Blog
subscriber news
Rich Chords Part 1 & 2
by Linda Ratcliff & Steve Eulberg
Your life will be richer when you use rich chords. - Steve Eulberg
Recently, we uploaded a new series of lessons about how to play Rich Chords on the hammered dulcimer. Rich chords are chords that have other notes added to them, in addition to the 3 notes that go with either the major or the minor chords. To set the stage for building rich chords, in this video Steve begins the series by explaining the basis or construction of major and minor chords.
…
You Are What You Practice
by Linda Ratcliff
The effort you put into your practice time will either advance your skills quickly, or drag you down gradually. - Linda Ratcliff
The effort you put into your practice time will either advance your skills quickly, or drag you down gradually. - Linda Ratcliff
We've all heard the expression, "You are what you eat." In other words - if you eat fat, you may become fat. If you frequently indulge in sugar, you run the risk of becoming diabetic. If you skip your fruit and vegetables, you could become deficient in minerals and vitamins.
In a survey taken in May of 2016, 75% of Americans claimed that they are eatin…
In a survey taken in May of 2016, 75% of Americans claimed that they are eatin…
Marie's Story
by Linda Ratcliff
How the musical score of Marie's life was forever changed ...
How the musical score of Marie's life was forever changed ...
One of our followers, Marie, shared her personal musical journey with us, and told how playing the dulcimer has impacted her life. I was touched by her story, and got her permission to share it with all of you. From Marie ...
"I just read your story about how you grew up learning music. You are so very fortunate. I always had it in me too, but I was not allowed to play music until I married my sweet husband, Bill. H…
"I just read your story about how you grew up learning music. You are so very fortunate. I always had it in me too, but I was not allowed to play music until I married my sweet husband, Bill. H…Find Somewhere Quiet
by Linda Ratcliff
It is in that quiet place at our center that we hear the whispers of our soul. - Sue Krebs
It is in that quiet place at our center that we hear the whispers of our soul. - Sue Krebs
Find somewhere quiet. This almost seems too obvious to really need to say. But it's important. Many of you probably have a special room, or your own corner of the living room for practicing your dulcimer. When you have a designated quiet place to practice, you will be less likely to cave in to distractions.
In addition, going to your special practice area helps prepare you mentally for gett…
In addition, going to your special practice area helps prepare you mentally for gett…
Advent Musical Devotions
by Steve Eulberg
In the busyness of the season before Christmas and holiday celebrations, we can get so lost in the preparations that we lose our focus and feel like the joy of the occasion is lost, and we feel like we've been run over by the holiday.
Once again, I am offering Advent Musical Devotions delivered to your email box to help you take a few moments to breathe and recenter.
A new feature this year is being able to choose whether you'd like
to receive these musical offerings Weekly or Daily…
In the busyness of the season before Christmas and holiday celebrations, we can get so lost in the preparations that we lose our focus and feel like the joy of the occasion is lost, and we feel like we've been run over by the holiday.Once again, I am offering Advent Musical Devotions delivered to your email box to help you take a few moments to breathe and recenter.
A new feature this year is being able to choose whether you'd like
to receive these musical offerings Weekly or Daily…
Does My Dog Love My Dulcimer Music?
by Linda Ratcliff
Where there are dogs and music, people have a good time.
I've always wondered if my hammered dulcimer music hurts my dog's ears. When I was in college and practiced piano for hours at a time, my dad would escape to the garage in desperation and hammer nails for a while, and my dog would eventually start to howl.
Today, when I'm practicing on my hammered dulcimer, I play some pretty high tones. But Keyla always sits in the chair right next to me and stays with me the whole time. Do…
Where there are dogs and music, people have a good time.
