Hahahaha! When you announced you were gonna do a video on VSL I Googled it and found myself reading about ulcerative colitis, pouchitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. You almost scared me to death, woman! I was was ready to give up my desire to learn how to play the dulicmer. Thank goodness, it was only my curiosity, and eagerness to learn, that lead me down a terrible wrong path. I'm happy to announce that I'm back, and still want to learn how to play, assuming dulcimers have no harmful side effects. Before I die I want to know how to play one, I don't want to die from one! LOL! Love you, and God bless!
Just getting started. Going to a build workshop this summer so this was really helpful. I have very short fingers and play guitar and banjo. VSL is my biggest problem. Sometimes I just can't reach. This gives me hope where the dulcimer is concerned. Thank you. Jesus loves us both!❤
Proud to be a brand new subscriber after hearing so much fantastic information in one place!! My name is Dani, and I live with my wife and our fur-baby Beagle called Molly, in the Scottish Highlands, UK. I’m a full time wheelchair user, with several degenerative conditions, but I don’t let a little thing like that slow me down!! I’ve been building my own guitars, from starting on Canjos, then onto cigar box guitars, and now, after several other offshoots of my building passion, even building Martin spec 00’s and 000’s with 12th fret and 14th fret models utilising a couple of different moulds that I own. Never built me a dulcimer before, though I suspect I’m going to be correcting that mighty soon!! I have an idea (a couple actually) for one quality, high spec tonewood, body, that would allow mounting securely all the different VSL’s that anyone might want to own for playing noters, melody lines or chord style. I’m definitely going to first of all enjoy watching these fantastic videos!! Thank you for sharing your passion, through your wonderfully way of explaining things very clearly. I thought you came across as having a calming, friendly manner that was so articulate in the delivery of so much information! Outstanding. I’m humbled to be following along!!
I bought an old fixer upper dulcimer with violin peg tuners and it was missing its floating bridge. I copied and made a bridge similar to another dulcimer I had. Strung it up with strings and at 27" from the nut to bridge like my other dulcimer, it sounded terrible . And as I went up the fret board it was all out of tune. Thought it might be the bridge height or design as I had just guessed at its shape. Thought it might be a warped fret board. Thought the strings might be wrong. Was thinking it was just a bad sounding instrument, as I had got it cheap. Got interested in VSL and set the distance to 25" instead of 27"... Well it was like a new instrument ! Perfect tone, very bright, all notes were right on the money sound wise no matter where I played. Well this taught me the importance of VSL, and a valuable lesson if I keep picking up old dulcimers that need some love. Thought I'd share the story of how stupid I was...might help somebody else save time !
I was just telling julie its time for her to learn an instument and this one caught her eye.. she has small hands and we love home made. I love the idea of making the box one. God bless.. We will find out for sure what size fits now that we know it matters.. Thanks again. We have some big maples on the property and thinking of harvesting if good for this instument ..
I like a VSL even smaller now. I have a 22 3/4 chromatic that I play (the reso one) and it’s the “easiest” on my hands. I wouldn’t want to measure my hand, because everyone is different, and people play differently also. If you are thumb player you can make longer reaches much easier. I’m not much of a thumb player. But on my only diatonic dulcimer The GOAT, I am starting to use my thumb some because it’s a 27” vsl. IF I could though I’d have most all of my dulcimers be super short like the 22 3/4 one. Feels so good on my hands. Long story, but I have nerve damage in both hands and have had 2 neck surgeries. I’ve got metal parts in my neck, and my nerves just haven’t healed (and might not). I can barely play clawhammer banjo now. I haven’t really publicly announced that, but sadly it really hurts to do so I don’t do it much. But - I can play 2 finger banjo and dulcimer a long time with much less pain, so that’s what I do. Hope some of that helps for you.
Thank you for this video! The VSL on my dulcimer is 29 inches and the action is way too high; therefore, it takes so much effort to play as a novice. I’m in search of a new dulcimer and hope to visit some dulcimer shops in Indiana, Kentucky, and the Smokey Mountains so that I can “try before I buy.”
