I recommend a good laid back temperment for hammer dulcimer players.

A good meal, a glass of mice wine, choice of some good tunes, and set to it while staying clam. (CALM! dammit!)

Set out your instrument in a well lit, well ventilated place, and select a table nearby on which you can lay out out your mucus... MUSIC!

Now select your hammers carefully. You can use plain sodden wooden ones, those with cork or other finishing on the ends for different tones...

DOWN OFF THAT TABLE! Get that damn cat off my music!

Where's that Scotch!

... um, you can use one hammer per hand, or more than one, or even your fingers...

Shut that bloody door - the wind! my music!

Ah - damn good Scotch. this is!

Ah, back to the dulshim, dulsch, DULCIMER!

Oops. sorry, nearly dropped that hammer!

Now a few simple scales to warm up - wait where's my tuner?

Damn thing! hundreds of shtupid shtringsh, always going out of tune...

What the hell! That's folken good enough for now!

Dammn the bottle'sh empty!

Ah hell, I'll jush duck out to the pub for more shuppliesh - see you later!

SLAM!

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What the hell is 'mice wine' - ah - NICE wine.... TYPOS!