Contemporary Mountain Dulcimer

2006-09-10T21:29:00.000-05:00

Jerry Rockwell visited a short time ago. We spent a couple hours improvising around a theme he came up with. The following recording features the solid body electric dulcimer he built for me and the acoustic/electric he made for himself.

Both dulcimers are tuned DAD. We used no capo. Both dulcimers are diatonic except for the 6.5 fret. I'm in the left speaker and he's in the right.

The MP3 playing time is just under 11 minutes. If you have a slow connection, you might want to right-click and save the file to your computer before you play it.

Rockwell and Seifert (MP3 - 9.8MB)

Here's some pics of my kids, Ellen and Elijah:

2006-06-15T17:10:00.000-05:00

It arrived! What a beauty. Here's a sample of what it can do. The left channel is a chorused direct sound. The right channel is distorted and pretty dry. Thanks to Jerry Rockwell for an incredible instrument. More samples to come...

Rockwell Electric Sample.mp3 (1.3 MB)

2006-02-15T10:59:00.000-06:00

Tim Kanke is in-charge of the internal electronics for the Jerry Rockwell solid-body electric diatonic dulcimer. Tim just emailed me some pics of his work.

After Tim's wiring and setup, Jerry did some final adjustments, recorded some tracks with it, and mailed it. It should be here today or tomorrw. I'm very excited!

I hope to post at least an excerpt of Jerry's recording if not more. I'll also have some sound samples of my experiments with it in a few days.

Thanks for checking in.

Stephen Seifert
www.stephenseifert.com

2006-02-02T11:19:00.000-06:00

I've put together a 20-minute video that's an introduction to the chromatic dulcimer. There's a bunch of pictures too. This is for all of you who would like to know more about chromatics.

The easiest way to view the video is to visit my site www.chomaticdulcimer.com and check out the SAMPLES page.

Here's the older way. (May not work any longer)

1) Visit http://stephenseifert.learnhub.net/.

2) On the bottom right corner of the screen, click on SS001 Chromatic Dulcimer - Introduction to the Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer (click for more info)

3) Request Enrollment using the form at the bottom of the page.

4) You will immediately receive an email with your password at the bottom. (There's a real good chance this email will go to your junk mail folder first)

5) Go to the URL: http://stephenseifert.learnhub.net/.

6) Enter your email address and password.

7) You'll then have to accept the invitation to join the class.

8) Explore and let me know what you think. (The material won't be available until 11:00 P.M. Central, Feb. 1)

This is a new technology. I'm definitely interested in feedback. There's plenty of ways to do this on the site with blogs and such.

Thanks!

Stephen Seifert
www.stephenseifert.com

P.S. - DVD Lesson #5 ships in less than a week. We're just waiting for the DVDs to arrive.

2005-12-28T20:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a progression I wrote:

For Katie (MP3)

The midi backing tracks were generated by a program called "Band in a Box ". After entering the chords, picking a style, and setting the tempo, I recorded the solo using the six-string chromatic electric solid-body dulcimer my dad made for me. (Tuned DADADD) Now I just need to come up with a melody!

There's no way I could have improvised this solo in one take without the exercises I've been working on the last few weeks. I've been practicing minor 7, dominant 7, and major 7 arppegios around the cycle of 4ths. (C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, B, E, A, D, G) If you'd like to know more about how to do this yourself, check out Jamey Aebersold's "Volume 1 - How to Play Jazz and Improvise".

Thanks For Stopping By,

Stephen

Rockwell Hollow-body Electric Dulcimer

2005-12-23T15:38:00.000-06:00

My Rockwell solid-body electric isn’t ready yet. To tide me over, I’ve been visiting his hollow-body electric page every day or so. Check this thing out:

“Configuration shown above:4 String: Double melody OR 4 String: 4-equidistant4 Circle Soundholes (special shapes available)String length, Nut to Bridge: 28" Pickup: Bill Lawrence L-250 Humbucking pickup; tone and volume knobs on soundboard; jack in endblock. Wiring by Tim Kanke, Lottridge, Ohio.Tuners: 15:1 enclosed Kluson style chrome tunersString gauges: .010" melody, .014" middle, .022" bass Tuned D-A-D for shipping
Optional, no extra charge: Brass or Mother of Pearl dot inlays marking frets 3, 5, 7, 10Strap buttonsLHE 4 String”

For more information, visit:
http://www.jcrmusic.com/cat_lh_electric.html.

Later,

Stephen

2005-12-06T12:18:00.000-06:00

I'm eagerly awaiting the completion of my Jerry Rockwell solid-body electric. In the meantime, my dad made this for me!

MP3 Audio Sample 1.65MB

I wanted a project me and my dad could work on. I also needed some kind of solid-body instrument that could be had cheap, quick, and easy. I called my dad and he was up for it. He traded some work to a guy he knew for a Yamaha solid-body.

We thought about converting it to 3-string and pulling frets but it was going to take time and money. I suggested we convert the guitar to something in the neighborhood of a dulcimer for development purposes. I didn’t even know if I would be comfortable playing it. I just figured it was the beginning of a long journey.

Dad cut the sides off and added what you see in the picture. Jerry Rockwell suggested stringing it up like a dulcimer so that the highest tuned string would be closest to my belly. He also recommended string gauges for tuning it to DADADD. (from bass to melody, 6-string equidistant) Dad took it to a guy in town who put in a left-handed nut and set it up for the requested gauges. He also checked my dad’s wiring and corrected a few things.

