Thanks Cheryl, I am sharing your video with my students. Your's is a great example of how this song can be played.

Hi Jeff, on most of my old hourglass dulcimers I use .12, .12, .23 or .13, .13, .24 or various combination thereof. CGc tuning the same as DAd tuning except it is is one tone lower than DAd tuning, that is, you loosen all your strings by one full step on the scale. So the bass string goes from D down to C, Middle from A down to G, and Melody string from d down to c. Unless your dulcimer scale is short or your strings very low tension, you should be able to come down to C tuning from D mixolydian. Thanks for you comments!!

Thanks everyone....so kind. Rick, I hope we have some good weather for Easter too...its been darn cold and snowy for the last week!!! We are way below normal temperature wise and ready to hit the 60's!!

Saw the comments and thought you had a new posting up! Still, I enjoy this video. We'll be in your neck o' the woods over Easter weekend--hope you've got good weather there

Yep you play this so smoothly and beautifully. Big thumbs up.

Thank you!!

nice video Cheryl!

I love your smooth easy sound with this, Cheryl! You've taken to noter/drone like a duck to water!

Great sound and great job!

Really enjoyed this

Wow you've really mastered that noter Cheryl. I like the sound of it, but I won't even pick up a noter at all now. I'll let all you really good noter'ers do it justice. Great work.

Thanks again everyone for your kind comments! I figure I'm on the right learning track based on all your comments. I'm learning from all the noter players here on FOTMD...they are THE resource for noter-drone playing now a days (Strumelia, both Robins (C and T), Randy, John H, Dave R and others I've probably missed sorry!)

Robin, I based the tempo (because I don't know any better) on the J.Ritchie Folkways recording Marching Across the Green Grass (1968) and based the tuning on comments in her book. I figured her recording it was a good place to start since I didn't know this tune.

Dave...she does kind of sing in this tuning.

Sam....thanks friend. I'm still trying to get a good sound with the nice feathers you sent, but I'm just not coordinated enough. I'm going to ask Phyllis Gaskins for some feather advice at Old Time week....maybe she can coordinate me!!

Strumelia...your recordings and blog have helped me tremendously. Thank you!!!

Cheryl

WOW! That's lovely Cheryl, what a great tone and relax playing style. Folks don't realise just how difficult and complex it is to get a tune to sound so 'easy' in noter drone. And I love the pitch! I normally tune up a little higher and play a little faster on this one. But you have inspired me to have a go at recording the piece a little slower and lower on my Ed Thomas, and perhaps I'll try using a shoe leather pick rather than a quill just to mellow it out a little

Well, you are cetainly developing a real touch for noter drone playing - it is great to hear

Cheryl you have a wonderful gift. You can keep the sounds, chords, notes all distinct and bright without sounding clinical, technical or mechanical. Simply put, you make music. Noter/drone or finger dancing, your dulcimers all being kept very happy. That's a GOOD thing.

Sam'l

Nice one Cheryl. I reckon if we were sat side by side I could play along with that and be proud to be so doing ! Course, you'd have the edge, seeing as how you'd be playing that 'ole Jefferies and I'd be on a home made jobbie !! If you have the inclination, have a listen to an almost (?) identical version I posted here back awhile.

John

Such wonderful clean crisp playing. And so pretty to listen to! Great playing, Cheryl.

It's been a pleasure to watch you develop your noter playing Cheryl. I'm hearing the little notes between the melody notes....& like the way you attack the 2nd part. Your right hand is just playing the tune....not a bunch of extraneous rhythms goin' on....yeah this is pleasurable listening f'sure....thx!

Carrie, thanks friend.....love it! LMBO at the now infamous Noodle Noter. Bwwaaaah!

Nancy, thanks, and yes, this is the Goodwill special and I love her even more because of it! She's well worn but plays beautifully still and has a lot of years left in her.

Cheryl, that was beautiful! Is that the dulcimer you picked up at the thrift store? Can't find anything like that in Ca...People say, "a dulci-what?"