Mountain Music Fills the Air: Making Banjos and Dulcimers: The Foxfire Americana Library (11)
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Now Dave and his sons make mandolins, guitars, fiddles (he’s made nearly thirty-five and restored over 200 himself), dulcimers, and, of course, banjos of all types. At one end of the scale is the mountain banjo kit that they sell for $35.00. The pattern for the kit came from an old mountain banjo that was much like those that Tedra Harmon and Stanley Hicks now make except that it is fretted. The kit includes instructions as well as everything that is necessary to make one yourself from the pieces of yellow poplar (all routed, marked for holes, etc.) to the fret wire, strings, tension blocks, nails, screws and the plastic head.
At the other end of the scale is the one-of-a-kind, staggeringly beautiful custom variety that he and his sons turn out for special customers willing to pay up to $1,500.00 for one of the finest banjos money can buy. With engravings and inlay, these instruments are works of art far too complex to detail here.
ILLUSTRATION 78
ILLUSTRATION 79
ILLUSTRATION 80
Dave has done a good bit of experimentation in his time, and has whittled his choice of materials down to a few favorites. If he were to make banjos with animal hide heads instead of commercial ones, he would prefer house-cat. He has a banjo hanging on the wall that has a cat hide in it that is forty years old and still rings well. And he has also heard of catfish skin being used, and he imagines that would also be good as it wouldn’t be as subject to humidity as the other hides are.
For wood, he likes yellow poplar (his choice for the kits) because it is strong but resilient, vibrates well, and has good tone. A favorite neck of his is red oak. And for head sizes, he’s found that on the mountain-style banjo, a six-inch head with a half-inch-thick top and back rings the best.
I could tell that Dave was really happy now making instruments for a living. It shows in his work, and it shows in his face.
While we were there, Dick Finney, a man Dave grew up with, came over. Both were born on the same day, January 21, 1917, and had played together since they were young. Dick uses the second guitar Dave ever made, and Dave is building him a new one now. They played for us, Dave on the banjo and Dick on the guitar.
We played the tape we made of them all the way home.
RAY MCBRIDE
Photographs by Ray and Steve Smith.
ROBERT MIZE, DULCIMER MAKER
Robert Mize was born and raised in our county, and he still has enough folks here to have good reason to make the trip down from Blountville, Tennessee, with some regularity. Nowadays, when he comes through, he stops by, and more often than not he brings along a new dulcimer or two—just finished—and either he or one of his children winds up playing it for us.
Several months ago, he stopped in as the result of a request we had sent him via one of his nieces some two years before to give us a hand putting together an article on his method of dulcimer construction. He offered to write the article for us, and we accepted.
It’s an honor for us to have his directions, for he truly knows what he’s doing—one of the reasons why he’s a favorite craftsman member of the Southern Highlands Handicraft Guild. He’s made more dulcimers than anyone we know. Each one is sequentially numbered, and as he packed up his newest one after showing it to us on his last visit, we noticed its number on the end of the box: 666.
The mountain dulcimer is an instrument whose origin is somewhat a mystery. And after having read several articles and opinions of others, I still know very little about where they come from. I believe they have always been here in the Appalachian area. One thing I do know is how to build them. In this section, I will try to explain some of the steps and procedures used in making them. Of course, there is more to it than this, and after over six hundred, I am still learning new tricks.
ILLUSTRATION 81
Click here for a larger version of this image
There is no standard-sized or -shaped dulcimer. Every maker has the one he likes best. I use the same general pattern and vary the type of wood, or number of strings. Kentucky, Mountain, and Appalachian are all names for the plucked dulcimer, which may have any number of strings. Mountain people call them “dulcymores” or “delcymores.”
The dulcimer we refer to is the plucked dulcimer and should not be confused with the hammered dulcimer, which is a forerunner of the piano. The hammered dulcimer has many strings and is played by striking the strings with small wooden hammers.
