Embedded Files
My second dulcimer (bought at much greater expense than the first) was a chromatic four-and-a-half octave American-made instrument, the Grande Concertmaster constructed by Jerry Read Smith. This is a large and beautifully designed instrument constructed in a range of exotic woods. Moreover, it has a greater string separation than that on my first dulcimer, which makes it much easier to play. The tone is markedly different and much clearer than the first instrument, producing an exceptionally bright and ringing sound in the higher notes and a resounding thump at the lower end. The sound was a marked contrast to my first dulcimer.
My second dulcimer (bought at much greater expense than the first) was a chromatic four-and-a-half octave American-made instrument, the Grande Concertmaster constructed by Jerry Read Smith. This is a large and beautifully designed instrument constructed in a range of exotic woods. Moreover, it has a greater string separation than that on my first dulcimer, which makes it much easier to play. The tone is markedly different and much clearer than the first instrument, producing an exceptionally bright and ringing sound in the higher notes and a resounding thump at the lower end. The sound was a marked contrast to my first dulcimer.
The capacity to move some melodies up or down by an octave or more is one of the attractions of the instrument, and it did not disappoint in this respect in providing space for lower chords and melodies when needed. The 19/21/9 arrangement of courses also gives a lot of room to move melodies up an octave or to put in sweeping arpeggios. Although the instrument is technically 'chromatic', it is actually quite difficult to play outside the 'home keys' (D, G, C and relative minors) insofar as the range of readily available notes is concerned. This may not be an issue as far as English traditional dance music is concerned, since D and G are the most common keys, but is less convenient for tackling song accompaniments in C and F which are the keys I often find most convenient for singing.
The capacity to move some melodies up or down by an octave or more is one of the attractions of the instrument, and it did not disappoint in this respect in providing space for lower chords and melodies when needed. The 19/21/9 arrangement of courses also gives a lot of room to move melodies up an octave or to put in sweeping arpeggios. Although the instrument is technically 'chromatic', it is actually quite difficult to play outside the 'home keys' (D, G, C and relative minors) insofar as the range of readily available notes is concerned. This may not be an issue as far as English traditional dance music is concerned, since D and G are the most common keys, but is less convenient for tackling song accompaniments in C and F which are the keys I often find most convenient for singing.
Here are some photos of my second dulcimer.
Here are some photos of my second dulcimer.
Assessment
Assessment
The second dulcimer, at a cost, addressed many of the shortcomings of the first. I did not spend quite as much time tuning, because there were only two strings per course and the action of the tuning pins was a lot better, though the range of additional high and low notes did add to the range of strings needing to be tuned. The tone is much clearer, but sometimes seems slightly thin and 'metallic' at the top end, though there are a lot of high notes that I hardly ever use. I also needed to add some 'dampers' to muffle unwanted notes when playing the bass strings (as seen in the photo above).
The second dulcimer, at a cost, addressed many of the shortcomings of the first. I did not spend quite as much time tuning, because there were only two strings per course and the action of the tuning pins was a lot better, though the range of additional high and low notes did add to the range of strings needing to be tuned. The tone is much clearer, but sometimes seems slightly thin and 'metallic' at the top end, though there are a lot of high notes that I hardly ever use. I also needed to add some 'dampers' to muffle unwanted notes when playing the bass strings (as seen in the photo above).
For me though, the main problem with a 19/12 dulcimer is that it is relatively large, quite heavy, and nothing like as portable as the first dulcimer had been. As I spend quite a bit of my time playing in pubs and other small venues that are sometimes fairly crowded, I need an instrument that can be transported and set up easily and does not take up too much room. The Jerry Read Smith dulcimer is great to play at home, but is sometimes a bit of a struggle to play out at the kind of venues I tend to visit. The sound that I was looking for seemed to have been gained at a significant portability cost.
For me though, the main problem with a 19/12 dulcimer is that it is relatively large, quite heavy, and nothing like as portable as the first dulcimer had been. As I spend quite a bit of my time playing in pubs and other small venues that are sometimes fairly crowded, I need an instrument that can be transported and set up easily and does not take up too much room. The Jerry Read Smith dulcimer is great to play at home, but is sometimes a bit of a struggle to play out at the kind of venues I tend to visit. The sound that I was looking for seemed to have been gained at a significant portability cost.
For links to other pages, use the drop down menu at the top right of the page.
For links to other pages, use the drop down menu at the top right of the page.
Please feel free to email me at bill.howarth54@gmail.com with any comments on the website.
Please feel free to email me at bill.howarth54@gmail.com with any comments on the website.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse