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Bowing
a Mountain Dulcimer Bowing a Mountain Dulcimer
Date: Sunday, March 15, 1998
Date: Sunday, March 15, 1998
On a dulcimer you cannot play all three/four strings like you can on a violin/fiddle. (Because of string placement). You can however play using the treble string(s) and bass string. Also be aware that rosin is HORRIBLE for your wood. Also some of the rosin will stick to the strings affecting the tone somewhat. I am fortunate enough to have several dulcimers, so I use one of my inexpensive lease instruments for bowing, and I try to wipe the rosin off the wood as soon as possible. Date: Sunday, March 15, 1998
If you ever have a chance to have David Schnaufer as a teacher, he knows how to bow. Date: Sunday, March 15, 1998
Date: Monday, March 16, 1998
Date: Monday, March 16, 1998
We had a mini-course on bowing at Boone last year. Ken Bloom has developed some very effective techniques in playing the dulcimer in cello position, and has developed a dulcimer adapted for bowing, with a sound post, that sits in a stable position when played cello style. We're planning on having a bowed section of the Boone Dulcimer Orchestra this summer. Those of you that are coming and have bows, please bring them. We'll also have some if you don't. It's interesting to listen to Ralph Lee Smith's findings on some of the vintage dulcimers he owns. Based on the set-up and the wear of these old instruments dating back to the early 1800s, it was determined they were bowed. Jean Ritchie's "The Dulcimer Book" has an old photo of an elderly woman bowing a dulcimer. Date: Monday, March 16, 1998
Bowing of scheitholts was common. Few scheitholts from Pennsylvania show the damage that inevitably results form playing this type of instrument with a striker or switch, which strongly suggests that bowing was the predominant method of play in the oldest traditions. The expanse of the body over which a striker or switch must pass before reaching the strings of most scheitholts, guarantees that this method of play will usually leave plenty of evidence. In Appalachia, the scene is more mixed -- scheitholts with damage from the action of a striker are more common. I recently acquired a nice old scheitholt from Tennessee, with replaced and broken pegs that suggests significant use. There is no striker damage. Scheitholts tend to be older than most traditional dulcimers, creating an increased likelihood of loss of the bow. A scheitholt with a bow from West Virginia is illustrated in The Story of the Dulcimer, page 19. Date: Monday, March 16, 1998
It sure does. And if you quit doing it for a while, you have to start all over again. As for the bow sizes, is up to the person. A psaltery bow seem a little light to use, David used a full size bow, unless he have changes over the years. It was David who suggested using a 1/2 or 3/4 size bow. It is a bit easier to handle. You can use a full size bow, but it is somewhat more awkward. You don't use the full length anyway. By the way, I've also found it a lot easier to place my dulcimer on a flat chair or stool in front of me rather than trying to bow it on my lap. You want to keep the bow at a right angle to the strings and that's harder on your lap, especially if you are an XL size person like me. If you let the bow start skating across the strings, you may start calling the neighborhood cats. It can make a rather annoying noise. Try it. It is interesting. Maybe borrow a bow from a fiddle playing friend to see if it is something you want to persue. A good bow can be a bit pricey. I feel lucky to have found a good second hand one. Date: Monday, March 16, 1998
Date: Tuesday, March 17,
1998
Date: Tuesday, March 17,
1998
What do you mean by double-bowing, Mary? My friend uses two bows on her psaltery, one in each hand, but you don't have frets on a psaltery. To double-bow a dulcimer from both sides that way, you'd need at least three hands for fretting and bowing! I once saw a "double bow" for a psaltery, made by Jean Schilling's dulcimer shop in Cosby TN. It was a pair of bows attached to each other, side-by-side, made for playing harmony in thirds, on two strings at once. But that still wouldn't affect the dulcimer...You've got my curiosity up! I frequently use a bow on my dulcimer. Several years ago I spent a week at the Boone N.C. Dulcimer Workshop in David Schnaufer's Advanced Class. It was there I learned bowing. David uses his bow more like a fiddler, on the fast tunes, while I prefer the slower tunes like "Amazing Grace" and "The Ash Grove". I prefer not to use a capo, because I love the sound of the lower notes, especially on the bass string; I call it my "lap-cello". It takes a lot of practice to learn to control the amount of pressure you exert on the bow - too little pressure and you don't get a nice clean, bright sound, while too much pressure stretches the dulcimer string and gives you the "groaning cow" or "dying cat" effect. A shorter string is tighter and does not stretch out of tune so easily. David told us he prefers to tune to DAD or DGD and then use a capo to shorten/tighten the strings, which makes for a cleaner sound when he's doing that fiddle-shuffle bowing. Another important part of the bowing technique I've found is that you have to fret the strings very precisely and firmly, right up next to the fret and not halfway between. Bowing is very unforgiving of careless, sloppy fretting. You CAN do "slides" with your finger from one note to another, but I use this technique sparingly for effect. You can also use vibrato, which is much easier to do if you use very thin treble strings like .09. What kind of bow works best? Well,
when I was in David's class I bought one of the 3/4 size violin bows he
was selling, but I've since discovered that I prefer a heavier wooden psaltery
bow made by David Kingslake of Red Creek, WV. Unfortunately I've heard
that David retired from instrument-building a while back. What a shame!
