What Will Your Next Dulcimer Be Made Of?
Good Morning, Y'all & Happy Friday!
I've been on a roll, having fun with unusual woods lately. Walnut is awesome, butternut and Sitka spruce are awesome - I'll never stop using those woods. But... There's so many other options to try, so every once in a while I experiment with different wood species.
Here are some photos of in-stock lumber that I have ready to go. Woods that I think will make interesting-looking and fine-sounding dulcimers. I'll share my thoughts on an expected sound, and where on (in?) an instrument I would use the lumber:
1) Mango. We've made a handful of instruments out of mango this year, and they're spectacularly beautiful. Bright clear tone, amazing sustain, and as an added bonus, the grain is utterly cool.
I would use mango for a body - back and sides, and pair it with Sitka spruce for a top wood. I have enough mango left to make three dulcimers that don't have Galax backs, or two dulcimers that DO have Galax backs.
2) Lacewood. It's very dense, and very strong. I bought this at a lumberyard I visited in North Carolina. The lacewood tree grows in Brazil. We used to make a lot of bodies (back and sides) out of lacewood, then the supply chain pretty much stopped. I bought this lumber (enough for three dulcimers!) almost 10 years ago, and it's been sitting in my "stash," waiting to be made into a dulcimer.
This lacewood plank is about 32" x 4". Lacquer will make this even more contrast-y and striking!
Lacewood lumber is really dense, so it really should be paired with something bright and stiff for a top, and I would absolutely recommend Sitka spruce.
3) Sequoia. It's very light, very resonant, and pretty soft. This is an amazing soundboard wood, but I would absolutely NOT recommend it for back and sides - it doesn't have the strength. If you're familiar with Western red cedar for a dulcimer top, this will be in the same area, tonally. It'll sound great with a cherry body, or a walnut body, or a mahogany body. I would personally go with a walnut body with the sequoia top.
Sequoia lumber
This piece of sequoia is thirty-two inches long, and four inches wide. It is thick enough that I can get three pairs (bookmatched sets) of tops from this one chunk of wood. The sequoia tree grows in California, USA, and this lumber was reclaimed from a farm somewhere in the northern part of that state.
4) Yellow pine and 5) Red pine. I have some very well-aged (also reclaimed) soundboard material here. About 15 years ago, I came across some huge planks of old pine boards, dating back to at least the 1940s. Never exposed to the elements, perfect in every way, except for the nail holes. I pulled the nails years ago (always wanted a metal detector, so this was a good reason to buy a new tool!), and have only recently trimmed the boards to usable sizes (32" x 4"). I'll bet you can tell which wood is "red" and which is "yellow":
Red Pine
Yellow Pine
Both woods will make great tops for dulcimers. The wood is dry, stable, and free of flaws and imperfections. Due to the age and curing time, the boards are really stiff and light, which means we'll end up with a bright, clear, resonant tone. I would pair these pine tops with either a walnut body (for a warm, traditional tone) or maybe even a cherry body (for a brighter, livelier tone). For either of these pine tops (I have quite a few sets of both red and yellow!), my personal inclination would be to make a smaller-bodied instrument (our Kentucky body) for a really light, lively, traditional tone.
Who would have thought there were so many possibilities? We have people bring us lumber all the time, with interesting backstories like: "My Grandpa planted this tree and the storm last summer took it down" or "This used to be the mantel in Uncle Bob's farmhouse." We get the neatest wood from Y'all, and of course, we're always asked to "make me a dulcimer" from the heritage wood.
My various "finds" (above five photos) aren't "family heritage" wood, but they're all neat woods with a story. Three of the five are reclaimed. And the lacewood and the mango have a high level of visual appeal.
So what's your next dulcimer going to be made of? Something growing in your back yard? (or better yet, done growing, and has been drying in your garage for a few years?) Or something that is a bit out of the ordinary, something I found and photographed, above? Bring me your special forest products, and we'll make you an heirloom.
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-really-enjoys-making-special-things-out-of-"used"-lumber
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: PAULA EDWARDS
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Paula: For almost 12 years, now. I was introduced to the mountain dulcimer in April 2013 by my nephew, who bought one while visiting Gatlinburg, TN. My husband got the info from him and purchased a dulcimer from the same luthier as a surprise for my birthday in April of that year.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Paula: In March of 2021. Long overdue and I love it!
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Paula: I enjoy playing with our club, Chords of Friendship in Mount Summit, Indiana. We entertain nursing homes, civic and church functions. I play with a guitarist and keyboard player at our church sometimes, too. I also enjoy playing while we are camping and...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF PAULA'S STORY AND ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE PAULA & YOU!
HELLO FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
We don't have a new player to add to our global, online dulcimer community today, but we are delighted to re-feature Paula Edwards. How's your summer going, Paula?
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:
This week, Mandy will show us two ways to play the "first song" (Hint: A little boiled cabbage never hurt anyone.) You'll also get great playing tips and an on-screen TAB play-along. 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.
TUNES AND TECHNIQUES - BILE 'EM CABBAGE DOWN
by Aaron O'Rourke
Here's a heaping helping of cabbage for the more advanced - or those who want to become more advanced - players. Aaron has created five books, each using a "core" old-time tune as the vehicle for teaching some fundamental (and some advanced) dulcimer techniques. The vehicle in this case, is cabbage.
Learn to play better, and have more fun, while studying with one of the best teachers and performers to be found anywhere!
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES COVERED IN THIS BOOK:
Adding Simplicity: Basic Version • The Forgotten B Part • Filler Strums • Adding Flow • Adding Space
Check out these five-star reviews for this book
✮✮✮✮✮ Good Stuff. This book seems incredibly easy to play through, which I did. But that's not the point of it. The techniques Mr. O'Rourke is teaching may come naturally to some players, but for the rest of us - not so much. I plan on going back and carefully studying the techniques he presents and incorporating them into my practice until they are firmly cemented in my mind. (Lori - 6/4/24)
✮✮✮✮✮ Excellent Tutorial. Aaron explains how to take a simple melody and add layers of complexity to produce variation, while also introducing the higher fretboard positions. This book took my playing to a new level; this was for me a study in melody dynamics. (Julie - 11/12/20)