Reasons NOT To Get a Chromatic
Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questions
Skip- It's a sobering thing, and ironic given the forum we are on, but part of the reason these things are dying in actual practice is because more and more, young folks are recreating virtually or choosing to spend their time with a mediated reality. In my day, the problem was too much TV. Stay at home and plant yourself on the couch, veg out till bedtime. Today it is even worse. Seemingly infinite options to waste your time on, and all in your pocket. We seem to prefer to watch others achieve and do, rather than do it ourselves.
However, and in light of what I just wrote, ironically, if it weren't for the internet I would never have discovered the MD or heard the wonderful music it is capable of playing. So there is hope for both the MD and other crafts, maybe even new opportunities for exposure and interest. And yes, I would much rather see people playing an extra fretted dulcimer with 6 strings a discontinuous fretboard and a whammy bar (well maybe not a whammy bar) than not playing a dulcimer at all.
updated by @cottage-timbre: 06/28/25 12:28:39PM