Forum Activity for @anne-bowman

I wish you were here, DownUnder. That's exactly what we need to grow the community here.. It's so generous of you.

Thanks for the info. Dusty. I'll check it out. What generally interferes is Time Zone and US vs AUS dollar.. I still drag out stuff printed out from Aaron's Patreon site .. I wish he was still doing dulcimer stuff, but, I guess nursing and a baby stretch one far enough.. 

Cheers,

Anne 

 instrument Makers pavilion 2 2026 .jpeg - 74KB

Well, I worked on playing as ambient music...I haven't busked for a while, but  about 2 months ago I was busking at Aldi, and someone asked for my card. They asked if I'd be interested in playing for a Christmas gathering that they would be hosting. I confessed my lack of Christmas repertoire, and that I'd not done such thing before,but they said a couple of Chrissy pieces and just whatever else would be fine, and that they'd be in touch. Having heard this before, and not receiving any messages up until the weekend before Christmas, I was surprised to hear from them on the Saturday, apologising for the short notice, but saying they'd lost my card and only just found it, and wanting me for Monday night. Well, I went along, was made very welcome, had a lovely time and got paid as well. I guess busking can have extra benefits. Here's the lovely tree I was stationed beside.. I hope everyone had a lovely end of 2025 and happy, auspicious start to 2025.

 Christmas tree.jpg - 285KB

Very true, Dusty. I hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year.

So nice to see this, from you Dusty. I've been wondering how you are, as the last time we had any contact was on Aaron's last Patreon workshop. I've kept up the alternating bass we were working on then, but am now working on ways to improvise, as well as make up something new that's interesting, so am trying to learn more chord theory progression stuff.

Hey    @Maddie-Myers ! , Like Dusty, I've been after that book for ages too!. I did Renaissance and Baroque dance for 20 years, and love Early Music. I've been trawling around searching for it..I wish I'd thought to ask here ..and there's been a copy here in Oz all the time ..

Lucky you Dusty ...

I'm reading 'Depression Fallout'  and 'Bloody Mary' - about Henry VIII's eldest daughter.

I'm so sad to hear that Oliver is gone. I chatted to him quite a few times on the chatroom when our times lined up across the globe and he was always so nice. I'll miss seeing his name come up, and wish I could have met him in person. My thoughts and sympathy go to his family and friends.

It's incurable ... the only thing that stops me is no money and kids.... 

This was from a page about reach in piano playing ( http://www.pianoworld.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1900021.html) , but, just substitute 'dulcimer' for 'piano' and 'keyboard' and I think, it could apply here too - as an approach to the whole thing ... although, as Lisa says, you need to factor in arching the fingers...

Start with the shoulders and make sure they are tension free, then the elbows, relax on down the arms, limp wrist will drop down from the end of your arm, fingers will spread loosely to create a natural curve. It's a feeling like you have no bones!  

Then whatever music you are playing lift your forearms up without lifting your shoulders, drop onto the keyboard and start the music playing.

Check several times during your practice to see if your shoulders are up around your ears. You will notice a lot about yourself if you make yourself the subject to notice instead of the focus on the music. Play something you know to check this out. Start and stop without producing tension - What did you catch yourself doing?

And, I wouldn't force any additional movement into the webs of the fingers except to maybe gently place the opposite hand between each of the four webs per hand and moving gently to the bottom of the web and "rocking" between the expanded web minimally. 

Then I think splaying the webs apart without forcing by sitting on the bench at the piano with your hands parallel to your knees in curved hand position no tension. Again, just a bit of slow opening of the webs 3 - 5 times all at once without splaying the finger tips . You will feel the reaction in your fore arms and I think it causes a very unpleasant feeling on the outside of the forearm. This is just to make the webs flexible should you need expansion between fingers for wider intervals. Don't be excessive in any movement. 



Comforting hands by a little massage after a workout is easier to do with a little lotion. I sometimes say aloud "Good hands, nice hands" when I'm amazed at what they were able to do.

Thanks everyone ... Quite a lot I've never heard of... Listening research to do!

Stephen Seifert's book 'The Early Years' has it, and heaps of other good stuff, as well as a CD to go with it, or you can download... http://www.stephenseifert.com/download-store/the-early-years

Hey Guys, Have you posted a version of you playing "Going Fishin'.. or "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing"?

Thanks Guys... Now, just for the tabs ....

Pieces like 'Turkey in the Straw', 'Hangman's Reel' and 'John Stinson's no.2', are such fun to play, and not too hard, (at a basic level). I was wondering what else, in this vein, people particularly like. They don't get a lot of exposure 'down' here in Oz ...

Thanks Rob. You're a scholar and a gentleman ... as they say..

Thanks everyone. Knew you'd come through. Hey Guy, working out Bonnie Sweet Robin from watching your video, so thanks for that. It's working for DAD, but what tuning were you in? I've had no luck finding a copy of Randy's book...

