Really nice collection of German folk music Peter. Keep up the good work!
How about a tab for Morgen Rot? Then we can add it to the discussion on American Civil War songs. It was sung on the Yankee/Northern side of the ACW, although I understand that it is much older than that (Thirty Years War?).
Thanks, Garey and Robin!
@Garey - I have added a short summary about the meaning of the songs. I want to add the German lyrics, but I'll have to type them first.
Yes, I have seen some tabs where only the melody is in the music notes line. But I also like to have a visible idea of the chords I use, and I think the musical notes help. Best of all is if all know it by heart at the end! 
Some days ago I have uploaded two of the songs at everythingdulcimer.com. But I do not read there very often.
@Robin: Yes, I think some of them can be played noter-drone. Great to know, that some of the old folks are "international". For a long time I thought, the song "Lang, lang ist's her" was a German folk song. When I wanted to tab it, I learned that the composer was British ("Long, long ago")... 
Ah, and Elvis actually learned to know "Muss i denn" when he served for the US Army and was based in Bad Nauheim, Germany for some time...
Hi Peter, I've just been playing through the tunes (in noter drone from DAA following the notation melody). I recognise quite afew of them! I have heard on or two of the tunes over here in the UK as childrens songs and a couple as old music hallsongs (drinking songs!!!). I like the way you have even sneaked some Elvis Presley into the booklet (Muss i denn) It is a great resource - thanks!!!!
Robin
Thank you, Peter. This is very good of you to make available. One of the fellows who plays in our classical guitar ensemble (and is Chemistry Professor here at Fairmont State University) is from Germany. He has shared some folk song arrangements for guitar with us. I think I'll share these with him since I've been trying to get him interested in the dulcimer. LOL
UPDATE: Added three more songs - and reduced size file!
@Carrie: I have profited a lot by all the information given in boards like this one (including Youtube videos and some tabs I found on the internet, especially those of Steve Smith. Although I haven't used tabs very often, I understand that they help a lot especially for learning new songs), so I am glad if anyone is interested and I can give back something to the community.
I hesitated to give them away into the public domain though. I thought about writing a short introduction into playing MD in German, so I decided to "claim" that little retention (hope that's the right word... ) and declared it to be under CC licence 3.0 - just in case I'd possibly need to proof that I arranged and tabbed these sheets some day. You never know nowadays...
Glad you like it, Martha.
I have tabbed some more, so maybe I'll replace the single tab sheets with a collection of about 10 easy arrangements of German folk songs this weekend.
UPDATE: As I am still discovering TablEdit, I modified the file in the following way
- The melody is now shown in the right octave (it was printed out "8va" - an octave higher - before
- All notes above middle C show "stem up" now. So the melody can be seen easier for someone who joins in with a melody instrument. Restriction: TablEdit also shows notes from the middle and bass string stem up when they are higher than middle C.
- Added 2 more songs (see list below)
EDIT: In the last days I have tabbed 10 (UPDATE: 13) easy arrangements of German folk songs for mountain dulcimer in DAD.
I went over the arrangements again and tried to give them a pleasant appearance. If there are any mistakes, please let me know.
At the moment, the collection contains the following songs:
Alles neu macht der Mai
Alle Vgel sind schon da
Am Neckar, am Neckar
An der Saale hellem Strande
Bald gras' ich am Neckar
Der Kuckuck und der Esel
Freut euch des Lebens!
Fuchs, du hast die Gans gestohlen
Horch, was kommt von drauen rein
Lustig ist das Zigeunerleben
Mein Hut, der hat drei Ecken
Muss i denn
Nun ade, du mein lieb Heimatland
Sah ein Knab' ein Rslein stehn
Wem Gott will rechte Gunst erweisen
All songs go back to the 19th century or even earlier, so they are in the public domain. You may use these tabs for non-commercial, personal use, in workshops etc. Please do not upload this file to other platforms without getting in touch with me before. Thank you!
All of them are easy-playing arrangements, with the tune all on the melody strings
Maybe I'll add some files from time to time. If so, I'll replace the existing file with the new one and announce it in this thread.
Have fun!