The word “dulcimer” is derived from the Latin word “dulce,” and the Greek word “melos,” which put together mean “sweetsong” or “sweet tune.” This truly describes the dulcimer, as it is a soft-voiced, personal-type instrument which can be easily tuned to the range of your voice. This makes the dulcimer a natural for playing hymns, ballads, and folk songs. Like the five-string banjo, it seems to be an authentic American musical instrument.
I was born and raised in Clayton, Rabun County, Georgia, and never saw nor heard of the dulcimer until the late 1940s. Some of the craftsmen of the Southern Highland Handicraft Guild began making them, using old ones for patterns. Their popularity has been growing ever since, especially in the last few years, with the revival of the folk music and handicrafts. I don’t know if anyone owned or knew of dulcimers in Rabun County be-fore this time.
Many different woods may be used. I make a combination of wormy chestnut, butternut, gum or sassafras for the top, and all other parts from black walnut. I also make them using cherry for all parts, or curly maple. Bird’s-eye, or highly figured maple, is very difficult to work. It is also heavy.
The combination of a hardwood on back and sides, with softer wood for top, gives a good mellow sound, and the contrast of two woods is pleasing to see. Cherry on back and sides, and California redwood on top will make a soft tone. Butternut and walnut are also good. I use a lot of wormy chestnut with walnut. The color, grain, and worm holes make a nice looking top, and also a good tone.
Different woods will affect the tone of the instrument somewhat, although the size and shape of the sound holes have very little effect, except for looks. I use an “F” shape, like in a violin, for most of mine: but I do make heart, diamond, or other shapes when requested to do so.
I have used many different woods, such as apple, red elm, oak, sourwood, gum, pecan, cedar, beech, birch, sassafras, chestnut, butternut, walnut, cherry, maple, and others. Most of these were only to see what they would look and sound like. If you stick with black walnut for the back, and butternut, gum, chestnut, or poplar on top, you can get good results. Curly poplar of the deep purple color makes an exceptional dulcimer. The wood is not as important as the construction, and each instrument should be better than the last.
ILLUSTRATION 82
ILLUSTRATION 83
ILLUSTRATION 84
ILLUSTRATION 85
ILLUSTRATION 86
ILLUSTRATION 87
ILLUSTRATION 88
ILLUSTRATION 89
ILLUSTRATION 90
ILLUSTRATION 91
The dulcimers I make for sale are made as nearly like the old traditional ones as I can get them. No fancy inlays of exotic woods, no veneers or plywood, just good, dry wood like that used by the early craftsmen. I do not use metal guitar-tuning keys, but make wooden keys from Brazilian rosewood. I use modern techniques, glue, and finishes.
All wood used should be kiln-dried unless you are sure it is thoroughly air-dried, to control shrinking and cracking in low humidity. As we cannot control the environment around the dulcimer, we try to protect the dulcimer from the extremes of humidity. Our modern homes get very dry in the wintertime and air conditioning keeps the humidity low the rest of the time.
I apply two heavy coats of sanding sealer lacquer, then two coats of finish lacquer, hand rub with steel wool after each coat of lacquer, and wax with a good paste furniture wax. A dulcimer must be a good musical instrument, and if it looks good also, so much the better, but musical quality comes first.
I will describe and make a four-string dulcimer of wormy chestnut and black walnut, in the shape general
ly known as the elongated hour glass. We will make all parts, rough sand, assemble the parts, trim, finish sand, apply the finish, hand rub, wax, string, tune up, and, hopefully, play.
THE PEG HEAD
As this is to be a four-string dulcimer, we will select a piece of black walnut 8″ long×1½″ wide×2½″ thick. The shape of the peg head is traced on the side, and the shape of the peg box is traced on the top. The peg box is 5/8″ wide and about 7/8″ deep, and long enough to accommodate four tuning pegs (ILLUSTRATION 83). To make a five- or six-string dulcimer, just make the peg head and peg box a little longer to get the extra pegs in there. I drill part of the peg box with a 5/8″ drill, then finish cutting to shape with a chisel. Once the peg box is finished, saw slots in the end to receive the sides and cut the notch for top and fret board (ILLUSTRATION 84, ILLUSTRATION 85). Cut the peg head to shape last, so you will have straight and square surfaces to cut notches and slots accurately (see diagram on this page).
