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Welcome to the Mountain Dulcimerby Madeline MacNeilDownload this Article.
The mountain dulcimer is a very special instrument to many of us. Even though those of us who have played for many years might have varying styles, such as fingerpicking Irish jigs or accompanying the singing voice, we all remember the first time the instrument was placed on our laps and we began to explore. As you continue to play you'll find types of music that really draw you in, and the skills you need to play such music will begin to develop. Now, however, I hope you will concentrate on the dulcimer on your lap, your fingers by the frets, and the pick in your hand. Freedom in those areas will help you grow!
Where should you strum?Where you are most comfortable, actually! Here's a little test. Sit with the instrument on your lap. Drop your arms on the dulcimer comfortably, as if you were having a good conversation. Where does your right arm lie? Probably not over the strum hollow; more likely it rests around the tenth fret. That is the area where you should usually strum. Try this. Strum the instrument in different areas, say from the eighth fret to the bridge at the far right of the strum hollow. Hear the different sounds? You can use the strumming areas to your advantage as you try for diversity of sound.How should you strum?The answer is the same: comfortably! In your instruction books you'll learn and experiment with strum directions. Some players use a primary IN strum (in, in, in-out, in, for example) while others use a primary OUT strum (out, out, out-in, out, for example). If we did a survey, perhaps we'd find that more players use a primary OUT strum. Try the OUT strum first, if you're exploring. As we work for coordination of the left (fretting) and right (strumming) hands we can often get bogged down trying to follow the timing and the tablature numbers written with the music in the books. "Tablature" is playing by fret numbers. I suggest that you try strumming just to fill some space. Suppose you're sitting with the instrument in front of the television or on your porch. Think of a tune or a song that you know (‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' or ‘My Darling Clementine' are examples). You don't have to sing; "da-da-da" the tune or speak the words and strum to fill in the spaces. Do this enough and you'll find a naturalness in your strumming. The strum patterns found in the dulcimer music are the arranger's suggestions, the way the tune fit in his or her hands the day s/he wrote it down. How YOU fill in the spaces makes the music YOURS. What about the left hand?Would you believe that the answer is still the same: comfortably! Often we blame ourselves for something that isn't our fault. Surely, it takes time to get the feel of an instrument on your lap and under your fingers. But if you're finding the strings still too hard to press after a considerable time trying, perhaps it's not just you. If you have a double melody string and if you want to play using your fingers rather than a noter, consider removing one of those strings. Which one? Well, that's up to you. Some players have had a builder put a small nail close to the left end of the fretboard so the string closest to you can be loosened and tucked there. Other players remove the string and play happily ever after. You have precedence here! If you're going to remove a string, look at the distance between the double melodies and the middle string. The removal of which string would make the distance between all of the strings pretty equal? We're back to "some folks do and others do not." I'm referring to using the thumb when fretting the dulcimer. I've heard exceptional players who don't use the thumb and exceptional players who'd consider not using the thumb an unnecessary loss of one digit. I use my thumb when I play, in part because I have short, stubby fingers. But, when I'm playing a melody without chords and mostly on the melody string, I don't use my thumb. If I use my thumb on such a melody I have to turn my hand to the left to get the thumb into position. I can move faster using just the other fingers. Following is a practice tune using just the string(s) closest to you for the melody. Try playing it without using your thumb. But first... There is some controversy about DAA and DAD dulcimer tunings: which is best and which is for the "grown-up" dulcimer player. This is another topic, one for another day. Let me say in short that DAA has one D and two A's, DAD has two D's and one A. Some things work the same with both tunings while others do not. But everything I've said in this article, or most of it, works with either tuning. Both tunings are beautiful and effective for the instrument. It all depends on what you want to play (old-timey tunes or Irish jigs) that lead you to the best tuning to use. "Old Joe Clark""Old Joe Clark" needs a DAD tuning because of an interesting old scale form. Because I want you to play rather than listen to me chat, I'll simply say the following. The D scale has the following notes in it: D E F# G A B C# D. In a DAD tuning you'd begin on the open string (no fingers down) and continue with frets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6-1/2, 7. In DAA you'd play frets 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. "Old Joe Clark" has a regular C rather than the C#. You tune DAD, but the melody lies from the open string to the 7th fret using the 6th fret rather than the 6-1/2. This scale, which is called mixolydian, has a nice haunting, old-timey sound.Time for the tune... As you approach playing "Old Joe Clark," I suggest that you work first with the right hand getting the rhythm of the piece together. The tablature numbers tell you where to put your left hand fingers. The lines under the numbers give you the rhythm. It will help you if you tap your leg and say your way through the rhythm lines before you play the melody. Here is a talking sequence, using Walk and Running for the quarter and eighth notes, for the first four measures: Walk walk walk walk [] walk walk walk run-ning [] walk walk walk walk [] walk run-ning walk run-ning
In closing...I've enjoyed talking with you and working with you on the dulcimer in general and "Old Joe Clark" in particular. Those of us who have played the dulcimer for years find it an instrument to bring us joy and to bring us in contact with other players who have a common interest. We're there to help you become part of this special community. I wish you well on your musical journey.
Songs and Tunes of the Wilderness Road, MB 96747 See www.baysidepress.com product listings for Madeline's Mel Bay Books for Hammered Dulcimer. |
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