Thanks for listening, Sherry.

Thanks, Carrie.

Thanks for listening, Patty.

Really nice Dusty!!!

John and Karen, thanks so much for listening, and Randy, you crack me up, man. Kris Kross -- that's too much. What I was born to do, indeed.

So all y'all with the Dr. Seuss riddles . . .

Agreed you're a dulcimer player f'sure. Don't look back!

"warm it up DT....what u were born to do!"

...reminds me of kris kross....

Have always liked this played as a lament, thank you for reminding me Dusty !!!

JohnH

Thanks, Richard. Yes, the MMD is a wonderful instrument. It has a loud, deep, round sound and also remarkable action. Although the video doesn't show it very well, the lacewood has an almost iridescent quality in the right light.

Mary, on both mandolin and guitar, I got to the point where I could play a tune like Blackberry Blossom or Ste. Anne's Reel up to bluegrass speed, but I couldn't improvise that fast. Since bluegrass jams are always super fast, I had a plan: I would compose solos to the bluegrass standards and memorize my compositions. Then, when it was my turn to take the lead, I would play my composition. Everyone would think I was improvising.

So about 4 years ago I began to scour YouTube for ideas on variations of standard bluegrass fiddle tunes. That's when I discovered Stephen Seifert playing Whiskey Before Breakfast on the dulcimer. I had never seen anyone play a dulcimer before and I was blown away. About four months later I had my first dulcimer and I've never looked back. The dulcimer is the instrument I was meant to play. I wish I had found it thirty years ago, but I'm grateful that I found it at all.

Nice playing .. and a very fine instrument too.

Thanks, Mary, my stink sister! I appreciate your listening and your kind comments. As a lament, it should probably have been played even slower, but certain parts of the melody seem to want to speed up. And my right hand picking was developed during a failed attempt several years back to play bluegrass guitar and mandolin.

Thanks so much, Rob and Brian.

Rob, I haven't yet tried anything with four equidistant, but I've been thinking about it more and more.

Very nice playing of a great tune. Love the sound of that dulcimer also. :)

Dusty, that's a right pretty tune, and well played. Those who are interested in using a pick should pay particular attention to Dusty's right hand! Also liked the open strings; to me that's one of the things that "make" the dulcimer and a reason I like 4 independent strings. With 4 I can get a lot more open string ringing drones, or maybe it's just easier to get them. (I have been called lazy.)

Thanks for listening, Mike. Glad you enjoyed it.

Cheryl, Mark, John, and Mike, thanks so much.

Yes,my own preference is a smoky single malt,and I would certainly lament its absence as well.

Very nice!

Twould be a sad life without whiskey! I would lament as well.....Nice work Dusty!!

Thanks, Wayne and RW. There is lots of mandolin tab for this tune online, but I would think a tenor banjo would work just as well. Most versions are in G, but I wanted to use the open strings so I do it in D.