AppalAsia - mountain dulcimer, erhu, banjo
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
This is a very wonderful threesom of musicians thanks for pointing this out to us Robin. I really enjoyed hearing them play.
Forum Activity for @lexie-r-oakley
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Terry, thanks! As my fotmd "Tabor Pipe Buddy" I know you understand and know first hand about the wacky learning curve on this crazy instrument duo... 
Your moral support and feedback have helped keep me moving forward on this pipe & tabor project.
My mother hen kicks in: Terry please keep your practice sessions very short - like maybe just 10 minutes for any one practice- I don't want you to aggravate your hand pain!
I couldn't resist and I have a couple of penny whistles coming in a day or two now as well. Guess I'm just nuts but oh well. I have to wait a month anyway before that tabor pipe maker gets back from his trip and then he can make me my second tabor pipe- a wooden one this time in high D probably. Meanwhile I can continue on my plastic G tabor pipe & drum, and see if I can figure out these penny whistles as well. I think the wait will do me good actually- it'll test my commitment.
fun fun fun..... 
updated by @strumelia: 08/19/16 10:00:46PM
AppalAsia - mountain dulcimer, erhu, banjo
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I love a dulcimer (of course), can't play but love a banjo, and I actually dream of an erhu (because of my K-drama love)! ~this is amazing~ Thank you for sharing!!!! Perfection!
updated by @hugssandi: 08/19/16 09:27:53PM
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
OH so much to digest, and this is why I love all of you! ~I will read and reread~ *THANK YOU!*
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Lisa,
I just saw your video, seconds ago. Wow! I am so very proud of you. I know how difficult this is, and I also know you have put some work into this madness.
I've got to get home soon and get busy.
Hooray for Lisa. Hooray, hooray.
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Sandi, as others have pointed out, you are actually asking several different questions here. The answer to all of them, though, is repetition.
If you want to be able to play without staring at the fretboard, you need to play the same dulcimer--or at least one with the same VSL--all the time so that you get used to equating the difference between tones with a distance on the fretboard. I would also suggest sliding more than normal because your ear will cue you when you're approaching the right note. Although I can play my guitar without looking at the fretboard a whole bunch, I find it much harder on the dulcimer, where we jump around on the fretboard so much. HOwever, if you are really at a campfire, the fire will provide plenty of light to see the fretboard.
I have to admit that I am not sure how to tell you to "memorize" tunes. For me personally, by the time I know a song, I know the song, meaning I can play it without tablature. I can't really "play" according to tablature but only use it to learn tunes. I am sure if you went measure-by-measure or phrase-by phrase through a song you could memorize it. But I would suggest changing the way you learn songs so that you can memorize them all (until you get as old as I am and start forgetting songs you used to know).
As Ken says, you have to really "know" a piece of music in order to play it without tab. That means getting it into your head. I heard a story of Linda Brockinton driving from Arkansas to Florida listening to the same rendition of the same song over and over. She had to get the song in her head before she was able to play it on the dulcimer. Once I know what a song sounds like, I think about it's structure. Is it AABB? ABC? or whatever. Then I look for other common patterns. Maybe it is a song generally played AABB with the both parts taking 8 measures. Is each of those 8-measure sequences a single melodic line or actually two (which is often the case). Now I have a song with four distinct phrases, and usually the second part of the A and the second part of the B will be similar, sometimes even identical.
I do all that analysis (which only takes a minute or two once you have th esong in your head) before even playing. But I find it's important to understand the structure of a song so you can remember where you are when you are playing. Once I start learning the song, I will indeed take one phrase at a time or even one measure if it's really hard. And as others have said, repetition is the key. My wife and daughter hate it when I learn a new tune because I play it dozens of times every day for many days in a row. I often play nothing other than a song I am learning until I really have it down and "know" it, by which I mean I can play it with no tablature.
Of course, I sometimes forget tunes later on, but usually all that is needed is for someone to play or hum the beginning and then my memory kicks in. Ken says he writes down the tab for the beginning of each tune for the same reason, I'm sure.
I don't know if any of this is helpful, but I would suggest not playing songs that you can't hum or whistle or sing. Get it into your head first, and watch your fingers on the fetboard while you play. Then your eyes, ears, and fingers are all making connections between the differences in tone between two notes and the distances on the fretboard.
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Memorizing the melody is the easy part. Memorizing timing and lyrics is the extremely hard part for me.