THE PEG END
The peg end is also made of walnut, the same width as the peg head. The length of the slots, where sides fit, must be the same as those of the peg head, as this determines the depth of the sound box. Cut slots for the sides (ILLUSTRATION 86, left), a notch for the top and fret board, and cut a notch on the back side for strings (ILLUSTRATION 86, right).
ILLUSTRATION 92
ILLUSTRATION 93
I have tried to lay out each step or saw cut in the proper order to give you better control for safety and accuracy, so please follow these steps. You may wind up with a difficult cut to make and no safe way to do it. You should then start over with that part and do it again.
THE FRET OR FINGER BOARD
This piece is the most important and critical of all the pieces. The distance from the string nut, near the peg head, to the bridge on the other end, must be exact. The frets must be placed exactly at the right place, or the notes will not be true. This distance or spacing of frets can be figured mathematically, although I do not know the formula. I have a master pattern of a fret board which was given to me by a master dulcimer maker. I go by this, and am most particular about its construction. The quality of the fret board determines the quality of music of the finished dulcimer. A beautiful dulcimer with a poor fret board makes an expensive wall decoration, as that is all it is good for. Remove some of the wood from the inside of the fret board, or hollow it out, to make the sound from the frets and string pass more easily to the sound box (ILLUSTRATION 87).
Keep the top of the fret board perfectly flat from one end to the other. If it is not flat, when you press the strings down on a fret, the string will touch the next fret also. This will deaden some of the sound and make the string buzz. Be sure the frets are seated solidly in their slots; raise the bridge a little, or even file a high spot off the fret to stop the buzzing. Sometimes it becomes necessary to remove all the frets, scrape and sand the fret board straight, and replace the frets to get it to play again.
Use regular guitar frets from a music store, cut to the proper length. Make saw slots with a thin coping saw. Make a saw slot in scrap wood, and file down the side of the blade until you get a thin slot that is a nice tight fit for the fret (ILLUSTRATION 88). Again, take care in making the fret board, as this is the most important part of a dulcimer (see ILLUSTRATION 106).
THE BACK
Take a piece of black walnut 3½″ wide×30″ long×about 1″ thick. Try to find one with as much grain or figure as possible, as we will bookmatch two pieces to get a nice design on the back. Run this blank across a jointer or planer to get one surface smooth and flat. Square both of the edges. Make a pencil mark on one edge at a slant. By lining up these marks, you can arrange the cut pieces in the same position as they were in the original board. Set the rip fence on a bench saw for a 1/8″ cut. Place the blank on edge and cut two 1/8″ pieces. By using the pencil marks, get these two pieces in the same position as they were cut, then open them up like a book. Note the pattern of the grain. If it’s not the best, close the “book” and turn it over and open it again. Always look at the inside of the book, as these two surfaces are the only ones that will match. Now joint and edge glue these pieces together. This is called “book-matching” or a mirror image. Reinforce this glue joint on the inside with thin pieces of wood, with the grain direction 90° from the glue joint. This should give you a piece of wood 7″×30″×1/8″ from which the back is made.
THE TOP
Select a piece of chestnut or whatever you wish to use and cut and glue a 7″×30″×1/8″ piece as you did for the back. Place the top blank on the bottom with the two bookmatched sides on the outside. Trace the shape and saw these pieces together. By keeping the top and bottom in the same position as they were cut, you do not have to worry about the contour of both sides being the same, as the top and bottom will match. Sand the inside and outside of these parts. Cut a slot in the top under the fret board (ILLUSTRATIONS 88 and 89). Also, fix the position where sound holes are to be cut in the top. Make a pattern from paper or a thin, flat piece of plastic, cut the shape you want, place it on the top, and draw the design. Use a jig saw or coping saw: drill holes in the top, insert the blade through this hole, and cut the sound hole to the traced shape. Take care in cutting these holes. Finish the shape with a sharp knife. Get the shape of the sound hole right, as it is going to be on the top of the dulcimer and it is always the first thing noticed if it is not right.
