Forum Activity for @carolynf

Wallowa Dulcimer Camp

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

😃 I'll try to do so, Dusty!

Wallowa Dulcimer Camp

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I haven’t checked in for awhile, but I wanted to express some gratitude again for someone in this group suggesting Dulcimer Camp in the Wallowas (Oregon) when I asked about west coast camps last year. I had such a great time, and I’m all set to pack up and go again in a few days. Anyone in the group also going to this camp? 

capo to Em

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Thank you!!! I’m glad I asked!

capo to Em

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I'm experimenting with my capo. I'm looking at my chords, and realized, of course, that with no open strings, the chord doesn't change with the capo. I'm not used to playing that much in minor keys (with their chords) but I'm trying to figure a couple out. I have a couple pieces of tab to help me on my way. But I am a little confused. Looking at a piece from Bing Futch, (Star of the County Down) he has 000 as the open strum. Ok, no fretting. But then when the G chord/note is used, it's 333. Counting the capoed fret as zero would make it 222. Is that standard? Once you get up past the capo, to just go back to normal tab notation? The other piece of tab is Sally in the Garden, (arr by Allen Macfarland) who seems to be doing the same thing. 

So is that the way I should expect tab to be? I figure I'll mostly be playing by ear and with a bit of musical notation, but I want to get all my potential tools figured out.

Ways to play in other keys

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I have been trying out Dgd. I watched a couple YouTube videos on approaching it, which were helpful. I think that will really work for what I want to do.

Two obvious reasons why I can't just play a tune out of D, since that's what I'm tuned in. Number one is my fiddle player. If a tune is in G, then, well, it's in G. And some of those awkward tunes that obviously were written in a different key because they are either too high or too low for the middle voice of the instrument. 

This will be really quick to tune to G when needed (my brain won't be so quick, so the first after re-tuning is always a throwaway, easy tune). 

I will try to be content with this new challenge (on top of still being challenged with the standard tuning) for a little while before I start chasing the next tempting thing.

Ways to play in other keys

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Good ideas. I'm less willing to capo because I remove a few inches of dulcimer from the potential. I know when I go to another tuning on my banjo, I really have to pay attention during the first tune because my "muscle memory" has to shift to a different one. I guess that is what will happen when I re-tune the middle string. 

I guess I'll try that, see what happens, and if I'm not ready, then I'll makeshift a capo and see how that feels.

Ways to play in other keys

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I have a dulcimer tuned DAD that I have been learning on. I like to do notes and strumming with a thin pick and using chords. I am especially interested right now in playing some tunes in G. What is the usual way to do that? I know I can pick out the tune, but the drones aren't right then. (don't want to finger chords all the way through!) 

Do people retune the drones for G? Do people just get a second dulcimer, like people have harmonicas in different keys? I know there are some keys one can capo up for, like A, but not ready to do that yet.

updated by @carolynf: 09/05/21 08:42:59PM

The Joy of Sharing Dulcimer

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Add the tuning issue to the cost of purchasing and maintaining multiple dulcimers helps to explain why the recorder is the choice of most schools.  It is much less costly and is ready to play right out of its pouch.

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Ahh, yes. You are right. ( those pesky details)

The Joy of Sharing Dulcimer

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I agree that a dulcimer should replace the recorder as a child's first introduction to music. Anyone at all can have immediate success. Recorders are hard to get to point where the music is pleasing to a kid. The trouble is that recorders (or "songflutes", what my children got) are cheap, and can be kept by the kid. Or, if you go back far enough to the 60's we had "Tonettes" that lived in a cardboard box until passed out for temporary usage. 

I'd recommend one over a ukulele for a kid being introduced to strings/music.