Zhenya,

You're welcome.

If it's just yourself or a few friends I'm a little surprised that volume is an issue. I mentioned old time jams because that's the only time volume is an issue for me. I assumed you were talking about similar situations.

I am a thoroughly modem dulcimer player. I learned to play traditional style from my wife. Her family is from the same neck of the woods as Jean Ritchie and Jean Ritchie is still a deity in my personal pantheon. But I haven't tried to sound traditional in many years. Once I heard people like Richard Farina, Howie Mitchell, and Kevin Roth there was no going back. I make the sounds I want to hear. Why bother doing it otherwise?

I have a friend who plays an amplified dulcimer. The amplifier effectively makes it sound like a very bad electric guitar.