Hey Vivian WOW that is a long VSL. I bet that’s tough to play on. For the action you can lightly tap on your nut and bridge (they shouldn’t be too hard to get out), you can take sandpaper and carefully lower each one and test it until the action gets a little more manageable for you. This would be in the meantime until you are able to find one with a shorter VSL. In the meantime, if you are unsure about size, those cardboard ones are quite inexpensive. Thanks!
BanjoLemonade my dulcimer has a scroll head and the nut is actually identical to the frets in the material, size, and way it is set into the fretboard, so there is no way to sand it down. I did remove the bridge and sand it some but was afraid I would take off too much. There is a nickel width space between the strings and the second fret, and two nickel widths space between the seventh fret and strings, and an even greater amount farther down the fretboard. If I sand any more, the strings would touch the first fret, so I stopped before that happened. I guess I just have a weirdly built dulcimer!
Oh wow. Such good information. Thank you so much. I am just starting to play and i have a friend who has let me borrow her spare. I see what you are talking about.
I just found this video, and it's great information! I own several dulcimers, but I don't know what VSL any of them are. This makes me want to grab a tape measure and see what VSLs I have, and IF any of them are different, how much different are they?
All the information you give us is interesting and helpful. Had no idea of any of this when I purchased this instrument that I hand never heard of before when on vacation! You are such a patient and informative instructor!
I just discovered dulcimers, and your channel. Now thinking of buying one. I’ve looked at various sellers and have not found a 25” length yet. Any help to point me in the right direction/brand/seller, etc? Many thanks.
I didn't know anything about VSL when getting mine. My VSL is 25. I have small hands for a man but have big feet...lol. It seems to be okay but I'm just learning. Going to try learning the Drone/Noter method first.
Hey Audrey, the 2 I have are as follows. The brown one 27” is the Folkcraft cardboard. (there’s an affiliate link down in the description for Folkcraft). The red one 26” came from backyard music.com. I like them both. Thanks!
We don’t own a dulcimer, but we have listened to a local group and have attended one of their workshops. We rented a cardboard dulcimer. And I must say that the length of that short cardboard one bothers me. I have many concerns such as the construction material types, head shapes and that the only musical instrument I have success with is the radio.
I love the cardboard ones. I have a bunch of them. The shorter vsl is great for me. Also - the cardboard is quite strong and if you take care of it, it will last many years. Blessings.
The length between my inside elbow to the tip of my fingers is 18 inches. What length vsl would be best for us? (My wife’s is 15.25”. ) My glove size is xl & hers is M. Not sure if these measurements help. I am 6’4” & she is 5’8”.
Recently retired music teacher here…looking for new adventures making music for myself after 28 years. I purchased a Hammered Dulcimer on my last day of teaching and now am looking at splurging with a quality dulcimer. I have two “school” quality (which isn’t much) 27 and 1/2 instruments that I don’t play because they are very uncomfortable for me. I was planning on going with the 25” as you suggest but noticed that my fretting hand has at least a 1” shorter span due to a hand injury…otherwise just average 58 year old woman hands. Would a 24” be too short for me? I want a comfortable instrument that encourages me to play it!
With a hand injury it’s tough for me to say. But a 24” is what I’d go with here. I play a 25” and I could actually play a shorter one than that and still be very comfortable. Another thing to consider is the style of play you’d like to do. If you get a dulcimer and tune it DAA, then you can play every song using the melody line only just fretting up and down that melody line. Where you just slide your hand back and forth. No huge stretches making chords there. If you’d like to play chords and melody I’d steer you to play DAD. All tunings are great though and worthy of your time of course. But just having fun and learning to make music is the most important thing! Either way - get yourself a shorter scale dulcimer. Folkcraft will even make you a 24 1/2” if you’d like. I have their link in the description of this video. You can email them as well with any questions you’d have. I do know McSpadden makes what is called a ginger that is 23” but I don’t think you’d need that.
Thanks so much for your replay. I talked with Richard Ash and he also recommended the 24” VSL for me…so I ordered it! I went with the Folkroots D because I really wanted my choice of woods. Went with a black walnut back, sides, fretboard and scroll with … probably…a hickory top. Not sure on that yet. Can’t wait to see it and play it.
