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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Signs and symtoms of Ukulitous:
1. Over exposure to a carrier.
2. Purchase G7 capo (that you can't seem to stop using)
3. Move said capo progressively farther up the neck.
4. Land it at 7th fret
5. Wonder what "Angie" would sound like played that high.
6. Simultaneously discover it sounds cool and disturbingly similar to that runt of the stringed litter.
7. Navigate to Uke site to look at chords in Aminor.
8. Consult therapist. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I'd hate to see what would happen with exposure to a mountain dulcimer. I've found that MUCH more addicting than a uke....... :D
Roger |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | What is a mountain dulcimer? Clue in the uneducated. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | the opposite of a hammer dulcimer |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | the opposite of a hammer dulcimer |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | the opposite of a hammer dulcimer |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | I'm still having a blast. I don't think it will be a passing fad thing for me.
Jump on in....the water is just fine. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | I just had the uke out this morning. Youngest son made a special request for 'The Pasketee Song.' My wife left the room. After turning the TV up. I wonder if it's my singing or my playing. ;) Honestly, though, I really don't play it as much as some here might assume. ;) That being said...it ain't goin' nowhere. :D
Oh, and my mom has a custom built (yeah, really!) hammer dulicmer from one of those Appalachian states down there. It's beautiful, but she lost interest in it, I guess, as it just sits on the stand. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Thanks Al,
Three explanations and I am still clueless! |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Stephen,
www.gilamountaindulcimers.com |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Cruster,
Do you know the Song (and I know that I'm getting this wrong)
"Eddie Kootchakatchakammasammawhammawacky Brown, fell in the well"
As a very young child, my uncle would play and sing that song on the Uke. I would ask him to play it over and over.
I think he started to avoid me after a while, but I thought it was the coolest thing ever. |
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Joined:
May 2004
Posts: 2850
Location: Midland, MI | Nope, not familiar with that one. My novelty song repertoire is fairly limited, though. ;) But, if I did know anything about it, the title would be something like 'Eddie K. Brown' and you could find the lyrics somewhere like this |
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September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | The uke does not have to be just a novelty thing. I enjoy playing some 60's & 70's pop standards. The only thing it doesn't work on is sad songs. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | That's it!!
I haven't heard that song since I was maybe 10 years old. Even though a novelty song, the memory of it as a child is a very fond one, as all my family, aunts, uncles, cousins would gather round and good ol'uncle Paul would randomly point to us to sing Eddie's name while he played the uke. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13997
Location: Upper Left USA | Brad,
"The only thing it doesn't work on is sad songs"
Try pulling up "Sad Lisa" and "Amazing Grace". Instead of relying on the downstroke use the backstroke or finger pick. |
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Joined:
July 2003
Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | A mountain dulcimer is also known as an "Appalachian dulcimer" or a "lap dulcimer". It is a wooden instrument of 3, 4, 5 or 6 strings (depending on builder--it's like a guitar can be either 6- or 12-string) that lies flat on your lap (well, nominally) as you play it. The fretboard lies flat, facing up. You fret the strings in a similar manner to a guitar. The sound comes out of the sound box in a similar manner to an acoustic guitar.
It is a modal instrument, not chromatic like a guitar(meaning that only the notes available in the key that it is tuned to are available). Makes it easier to play, although it does restrict what it can do.
The normal tunings for it are DAA (same D as 4th string of guitar, and the A above it), and DAD (again, D of the guitar 4th string, the A above it, and then the D above that). There are many, many tunings for it beyond that, though.
Thanks, Jeff W. for the link. Kerry Anderson and Gila Mountain Dulcimers are one of the better builders of mountain dulcimers.
The mountain dulcimer has NOTHING to do with the hammered dulcimer other than sharing a name.
Roger |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Thanks OAO,
I also went to the website Jeff supplied. Interesting looking instruments. I wish the sound clips on the site worked. |
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November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Roger,
Great primer on the Mt.Dulcimer.
For others reading this, it's pretty easy to make good sounds from this instrument, even if you've never played it, as you are always in key (tuned as, OAO, described)
Stephen,
I didn't know the sound clips didn't work. I'm going back to the site to check that out. |
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Joined:
November 2003
Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | Stephen,
I went back to http://www.gilamountaindulcimers.com/trad.htm and the sound worked. The web page I just included is the "Traditional Series" listed on the home page.
Click on the upper right corner. |
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Joined:
April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | Thanks Jeff,
I was trying the ones of the bottom right of the page your first link directed me to. This new one works fine. |
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Damn it, Cruster!!!