|
Beginners
Listen to a sample track from the beginning hammer dulcimer, instructional CD.
Swannanoa Students, here are the mp3 files for three tunes:
Final March of Mary Queen of Scots
ABC Notation for the Final March of Mary Queen of Scots
The Water is Wide (O! Waly Waly)
From the Top of the Hill
ABC Notation for From the Top of the Hill
If you like what you hear, you'll find these tunes on Music To Read By. Tracks are $0.99 each. The entire 24-track recording performed by twelve musicians playing in widely different genera is $10 via download. Go here for details.
Quick Start
Layout of a 15/16 hammer dulcimer
Tuning the instrument - a quick start
Welcome to the Beginning Hammer Dulcimer Course
The material that follows will keep you busy for a year or longer. Take it at your own pace. But, set up a schedule of practice and stay with it. You’ll make good progress that way. Short but frequent practice sessions do more to develop skills than occasional playing binges.
If you can, leave your dulcimer out of its case and set up. That eliminates a convenient and major excuse for not practicing. Make sure to position it out of direct sunlight. And, throw a cover over it. That helps to stabilize the tuning and limit the dust build up.
There will be plateaus in your progress. Sometimes these can seem terribly long. Don’t get discouraged. Just stay with it. Time and repetition are the steady companions of everyone who plays well.
Find other musicians to play with. A good rhythm guitar player is a wonderful companion. Seek out workshops and festivals. Subscribe to Dulcimer Players’ News. All these steps will keep your enthusiasm strong.
Some of the instructional material on this website may seem a little “dense”, or may make you feel a little “dense!” Few dulcimer players got all this information the first time they read it, heard it or tried it. Most of us require a lot of repetition in order to understand the concepts and to develop the physical skills required to play the instrument. Invest the time and you’ll reap the rewards.
For those of you who have attended one of my beginning classes, follow along with the audio CD I handed out. This should help you move through many of the exercises and two tunes rather quickly.
Okay…..let’s play!!!!!
|