I've always wondered if my hammered dulcimer music hurts my dog's ears. When I was in college and practiced piano for hours at a time, my dad would escape to the garage in desperation and hammer nails for a while, and my dog would eventually start to howl.Today, when I'm practicing on my hammered dulcimer, I play some pretty high tones. But Keyla always sits in the chair right next to me and stays with me the whole time. Do…
You Need New Input!
by Linda Ratcliff
You don't have to wait for inspiration to hit. It's easier to be inspired when you're hanging out with other musicians and playing along with them. - Linda Ratcliff
You don't have to wait for inspiration to hit. It's easier to be inspired when you're hanging out with other musicians and playing along with them. - Linda Ratcliff
We go to Nashville a couple of times a year, and one of our favorite things to do in Nashville is to visit the Bluebird Cafe. We've stood outside under their blue canopy in the rain for as long as two hours, waiting without a reservation, hoping to get inside.
Over 70,000 people visit the Bluebird annually, man…
Live Event! Karen Alley
Karen Alley, 2014 National Hammered Dulcimer Champion, has been on the faculty of the Colorado Dulcimer Festival for years and shared one of her Habits for a Healthy Music Habitat with premium subscribers of DulcimerCrossing.com. This Sunday, December 3rd, she will play a live, interactive ConcertWindow Show for DulcimerCrossing Subscribers! [If you are not familiar with ConcertWindow, this is an internet platform that allows performers and watcher/listeners to connect with each other from the c…
My Musical Journey
by Linda Ratcliff
You can tell a lot about my moods from my music. So instead of asking how I'm doing, ask what songs I've been practicing lately.
You can tell a lot about my moods from my music. So instead of asking how I'm doing, ask what songs I've been practicing lately.
Music has always been an integral part of my life. My grandmother was a concert pianist, and traveled all over Europe giving concerts. She was even invited to play for kings and queens at their castles. And so I was told, from an early age, that music was in my blood, and I was going to be a musician too when I grew up.
Until I was 12 years old, I was …
Until I was 12 years old, I was …
Categories
- News (10)
- Events (4)
- News (6)
- Events (4)
- subscriber news (236)
- mountain dulcimer (125)
- hammered dulcimer (128)
- uncategorized (6)
- lessons (190)
- mountain dulcimer (199)
- hammered dulcimer (155)
- history (22)
- music theory (40)
- octave (1)
- plagal cadence (1)
- dulci-bro (73)
- fingerpicking (3)
- fingerstyle mountain dulcimer (4)
- nina zanetti (4)
- aeolian (2)
- dorian (4)
- ionian (3)
- lydian (1)
- mixolydian (3)
- modes (2)
- traditional (2)
- tuning (4)
- music education (2)
- NSME (1)
- standards (1)
- drone (3)
- folk alliance (1)
- jonah brody (1)
- koto (1)
- chromatic mountain dulcimer (8)
- sam lee (1)
- scottish folk song (1)
- linda ratcliff (5)
- practice (29)
- chromatic mountain dulcimer (66)
- dulcimercrossing.com (2)
- erin rogers (7)
- building (8)
- black mountain (1)
- jerry read smith (1)
- Joshua Messick (1)
- song of the wood (1)
- don pedi (5)
- fiddle whamdiddle (9)
- miss mcleod (2)
- steve eulberg (30)
- vi wickam (9)
- buying (1)