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
The hard part is when you have a song half-memorized. Then you play along from memory until about halfway through and end up frantically looking at the tab trying to figure out where you are. Or, there's a really difficult section that you have practiced repeatedly and have finally gotten down, only to realize that you can never remember what comes next. I've been playing for two years and only have 2 tunes memorized, though, of course, I haven't really put any effort into trying.
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Sandi, I see your question as addressing several issues, as well.
- ...Being able to play without looking at your fretboard is about muscle memory. It takes practice and at first you're missing notes all over the place...then you hit the right note or chord a lot of the time....then most of the time. Start with songs that don't make giant leaps on the fretboard. There's a reason why Boil 'Em Cabbage Down is a beginning tune!
- Memorizing lyrics is really hard for me. I'd have to go over it a gadzillion times, at least.
- With memorizing the tune, I suggest you start with songs you already know and get good at playing those without tab. I'm currently working on a list of tunes that I have in my head, adding more to the list as I think of them. I'm up to about 125...and I only have on it the ones that come readily to mind...I'm not lookin through my books or files. You can always start with songs you've known since childhood (Twinkle twinkle Little Star, Deck the Halls, Happy Birthday, etc.) You may not want to PLAY all these on the dulcimer, but when you make the list, you may surprise yourself at how many tunes are already filed away in your brain!
I bought some mini lights that clip onto your cap or shirt collar.
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Y'all are sooo amazing~thank you for sharing your wisdom with me!!! I will continue on....
Strumelia:
I really think that you will enjoy it! Lots of great info coming up here- thanks everyone!
I did order a couple of pennywhistles, since I'm learning the tabor pipe which seems to have a somewhat similar setup (in some ways). Maybe taking on more than I can manage, but at least I won't go broke doing it. 
I just found this guy called Erik the flute maker . He makes great sounding whistles. But get this - A wooden saxophone!
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
My daughter and I have been to a couple of campfire events. If it's done correctly and you are sitting near the fire (not too close) you should get enough ambient light to see the fret board. If you feel you will not be able to see, Ken's suggestion is a good one. As for me, as Ken said, repetition is the only way I can memorize a song. When I play it so much that I'm just about sick of it then I know I got it memorized. Take a line at a time. When you got that one down go on to the next adding line by line. You will be using muscle and mind memory to know where to place your fingers or noter if you play noter drone.
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Sandi -- go to a bookstore and look at those small LED reading lights which clip onto the book you're reading. Like Lisa I can't play in the dark, and our new Open Mic location is kinda dark already. I'm going to get one of those reading lights and see how it will work.
updated by @ken-hulme: 08/18/16 05:43:54PM
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Ken, you are right. The one song I know well is the Constipated Bible one, but I worked it out myself. The others I am learning are from TAB....
Strumelia, you bring up a good point. I was thinking by campfirelight I'd be able to see my instrument... HHHMMMMMm... I am finding I do better after memorizing lyrics, but I have quite a hefty list I'm working on. That could also be a piece of the puzzle~slow down and work on one at a time???
Favorite picks made from unusual materials
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Noah Aikens:
now I play dulcimer either with a very thin dunlop nylon pick or my fingers. but when I play guitar I like to use dragon heart picks. But they cost 10 dollars and I lose picks alot.
Noah, the thin Dunlops (.38) made a huge difference in my ability to increase my playing speed--necessary for those lickety-split fiddle tunes. The test strips have about the same flexibility, depending on how close to the end you hold it. And I have 2 or 3 newly available ones every day! 
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Sandi, I'm sensing two different issues in your question:
1) the ability to memorize how to play the tune with your fingers, and/or to memorize the lyrics,
and
2) the ability to play the music with your fingers if it's dark and you cannot see the fretboard at all.
I find it impossible to play either dulcimer or banjo in the dark without being able to see my fretboard at all...even if I have the tune memorized. I think if I were playing solely chords on a guitar it might be easier and more automatic, but when playing melody notes that go all over the place it's proven to be more than I can handle when playing in dark campsites. Some folks say you can get good at it by practicing at home with a blindfold etc, but that's something I myself am not going to devote practice time to. This said, you might find you have few problems with playing in the dark, so you might want to experiment a bit with it.
updated by @strumelia: 08/18/16 01:15:21PM
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Words are poetry, mostly. That makes them fairly easy to remember, because verses have internal rhymes. Tunes are built from phrases. Start with one, then add a second... a third, etc.
