A Mel Bay Publications, Inc. Webzine
February 2008 · Bimonthly
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In this issue: Dulcimer Chords | Calum Sgaire | Two Classic Irish Melodies for Hammered Dulcimer | Holy Manna
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Holy MannaA Shape Note Hymn for Mountain Dulcimerby Wayne Seymour The musical system of shape notes was developed as a way of teaching people to sing without using conventional notation The SHAPE of the note determined its relative pitch, NOT where the note appeared on the staff. Here is an example of how shape notes look: 
There are a large number of websites that give detailed information on the history and development of shape note music, and I suggest that you just type "shape note singing" into the browser of your choice if you are interested in those aspects of the music. If you are completely unfamiliar with this style of music, the church scenes in the movie "Cold Mountain" provide excellent examples. There are a couple of things that make shape note music interesting to me on the mountain dulcimer. First, the harmonies are usually based on an interval of a 5th (Five notes distance in pitch between one note and another.) This is the same interval that we use in most common dulcimer tunings. (From D to A, for example.) Second, in traditional shape note singing, the tenors carried the melody. There was a bass line, and women sang a part that was simply called "treble" since it was neither a conventional alto nor soprano part. This is quite a different arrangement from the usual soprano, alto, tenor, bass harmonies that dominate not only hymns, but a lot of secular music as well. As a result, the harmonies tended to be "droney." What better fit could there be for a mountain dulcimer! The tunes go slowly, but with a definite VERY strong rhythm. There should be strong emphasis or "punch" on the first beat of each measure and a detectable emphasis on the third beat. Stum across all three strings for the melody, and don't let the melody get lost in the drone. I have chosen the old hymn tune "Holy Manna," as a good example of this music. (Shape note tunes were almost often used for several different sets of words. 'Holy Manna' is the most common tune for 'Crown His Head With Endless Blessing' and 'Brethren, We Have Met to Worship.') Playing Tips:Notice that the first four measures (top line) are repeated, then play measures 5 through 10. You will notice that the words D.C. al fine are written there. This is Latin for "Da capo al fine," which means go back to the beginning and play until you reach the end (fine). This means that you are to go back to measure one and play through measure 4. - You've now played the whole piece! I suggest that you learn all three parts of the tune individually before trying to put them together with other players. The bass part can be strummed, but it's much more effective if the bass string is either flatpicked or plucked with the thumb. Don't speed up, but keep a defined rhythm. These tunes aren't fast, but they are strong, not "mushy."   
About the AuthorWayne Seymour was born in Alabama, and grew up all over the South. His grandfather, L.F. Watson of Demorest , GA., was a fiddler and a shape note singer and when he was a young man he was a teacher at shape note "singing schools." Wayne is a multi-instrumentalist, beginning to play the dulcimer in 1979. He has taught at the Dulcimer Playing Workshop at Appalachian State University, Mountain Dulcimer Week at Western Carolina University, both Old-Time and Dulcimer Weeks at the Swannanoa Gathering at Warren Wilson College, the Winston-Salem Dulcimer Festival, the North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association Festival, and many other festivals and seminars. Wayne is noted for his humor and skills as a raconteur as well as his musical skills. As the son of a minister, he is familiar with a wide variety of hymns. email: DulciPicker@gmail.com [ top ]
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