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Welcome to pirtlestrings.com!
This is the home of "Ron Pirtle's Mountain Dulcimers and More..."
Here you can learn more about dulcimers, you can find links to some other great websites about dulcimers, or if you so desire, you can order a custom-made Ron Pirtle dulcimer.
Just click on the tabs below in order to get started!
What is a dulcimer?
The word dulcimer is derived from the Latin words dulcis (sweet) and melos (song), so it literally means "sweet song."
dictionary.com defines the dulcimer as...
dul-ci-mer [duhl-suh-mer]
- noun
- "a modern folk instrument related to the guitar and plucked with the fingers."
There are different kinds of dulcimers, but the two primary types are the "hammered dulcimer" and the "Appalachian dulcimer." The latter is also called the "mountain dulcimer."
The "hammered dulcimer" (pictured below) has strings stretched over a trapezoidal sounding board. A small mallet "hammer" is held in each hand, and the hammers are used to strike the strings.
The "Appalachian dulcimer," or "mountain dulcimer" is a fretted instrument, similar to a guitar, with three or four strings. Unlike the guitar, however, the mountain dulcimer is traditionally played with it lying in the musician's lap.
Mountain dulcimers come in a variety of shapes. Ron Pirtle specializes in the "tear-drop" and "hour-glass" shaped dulcimers, but has also made a "banjo" dulcimer - sometimes called a "banjo-mer."
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Tear-drop |
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The dulcimer is easy to learn to play since much of the music is "tabbed" with numbers corresponding to finger positions, thus requiring little to no knowledge of reading music.
About Ron Pirtle...
Ron Pirtle has been involved in wood-working for almost 45 years. He began by building furniture for himself in the mid-1960's, and then eventually for the public.
Ron left the furniture business a few years ago, dedicating his craftsmanship to the building of Mountain Dulcimers, an experience he has found both enjoyable and rewarding.
Ron Pirtle specializes in the hour-glass and tear-drop style dulcimers, but has also made dulcimers in the round "banjo" style.
He also restores pretty much any stringed instrument, and makes foot-stools, dulcimer cradles, and music stands.
Order a Ron Pirtle product today...
"Where quality is recognized,
and satisfaction is our guarantee!"
~ Ron Pirtle
Contact...
You can call me at: (615) 848-9122, or use the form below to submit an email:
Links...
Order a dulcimer (and other products)...
All dulcimers are hand-crafted of solid woods (no veneer). The hardwoods used are selected for their beauty and uniqueness - to give the instrument a look of elegance - and completed with a hand-rubbed low-luster finish.
When Ron says "hand-crafted," he means that from the raw lumber to the finished instrument, all the work was done by Ron Pirtle - the sides were bent, sound holes cut, fret slots sawed, and the peg-head shaped by hand. Thus, no two instruments are identical.
Careful attention is paid to fret spacing and bridge placement, as these factors determine the pitch accuracy of the insrtument.
General specifications:
- 1/8" solid wood (no veneer)
- dimensions: 37" long by 7" wide
- sound chamber 1.75" deep
- 26" vibrating string length
- 18 frets (includes 6.5 fret)
- position dots
- hour-glass shape has "F" sound holes at bottom and "hearts" at top
- tear-drop shape only has "F" holes
- book-matched back
- tuned to D-A-D
When ordering, you will have the following choices:
- Style (shape)
- hour-glass
- tear-drop
- banjo
- Woods
- back and sides: cherry, walnut, or oak
- top: spruce recommended
- note: will use any kind of wood you want, if attainable
- Tuners
- wooden pegs
- friction tuners
- high-quality enclosed gear tuners
NOTE: Delivery of your instrument is usually 6 - 8 weeks after receipt of your order. If there is going to be a delay, you will be notified
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