mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: Suegorgeous
Date: 11 Oct 08 - 01:53 PM

Virginia

I've got a flyer here advertising an event that you might be interested in, and you may be able to find a local tutor this way. On the weekend of 31 Oct - 2 Nov there's the Nonsunch Dulcimer Club Annual Weekend in Leicestershire, with "workshops at all levels" and non-club members welcome. There's an application form on the club website - www.nonsuchdulcimer.org.uk

If you're interested, mail me and I'll give you a phone number too. And even if you don't go, the website may be helpful.

Sue

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: Will Fly
Date: 11 Oct 08 - 06:10 PM

I fret the dulcimer with my left hand and use my thumbnail to pluck the strings. The model in this video was made by Dave Sewell of Baltimore:

In Good King Arthur's Day

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 12 Oct 08 - 06:58 AM

Thanks to all for the advice, observations, smaples and offers.

Suegorgeous - I am afraid I already have plans for that weekend.    Thanks you very much for the info though. I have looked a the Nonesuch site before. I will return and have a nose around again.

Subject: RE:mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 03:15 AM

UPDATE to my progress.

I have been picking out tunes, like Beulah Land, Water is Wide, Loch Lomand, Down in the Valley, etc. and finding simple harmony on the bass string. But it doesn't feel like learning.

Mel Bay Teach Yourself Dulcimer book and DVD (Madeline MacNeil) are proving very helpful. Yesterday, I started to learn Waterbound. Pressing down on more than the melody strings and getting harmony. WOOT! Still rubbish at timing the strumming, but I am actually reading from the book. That feels like accomplishment.

One thing though, after about 2+ hours practice, my back is knackered. I need to move off of sofa, put dining chair in front of TV and find something to act as music stand.

Suegorgeous- I am going to peek around in the nonesuch site to see if I can find a local group or even a local one other.

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Nov 08 - 09:53 PM

I play differently from most people. I use a thumpick on my right thumb, and it picks out the melody. Other fingers play the harmony. I don't strum much, preferring to treat my dulcimer more like a piano than anything else. There's a lot of variety that way.

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 08:00 AM

Most of the Nonsuch people are hammer dulcimer players, but they have a good crew of mountain dulcimer players too. You might as well join the organisation and ask the secretary to put you in touch with any mountain dulcimer players in your area.

Very few people in Ireland play mountain dulcimer,but there are plans for a workshop weekend in Sligo mid April 2009.

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: GUEST,Philippa
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 08:13 AM

You can also play mountain dulcimer with the instrument on a table or stand rather than on your lap; experiment and see what works best for you.
by the way, the first time I went to a Nonsuch weekend I shared a room with a woman who had taken up hammered dulcimer because of an arthritic condition - she found hammered dulcimer the least physically stressful instrument to play (though it would be harder to learn than Appalachian mountain dulcimer). Have you had a taster session with hammered dulcimer yet?

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: fretless
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 12:15 PM

Thread drift -- Philippa, can you provide any more information about the April workshop in Sligo?

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 03:59 PM

Thanks Philippa. Afraid I don't have room in my small flat for a hammer dulcimer. To be honest this instrument does not appeal to me. I like to listen but don't desire to learn to play.

I have posted appeal to the Nonsuch comments section re finding local mountain dulcie players. And I sent an email query to Liz Law who is the MD rep on Nonsuch.

I will look into the mountain dulcie stand, but am afraid that is just one more piece of kit I don't have room for and could not carry around to sessions for the reasons of RA and no room to set up. I just need to use the straight chair and not the sofa.

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: fretless
Date: 10 Nov 08 - 10:40 PM

Straight chair is OK, but if you have room for it an armless old style rocking chair is simply heaven -- essential for a lap dulcimer and really fine for the banjo, too.

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 11 Nov 08 - 01:31 AM

"hammered dulcimer ... (though it would be harder to learn than Appalachian mountain dulcimer)"

If you can sight read sheet music, then hammered dulcimer can be very easy to play IF you do what I did - I added small letters of the notes of the strings next to them - shocked the 'traddies' - but hey! it was MY instrument.... :-P

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: katlaughing
Date: 09 Feb 09 - 12:24 AM

Check out the mountain dulcimer player magazines Lin in Kansas has added to the Mudcat auction!!

Subject: RE: mountain dulcimer - is it easy to play
From: GUEST,Virginia HIckox
Date: 25 Jun 10 - 12:36 AM

I'm mid 50 and have just started learning to play the mountain dulcimer. Very easy on the wrist