Carson Turner said:
Well most people in the northeast here have never even seen a dulcimer and wouldn't know what is played on it. I'm usually playing OT with my fiddler and sometimes I play banjo or dulcimer. Usually the audience doesn't know any OT or fiddle tunes, which is what we play. Invariably we get requests for bluegrass stuff, Dueling Banjos, Dixie Chicks, pop tunes.....none of which we play at all. We play what we play and are good at, and most of the time people just listen and seem to enjoy that it's 'different' from what they're used to.One tip I *can* give- and that is don't sit and scowl at your fingerboard while playing. Musicians have a tendency to screw their faces into weird expressions while lost in the playing process. Instead, look around and smile at people and look like you are having a good time for goodness sake- it's infectious!One of the reasons I posted this thread is to learn about what's requested though. Different genres get different requests but some are almost 'must know' if you're out there. When we do string-band stuff, we expect at least one request from Oh Brother Where art Thou . Playing an Irish or Celtic style on whistle I always expect to hear requests for Danny Boy, Scotland the Brave, Irish Washerwoman, etc... the tunes people associate with and know. The old-time religion people always seem to wanna hear Old Rugged Cross, I'll Fly Away, and the like. Dixieland: When the Saints... and Just a Closer Walk. Even mimes get requests - "do the thing where you're in a box". So one key to success is finding out what it is people want to hear and playing that.
I was out once with a bluegrass quartet and, being at the beach, someone asked if we knew any beach music. We did Under the Boardwalk and Blue Moon in bluegrass - it was hilarious. You just have to make a list of what people might expect a dulcimer to be playing and be ready to play some. I just don't know what goes on such a list for dulcimer.
LOL!
But say you want to know which ionian tuning she uses, or what key she has chosen?Well if you look closely at the song, on the left top of the song it says "Tune dulcimer..." and underneath that it gives three whole notes indicating the three notes to tune your three strings.The lowest note will be your bass string.Look at this chart:
