The Bumblebee-- a dulcimore that tells some history.
This dulcimore I’ve named the Bumblebee isn’t a historical dulcimore, but it’s a dulcimore that tells some history. Keep in mind, especially you historians, I’m just hitting the highlights here in this story, and to speak plainly, before the Galax dulcimore police speak up…… this is NOT a Galax dulcimore!
First of all, the name. Why Bumblebee? German author Wilfried Ulrich explains the German name for Bumblebee is Hummel. So in reality I’m calling this dulcimore a Hummel. The Hummel, as well as the Appalachian Dulcimore have drone strings that you don’t note, and they simply buzz or hum along creating a sound much like a bee. Thus the name drone, which is also another bee analogy.
Just like the Appalachian dulcimore, there were many shapes and sizes of the Hummel. And those shapes and sizes were from different areas. In Appalachia, early Virginia dulcimores were usually teardrop, boat paddle or elliptical shaped, (such as the Bumblebee), and the Kentucky dulcimores are usually hourglass, or as some would say, fiddle shaped, and Tennessee had the music box, which was a square box……….. We find different shapes and sizes in Hummels also. The Czech Hummels, Hungarian Citeras, Frisian Hummels, Friesland Hummels, Saxony Hummels, Epinettes from France, Norwegian Langeleik and many others from other areas.
Secondly, the Bumblebee represents transition. Most of the early Hummels made little sound. Just fine in a quiet setting or playing music for yourself. Along the way they found that if they sat the instrument on a table or plank of wood that the sound would be amplified when they played. Some of the early Hummels even lacked a bottom because the table became the bottom of the instrument when they played. Wilfried Ulrich, in his book: The Story of the Hummel explains: There was an early Hummel that was long and slim and Praetorius, in describing it, called it a Scheitholt…. Which translated means “a piece of wood”. But over time the name stuck and some folks to this day still call it a Scheitholt. Early Pennsylvania Dutch began making these hummels. ( that are still falsely called Sheitholts by a lot Americans) and, somewhere along the way someone realized the could simply make a box that attached to the bottom of the Hummel and get more sound and volume from it, and it would be easier to tote around than having to tote a table along with it. Additionally, a lot of early Hummels had as many as 15 or more strings. The folks that transitioned the Hummel to the top of a sound box decided 3 or 4 strings were plenty. And thus became the Appalachian Dulcimore. Although, some early Appalachians still found the need, or desire, to play their Dulcimore on a table, which can be evidenced by the feet on the bottoms of early dulcimores.
Thirdly, the Bumblebee demonstrates the need, or desire, for more volume from the Dulcimore. In the late 1800’s the Melton family of Galax Virginia began making large dulcimores with soundholes in the bottom and with feet keeping the bottom from touching the table. This amplified the sound even more. Eventually, they went further and attached another back about ¼” distance from the normal back making a resonator of sorts, not unlike the resonator on modern banjos. Perhaps this solved a problem for them that their ancestors had when they invented the soundbox. Those that are familiar with playing a dulcimore know that when the back, or bottom of the dulcimore is touching your legs it deadens the sound somewhat. So the invention of a false back, or more accurately the resonator back, prevented a lot of the sound deadening and gave the Galax folks the much needed volume to play along with fiddles and banjos and not get drowned out, and without the need for playing on a table. Apparently even a century later the Galax folks had no desire to carry around a table in order to be “loud enough”!
So I’ve built the Bumblebee having 6 strings with 4 of them being drone strings to kinda give it the early Hummel vibe and there's many different tunings I can do with it. Also you’ll notice the large fretboard will remind you of an early transitional dulcimore if you’re familiar with those. And I’ve given it the elliptical shape and the resonator back of the Galax Dulcimores.
This specs of particular Bumblebee are:
Top and fretboard: repuposed Red Spruce.
Back, resonator back and sides: Yellow Poplar.
Back, resonator back and sides: Yellow Poplar.
Fingerboard, peghead and tailpiece: Sassafras.
26 inch vsl with tweaked Pythagorean/Equal temperament intonation.
6 strings.
Tuned: D-3rd octave bass and ddddd-4th octave for the rest of the strings.
Steel staple frets.
Handmade steel tailpiece plate that I rust blued.
Brass bridge, nut, string anchors, and screws for steel plate.
Blued steel zither pins.
4 coats of Boiled Linseed oil/turpentine.
2 coats of beeswax.
Brass bridge, nut, string anchors, and screws for steel plate.
Blued steel zither pins.
4 coats of Boiled Linseed oil/turpentine.
2 coats of beeswax.
And here's a demo video of the Bumblebee with 3 different string arrangements:
