Blog

Winning at Winfield

by Steve Eulberg

Defining what “winning” means to you is the first step!

For some people the notion of combining “competition” and “dulcimer” is oxymoronic.  They just don’t go together! 

I see music competitions as an opportunity to prepare some music to share with appreciative listeners.  (Where else can you buy such an attentive audience for $.075 a head?—$15 entry fee/200 people) 

And, the process of preparing tunes for this kind of presentation is an intensive artistic endeavor!



SteveWinfield2000 Steve com…

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Are You Listening?

by Linda Ratcliff

Listening = Learning.



Are You Listening?
 
Listening to music is one of the most important parts of being a musician. 

Listening to dulcimer music can keep us motivated day to day - between jam sessions, festival, or lessons. Without that boost, practicing can become a chore - easily left for another day, and then another, and then another ... until we begin to completely lose interest.

Now you don't have to set aside a special time of day to listen to your dulcimer music, the w…

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DulcimerCrossing at Summer Festivals

by Steve Eulberg

You can find DulcimerCrossing Faculty teaching at several Dulcimer Festivals this summer!

Erin Mae Lewis (Mountain) will be teaching at Kentucky Music Week (June 24-29) in Bardstown, Kentucky and at Camp Kiya (July 22-26) in Tehachapi, California.

Don Pedi & Steve Eulberg (Mountain) will be teaching at Dulcimer U (July 22-27) at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Don Pedi (Mountain) will be teaching at the Swannanoa Old-Time Week (July 15-21) Swannanoa, North …

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Reaching Out to Spouses

by Linda Ratcliff
Taking the time to sit down and listen to your spouse play the dulcimer will show your love and support even more than spoken words. - Linda Ratcliff
Reaching Out to Dulcimer Players’ Spouses
Music is a powerful force in our lives and creative pursuits can add an exciting dimension to them. But what if playing a dulcimer is the creative outlet your spouse or partner has decided to pursue? If you’re not particularly creative, or you’re just not interested in dulcimer music, th…

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Top 10 Tips for Jam Sessions

by Linda Ratcliff

Relax and enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll realize they were the big things. - Kurt Vonnegut

Top Ten Tips for Jam Sessions



i.e. Jam Etiquette
Going to jam sessions can be intimidating. And yet, they can also be the most fun and rewarding music experiences of your dulcimer life. So how can you move past your fears and inhibitions, and just have a great time?
  1. First of all, tell yourself it’s ok to make mistakes. This is not a performance. You’re just there to…

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Shop Visit: Blue Lion Dulcimers

by Steve Eulberg A few years back my spouse, Connie, and I had a warm and welcoming visit with Janita and Bob Baker of Blue Lion Instruments in Santa Margarita, California. ConnieBobJanita Watching people work through their rhythms and share their craft is a treasure and joy (for me: especially when there is a sawdust smell!) janitasawmotion_crop A hallmark of these beautiful mountain dulcimers is the inlay that Janita creates for the fretboards, at the request of the new owners of the instruments.  (Picture above) But these hand…

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Live Event Tomorrow Night!

by Steve Eulberg

Matthew Dickerson, our newest Hammered Dulcimer instructor at DulcimerCrossing.com, will be LIVE on Monday, June 4th on Concert Window for a free concert for Subscribers (Join Now!).

8 pm EDT; 7 pm CDT; 6 pm MDT; 5 pm PDT.

MatthewDickersonPhoto

You can tune in here.

Watch Matthew's amazing performance of Vangelis' Chariots of Fire at the Original Dulcimer Player's annual Evart FunFest here:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTPIMEJDCIE&w=560&h=315]

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Frank Proffitt

by Steve Eulberg In Pete Seeger's television series, Rainbow Quest, Episode 26, he hosted folklorist Frank Warner.  At about 26:27 they begin discussing Frank Proffitt, including some film of him playing his banjo at the Newport Folk Festival (begins at 40:09) Frank is most well-known for preserving the song Tom Dooley, [UNFORTUNATELY THIS YOUTUBE ACCOUNT HAS BEEN TERMINATED.] Earlier in their conversation, Pete relates an exchange of letters between Howie Mitchell and Frank Proffitt about dulci…

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Berkeley Dulcimer Orchestra

by Steve Eulberg The Berkeley Dulcimer Orchestra (brainchild of Deborah J. Hamouris), has been working since January to prepare and share some brand new compositions and arrangements. Here is a video of them premiering my new composition San Mateo Bridge.  (This bridge is the one that I cross twice to attend and conduct the rehearsals once or twice a month.) The performance is at the Back Room, a delightful, comfortable seating venue in Berkeley, in the first block north of University.  The even…

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Live Event with Wendy Songe!

UPCOMING LIVE CONCERT by WENDY SONGE WEDNESDAY May 23rd 8:30 p.m. EDT | 7:30 CDT | 6:30 MDT | 5:30 PDT

Enjoy Wendy playing "King of the Fairies" on her mountain dulcimer.

 

Wendy Songe is an award winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, performer, teacher, and Nationally touring musician. Her music weaves an eclectic tapestry of diverse instruments, cultures, and songs from across the globe. Wendy promotes music education, teaching private, group and online lessons to students of …

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