My major tool is R E P E T I T I O N. I play by ear. So. I listen to a song -- cassette, CD, Youtube, Midi track -- over, and over, and over, and over. After 40 or 50 repetitions I'm pretty much able to whistle or hum the tune, and I whistle/hum along for another 40 or 50 repetitions. Then, when I can sing/hum/whistle the tune without any glitches, I'm ready to sit down with my dulcimer, a pen and some paper, and start writing out the tab for the tune on the melody string. The writing out of the melody tab numbers really fixes the tune in my head. And after I've played the tune a dozen or so times, it's part of the repertoire in my head. I write down the tune name and the tab for the first couple measures on my master list, and it's there.
updated by @ken-hulme: 08/18/16 12:49:19PM
How do YOU memorize music?
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
As I practice for the campfire I find that I am improving, but I would sure like to know many songs by heart. I mean, it might be too dark to see the music! Please share your methods for memorizing music with me. TIA!
updated by @hugssandi: 02/18/20 11:35:24AM
Favorite picks made from unusual materials
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
now I play dulcimer either with a very thin dunlop nylon pick or my fingers. but when I play guitar I like to use dragon heart picks. But they cost 10 dollars and I lose picks alot.
Favorite picks made from unusual materials
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
I still love my Blue Bonnet Butter lids best (actually just posted about it on fb!), but I just heard of someone using bread tabs as picks. I had never thought about that before... And there's already a hole in the middle for a good grip!
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Thanks friends!
The people on this site are so great in encouraging beginners! 
Favorite picks made from unusual materials
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
Hmmm that blood test strip is an interesting idea. I'll have to give one of mine a try. My unusual material is a pick I made several years ago from a slice of "vegetable ivory" (sometimes called Tagua nut) from the Ivory Nut Palm native to the island of Pohnpei in the Federated States of Micronesia. It's a bit smaller in area than a regular pick, and also much stiffer. And, after years of use, has that wonderful "weathered ivory" look.
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Lookin' -- and soundin' -- good Lisa. You'll get that "pat your head and rub your belly" thing down pat any day now!
AppalAsia - mountain dulcimer, erhu, banjo
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
updated by @robin-thompson: 01/26/21 10:31:53AM
Favorite picks made from unusual materials
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
We know about the picks made from butter tub lids, old credit cards, etc., but maybe you have a favorite pick made from something you don't see others using. Share your creativity!
I have two unusual favorites. One (which I've mentioned before) is a pack (block?) of Post-it flags....the older kind, made of paper, gummed together on one side. This works great for when you want to play your dulcimer with your normal intensity, but don't want anyone other than you to hear what you're playing. Just strum as you usually do; very little sound is produced...just enough so you can tell that you're getting the notes right...or not!
The other is a new favorite...a blood glucose test strip (use a new one if you're concerned about the used ones being a biohazard). I use a Freestyle brand monitor and these little plastic strips--smaller and thinner than a collar stay--are the perfect pick for my new Little Mule soprano dulcimer made by Jim Fox.
What have you recycled into your pick pocket?
updated by @jan-potts: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM
Patty from Virginia:
Check out the Possum Café sample. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/johnandkarenkeane John, if you and Karen play dulcimer with a tuba I would love to see that. Yes I would!!!
updated by @john-keane: 08/17/16 09:44:20PM
Strumelia:
Yes...high D. I played a low D that Guy had and loved it, but we went with getting two high D's for what one of the low D's would have cost. They are great whistles. The major scale vs pentatonic minor scale is definitely a big difference between whistle and NAF. Another difference is tone. The Native flute tends to be a much warmer/darker sound and less shrill. Both tones have a place in folk music, but either can be better suited for specific settings. There is also a notion out there that Native flutes cannot play a major scale, but they can if you learn a few fingerings above the standard/basic fingering charts. Hammered dulcimer player supreme Ilace Mears asked me to play a bass NAF on a Celtic tune she was performing at Evart a few weeks ago because she really wanted that dark sound. No one protested so I guess that it went over okay lol. Like so many parts of folk music, there is a place for just about anything. The key (to me) is just to pursue the sound that is rolling around in your head. Karen and I have even used tuba and didgeridoo with mountain dulcimer in the past, so we're pretty open to trying stuff lol.
John, do you mean in high D? (not low D)
John, can you outline the differences between Native American flutes and pennywhistles, assuming two that are in the same or similar key/size ?
Native American Flutes
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Jennifer Brutschy:
Would the Red Tail Hawk be a good choice for an adult beginner with small hands? I'm considering the Sparrow Hawk in A, but haven't decided yet.
I think it would be fine. It's a larger flute, but you should have no problem with it. I'd go on the HS website and listen to the videos of each flute you are considering and pick the voice you like best. They are all beautiful, but you have to decide if you like a higher tone or a mid-tone. Personally, I like the mid-tones the best.
Native American Flutes
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Friends, any discussion about buying/selling and prices etc should be done either via Private Notes or in the For Sale Forum. To send private messages, you'll need to first 'follow' each other by clicking 'follow' on the other person's profile page.
Thanks!
Native American Flutes
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Jennifer Brutschy:
Would the Red Tail Hawk be a good choice for an adult beginner with small hands? I'm considering the Sparrow Hawk in A, but haven't decided yet.
I have a Sparrow Hawk in A that is brand new. I would like to sell. Let me know if you are interested.
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Thanks Lexie! I should have included the description I wrote for the video on Youtube, which has the info about the holes as well as other info:
This is a French 'branle'/dance tune composed by Thoinot Arbeau (real name Jehan Tabourot) in the late 1500s. It's called Branle des Lavandieres, or Washerwoman's Branle. You can easily find sheet music for it online in various keys. Branles (braules, brawls) were simple folk dances each paired with their specific tune. You can see youtube examples of dancers today who still enjoy them. I'm finding traditional old branles to be particularly well suited to beginner tabor pipe, because they tend to have a limited range of notes and thus accessible for a beginner. I also find them to be pretty tunes, from a period in musical history that I enjoy.
At this point I've been learning the pipe and tabor for only about six weeks, so lots of squeaks and notes out of tune- I have no 'technique' at all yet. It's quite a challenge, especially when paired with a drum- feels like a lot going on at the same time. But I wanted to put up a beginner level example of where i am so far. If I get better at it, it'll be fun to look back on this video.
The pipe here is a 17" long Susato brand plastic low G tabor pipe- my first pipe. Like pennywhistles, most tabor pipes are in higher keys and are shorter- the commonest being in high D, just as the most common tin/penny whistle is in high D. The longer the pipe, the further apart the holes are, so it does get a bit harder to make the stretches if you have small hands. There is what's called the 'piper's grip' for low pipes where you alter your hand position to make it easier.
The 'tabor' is a 9" sized two-sided tabor drum easily found online. It's made to be lightweight so as to hang on the arm.
Tabor pipes have only 3 holes- one is a bottom thumb hole, and two others on top. Your ring and pinky fingers are then used simply to hold the bottom of the pipe so as not to drop it. To rise to the next higher notes one after you run out of finger holes (which happens pretty quickly), one uses more air pressure to make the next higher jump for more notes.
The reason for all this is to be able to play a pipe with only one hand, which allows you to also play a drum (a 'tabor') at the same time with your other hand. This pipe and tabor combo was very common in medieval/renaissance times. After almost disappearing altogether, the pipe and tabor has been revived somewhat in modern times by English Morris dancers and musicians.
I suspect if you are familiar with playing the pennywhistle you can pick up the tabor pipe without too much trouble. The tabor pipe being the first woodwind/flute/whistle/pipe instrument I've ever tried, I feel like a real beginner. =8-* But I'm definitely having fun!
Native American Flutes
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
I have the HS Sparrow Hawk in high A and it is easy and nice to play, but it is a little high for my liking.
For my next flute I am considering HS Red Tail Hawk in b. I think either one would work for small hands.
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Very good Lisa you did great! I can't quite tell how many finger holes on the whistle???
Seems that one finger covers a couple holes.
Tabor Pipe and Drum
Adventures with 'other' instruments...
Ok, so today I bowed under pressure and forced myself to record a simple tune I've been working on with my pipe & tabor. I'm not posting it 'officially' or publicly...it makes me cringe...lol. But it should show up here in this thread and be watchable when you click it. If not, let me know.
Squeaks and painful intonation and all... here is Washerwoman's Branle, a dance tune from the 1500s:
updated by @strumelia: 08/17/16 02:57:48PM