I'm glad you like it, Becky. In the three-part video I just put out on flatpicking technique, I use this song as an example in part 3 of playing single notes in a rhythm to mimic a strumming pattern. But I also use muting and other techniques from part 2.

Yes, you really need a smooth strumming motion. That just takes time to develop. Make sure you "swing" your strum, for sometimes the robotic nature of a straight strum makes it sound choppy.

Thanks for the comments.

Well I definitely hear old rock and roll style licks in the Water is Wide. And I think the Caribbean sound comes from the syncopation in your strum. I can see how it could be taken from Bluegrass flatpicking technique. That's a connection I never thought about, and I suspect it has to do with the common African roots of both styles. Who new Doc Watson was Jamaican (-: The damping definitely adds to the Caribbean feel of the piece.

Mark and Joaquin, any reggae or calypso rhythm is purely accidental, though I can hear what you guys refer to.My goal was to creat a picking pattern wherein I would play the notes of the chord but not merely strum the chord. This little dulcimer has so little sustain that you can't strum a chord and expect the notes to ring out. One has to keep plucking strings. It is true, though, that I also dampen the strings on occasion to creat a more percussive effect. If there is specific inspiration for this approach it came from trying to approximate with a flat pick the fingerpicking version of "Banks of the Ohio" on some oldDoc Watson album and a recent YouTube video by David Beede demonstrating this model dulcimer where he plays "The Water is Wide" also using a fingerpicking method.

That has to be one of the strangest renditions of those songs I've ever heard. What inspired the 60's folk revival "Calypso" approach? Anyhow, very well played regardless.

Hey Mandy and thanks for your comments. Yes, the dulcimer is smaller, but it is also tuned one octave higher than a normal dulcimer. It doesn't have the same sustain as a regular-sized dulcimer, so instead of strumming all the time and letting the strings ring out, I tend to flat pick not only the melody but also the individual notes of the chords. The end result is a different kind of rhythm, I think.

I know you are still a week away from getting your dulcimer, but down the line you might find a little dulcimer interesting. Come check out the new group here on Little Dulcimers. The avatar for that group has a picture of my four dulcimers. Two are regular sized and two are little. Of the two little ones, one is the Eedy Beede you see me playing here and the other is a baritone dulcimette by Ron Ewing which is tuned a fourth or fifth higher than a regular dulcimer to G or A.

First - sounded wonderful. Very smooth playing also. Please excuse my ignorance but what do you mean when you say an "octave dulcimer"? Is it just shorter or is there something else going on? You're wardrobe is strangely similar to mine the majority of the time, LOL, we must shop at the same fine outfitters.

Thanks, everyone, for your encouragement. I posted that short piece in part as a demonstration of how to play chord/melody style without always strumming full chords all the time. My goal was toplay andnot get in the way but to let the beauty of the melody and the instrument shine through.

2 of my favorite songs and I LOOOOOVED the way you played them. So uneek!LOL

LOL! Love it. Great tunes, excellent playing, and of course, your wardrobe impresses in its simplicity and is magnificent. Glad to see my collection is now being worn by the finest of players. :)

Loved it Dusty, think I need to see if I can make one !

(Ignore JohnK , he's got a real 'thing' about shirts, I am sure that he is costing Brian a small fortune in an effort to please !)

JohnH

That's just all kinds of cool! Thanks for sharing this. Did that shirt come from the Brian G. Collection this fall?

Thanks, Wayne. I agree about the dulcimer; it just sounds great. I think the trick to playing it is simply to find material that works well in the higher register and needs no sustain. The dulcimer does the rest. And yes, I like both these melodies as well. Banks of the Ohio has got to be the prettiest murder ballad ever written.