- choosing (1)
- purchasing (1)
- orphan girl (1)
- copyright (1)
- amplification (2)
- contact pickup (1)
- eulberg (4)
- microphone (2)
- pickup (2)
- berkeley (1)
- colorado (2)
- festivals (4)
- kentucky (1)
- scholarship (1)
- western carolina (1)
- noter (2)
- clubfooted jib (1)
- dgd (2)
- dgd tuning (1)
- special event (31)
- david massengill (2)
- reverse ionian (1)
- chuck boody (1)
- concertina (1)
- deedee tibbits (1)
- dulcimer (7)
- evart (1)
- evart funfest (1)
- linda foley (1)
- michigan (1)
- original dulcimer players club (1)
- fingerstyle (11)
- gebhard woods (1)
- technique (1)
- harmonics (1)
- dan delancey (2)
- june apple (1)
- linda thomas (3)
- modal (1)
- expression (1)
- playing expressively (1)
- dulcimer pledge (1)
- christmas (2)
- nativity (1)
- DAC (2)
- minor more (1)
- mississippi sawyer (1)
- holiday (5)
- joy to the world (1)
- jingle bells (1)
- reverse ionion (1)
- hand independence (1)
- hand separation (1)
- lullabye of muffe (1)
- tina gugeler (1)
- absolute beginner mountain dulcimer (1)
- beginner (2)
- mountain (3)
- string-side up (1)
- absolute beginner hammered dulcimer (1)
- blog (2)
- dulcimercrossing. (1)
- topics (1)
- blues (4)
- resonator (4)
- dulcimer orchestra (2)
- kitty puss (1)
- mike clemmer (1)
- noter style (2)
- jam survival (7)
- butch ross (3)
- looping (1)
- intro (4)
- neal hellman (4)
- erin mae lewis (9)
- rehearsal (3)
- italian (1)
- lauda (1)
- irish (1)
- slipjig (1)
- rhythm (2)
- robert force (2)
- tuner (1)
- exercises (1)
- scales (1)
- devotions (3)
- hark advent (1)
- the glad sound! (1)
- chords (3)
- chromatic (4)
- erin (1)
- theory (7)
- advent (5)
- preparation (4)
- stir up (1)
- appalachia (4)
- hillbilly (1)
- mountains (1)
- traditional music (1)
- dampers (1)
- hearts of the dulcimer (3)
- patricia delich (2)
- wayne jiang (2)
- appalachian (1)
- John Jacob Niles (1)
- Live Events (28)
- Premium Level Membership (2)
- habits from the muse (1)
- progress (6)
- support (2)
- Anna Muckova (1)
- cimbalom (1)
- CWA (1)
- Czech Republic (1)
- Magdalena Muckova (1)
- nonsuch (1)
- Slovak Republic (1)
- podcast (1)
- aubrey atwater (2)
- jean ritchie (2)
- log-in (1)
- update (1)
- lucky (1)
- performance (9)
- preparing (1)
- study (1)
- dulcimers (1)
- wendy songe (2)
- bluegrass (2)
- growth (1)
- resolutions (2)
- risks (1)
- capo (1)
- snark (1)
- fiddle (61)
- criticism (2)
- judy klinkhammer (1)
- miles davis (2)
- wrong note (1)
- live and let live (1)
- style (1)
- barlow knife (1)
- old school old-time (2)
- marie kirby (1)
- bass mountain dulcimer (1)
- elaine conger (1)
- larry conger (1)
- practice smarter (8)
- musical journey (1)
- piano (1)
- calm (1)
- dog (1)
- su la li (1)
- bluebird cafe (1)
- inspiration (3)
- new input (2)
- trust (1)
- practice space (2)
- quite (1)
- how to practice (8)
- you are what you practice (1)
- workshop (5)
- rich chords (2)
- kaitlin pabo-eulberg (1)
- hooked on dulcimers (1)
- humor (1)
- blue water thinking (1)
- creativity (2)
- environment (2)
- original tunes (1)
- 1+ fret (1)
- chopin (1)
- classical (1)
- assessment (1)
- skill levels (1)
- waltz (1)
- caledonian club (1)
- ensemble (1)
- group (1)
- dulci-tune (1)
- tuning game (1)
- love (2)
- workout (1)
- learning (8)
- teacher (6)
- self-taught (1)
- how long (1)
