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How to Choose a Mountain Dulcimer
Criteria for Purchasing a Mountain Dulcimer
by Steve Eulberg We are fortunate to live in the midst of a sustained dulcimer revival! I used to host a list of builders across the North American Continent on my www.owlmountainmusic.com website. John Sackenheim had begun compiling that in the late 1990s. The list grew so large and had so many additions that it eventually became outdated and I let it return to the dust. Today, not only are there kits available for you to build your own, there are…
Building Your Own Instrument?
I've this said this over and over again:
"If I hadn't built my first dulcimers, I probably wouldn't be playing them."
I'm not kidding. I played piano, trumpet, harmonica, guitar and mandolin before I ever heard a dulcimer (of either kind.) I first heard both kinds of dulcimers in college, played by traveling musicians who performed for us. The sounds were deeply implanted in me, because now playing these instruments is a large part of how I make my living.
But I never felt I deserved (or could a…
"If I hadn't built my first dulcimers, I probably wouldn't be playing them."
I'm not kidding. I played piano, trumpet, harmonica, guitar and mandolin before I ever heard a dulcimer (of either kind.) I first heard both kinds of dulcimers in college, played by traveling musicians who performed for us. The sounds were deeply implanted in me, because now playing these instruments is a large part of how I make my living.
But I never felt I deserved (or could a…
Linda Thomas Interview (an excerpt)
When Linda Thomas and Dan Delancey were in our studio to film lessons, we had a chance to ask some questions and find out more about Linda and how she began playing the hammered dulcimer. Here is an excerpt of the interview:
The entire interview can be viewed on our website here.
Introducing our newest Guest Instructor: Don Pedi!
DulcimerCrossing.com is very pleased to welcome Don Pedi as a mountain dulcimer instructor on our site. Here is a video in which he talks about how he got started playing and introduces us to some of his influences.
We encourage you to take his lessons and let him become one of YOUR influences!
Back 2 School Special!
It is that time of year again, when we change our rhythms, get out the school clothes, take pictures of the first day of school, and pick up our instruments to play them after our summer vacations. Here at DulcimerCrossing.com, we want to help you further develop your skills and enjoyment in making and sharing the music in your soul. So we have a deal for you!
We've added new teachers, we've got lessons for both mountain and hammered dulcimers, we've got lessons for dulci-bro (slide dulcimer…
Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer--The Dark Side?
The debate rages between:
"traditionalists" who argue for a standard diatonic dulcimer ("I don't want no extra frets bygummit!");
"neo-traditionalists" who argue for a modified diatonic dulcimer with a 6+ fret ("well it is pretty standard these days");
"practical-neo-traditionalists" who are supporters of multi-modified diatonic dulcimer with 6+ AND 1+ frets; ("but I NEED that extra fret to play C and F chords!")
"people on the DARK side" who are supporters of entirely chromatic mountain dulcimers. …
"traditionalists" who argue for a standard diatonic dulcimer ("I don't want no extra frets bygummit!");
"neo-traditionalists" who argue for a modified diatonic dulcimer with a 6+ fret ("well it is pretty standard these days");
"practical-neo-traditionalists" who are supporters of multi-modified diatonic dulcimer with 6+ AND 1+ frets; ("but I NEED that extra fret to play C and F chords!")
"people on the DARK side" who are supporters of entirely chromatic mountain dulcimers. …
Benefits and Limitations of Different Tunings on Mountain Dulcimer? Part 1
by Steve Eulberg
So how does one choose between the benefits and the limitations of different tunings when playing mountain dulcimer? To me the most important factors in this decision are:
1) What kind of dulcimer do I have? Is it "traditional" (with no extra frets like 6-1/2 or 1-1/2)?
2) What kind of music do I want to play?
3) In what style do I want to play this music? Do I want to play in the traditional noter or drone style? Do I want to play back-up chords? Do I want to …
Practicing in the Dark
by Linda Ratcliff
I'm spending the winter in sunny California, but I know many of you have been getting hit with some pretty cold weather. Brrrr. That reminds me of the way I used to practice piano. I usually arrived at school, during both my high school and college years, at about 6:30 in the morning, and I always went straight to the practice rooms. Now the school didn't turn on the heaters full blast until about 7:30 a.m., so to challenge myself (and because no one was looking), I would st…
What is Drone Style?
by Steve Eulberg
Once we have learned the melody of a tune we can begin adding notes in order "fill out" the sound of the tune. The easiest way to do this is to play "drone style". This is actually the traditional way to play the old mountain dulcimers which did not have frets that extended all the way across the fretboard, but only were present under the melody strings.
On the mountain dulcimer, the player plays the melody on the string(s) which are required for the melody and simply strums all…
Once we have learned the melody of a tune we can begin adding notes in order "fill out" the sound of the tune. The easiest way to do this is to play "drone style". This is actually the traditional way to play the old mountain dulcimers which did not have frets that extended all the way across the fretboard, but only were present under the melody strings.
On the mountain dulcimer, the player plays the melody on the string(s) which are required for the melody and simply strums all…
Koto--the Japanese Cousin of the Mountain Dulcimer
by Steve Eulberg
I thought I had caught a glimpse of this long, distinctive instrument while passing by one of the Private (Guerilla) Showcases on the music floor of the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, but it wasn't until I was rewarded by meeting its owner in the hall in the early evening (before all the craziness of the late-night schedule of "concertettes" begins) that I was certain.
It WAS a Japanese Koto, in the hands of (and nearly as tall as) a Londoner who, after exploring his music degree…
I thought I had caught a glimpse of this long, distinctive instrument while passing by one of the Private (Guerilla) Showcases on the music floor of the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto, but it wasn't until I was rewarded by meeting its owner in the hall in the early evening (before all the craziness of the late-night schedule of "concertettes" begins) that I was certain.It WAS a Japanese Koto, in the hands of (and nearly as tall as) a Londoner who, after exploring his music degree…
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