Blog
Fiddle-Tune-A-Day
Late in 2011, my fiddling pardner, Vi Wickam, committed to filming a Fiddle-Tune-A-Day throughout the year of 2012. 366 days...(it was a leap year!). That's a lot of fiddle tunes! You can see the entire collection on his Youtube Channel (which can be overwhelming)--OR, you can sign up on his email list to get one emailed to you once a day--for a whole year!He played some old chestnuts, he solicited suggestions from people, he paged through Coleman's, he chose some he'd written, he found new e…
Introduction to New Fingerstyle Lessons
Nina Zanetti, the 2008 National Dulcimer Champion, has provided us with a very clear and inspiring lessons on how to get started playing Fingerstyle Mountain Dulcimer.
Here is the Introduction to her Lesson Series on DulcimerCrossing.com:
Here is the Introduction to her Lesson Series on DulcimerCrossing.com:
Don't Miss the Bus! Back to School Special
SAVE! You don't need new school clothes if you are choosing our homeschool method of dulcimer learning at www.dulcimercrossing.com! And with our Back to School Special (Aug 24-Sept 2), you can save even more AND build your dulcimer skills!
Bridging the Gap between
what you know
and where you want
Your Music to go!
Introduction to Dulci-Bro Lessons
by Steve Eulberg Here is the introduction to the Lesson Series for Dulci-Bro at www.DulcimerCrossing.com, and several lessons have already been posted there!
Dulci-Bro: Where can I get one?
by Steve Eulberg We have begun a Lesson series on learning to play the Dulci-Bro and the natural question arises: where can I get one? Homer Ledford is credited by at least one observer as being the originator of a resonator dulcimer.
(Alvey, R. Gerald. Dulcimer Maker: the craft of Homer Ledford. University Press of Kentucky, 2003.)
I ordered mine (many years ago) from Don Neuhauser, who quite simply, is an amazing dulcimer builder! Don is in Charlestown, Indiana. My dulci-bro is built with a…
Why use the DAA tuning?
by Steve Eulberg
With mountain dulcimer, every tuning has benefits to recommend it. Every tuning also has limitations.
Someone wrote to me recently to ask why we include lessons on the DulcimerCrossing website in the DAA tuning. Here are the 4 reasons that I wrote back in response:
With mountain dulcimer, every tuning has benefits to recommend it. Every tuning also has limitations.
Someone wrote to me recently to ask why we include lessons on the DulcimerCrossing website in the DAA tuning. Here are the 4 reasons that I wrote back in response:
1) Do-sol-sol or 1-5-5- (e.g. DAA) Tuning
1-5-5 is the most common original tuning for mountain dulcimers in the USA, and, on instruments with no 6+ or 6-1/2 fret, it is the only way to play the Ionian (Major) sca…
Technique or Repertoire?
by Steve Eulberg
Here is the chicken-or-egg question, regardless of whether one is a student or a teacher.
Which is more important in learning to play an instrument: Technique or Repertoire?
Both are necessary, of course, but how would you answer the question?
Perhaps one of these phrases describes you as a Student, whether you are working with a private instructor, or making workshop decisions when you attend a festival:
Student A: "Tunes! There are so many tunes! I want to learn to play them al…
Here is the chicken-or-egg question, regardless of whether one is a student or a teacher.
Which is more important in learning to play an instrument: Technique or Repertoire?
Both are necessary, of course, but how would you answer the question?
Perhaps one of these phrases describes you as a Student, whether you are working with a private instructor, or making workshop decisions when you attend a festival:
Student A: "Tunes! There are so many tunes! I want to learn to play them al…
Playing Authentic and Plagal Tunes
by Steve Eulberg
Here are two words that may be unfamiliar to you, but which I find most helpful for determining where to look to play tunes on both mountain and hammered dulcimers: Authentic and Plagal. (for more on Plagal, see below)
Authentic Tunes are those whose notes are generally found between Do and the octave do.
Plagal Tunes (in a use of the term by ethnomusicicologists) are those which are centered on Do, from Sol below Do to sol above Do. This is illustrated by the chart below:
Here are two words that may be unfamiliar to you, but which I find most helpful for determining where to look to play tunes on both mountain and hammered dulcimers: Authentic and Plagal. (for more on Plagal, see below)
Authentic Tunes are those whose notes are generally found between Do and the octave do.
Plagal Tunes (in a use of the term by ethnomusicicologists) are those which are centered on Do, from Sol below Do to sol above Do. This is illustrated by the chart below:
Now ho…
Give the Gift of Dulcimer Lessons!
by Steve Eulberg
Finding just the right gift for someone who plays dulcimers can be difficult because the preferred instruments and accessories are so personal. My father-in-law once said that about camera lenses when I asked to have one as a gift; and he was right! They can't be picked off of the rack—they have to be tailored to each individual.
So here is the perfect gift: support and challenge that nurtures each individual's growing skill-set and helps them play the music they want to play, i…
Finding just the right gift for someone who plays dulcimers can be difficult because the preferred instruments and accessories are so personal. My father-in-law once said that about camera lenses when I asked to have one as a gift; and he was right! They can't be picked off of the rack—they have to be tailored to each individual.So here is the perfect gift: support and challenge that nurtures each individual's growing skill-set and helps them play the music they want to play, i…
String-Side Up/Absolute Beginner Lesson Series
by Steve Eulberg Congratulations! You've got a dulcimer and now you're ready to play it. And we've got a brand-new series of lessons to help you successfully meet that goal.
This String-Side Up/Absolute Beginner Hammered Dulcimer and String-Side Up/Absolute Beginner Mountain Dulcimer lessons on www.dulcimercrossing.com is designed to take you from square one in a step-by-step fashion, through sequential lessons designed to answer your questions, demonstrate and encourage best practices and …
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