Thanks so much for your replay. I talked with Richard Ash and he also recommended the 24” VSL for me…so I ordered it! I went with the Folkroots D because I really wanted my choice of woods. Went with a black walnut back, sides, fretboard and scroll with … probably…a hickory top. Not sure on that yet. Can’t wait to see it and play it.
@@RockStarOscarStern634 disagree (you don’t have to sacrifice tone) - Folkcraft makes the dulcimers the exact same size body no matter the scale length. Have fun
this is interesting! my folkroots is also 25 inches. i wonder if that's their standard. my first was built by my grandpa and is 29 inches and was always the warmest and deepest tone.
Gotta say. This is the best information...
I went from 27 vsl to..25 vsl....now im at 24 vsl..and love it....
Thankx Mandy!
Hahahaha! When you announced you were gonna do a video on VSL I Googled it and found myself reading about ulcerative colitis, pouchitis, and irritable bowel syndrome. You almost scared me to death, woman! I was was ready to give up my desire to learn how to play the dulicmer.
Thank goodness, it was only my curiosity, and eagerness to learn, that lead me down a terrible wrong path.
I'm happy to announce that I'm back, and still want to learn how to play, assuming dulcimers have no harmful side effects. Before I die I want to know how to play one, I don't want to die from one! LOL!
Love you, and God bless!
HAHAHAHA 😂, sorry to scare you!
Just getting started. Going to a build workshop this summer so this was really helpful. I have very short fingers and play guitar and banjo. VSL is my biggest problem. Sometimes I just can't reach. This gives me hope where the dulcimer is concerned. Thank you. Jesus loves us both!❤
You will love it!! You may want a smaller VSL than 25”. My friend has a 24” VSL and LOVES it.
Proud to be a brand new subscriber after hearing so much fantastic information in one place!!
My name is Dani, and I live with my wife and our fur-baby Beagle called Molly, in the Scottish Highlands, UK. I’m a full time wheelchair user, with several degenerative conditions, but I don’t let a little thing like that slow me down!!
I’ve been building my own guitars, from starting on Canjos, then onto cigar box guitars, and now, after several other offshoots of my building passion, even building Martin spec 00’s and 000’s with 12th fret and 14th fret models utilising a couple of different moulds that I own. Never built me a dulcimer before, though I suspect I’m going to be correcting that mighty soon!!
I have an idea (a couple actually) for one quality, high spec tonewood, body, that would allow mounting securely all the different VSL’s that anyone might want to own for playing noters, melody lines or chord style. I’m definitely going to first of all enjoy watching these fantastic videos!!
Thank you for sharing your passion, through your wonderfully way of explaining things very clearly. I thought you came across as having a calming, friendly manner that was so articulate in the delivery of so much information! Outstanding. I’m humbled to be following along!!
I bought an old fixer upper dulcimer with violin peg tuners and it was missing its floating bridge. I copied and made a bridge similar to another dulcimer I had. Strung it up with strings and at 27" from the nut to bridge like my other dulcimer, it sounded terrible . And as I went up the fret board it was all out of tune. Thought it might be the bridge height or design as I had just guessed at its shape. Thought it might be a warped fret board. Thought the strings might be wrong. Was thinking it was just a bad sounding instrument, as I had got it cheap. Got interested in VSL and set the distance to 25" instead of 27"... Well it was like a new instrument ! Perfect tone, very bright, all notes were right on the money sound wise no matter where I played. Well this taught me the importance of VSL, and a valuable lesson if I keep picking up old dulcimers that need some love. Thought I'd share the story of how stupid I was...might help somebody else save time !
I was just telling julie its time for her to learn an instument and this one caught her eye.. she has small hands and we love home made. I love the idea of making the box one. God bless.. We will find out for sure what size fits now that we know it matters.. Thanks again. We have some big maples on the property and thinking of harvesting if good for this instument ..
Love to see an updated version of VSL after more experience under your belt. Also a reference of your hand spread size would be a great addition.
