Strumstick Introduction Video (Low Resolution)

[GenericAnonymous]

Is it loud enough to be heard in a bluegrass circle?

[deathslice60]

wow.......nice :)

[HappyPterodactyl]

@bobomcnally I did the same thing too! I was at 3 months though

[elguitarristazen]

Hello Bob, I came along the Strumstick and now I'm makin one for me, I live in Chile and got involved in a medieval recording (Im a guitarrist) and played strumstick in it, I din't know it was your invention. I realized playing with it that if you tune one or two tones back the last string (the highest) you can play in the 7 gregorian modes. Hope to be of some help with this comment here for the rest of the people.

[gregryf]

@bobomcnally It is interesting and it has a nice sound

[ganggreen520]

Hey I was looking for some song tutorials so I can have fun playing songs I know. All i see are really old/church songs. You should put some videos on how to play like some Dave Mathews or Boston or Kansas. So it will be more enjoyable to play for everyone

[nancywarren]

Looks like a great way to get people interested in instrumental music and then leads the other stringed instruments. Personally I use the autoharp for that purpose but those are expensive!

[Zax901250]

With the best will in the world, isn't this just another dulcitar, which has been around for years? Also, you can make one out of a cheap guitar - just set it to an open tuning and yank the unwanted frets out with pliers. That said, I do love this particular take on the instrument and will probably buy one despite my gripes! There's a nice YouTube video of Jon Anderson doing 'Under Heaven's Door' with a Strumstick - he really manages to bring out the character of the instrument.

[kolby386]

So...you can play one scale? Then again, you only need one scale to be successful in popular music...

[bobomcnally]

@tinyguitars

Great sounding instruments, very fun. Good Luck to you.

Bob McNally

[meatpuppet29]

I herd wherever you finger it , it feels good too , just saying lol

[ericrob2112]

i call that a dulcimer. seriously it is the same thing. with a new design.. lol

[fancyfreenomad]

THIS GUY IS A FRIGGIN' GENIUS!! HOLY SWEETNESS! i've been waiting for something like this for years. it's been such a long, arduous practice for me with guitar, but i can see me picking this up right away! (pardon the pun) Plus it's perrrfect for traveling.

[Chokula99]

excellent

[Hikikomori013]

After 5 years with a banjo I really did have to admit that I wasn't learning to play. This looks pretty interesting.

[iamanasterix]

Hello Bob McNally. I just found this instrument in an attic. I had never heard of it and I assure anyone reading this that it is like a tiny magic guitar. Very easy and fun to play. It is also fun and easy to play. Since my discovery I have enjoyed pretending like a famous rock star. The Strumstick(r) has increased my confidence by 1000 fold and for that I can never repay you Bob McNally! I am glad that the instruction manual was still included so that I knew who to look for and give thanks!!

[HailChaos]

Sounds like Bobo payed someone to leave messages on his youtube videos...

[iamanasterix]

@HailChaos Boy do I wish I was getting paid. If all 160 people that have seen my video bought a strumstick then BMc will have made 160x dollars | x = the price of a strumstick. That means I should make 160y dollars | y = (.003/x)!! I need to hire me a lawyer!

[bobomcnally]

@iamanasterix

thanks for liking it!

Bob McNally

[bobomcnally]

Thank you for your comment of humorous intent! :-)

[tawtu]

sorry, but i must admit the sound of the strum is cool!

[evmcn1027]

Blakelin 26 - yes, you can easily convert one to left handed or we can do it for you. You simply replace the top and bottom strings with each other (you might need a new set of strings) and angle the bridge the opposite way (there are two dots inscribed on the spruce top near the soundhole. You slide the bridge up to just meet those two dots.

The Standard is tuned G D G', the Grand is tuned D A D'.

Evelyn McNally

[Blakelin26]

I'm a left handed string player and would like to get my hands on a Strumstick just to have around. Could I easily convert one to left handed? How is it tuned?

[neit74]

Hi Bob!

I discovered the strumstick by coincidence a few months ago and start to play some traditional Quebec reel on it. The sound is just amazing regarding the size of the instrument. Great invention,I love it! If you have the time check out my "reel gazon bleu" vid on my page.

[bobomcnally]

By the way, the strumstick is inspired by the dulcimer, but is distinctly different in the way you hold it and play it. Same musical principle, drone and diatonic scale, but sitar, bagpipes, langelik, and other instruments use that approach, Dulcimer is a lap instrument, strumstick is played like guitar.

[tawtu]

Why do they cost so much?

[bobomcnally]

Well, they are handmade, and most people think $140 is pretty good for an instrument this nice.

[RatherCrunchyMuffin]

any instrument under 200 dollars is walmart cheap

[softdays]

Hmmm, maybe how much something costs is not the only marker of it's worth...

[crabtrap]

i have several ukuleles under $200 and they sound great

[AldriannaElven]

They pretty much hit it :) The only thing you're going to find cheaper is a tin whistle or ocarina, and even those, when you're dealing with handmade instruments, can run upwards of $150 (I'm still trying to get my hands on a used Copeland once I can afford it, but that's neither here nor there).

===

By the way, Bob, that is a really great sound. At first I was skeptical. I thought these things were a joke, but after actually hearing one? I'd be dang proud to play alongside one :)

[QChord4Fun]

This is so cool, I like home made instruments. Are they available/for sale in the states. Can they be ordered? I'm going to check out the website. Thanks Gloria

[anak1]

Interesting :) The Strumstick looks and sounds like a mix between a Dulcimer and Hegelung (but I guess that's mainly because of the drone). Really cool. Where could I get one in the UK?