- jam sessions (6)
- learn to play (1)
- strategies (2)
- fariña (1)
- mimi (1)
- pete seeger (2)
- rainbow quest (2)
- goals (1)
- planning (1)
- backing tracks (6)
- matthew dickerson (2)
- concert (1)
- erin mae (2)
- guitar (5)
- deborah hamouris (3)
- dj (2)
- freight and salvage (1)
- classic (1)
- licks (1)
- rock (1)
- berkeley dulcimer orchestra (1)
- premiere (1)
- banjo (1)
- frank proffitt (1)
- frank warner (1)
- tom dooley (1)
- baker (1)
- binding (1)
- blue lion (1)
- bob (1)
- gluing (1)
- janita (1)
- live (1)
- tips (1)
- spouse (1)
- amplified (1)
- DI box (1)
- digital interface (1)
- sound reinforcement (1)
- 2nd Set Concert (2)
- contest (1)
- flash mountain dulcimer brigade (2)
- JimJim & the FatBoys (1)
- Pecan Grove (1)
- walnut valley festival (2)
- winfield (1)
- wvfest (1)
- thinking (1)
- case (1)
- cross-legged (1)
- grip (1)
- safe dulcimer (1)
- sit (1)
- slip (1)
- stand (1)
- stool (1)
- strap (1)
- learn (3)
- mistakes (1)
- successes (2)
- herbie hancock (1)
- improvising (1)
- jazz (2)
- lois hornbostel (2)
- wrong chord (1)
- atlantic (1)
- barbara allen (1)
- frank profitt (1)
- scots-irish (1)
- chord wizard (1)
- diatonic (2)
- equi-distant (3)
- tom strothers (1)
- tool (2)
- busker (1)
- tsimbaly (1)
- ukraine (1)
- ukrainian (1)
- calendar (1)
- schedule (1)
- baritone (1)
- concert window (3)
- katie moritz (1)
- faq (1)
- frequently asked questions (1)
- logged in (1)
- navigation (1)
- old time (1)
- patreon (1)
- shape-note (1)
- special (1)
- carrell (1)
- geoff reeve-black (1)
- malvern (1)
- presnell (1)
- articulations (1)
- chicken reel (1)
- conger (1)
- soldier's joy (1)
- basic level membership (1)
- caring for your instrument (1)
- winter weather (1)
- god rest ye (1)
- rhythmic displacement (1)
- builder (1)
- tam kearney (1)
- toronto (1)
- don neuhauser (1)
- slide (1)
- ashley ernst (1)
- dan and angie landrum (1)
- dpn (1)
- dulcimer players news (1)
- dulcimersessions.com (1)
- maddie macneil (1)
- arkansas traveler (1)
- Mark Alan Wade (2)
- 3d playing (1)
- playing across the strings (2)
- chord symbols (1)
- understanding chords (3)
- dulcimer club (1)
- class (1)
- habits (1)
- skills (1)
- jimmy driftwood (1)
- failures (1)
- hours (1)
- youtube (1)
- arranging (1)
- bill robinson (1)
- cold winter night (1)
- karen mueller (3)
- jig (1)
- DAd tuning (1)
- hyfrydol (1)
- hymn (1)
- 2020 (1)
- premium (1)
- gounod (1)
- hitchcock (1)
- dan evans (1)
- spotted pony (2)
- steveeulberg (1)
- nylon-string (1)
- stephens lutherie (1)
- musical devotions (1)
- award (1)
- fernando sor (1)
- hammered (1)
- understanding (1)
- lent (1)
- leap forward (1)
- power of music (2)
- sharing (1)
- persistence (5)
- Practice (4)
- routine (1)
- tour (1)
- new website (1)
- arrranging (1)
- celtic (1)
- single jig (1)
- mountain dulcimer (3)
- busking (1)
- audio (1)
- playback (1)
- protection (1)
- adaptations (1)
- dulcimer acquisition syndrome (1)
- dulcimer acquisition disease (1)
- contests (1)
- lessons (1)
- identify (1)
- apps (1)
- motivation (1)
- hands (1)
- In Memoriam (1)
- guitar (1)
- archive (1)
- concerts (1)
- mountain dulcimer (2)
- hammered dulcimer (1)
- lessons (1)
- workshops (1)
- self-assessment (1)
- learn (1)
- greek (1)
- mindset (3)
- accountability (2)
- encouragement (1)
- prodding (1)