I like a VSL even smaller now. I have a 22 3/4 chromatic that I play (the reso one) and it’s the “easiest” on my hands. I wouldn’t want to measure my hand, because everyone is different, and people play differently also. If you are thumb player you can make longer reaches much easier. I’m not much of a thumb player. But on my only diatonic dulcimer The GOAT, I am starting to use my thumb some because it’s a 27” vsl. IF I could though I’d have most all of my dulcimers be super short like the 22 3/4 one. Feels so good on my hands. Long story, but I have nerve damage in both hands and have had 2 neck surgeries. I’ve got metal parts in my neck, and my nerves just haven’t healed (and might not). I can barely play clawhammer banjo now. I haven’t really publicly announced that, but sadly it really hurts to do so I don’t do it much. But - I can play 2 finger banjo and dulcimer a long time with much less pain, so that’s what I do. Hope some of that helps for you.
Thank you for this video! The VSL on my dulcimer is 29 inches and the action is way too high; therefore, it takes so much effort to play as a novice. I’m in search of a new dulcimer and hope to visit some dulcimer shops in Indiana, Kentucky, and the Smokey Mountains so that I can “try before I buy.”
Hey Vivian WOW that is a long VSL. I bet that’s tough to play on. For the action you can lightly tap on your nut and bridge (they shouldn’t be too hard to get out), you can take sandpaper and carefully lower each one and test it until the action gets a little more manageable for you. This would be in the meantime until you are able to find one with a shorter VSL. In the meantime, if you are unsure about size, those cardboard ones are quite inexpensive. Thanks!
Yep good advice!
BanjoLemonade my dulcimer has a scroll head and the nut is actually identical to the frets in the material, size, and way it is set into the fretboard, so there is no way to sand it down. I did remove the bridge and sand it some but was afraid I would take off too much. There is a nickel width space between the strings and the second fret, and two nickel widths space between the seventh fret and strings, and an even greater amount farther down the fretboard. If I sand any more, the strings would touch the first fret, so I stopped before that happened. I guess I just have a weirdly built dulcimer!
Oh wow. Such good information. Thank you so much. I am just starting to play and i have a friend who has let me borrow her spare. I see what you are talking about.
I just found this video, and it's great information! I own several dulcimers, but I don't know what VSL any of them are. This makes me want to grab a tape measure and see what VSLs I have, and IF any of them are different, how much different are they?
Glad it was helpful!
All the information you give us is interesting and helpful. Had no idea of any of this when I purchased this instrument that I hand never heard of before when on vacation! You are such a patient and informative instructor!
Thank you!
This is a very informative video. Well done.
I just discovered dulcimers, and your channel. Now thinking of buying one. I’ve looked at various sellers and have not found a 25” length yet. Any help to point me in the right direction/brand/seller, etc? Many thanks.
Folkcraft
Should the vsl for a baritone dulcimer be longer than a standard dad tuned dulcimer?
It depends on your style of play. I use the same vsl for both. 25” for me.
Great video!!!))Sounds like the VSL is very important!! Have a Great day!!!!))).🪕🪕🪕🪕🪕👍🏼😊
Thanks for watching!
Which is the lowest key that you can get in a 25 inch. I have small hands and a little finger that is half size.
I loved the musical intro.
Great information. I love your videos.
Thank you William!
The information is great, all things I did not think about
Thank you
thanks what do you recommand for a beginner i have small hands
24 or 25 VSL for small hands.
Thanks for the informative video! This is very helpful when shopping for your first or next dulcimer.
Glad it was helpful!
I didn't know anything about VSL when getting mine. My VSL is 25. I have small hands for a man but have big feet...lol. It seems to be okay but I'm just learning. Going to try learning the Drone/Noter method first.
Great info! What cardboard dulcimers do you recommend for trying different VSLs
Hey Audrey, the 2 I have are as follows. The brown one 27” is the Folkcraft cardboard. (there’s an affiliate link down in the description for Folkcraft). The red one 26” came from backyard music.com. I like them both. Thanks!