His weighted bow (I think it's made of Maple?) almost plays itself! Most
of the psaltery bows I've seen are very lightweight. A standard fiddle
bow is SO lightweight and flexible that it is hard to control on long bowstrokes,
especially when you
Can you bow more than one string
at a time? Of course! You can bow 3- or 4-note chords, or you can simulate
a fiddle's arched bridge, or you can have your bridge replaced with an
arched one. Lorraine Lee Hammond inserts a little L-shaped piece of wood
over her flat bridge, under the middle string (or strings, for 4 equidistant
string spacing), to elevate them so she can play "double-stops" (2 strings
at a time) like the fiddlers do. You don't have to raise them very much,
just a wee bit. I've also seen
For the best sound, I try to keep my bow perpendicular to the strings, instead of at an angle to them. For a consistently good tone, I try always to bow in the same location on the strings, and not to let my bow drift up and down the fretboard. Bow care: I've been told that you
should never put your fingers on the horsehair (or allow anyone else to
"feel" it). There seems to be a universal urge to want to touch the hair
and run your fingers along it. It's the first thing most people do when
they pick it up. (I did!) I've learned to "snap" first "DON'T touch the
hair! Please!" and then explain politely, (after they yank their fingers
away, staring at you in shock,) "Sorry, didn't mean to be rude, but the
natural oil on your fingers is deposited on the horsehair
Yes, it's true that rosin can damage the finish on your dulcimer. I use a small paintbrush or pastry brush to whisk off the loose rosin, and store my bow in a bag. I try to bow *only* over the so-called "strum hollow" of my dulcimer, so the rosin doesn't get all over my strings, my fretboard, or my fingers later on. Most people don't usually strum or fingerpick over the strum hollow anyway, they do it a little farther up the fretboard where the sound becomes "sweeter". A couple of folks mentioned using a playing stand or placing your dulcimer on a chair or table in front of you: A playing stand is very effective because it allows you to push the dulcimer away from you a bit and have room for a full-length bowstroke. I use a dulcimer strap around my knees for the same reason. The strap also helps to keep the dulcimer from sliding around when I put pressure on the bow. "Miss Lois" also mentioned Ken Bloom's Workshop last year at Boone, and the ASU Dulcimer Orchestra -- what fun we had!!! And Ken's ideas on bowing were very intriguing! I'm still experimenting with bowing in the "cello position" - nice for playing accompaniment in a group, because the instrument is upright against your shoulder, resting between your knees, and is more free to "ring out" than when it is in your lap. It is trickier to manage the fingering, however. I look forward this summer to experiencing some more of Ken's delightfully funny and unusual approaches to music, and to the mountain dulcimer. For those who are going to the Cranberry Dulcimer Gathering in Binghamton NY in July, on Friday I'll be conducting a workshop on "Introduction to Bowing the Mountain Dulcimer". I hope to see some of you there. I hope this encourages some of you to try bowing your dulcimers. Don't be put off by the discouraging comments that some have made, or even by the awful sounds you might make when you first try it. My first attempts in private usually ended very quickly; I didn't keep at it long enough to hear any improvement. My "breakthrough" came the day that I went to a jam session at our dulcimer campout in MD. I sat on the outer perimeter where I wouldn't bother anyone, and decided that I would use ONLY the bow all day, whether it was an appropriate tune or not! After sawing away for a couple of hours, it actually began to sound nice enough that I moved into the circle, and even got some compliments - I've been bowing ever since! It does take practice, but it can be very rewarding! Enjoy and share your musical talents! Date: Tuesday, March 17
As far a "double bowing", I meant the same as what you described as "fiddle shuffle bowing". Date: Wednesday, March 18
The answer is that they either used what was at hand, or made bows. "What was at hand" were fiddle bows. Fiddle bows accompanied two of the dulcimers in my collection. The bows that accompanied the West Virginia scheitholt on page 19 of The Story of the Dulcimer, and the dulcimer on page 50 of Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions are home made. Date: Wednesday, March 18
Date: Thursday, March 19
Date: Thursday, March 19
Lorraine Hammond finds that she can use the bridge for fingerpicking styles too (which was a surprise to me. I thought she would find the slightly higher action on the inner two strings distracting!). She uses a 1/4 size cello bow, a Glasser fiberglass bow--nothing special, really. She likes the heft and response of this size. As I mentioned in a former posting on this thread, her tape, "Barley Break" contains several pieces which feature bowing. This album, by the way, is a wonderful collection of her arrangements of Elizabethan music, and came out in 1992. Quite enchanting. It is on the Yellow Moon Press label, and there is also a book of the arrangements on the tape. Both can be gotten from Lorraine, I should think. She can be contacted at dulcimer@tiac.net |
