For the more advanced player who's gotten bored with simpler arrangements, this intermediate-level book of arrangements is just what the "Jam Doctor" ordered! With classics like "Mississippi Sawyer" and "June Apple," plus a couple of tunes that might be new to you, you'll have a ton of fun playing Shelley's arrangements.
Each song includes both standard notation and dulcimer tablature. (20 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED:
The Ashgrove
Billy In The Low Ground
The Boatman's Dance
The Eighth Of January (AKA The Battle Of New Orleans)
June Apple
Mississippi Sawyer
Over The Waterfall
Ragtime Annie
Soldier's Joy (Includes both Standard and Alternate Versions)
Suzanna Gal
Whiskey Before Breakfast
Wildwood Flower
Yellow Rose (Includes both Standard and Alternate Versions)