Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jeff "Sweet T" Tinsley on March 4, 2010 at 9:08am

To quote Tres Seaver from an older thread, "The dulcimer / diatonic scale is just the "chromatic" scale with some frets left out. So enter the number of frets you would want on a chromatic scale (24 would be two octaves), and then omit the unneeded frets, leaving only the following (for each octave): 2 4 5 7 9 11 12.(where 11 is the "six-and-a-half" fret)."

(easier to quote than to try and word it myself. ;~þ )

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Wes "I'm Baaaaack" Yates on March 4, 2010 at 9:17am

Diatonic scale is a scale -- or in your case a fretting whereby not all the 12 notes of a scale are present making the standard Do, Re Mi... scale or rather a seven note musical scale comprising five whole steps and two half steps.

C major: C   D   E   F   G   A   B   C

Solfege:  Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do

Interval:  W   W  H  W  W  W  H 

Sometimes and especially on a dulcimer you might have an extra fret between the 5th and 6th.

-WY

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Drake on March 4, 2010 at 10:26am

Here is a reply I made to a discussion on CBN recently.

"FretCalc is a fret calculator which lets you measure either in decimal or imperial units. It also has an option to calculate and print out the fret spacing for a dulcimer (actually same as guitar with some frets missing - guitar is chromatic 1/2 tone [semi-tone] steps while dulcimer is diatonic full tone steps). It can be downloaded from here.

If you have a look at my home page you will see my second cbg build which was 3 string (tuned gdg) and fretted as a dulcimer. Can still be played as slide in the usual way. So you get the best of both worlds."

Have a look also at the Strumstick web site. Strumsticks are basically dulcimer fretted instruments. This site has lots of notes on playing with chord charts, videos, and songs.

Regards John D

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on March 4, 2010 at 5:26pm

Thank you I got it now, and this is just what I want to build for kids, figure 3 string for the 6 year old and 4 string for her brother, just so they are not the same. Cheers Ron.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Jonathan on March 5, 2010 at 2:49am

so would fretting a smaller guitar for small hands as a dulcimer be better?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 5, 2010 at 4:26am

Diane in Chicago is your lady..

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/profile/Diane?xg_source=profiles_frie...

take a good look at her pictures, maybe ask her a couple of questions. She's real friendly and helpful..
also, have a good look through the strumstick website, this is pretty much what you're looking at..

http://www.strumstick.com/

I'd personally look at two 3 stringers, but different sizes and scale lengths etc.. maybe try to cover both with one set of guitar stings and give the kids half the register each, so the sticks sound good together.. (aim for the same key obviously)

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on March 5, 2010 at 7:01am

Well now their is a better idea, and it wll also get me a little deeper into understanding how this all works. Thanks for the idea Jef. I will hop over to Diane's page. Being a nubie all this is new stuff and great for me to learn new things.
Cheers Ron.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by The Phrygian Kid on March 5, 2010 at 7:50am

Yeah mate, i think so..
say you take the heavy (wound) half first and aim to tune to G..
so only a few frets shorter than a typical guitar scale..

then, for the other 'soprano' box, aim for seven frets shorter than the first, that puts you into the scale lengths Di does, kinda uke or mando size..
the fourth difference in the intended note for the string, plus the seven fret (or perfect fifth) difference in scale, puts this box exactly two octaves above its big brother from the same set of strings..

it means chords or scales are uniform too, so you teach the kids the same... so big brother can do big brother stuff and help teach in time too ;)

come to think on it.. you really needa to a bass one an octave lower again for urself now dont u ??

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on March 5, 2010 at 10:04am

OK Im hooked Mate, you must be from one of the pink bits form the old British Empire.
So if the small one say 17" scale, length, bridge to nut, with the 7 frets I would get 0,2,4,5,7,9,11,12 giving 7 frets, not counting the zero. If that is right I think I understand it.
The bigger one would 20" scale do it, but still use the dulicemer frets, and useing the lower strings form the same pack to tune it to say, GDg?
Sorry to be a little slow on the uptake on this one, now that you have drawn me into this you can't set me free just yet.
Cheers Ron, from one of the other pink bits.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Old Lowe on March 5, 2010 at 11:29am

Don't do it!

I made my first one and now I have a house full of them!

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Diane in Chicago on March 5, 2010 at 1:00pm

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/group/dulciworld/forum/topics/fret-sp...

But I agree with Lowe. Be sure you want to go down this road.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mungo Park on March 5, 2010 at 1:25pm

Well yes I will start down this road and drop bread crumbs and wood shavings as I go just in case, might have a few more questions though.
Thanky you Diane for going over this for me.
Cheers Ron.

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page