I've been very busy lately working on my business and DVD lessons. I pretty much forgot he was working on it. When he brought it to the house recently, I couldn’t believe it. The sound was amazing. I immediately recorded the sample Blues-Hendrix-like piece above.

I took my dad's electric to Unicoi to show it off. I also jammed with an 84-year-old Chet-Atkins-like guitar player. (One of the most amazing experiences of my life) Other than that, I’ve been way too busy to play this thing.

The little I have played it has been a blast. Surprisingly, I’ve gotten used to the close string spacing. Crosspicking with the right hand is cleaner and the non-thumb chord fingerings are easier. It only took a few times to get used to it. It's very comfortable to hold and use.

It’s like having a 4-string equidistant dulcimer tuned DADD (like Schnaufer’s early fingerpicking – also like Lorraine Lee, Bonny Carrol, Juanita Baker, Leo Kretzner, etc…) but with two lower strings as well. I like to think of it as being a bass dulcimer and regular dulcimer combined. One of the first things to understand is you don’t need to strum all six strings all the time.

Notice the neck is not even two octaves long. Trust me when I say there’s already plenty of notes to deal with. If it was only three strings, I’d want more frets and length. I’ve basically got all the notes a guitarist has minus the highest two.

I’ve always marked my chromatics at 1+, 3, 4, 5, and 7. The way I introduce the scale to people is:

1) Open melody string.
2) Next two notes come by straddling the first dot.
3) Follow the next three dots for 3, 4, and 5.
4) The next two unmarked spaces are 6 and 6+.
5) The last dot marks 7.

Except for straddling the 1.5 mark, it’s pretty straight forward. By always marking chromatics like this, I can tune banjoes, guitars, and basses to some form of DAD and I’m right at home. (Except for the strings being on backwards) I’m still very open to other marking schemes but this is my favorite.

I’m always thinking regular dulcimer frets with the pluses as apposed to thinking guitar fret numbers. I’ve dabbled with thinking of them as guitar frets but haven’t made the switch. I think a good book of chromatic tabs might include both systems.

An inexpensive effects device is arriving in the mail today that should make the cool sounds more portable. So far, I’ve been using the effects that are included in my Roland VS-1680 recorder.

Jerry Rockwell’s 3 or 4-string diatonic electric solid-body is supposed to be ready by Christmas. Check out Jerry’s progress at www.jcrmusic.com/wp_blog/?cat=4. When I bring Jerry’s dulcimer to a festival near you, you’ve got to give it a try. Just ask.

I’ll definitely have both electrics with me at KMW winter weekend. Having the two instruments should give me the tools I need to function inside and outside of the dulcimer community in any imaginable capacity.

Take Care,

Stephen

2005-10-10T18:43:00.000-05:00

Jerry Rockwell has begun work on my solid-body, electric dulcimer. It's a diatonic with the six-and-a-half fret. It will have two humbucker pickups with volume and tone knobs. There'll also be a three-way switch for the pick-ups. I'll be posting more as progress is made. So will Jerry. Visit his blog at www.jcrmusic.com/wp_blog/. Check back soon!

Stephen

2005-07-15T10:40:00.000-05:00

I love the sounds, images, and stories of the traditional Appalachian mountain dulcimer players. I have followed along, almost note-for-note, with Bonnie Russell's recording using my Galax dulcimer. The noter and quill don't scare me. I've studied the various tunings and melodies of Jean Ritchie. I’m no stranger to the Augusta films documenting the old-time players of West Virginia. I.D. Stamper’s playing amazes me. I've transcribed Pedi's playing and dissected his strum using half and quarter-speed video footage. I can’t play exactly like these people but I've tried to get pretty close. I know enough to appreciate and admire the music and the lives that make it.

I’ve at times totally immersed myself in the old-time fiddle and banjo music of the south. I have hundred’s of recordings of old 78 records from the 20’s and 30’s. I’m familiar with most of the great players of the 1900’s as well as the famed players of today. I’ve studied fiddle, banjo, guitar, jaw harp, and harmonica with the sole intention of becoming a better dulcimer player.

There are times when I’m drawn to the older ways. They remind me of my family from rural Kentucky and Tennessee. I think of all the stories my Great Grandma Surber told me. I dream of simpler times.

There are other times I explore the great acoustic blues players. I also listen to the beginnings of bebop. I greatly admire the early 78’s of Irish-Americans with their jigs and reels.

I like early rock-and-roll and country. I like John Cage. I like John Zorn. I like the “elevator music” of the 50’s. I love pop hits from the 80’s. I like Rap. I like drum and bass. I like Amy Grant and Keith Green. I like Indian and Moroccan music.

I can’t be bound to one musical style. My passion is exploring and adapting all music styles to the mountain dulcimer. While I will never leave the home of traditional Southern music, I must from time-to-time visit the vast playground of other musical styles. This blog will document my journey.

Both Jerry Rockwell and my father, Stephen Seifert, are building solid-body electric dulcimers to aid me in my travels. I will soon have pictures and details. Before long, I hope to point you to audio samples of my experiments. Thanks for your interest.

Stephen Seifert