[haydenrice92]

play this with a slide! its great

[JPcares]

Hey! I'm an experienced guitar player/teacher and I love to play the Strumstick. It's not just for beginners. It's a joy to play because you don't have to think about it. It's great for many folk tunes.

[BMC500]

I have a questio about the Strumstick. I was looking through some of your songs and I unterstand how to play them but ther is one thing I don't get. If I see a 2/0 how would I play that, would only strum the second and first string, because if I strum all of them it would be the same as 0 right? I am very confused please help me.

[bobomcnally]

That is correct. 2/0 and 0 are essentially the same, IF you are strumming all three strings. Sometimes people wnat to pick out the melody one note at a time, and when the note is 2/0. well, its 2/0. Think of 2/0 as a freebie, you don't have to do anything toi get it! The same would hold for 3/0 also. here is a cool trick. any melody fingered on the 1st string can also be done on the 3rd string. Or even (ta-da)) both 1st and third at once, for an octave melody effect.

[BMC500]

Thank you so much!

[IAINCHRISTIE]

WANT TO FORM/JOIN A STRUMSTICK BAND IN ENGLAND ? PLEASE E-MAIL ME.

Iain Christie.

[nooiuiu]

i am a violinist and i watched this hoping i could learn anything about the strumstick, but sadly i guess "i dont have what it takes," haha;

but seriously, if there's anybody out there who can explain a bit, you're more than welcome to. i'm trying to find a similarity (if any) between this and the fiddle:

wish me luck...

[readein]

This won't help much if you are training for a fiddle.

[primikir67]

this is just like greek "tambouras" and "tree string bouzouki". only it has less frets. even the tuning is the same

[thedoc9]

I ran into a guy selling Strumsticks at a Ren Fair in Minnesota years ago. I didn't have the cash that day, so I passed. However, years later I saw one in a music store in Florida while on vacation. I picked it up and I love it. Simplicity itself. I just love how it's perfect for just noodling around. I'm working on using my Strumstick to play "Dueling Banjos" with my singing partner, just for a gag between sets.

[omid16b]

ok now that makes alot more sense .....thanks mate .....love to see some serious soulful action....

"get your moneys worth" that part cracks me up LOL

[irishghetto]

Omid, This is a Dulcimer end of story. I you look he has a 6 1/2 fret on this dulcimer. That enables you to play sharps and flats. I play many minor notes. Am(vi) Dm(ii) Em(iii) just to name a few. It truly depends on how you tune your Dulcimer. This Dulcimer you hold in your hands instead of on your lap. He just didn't do a great job on his tutorial. This dulcimer has a lot a SOUL in the hands of someone who knows what there doing.

[omid16b]

ok so where can i get one of these??? LOL

[omid16b]

Bob you may have thought you've invented something new but let me remind you of the persian instrument called the setar ...all you have done is taken other instruments of similar vein taken the minor notes out and made the fret board sound like a childs toy...where's the soul in only a few notes?

dont you want more people to play this than a few texan lone rangers??

sounds like a hill billy who never quite got his head round a guitar !!

[irishghetto]

Omid, This strumstick is a Dulcimer end of story. He has a 6 1/2 fret on this dulcimer

for sharps and flats. And, yes you can play minor chords to. I can get Aminor(vi) Dminor

(ii) Eminor(iii) just to name a few. It depends on how you tune it. I'm sure he's a

fine craftsmen he just needs a better tutorial.

[bobomcnally]

Hi Omid. Setar is an acient and wonderful instrument, and more versatile than the Strumstick. The chief virtue of the strumstick is its accessibility for beginners. I have seen such amazing music come form so many kinds of instruments that I think soul is in the playing, not the instrument itself. I know the strumstick has provided soulful moments for many people, and that's a good thing, i think.

[omid16b]

soul is in the playing your right but the instrument has to be worth playing for the soul to arise and the setar without doubt has far more versatility and honor when you hear it played....with all due respect BOB ..suggest you do a more up to date demo so you can actually show younger kids its full potential ....After all you are the boss!!

[omid16b]

Bob you may have thought you've invented something new but let me remind you of the persian instrument called the setar ...all you have done is taken other instruments of similar vein taken the minor notes out and made the fret board sound like a childs toy...where's the soul in only a few notes?

dont you want more people to play this than a few texan lone rangers??

sounds like a hill billy who never quite got his head round a guitar !!

[Dutch0naruto0lover]

OK i REALLY SUCK at music. I have a strumstick and almost every cord i hit it sounds like i'm killing an animal. T.T but I did every thing that the litle book and de cd said so can anyone explain me why I suck SO much please, for the sake of every one's ears help me out

[wcburns]

I saw some of these at Greenhouse Crafts in Glendale Springs, NC. A guy there played one and it looks so easy and fun. Although a 'modern' instrument it has the look and sound of a 'medieval' sort and would be at home, I think, at a ren faire or SCA gathering.

[FraJa1980]

neck looks like a sitar. Nice!

[gretchenman]

can you tune it differently to play it in a different key like the mountain dulcimer, after all they are both diatonic.(ie DAD or GCG)

[bobomcnally]

There are a lot of different tunings possible ( similar to dulcimer, as you say). GDG/GCG/GDF/GCF etc, up or down a whole tone, capo at various frets to change key and scale type. DAD/DGD etc with the larger one.

[ReverendCody]

that is really cool. I might buy one for my roomate to jam on. How do they sound when played along side a guitar, banjo, or mandolin. Also, does each string play a scale in a different key?

[snakeroll]

This is awesome! I think i´ll get one very soon.

[GRASSROOTSGOSPEL]

Hello Bob, how about more lessons.