The sides are cut from the same wood as the back. Start with a piece 30″ long and a little wider than the slots in the peg head and peg end. Dress this piece on a jointer to get it smooth. Slice a thin piece off with a bench saw—a little under 1/16″—so it’s flexible. Dress down the blank, and saw another side. Make three or four sides, always dressing down the thick blank, as the cut sides are too thin to dress on a machine. We now have all the major parts made and can start assembly.
ASSEMBLY
Clasp the top and bottom together as they will be later. True them up, then trim, sand, and finish the edges. Round off the sharp, square edges. Do all the sanding of the parts before putting them together, as it is easier to get at some pieces. Leave only a light final sanding for the end of the process.
ILLUSTRATION 94
Be very careful from now on, as you are building an instrument you want to be proud of. Keep everything clean; work on a soft rag. A bad scratch or a mistake is hard to overcome at this stage. Remove all excess glue now, or at least mark around a glue spot for removal later. If the glue is not removed, it will make a light or white spot in the finish.
Cut the frets to length, fasten them in the fret board, file and putty the holes, and finish the fret board now (ILLUSTRATIONS 90 and 91).
Place the completed fret board on the top at the proper place and cut the top to the exact length of the fret board (ILLUSTRATION 92). Glue the peg head and peg end on the underside of the top (ILLUSTRATIONS 93 and 94, left). Apply glue to the fret board (ILLUSTRATION 94, right), and clamp it on the top (ILLUSTRATION 95). Use small brads (1/2×20 brads) to fasten the top and fret board and allow the glue to set. Any good wood glue will do if you give it enough time for curing, and remove any excess glue carefully.
ILLUSTRATION 95
ILLUSTRATION 96
ILLUSTRATION 97
ILLUSTRATION 98
ILLUSTRATION 99
ILLUSTRATION 100
ILLUSTRATION 101
ILLUSTRATION 102
ILLUSTRATION 103
ILLUSTRATION 104
ILLUSTRATION 105
Place the top on the inside of the back and mark the position where the peg head and peg end are to be attached. On the inside of the top and bottom, draw a mark from end to end about 3/16″ in from the sides (ILLUSTRATION 96). Make four glue strips about 3/8″ square with closely spaced saw notches cut in one side (ILLUSTRATION 97). Glue these flexible strips on the inside of the marks of the top and bottom (ILLUSTRATIONS 98 and 99). The sides are glued to them later.
Glue the top and bottom t
ogether and let the glue set (ILLUSTRATION 100). Cut the sides to the proper length and width, and pre-bend them by holding the back side to a source of heat and bending by hand (ILLUSTRATIONS 101 and 102). Use just a little heat, as too much will make the side brittle.
Glue the sides in place (ILLUSTRATION 103 and 104).
Trim, sand, and stain if needed (ILLUSTRATION 104). Take a lot of time and get everything just right now. There are a number of ways to do the finish, depending on the amount of gloss you desire.
Lacquer, varnish, urethane, or shellac, with sanding and steel wool rubbing between coats is good. You can use only wax, or some of the penetrating oil finishes will give a flat finish. When I build in volume, I spray on the lacquer and then wax by hand.
A standard violin peg hole taper or reamer is used to taper the holes in the peg head. This tool can be found in some music stores or at a musical instrument repair shop. You can use large violin or viola pegs or make your own of rosewood or other hardwood.
Make the string nut and bridge, glue it in place, and bore the holes for the strings in the peg end and pegs.
For the first three strings (nearest you), use an E or first guitar string, ball end. For the fourth string, use a G or third guitar string, ball end. This is a wound string and is the bass string of the dulcimer. If you use banjo strings, use two first strings, one third string, and one fourth string, which is the bass.