We don’t own a dulcimer, but we have listened to a local group and have attended one of their workshops. We rented a cardboard dulcimer. And I must say that the length of that short cardboard one bothers me. I have many concerns such as the construction material types, head shapes and that the only musical instrument I have success with is the radio.
I love the cardboard ones. I have a bunch of them. The shorter vsl is great for me. Also - the cardboard is quite strong and if you take care of it, it will last many years. Blessings.
So VSL is basically the same as the scale length on bass or guitar?
Yes same thing. They just use a different term on dulcimers.
The length between my inside elbow to the tip of my fingers is 18 inches. What length vsl would be best for us? (My wife’s is 15.25”. ) My glove size is xl & hers is M. Not sure if these measurements help. I am 6’4” & she is 5’8”.
I’d say to call up Haley at Folkcraft and ask for advice from them. I have their links in my description.
Folkcraft suggested 27”
Recently retired music teacher here…looking for new adventures making music for myself after 28 years. I purchased a Hammered Dulcimer on my last day of teaching and now am looking at splurging with a quality dulcimer. I have two “school” quality (which isn’t much) 27 and 1/2 instruments that I don’t play because they are very uncomfortable for me. I was planning on going with the 25” as you suggest but noticed that my fretting hand has at least a 1” shorter span due to a hand injury…otherwise just average 58 year old woman hands. Would a 24” be too short for me? I want a comfortable instrument that encourages me to play it!
With a hand injury it’s tough for me to say. But a 24” is what I’d go with here. I play a 25” and I could actually play a shorter one than that and still be very comfortable. Another thing to consider is the style of play you’d like to do. If you get a dulcimer and tune it DAA, then you can play every song using the melody line only just fretting up and down that melody line. Where you just slide your hand back and forth. No huge stretches making chords there. If you’d like to play chords and melody I’d steer you to play DAD. All tunings are great though and worthy of your time of course. But just having fun and learning to make music is the most important thing! Either way - get yourself a shorter scale dulcimer. Folkcraft will even make you a 24 1/2” if you’d like. I have their link in the description of this video. You can email them as well with any questions you’d have. I do know McSpadden makes what is called a ginger that is 23” but I don’t think you’d need that.
Thanks so much for your replay. I talked with Richard Ash and he also recommended the 24” VSL for me…so I ordered it! I went with the Folkroots D because I really wanted my choice of woods. Went with a black walnut back, sides, fretboard and scroll with … probably…a hickory top. Not sure on that yet. Can’t wait to see it and play it.
Thanks so much for your replay. I talked with Richard Ash and he also recommended the 24” VSL for me…so I ordered it! I went with the Folkroots D because I really wanted my choice of woods. Went with a black walnut back, sides, fretboard and scroll with … probably…a hickory top. Not sure on that yet. Can’t wait to see it and play it.
What brands models are the 24 1/2 and 25”?
The smallest one has no brand name, it was given to me and the 25 is a Folkcraft.
BanjoLemonade
A Longer Scale Length allows you to get away w/ thinner strings for easier playability w/o sacrificing tone & volume.
@@RockStarOscarStern634 disagree (you don’t have to sacrifice tone) - Folkcraft makes the dulcimers the exact same size body no matter the scale length. Have fun
@@BanjoLemonade Oh turns out Folkcraft's Dulcimers are made in such a way to allow for thinner strings w/o loosing volume which is pretty rad.
Thank you so much!! This information is very helpful. Yes, Jesus loves me. He loves you too! 🙏🏻💕
this is interesting! my folkroots is also 25 inches. i wonder if that's their standard. my first was built by my grandpa and is 29 inches and was always the warmest and deepest tone.
Folkcraft (who builds Folkroots) builds them in all different VSL’s. Yes bigger is deeper for sure.
For TONS more lessons, tabs, practice tracks, and more PLUS a FREE 7 DAY MEMBERSHIP, head on over to - www.banjolemonade.com
You got to love Mandy. I recommend you don't spend your money on Cedar Creek dulcimers... mcspadden is 10 times better for the same money
Mcspaddin person I contacted never responded. Folkcraft folks responded fast. Folkcraft got an order for two custom built tonight