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DulcimerCrossing Teachers at the QuaranTUNE 6 in February
Registration for the 6th QuaranTUNE Dulcimer festival (Feb 306, 2022) opened last night. DulcimerCrossing is pleased to be a festival sponsor, once again, and even more pleased that several of our instructors are teaching workshops there:
Aubrey Atwater (Mountain Dulcimer)
Carmen Amrein *NEW (Hammered Dulcimer)
Elaine & Larry Conger (Bass and Standard Mountain Dulcimer)
Matthew Dickerson (Hammered Dulcimer)
Steve Eulberg (Mountain and Hammered Dulcimer)
Deborah DJ Hamouris (Standard and Ba…
4 Things 2 Practice
Do you know the most important question that you can ask as a dulcimer student? I believe it is, “What should I be practicing?” That’s right! How you answer this question will determine your progress and enjoyment in making music. So I am sharing a solid plan on what to practice on your dulcimer (or any instrument, really) every day to become a well-rounded musician. This plan centers around 4 practice pillars:
- Technique
- Tunes
- Memorization
- Playing by Ear
If you’re looking for a practice…
Slow But Steady in 2022
Sometimes, my motivation level feels kind of like a roller coaster ride. Because of my busy schedule and work obligations, I feel a constant pressure to stay busy. I keep thinking I should be doing something, anything, to be productive all the time. Some days it’s not a problem. I’m “up” and feel like I can conquer the world and learn 100 new tunes in one sitting. I enjoy getting things done and scratching items off my to-do list.
Other days, I don’t even want to pick up my hammers, and my ba…
Joy, Joy, Joy
Christmas is that time of the year when we welcome joy and good cheer into our homes, when we sing carols, wear our holiday clothes and celebrate with our friends and relatives. And finally here it is, Christmas time again, and I’m sure you have probably finished your shopping, hung the outdoor lights, and decorated the Christmas tree.
For myself, this is the time of year when I am constantly playing Christmas music. I have written many of my own arrangements, but you’ll also catch me orderin…
Be an Encourager
We all go through rough patches at different times in life. And times have been tough for all of us during 2021, because of COVID restrictions and even losing friends and relatives to the virus. I was thinking about how, when a family member or a close friend is going through a tough time, it’s not always easy to know what to say or how to support them.
Then I started thinking about my friends in the dulcimer community. Some of them are going through a tough time musically. They have gotten d…
The Fine Line Between Perfectionism & Procrastination
Are you always waiting for the right time to start?
Do you sometimes think you might do a better job tomorrow? Or the day after?
Are you the type of person who never wants to make a mistake?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may be a perfectionist walking down the path of a procrastinator. Being a perfectionist is not necessarily a bad thing. But frequently, perfectionists tend to put off doing something if they are afraid they won’t be able to do it perfectly. Many perfe…
Celebrate Milestones
Are you a list maker? I’m kind of OCD and I like to work from a goal list. Sometimes I do something that wasn’t on the list, and I feel compelled to go back and add it to the list – just so I can have the satisfaction of scratching it off the list. I like to recognize my own accomplishments and milestones.
And the same is true when I’m playing my instruments. Each day we can find the time to play is a treasured gift. However, certain days mark significant moments in our musical journey. I wan…
So Very Thankful
There is a question everyone is asking these days. We’re checking our cupboards and cabinets and asking ourselves, “Do we have enough ____ ?” We all have memories of going to the store in 2020 and seeing the toilet paper row empty. My daughter lived in Switzerland at that time, in an apartment that straddled two grocery stores. I would text her a photo of an empty row at Walmart, and she would text back a photo showing the same situation in the stores below where she lived.
And now it seems t…
Am I a Defensive Person?
My husband and I went to South Padre Island a couple of weeks ago, to celebrate my 76th birthday. While we were waiting for our food, I entertained myself by watching the seagulls.
Seagulls are highly adaptable feeders that advantage of every opportunity for a bite. They will eat fish, both alive and dead, insects and earthworms, rodents, eggs, carrion, reptiles, amphibians, and seeds and fruit. The type of food they eat depends on circumstances and, while we were watching, their main prey w…
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