Seeing I've recruited a player with whom there exists a possibility of playing dulcimer TOGETHER!!!!

I'm looking for recommendations for tabs for dulcimer duets. We have Dona Nobis Pacem to start with, but all suggestions gratefully received... please...

I'd like to hear some opinions, as well...

Hmmm, the Snowball looks good too..... food for thought ...Thanks again, You're always very helpful...

Thanks for that info. i'll have a look....You are such a helpful lot...

Ant advice on a reasonably priced microphone that I can use with my Apple Mac to record nicely? The inbuilt is particularly good at removing the sounds of any sustain, and making things sound harsh...  Don't think it's all due to my playing...

Thanks for that John.

Yes, I've heard Santiano on Youtube. It's so rollicking .... I'm not sure if it was a version by Tri Yann, a group I like very much. I found them at the same time as I discovered Malicorne..., as well as the talented Denez Prigent. Such a wealth of music that we miss out on if we stick solely to English language songs....

Any dulcimer tabs/music for Santiano? ...

Marc.mathieu, connaissez-vous cette chanson ?

Look forward to seeing it...

Je suis d'accord ..    .. I discovered Malicorne when I went looking for a French equivalent to 'Steeleye Span' , as a result of being part of a French conversation group ...... I also discovered Alain Stivell,Tri Yann and Angelo Branduardi at the same time. I figured a folk revival fuel for folk rock in England must have crossed the Channel in some form..

So, anything happening on the Aussie front? Anyone going to the next folk festival in Canberra? A friend of mine tells me you have to get in really early ...but $230.00 for an 'early bird' ticket seems a bit steep...

Anyone know anything aboutMorgan McKay Dulcimers?

A friend has lent me one she has never played ( an unwanted gift from years ago) with a view to possibly purchasing it. It's signed inside and dated Nov. 1977. Don't know what it'd be worth either...

Anne

Thanks heaps!!!!!

Strumelia said:

Hi all,

You know, I hadn't been aware of this thread until just now, and I did not realize that we have over 50 members on FOTMD from Australia- but I saw that after reading this thread just now and doing an 'advanced' search by country as Mark suggested above. I now see that there are many more Aussie members than I thought, and that you are indeed having a hard time connecting effectively.

Anne did ask me yesterday about having a new Aussie group, and I decided against it, since I am very reluctant to add more new Groups over time.

But you know what? I now think that wasn't the best decision and I can see a real need for this here. I'm changing my mind.

Let me go ahead now and create the new Australia Group for you all, and you can all join up there and dive in.

I asked Strumella about an Aussie interest group, but, as there are over 60 other interest groups already, she suggested we just keep it at the forum/discussion level for now. I guess if enough people post often enough we may be able to think abut a group...

Hi Julian,

There seem to be a few of us don't there. Thanks for the email address, but I do think it would be good if we could have an Aussie players group on FOTMD so we could chat in the same time zone .... Do you know of Richard Troughear's dulcimers? I'll be seeing him on Friday, as he's visiting someone here in the Blue Mountains, and he'll have some instruments with him ... Looking forward to seeing him..

Mark Brothers said:

To get all the Australian members you have to use the advanced search and select Australia from the drop down list under the heading country. As you observed doing it any other way gives quite variable results.

A group is the way to go if possible.

Well, that way of doing the search worked, so thanks Mark....only still no Richard. I think a group would be nice too.

Ken Hulme said:

Mark - as Lexie pointed out in her response above, go to the Members section on the blue line at the top of the page. Then enter Australia in the Search box.

I know of at least one other Aussie here -- Richard Troughear, who mostly posts on Everything Dulcimers, and who has become moderately famous for his scientific experimental approach to dulcimer building.

There was also a man a couple years back, whom we helped talk through his first dulcimer build. If memory serves he is/was from Tasmania.

And don't forget Helen Seiler from Creswick, Victoria who posts here very frequently.

Hi Ken,

Helen welcomed me when I first joined, but it's interesting that her name doesn't appear when I type Australia in the members' Search box , or even a Victoria entry in the members' Advanced Search box. I also typed in Richard Troughear and got " Sorry, no members matching your search were found" ..

If I type in Australia, only 6 names appear, typing in Queensland gives me 8,Victoria gives me 12, NSW gives me 9 - hence my initial question. I do think an Aussie Group would be nice ...

Well, I was wondering about that, which is why I started this discussion.

Have you had a look at dulcimerschool.com, with Stephen Seifert? I enrolled, and it has quite a lot of good stuff. I'm also looking at dulcimercrossing.com, although I haven't enrolled in that one...

Anne

Hey Peter,

Thanks for replying. Where are you?

Anne

Hay LLexie,

Well, there are quite a few other Aussies, but we're quite a distance from one another ...

Hi all,

I was just wondering how many other Aussies there are in FOTMD ....

Cheers,

Anne