A lot of really great points, but....A performance represents the tip of an iceberg. The most important reason Larkin sounds the way she does is because of what she brings to the music, her lifetime of experience. She's not just playing a tune, she's "telling a story" (in the words of Dwight Diller). It is impossible for you (or anyone else) to tell her story when you play a tune, so don't even try. As you get more comfortable with the dulcimer and as you get more comfortable with using the dulcimer to tell your story instead of Larkin's you'll start to like your sound. It won't be better than Larkin's but it will be yours.