Blog

Expanding Noter Style

Linda Ratcliff & Steve Eulberg


If you want to play your Appalachian mountain dulcimer in the old traditional style, you will use a noter on the melody string(s), leaving the other 2 strings open to create a drone sound. We have developed several lessons that use a "noter," so we decided to add a new separate category for these at Dulcimer Crossing: Traditional Noter Style.



If you have never used a noter, you should start with our introduction to the Traditional Noter Style here. …

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New Teacher, New Lessons!

by Steve Eulberg

We are pleased to welcome Karen Mueller to the faculty of DulcimerCrossing. Enshrined in the International Autoharp Hall of Fame, she is also an awarded and well-respected performer and teacher of the mountain dulcimer.

Watch the video she made to introduce herself to our students.

Karen's first lesson is Johnny Don't Get Drunk.

Remember, subscribers to DulcimerCrossing.com get access to ALL of the lessons in this series, as well as EVERY OTHER LESSON SERIES, 24/7!

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New Lesson: Cold Winter Night

by Steve Eulberg



Bill Robinson, one of our hammered dulcimer instructors on DulcimerCrossing.com, introduces his original tune, Cold Winter Night, composed during the cold winter of 2014 in his Illinois home.





Bill teaches this tune in a new lesson series released in August aimed at Intermediate Level players.



Subscribe to DulcimerCrossing.com and you can have access to ALL the lessons in this and every other series, too!

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Say NO to Boring

by Linda Ratcliff



Are you bored of being bored, because being bored is BORING?





Say NO To Boring
 



Have you ever been to a jam session and wondered how many times they're going to repeat the same tune?



Have you ever gone to the nursing home to share your music, and watched your audience nodding off to sleep - bored by your performance?



Just as "gorgeous" is the ultimate compliment for a woman, "boring" is the most dreaded description of a performance a musician can hear.



So let's say "NO…

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First Lessons on Youtube

by Linda Ratcliff





Here's another new thing we're doing.





You may be one of our YouTube channel subscribers and already know about this. But Steve has been uploading on YouTube the first video for every lesson we offer at Dulcimer Crossing.  If you haven't already subscribed to our YouTube channel ... you should.  That way you'll receive a notice every time we have a new lesson to offer.   (You'll also receive a notice when I upload animations ... and I only upload animations when I'm prep…

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Something Else New! Sarah Armstrong

by Linda Ratcliff



The key to success is so simple ... just practice and then practice some more.







We have another new lesson ready for you this week - this time for our hammered dulcimer players. The tune is known by the name of the person who played it, Sarah Armstrong.



Sarah Gray Armstrong (3/18/1883 - 8/12/1957) was a well-known fiddle player in Pennsylvania. She began playing the fiddle when she was five, and learned most of her tunes from her uncle and father who were also accomplis…

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How Many Dulcimers?

by Linda Ratcliff



If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you.
If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.



How Many Dulcimers is TOO Many Dulcimers? I recently watched a video in which Vince Gill talked about his collection of antique Martin guitars. He has still quite an impressive array of guitars, although he lost 50 in the Nashville flood of 2010. But, of all the rare and valuable guitars in his collection, he said the guitar he treasures the most is his father's guitar (…

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Dulci-Bro Live Event

Thursday, Aug 15, 5:30 pm PDT (=6:30 pm MDT, 7:30 pm CDT, 8:30 pm EDT) Steve Eulberg will give a live acoustic show featuring the resonator dulcimer or dulci-bro on ConcertWindow.com.





This is a pay-what-you-can show (as little as $1 or as generous as you feel) and you can watch from the comfort of your own home on your computer, or tablet or phone.



Here is the link to purchase tickets and get reminders about the upcoming show so you don't miss it!



Steve also published his new book/CD this …

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New Lesson-Cold Frosty Morning

Steve & Vi Wickam play Cold Frosty Morning


Vi Wickam has provided us with a new lesson on DulcimerCrossing.com for the Fiddle Series. He and Steve play the tune at the Swingfingers studio above while recording for their duo, Fiddle Whamdiddle's debut CD Old School Old-Time


Cold Frosty Morning is a wonderful old tune in a minor mode. Take a look at Vi's Demonstration here.





Subscribe to DulcimerCrossing to have complete access to this and all of our lessons!

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The Iceberg Illusion

We see the trophies, not the sweat.
We see the diplomas, not the years of study and homework.
We see outstanding performances, not the hours and hours of practice. 



by Linda Ratcliff





The Iceberg Illusion 
I came across this illustration and it really resonated in my heart. There is this glamour around success that seems to appear when you have "made it." Although I work behind the scenes - writing newsletters, uploading lessons, and answering student inquiries, the rest of our Dulcimer…

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