A Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Webzine
December 2006 · Bimonthly
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In this issue: Playing Your Mountain Dulcimer in E minor Without Re-tuning or a Capo | Leading of the Star for Hammered Dulcimer | Greensleeves (What Child Is This) | O Come, O Come Immanuel | I Saw Three Ships for Hammered Dulcimer
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Playing Your Mountain Dulcimer in E minorWithout Re-tuning or a Capoby Jon Kay The mountain dulcimer is a distinctive instrument in that it is tuned to an open chord and the fretboard is laid out in a diatonic or "do, re, mi" scale. This makes the instrument one of the most friendly to beginners, or for the traditionalist who prefers to play drone style with the melody on one string or course. However, it also offers some challenges when playing more contemporary styles and in different keys. In this session, we are going to see how to play in E minor while tuned to the popular DAD tuning, which is most commonly used for D Major music. There are three basic methods for playing in alternate keys and modes including E minor:
First, "I Wonder as I Wander" is a beautiful melody that John Jacob Niles claimed he collected in Eastern Kentucky. This carol has a hauntingly simple melody, so the chords and embellishments are important musical factors. Note how by playing the appropriate chords the melody notes fall naturally on the fingerboard. Listen to Jon Kay play "I Wonder as I Wander."
Second, I have included a basic arrangement of an English country dance tune, "Black Nag." Several years ago I was playing at a dulcimer festival with Shelley Stephens and Neal Hellman. We demonstrated the three methods of playing this minor melody. Neal had recorded the tune for the "Pacific Rim Dulcimer Project" recording back in the 1970s. He re-tuned his dulcimer and played a beautiful arrangement that highlighted his embellishments and rhythm. Shelley capoed her instrument and played a lively version of the tune. I played this version. Note how the second section, or B part, moves to B minor. By following the tablature, you will notice how your right hand plays repetitive picking patterns, so that you are often just raising and lowering a single finger. Listen to Jon Kay play "Black Nag."
Finally, I am including a tune that I composed when I lived in Florida. When I told everyone that we were moving back home to Indiana, they all felt the urge to remind me that it "snows in Indiana." The tune is called "Walking in Snow," which was also inspired by a Frank Hohenberger photograph of a Brown County, Indiana snow scene from the 1930s. I hope you enjoy it. Listen to Jon Kay play "Walking in Snow."
There are a few basic pointers for playing in E minor. You should use your middle, ring and pinky fingers to bar the E minor chord (1-1-1), this frees up your pointing finger and thumb for playing additional notes. Also, you will want to try to let the strings ring as long as possible. This is accomplished by keeping at least one finger on the fret board at all times (unless you are playing an open D). When you pick up all of your fingers you stop the strings from resonating, which can make a song sound choppy. The idea is to make the song flow by keeping the drones and chords ringing. Well, good luck and I hope you enjoy these tunes. If you have questions please feel free to contact me at jonkay@consultant.com. About the Author John Kay writes: I began playing the mountain dulcimer in 1987, while working for Bill and Laura Berg at Mountain Made Music, in my hometown of Nashville, Indiana. During my four-year tenure at this dulcimer shop, I developed my style of playing the dulcimer based on the Bergs' five-string dulcimer. While I was busy selling in the summer and fall, I would spend the winter days mostly just playing the dulcimer. On snowy days I would often play for six or seven hours straight, waiting for someone to come into the store." My finger-style approach blends the rolling technique of a five-string banjo, while trying to coax the tonal qualities of classical guitar. When I first started playing, I listened to mountain dulcimer recordings in Mountain Made and couldn't believe the sounds they were getting out of the simple little instrument. I thought, "I want to play like that." It wasn't until later that I realized that my favorite dulcimer recording had a guitar or another instrument playing along. So, I guess you could say, I didn't know I was doing anything different, at first. I was influenced by the new acoustic movement of the 1980s. While working at the music store, I listened to various "new age" and contemporary folk artists, including Michael Hedges, Patrick Ball and Metamora. In 1988 I met dulcimer legend Neal Hellman, who confirmed my dedication to finger-style dulcimer music. Neal is still one of my musical mentors. At that time I also started writing my own material. Soon my compositions and arrangements became inextricably linked to my personal playing technique. In 1991, I recorded my first album, "Richard's Wake," a collection of original compositions and arrangements. "Richard" refers to Richard Farina, whose dulcimer playing from the 1960s was another influence. The recording explored the sparse beauty of solo dulcimer. I was trying to invest my music with a musical and textural depth that could make it sound like two or three instruments. I was trying to create a Windham Hill-style recording that showed the beauty of the instrument with out over-editing, over-arranging or even overdubbing. It is minimal music; it's me playing the dulcimer in front of two microphones. I wanted it to be about me and the instrument, not about a studio or a band. I re-released this recording as "October Dreams," the title of the first cut on the album. In 1991, I left Mountain Made Music, to try my hand as a full-time mountain dulcimer player. For three years I made my living playing dulcimer at festivals, coffeehouses, schools, bookstores, retreat centers, weddings and even funerals. While selling dulcimers at the Yellow Banks Dulcimer Festival in Owensboro, Kentucky, I met Dick "Richard" Albin, who invited me to play at the Great American Dulcimer Convention in Pine Mountain, Kentucky. Albin not only encouraged me to play more, but offered advice on being a performer. I took this input to heart and started developing a more holistic show that blended my unique brand of music and storytelling, which allowed me to take my music to a much wider audience. I won the Midwest Dulcimer Championship in Avoca, Iowa in 1992. That same year, I opened for many acoustic masters including Norman and Nancy Blake, Peter Rowan, John Hartford, and Tony Rice. I found myself playing mountain dulcimer for audiences unfamiliar with the instrument. I was really lucky. And it helped being the new kid on the block. I was one of the first Gen-X dulcimer players. Nowadays there are many great young players that are doing amazing things on the instrument. In 1995, I quit touring and playing out very much. I went to graduate school at Western Kentucky University, where I received my master's degree in Folk Studies. I then went to work for the Florida Park Service as a folklorist, later directing the Florida Folk Festival, a huge event. It was while I was working in Florida that I started playing a little more. I hosted several dulcimer retreats, teaching workshops and meeting a lot of great players, many for the first time. I also met David Beede, an incredible dulcimer builder and player who lives in Florida. I am currently playing one of his instruments that he made to my specifications. I left Florida in June of 2004 and moved back to my hometown of Nashville, Indiana, where I became the director of Traditional Arts Indiana, the state folklife program. [ top ]
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