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Mountain Dulcimer - Aeolian Mode | Traditional French Dance Music on Mountain Dulcimer
Spanish Music on the Hammered Dulcimer

This composition, "El Noy de la Mare," (The Child of the Mother), is one of five most popular folk melodies often played by classical Spanish guitarists. It comes from the northeastern corner of Spain, the historical region known as Catalonia. It's bounded by France on the north and the Mediterranean Sea on the east.

Since this is a folk melody, every player has the opportunity to do some arranging, though the melody line never changes. This arrangement for hammered dulcimer was done by Dr. Jorge L. Pastrana Ph.D. (Guitar Performance), and myself. It was arranged on a 16/15 hammered dulcimer with an additional left hand bass bridge of six courses: G, A, B, C, F, & Bb.

The melody line is simple and beautiful. It is not difficult rhythmically either. It's in he key of D Major, in 3/4 time, and most of the piece is counted 1,2,3. If you are a beginner player just enjoy playing the melody line. If you are an intermediate player try adding some of the harmony notes and the bass line. If you are a more mature player, I encourage you to play as written.

The chord progression starts off simple enough but then it becomes more challenging. The chord inversions in this piece are beautiful and add a lot of color to the piece. I also encourage you to play in the octave ranges I have written. For reference, remember that Middle C is the first line below the staff; the C note on the right hand bass bridge of your hammered dulcimer.

All of the chords I play are rolled chords. Typically I play the bottom note of the chord softer than the top of the chord. These rolled chords can be tricky and will take some practice. Because of the difficulty with some of the chords, it's a good idea to try practicing it with a metronome so that you don't get behind the beat. A light but fast touch is needed with these chords, but you might want to be a little more forceful with the bass line so it doesn't drown in overtones.

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to e-mail me at: Dulcianna@theriver.com

This piece and many more Spanish classical guitar pieces will be on my upcoming CD with Dr. Jorge Pastrana. We hope to have a book and CD combo release by early summer of 2005. Please check my website in the near future for more information.

Enjoy!
Dulcianna, aka Anna Duff
P.O. Box 641
St. David, AZ 85630
www.dulcianna.com

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About the Author

The dulcimer has been a pleasure in Anna's life for over twenty-five years. She started playing the hammered dulcimer's softer cousin, the Appalachian mountain dulcimer, in 1976. She taught and performed on the mountain dulcimer throughout Arizona and the U.S. In 1986 Anna began playing and performing primarily on the hammered dulcimer. She was the "Hammer" of "Arm & Hammer" with guitarist Stefan George, performing together for over 13 years and recording five albums.

With the new millennium Anna started a career as a solo hammered dulcimer artist specializing in Spanish & South American classical music. In October of 2001 she released her first Spanish/Latin solo album "Dulcianna.. A Southwest Dulcimer".

In March of 2002 Anna began studying & performing with Spanish guitarist, Dr. Jorge Pastrana. Dr. Pastrana holds a doctorate in music/guitar performance from the University Of Arizona. He has also studied at the Conservatory of Music in his home country of Puerto Rico, the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Madrid, Spain. Dr. Pastrana also received two Fulbright Scholarships. His mastery of guitar has taken him from Puerto Rico throughout the United States, Venezuela, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Germany, and Spain. Anna & Dr. Pastrana have spent the last two years adapting classical Spanish & Latin American guitar pieces to the hammered dulcimer. In the spring of 2005, they will be releasing their first album of these works.

Anna is also the founder of the Southwest Dulcimer & Acoustic Music Gathering, an annual event that draws music lovers from around the continent for workshops and concerts.