How To Disinfect Your Dulcimer, Continued
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
I ended up getting quite a few responses to last week's newsletter and I'm going to share a couple of them with you here:
"Reading your article about the person who goes to healthcare facilities to entertain the patients with their dulcimer, and is concerned about passing the instrument around because the clients enjoy the vibrations of the strings, reminded me of what we did when I was working with the deaf. I thought perhaps it would work for her, or him: Just plug the instrument into an amplifier, and pass around balloons that have been blown up. That way they can feel the vibrations. The deaf kids seem to enjoy listening to music that way and perhaps that would work for her or him."
I can imagine issues with some settings, using an amplifier. And some patients (and staff) being bothered by the occasional balloon's popping. But this could be good in some circumstances, at least. Thanks to "J" for sharing this one!
I didn't get permission to share, verbatim, this next response I'm sharing, so I'll put the idea out there (without using the language from the actual response): "Ultraviolet." There you go! UV light can sterilize most anything, with the correct wavelength, intensity, and duration. I have zero idea how this would work on a dulcimer. I know that some types of UV light are harmful to people (sunburns, cataracts, skin cancer), so you'd need to do your own research on this solution.
Experimenting Like Strad
I experimented, years ago, with using UV light to darken our Northern cherry dulcimers. (Stradivari was known to hang his violins outside, under the eaves of his home, to age the woods, so I figured I was in good company.)
One of my tenants in our former Woodburn, Indiana, location was a beauty shop, and the shop had four tanning beds. I was allowed to use one of the beds after-hours for testing on dulcimers. I put completed - sanded, but without lacquer - cherry wood dulcimers in the bed, and tried to darken the wood. We saw somewhat darker wood with a few hours of tanning time, but nothing dramatic. But our showroom (before we switched over to all LED lighting) had metal halide light bulbs.
Dulcimers Can Get Tan Lines?
Metal halide bulbs emit all kinds of UV light, and we saw tan lines on some of our instruments. If a dulcimer sat in the same position on the showroom wall for a few months (which is absolutely not unusual!), we would see the "shadow" of the fretboard, leaving a lighter area where the UV radiation from the metal halide bulbs didn't reach. I had to consciously move the instruments around, to avoid tan lines. It is the same idea as a person wearing a swimsuit to the beach: the fabric of a garment (dulcimer fretboard) stops the sun (metal halide bulb) from darkening the protected skin (dulcimer top in the shadow of a fretboard).
Who would have thought?
I considered buying a tanning bed, just for dulcimers, but the limited benefit (and the high cost of buying a tanning bed, plus ongoing electricity and bulb replacement) made the "tan your dulcimer" approach not a great idea. I've made a TON of experiments on dulcimers over the past 20 years. Some turn into "let's do this for all of our instruments from now on", and other experiments ended up being a big waste of time, effort, or money.
So, back to Suggestion Number Two - using UV light to sterilize. This method won't hurt your dulcimer's wood, and I doubt that it'll hurt your dulcimer's lacquer, but I would still lean towards alcohol, with its known disinfectant properties.
And it's time for me to head back to the shop. This was a fun area (sterilizing a dulcimer) to dive in to, but I've got to get busy making sawdust now. Thanks for reading, Y'all!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-enjoys-using-his-hands-to-make-sawdust-and-dulcimers-both
P.S. Years later, I learned that cherry wood darkens from both UV light and oxidation. It might be a great experiment for 2026 to try an ozone generator, and see if I can accelerate the visual aging process (pre-lacquer!) on cherry lumber with that approach. But not today - I have to get going on dulcimers this afternoon!
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: SHARON SEARS
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Sharon: I've been playing for about 14 years.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Sharon: I got my first Folkcraft dulcimer in 2016. It was one of the last instruments that Steve (Richard's brother) made. It's beautiful and sounds wonderful. I'm grateful to have it.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Sharon: I like playing my dulcimer everywhere and anywhere. I enjoy times I play alone, as well as any workshop, jam, festival, or get together.
Folkcraft: What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing the dulcimer?
Sharon: I enjoy swimming, bike riding, concerts, festivals...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF SHARON'S STORY AND READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE SHARON & YOU
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE WANT TO INTERVIEW YOU!!
No new player to add to our online dulcimer community today, but we are happy to be able to re-feature another multi-instrumentalist, Sharon Sears this time, who first joined the family in February 2024. How've you been, Sharon?
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 we have a fun note separation exercise for you. We will work on defining certain notes while strumming. Mandy will walk you through it step-by-step. This technique will greatly improve your overall sound. Give it a try with the songs you are currently working on. Have fun! 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.
How about a little traveling music this week? We'll start off with a collection of fiddle tunes - composed by Jay & Molly Ungar - and inspired by the Catskill Mountains. With TAB created by the TablEdit queen herself - Melanie Johnston - this book is sure to delight. The second book, by Shelley Stevens, is a great collection of tunes from around the world. So whether you're looking for a stateside adventure, or want to venture a little farther afield, we've got just the book(s) for you! (Just click on either cover to download.)
CATSKILL MOUNTAIN WALTZES AND AIRS
by Melanie Johnston
Melanie Johnston has done it again! With 22 amazing arrangements of Jay Ungar and Molly Mason's songs (from their "Catskill Mountain Waltzes" book), this selection of mountain dulcimer tablature is just what the fiddle player ordered!
The audio files (in MP3 format) are computer-generated from the dulcimer tablature - they're created with a piano sound, and will let you hear "how it goes" for each song. (61 pages)
This book is published by Melanie Johnston, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
BAKER'S DOZEN #6 - WORLD MUSIC
by Shelley Stevens
When you play the songs in this book, you'll be taking a musical journey around the globe! From Europe to the Americas, eight countries are represented with this collection of mountain dulcimer arrangements. Standard notation, tablature, and lyrics are all included.
All songs are in DAD tuning and several require use of a capo. (20 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
Amid The Rivers And The Streams
Blue Noon
The Blue River Waltz
Cabernet
Catskill Mountain Waltz
Cedar Grove
Cool September Rain
Hudson Valley Serenade
Johanna
The Lovers' Waltz
My Blue Mountain Home
The New Mexico Waltz
Thanksgiving Hymn
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
Ar Hyd T Nos (Wales)
Au Clair De La Lune (France)
Aupres De Ma Blonde (France)
Du, D Liegst Mir Im Herzen (Germany)
Ei, Ukhnem (Russia)
El Coqui (The Frog) (Puerto Rico)
Flow Gently Sweet Afton (Scotland)
Folkje Vinta Hume (Norway)
Guantanamera (Cuba)
Round-Dance (Russia)
Santa Lucia (Italy)
Scarborough Fair (England)
Wee Croodin’ Doo (Scotland)