Tina, if you are in Daaaa tuning, you will be able to play any tab in my noter blog that is labeled as being in ionian mode, just as is . Don't worry about the keys I suggest for the songs, or about 'reverse' tuning- as long as you are in Daaaa you can play all the ionian tabs without making any changes. That will be enough to get you started at least! The only numbers in my tabs are for the melody strings, so you won't have to worry about making chord shapes to play them.
Tina Carlson said:
Thanks for your help! Strumelia.. I've been reading through your blog while waiting for my instrument to be finished. I'm excited to now sit down and PLAY through your blog.
That's lovely Tina - where did you get it from?
1. Your tuning sounds fine - there are hundreds of old folk tunes to learn that will fit that tuning. And I would be inclined to work with it for a while.
2. Pressing lighter comes with practice and experience - and using a good noter grip! I would suggest you use the finger on top grip with the back of your middle finger as a shallow guide against the side of the shallow fretboard. Have a look at this page. http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/oldstyledronenoterplayers/page/holding-and-moving-the-noter-beginner
3. As Strumelia says - place the instrument on a table or on a board on your lap. Does it have little feet under it? Most old scheitholts (and old dulcimers) had feet for playing on a table.
4. For pre-1800 folk tunes you may do best going back to the source of the instrument and searching for old German folk songs. Peter (Goschi) a member here may be able to help http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/profile/Goschi?xg_source=profiles_memberList
Many such instruments were played on a table rather than on the lap- you may find that more stable or more comfortable.
Your instrument almost looks more like an epinette to me than a scheitholt. Tell us the measurement in inches from the nut to the bridge.
It's lovely!
Depends on how long you want to play and how much the audience changes. If you have a steady stream of passersby then I'd say 12 is a good number with which to start. Play them through then when a different group of folks are around, play 'em all again. I'd guess that 12 songs with a little pause or talk in between them would be at least 45 minutes, so if your audience changes that quickly you're good to go!
Play on, Brother!
Strumelia said:
Stephen said:
I recently heard someone bemoaning there just aren't as many non-tablature/by-ear folks as there used to be. They talked about how all the clubs seem to be more standardized and tablature based. I suggested to him there are not only more tablature players than ever, but also more non-tablature/by-ear folks than ever.
Getting back to the main subject of Stephen's original post above --
1) Yes there seem to be more dulcimer players overall than ever before...more players of all kinds.
2) Yes the clubs are more standardized and tablature based. Unless they diversify their approach they will continue to naturally mostly attract those who play from tab. (nothing at all wrong with that, if that's what they like).
3) Yes there are more non-tablature/by-ear/variedtunings/noter/diatonic type folks than ever. They tend to play with other musicians because they play/learn by ear and consequently they can manage to play along in various music jamming situations. Thus they have less interest in attending the dulcimer club scene, and less interest in attending dulcimer festivals that offer 90% of their workshops based on the tab/DAd/chording players. They are more likely to attend music gatherings that feature jams with various instruments, such as general folk or old-time festivals. Mind you, I don't mean to imply that they are more 'advanced' in their playing than the tab players- but rather that they can learn from a wider range of methods and don't have to translate everything into D/tab/chording format in order to learn a tune.
4) Even though there is a higher number of all types of dulcimer players overall than there was 15 years ago, I do also see the proportion changing rapidly . Within that whole, the percentage of diatonic/noter-drone/Galax/traditional/by-ear players is increasing by leaps and bounds, older beginner players too are interested in those areas of playing, and people in general are i think more wanting to play with other musicians and friends, not just in club/tab-book settings of dulcimers only. Ten years ago on EverythingDulcimer forums, I remember it was a rare treat to read posts about diatonic, drone playing, noters, Galax, playing with fiddlers or old-time sessions, etc. DAd chording/flatpicking pretty much ruled the day. Even fingerpicking topics seemed a bit outside the norm, as I recall...lol!
All that has changed now- these traditional playing genres and learning methods are super hot topics for everyone, even older beginners are eager to jump into such areas of play. It's great , now in addition to the most common tab/chord approach, there is much wider diversity of interest, information, and learning! Something for everyone's tastes.
I find this all very interesting, but either I'm kinda odd or something. I can't play a song I don't know. If I want to learn a new song I have to hear it a large number of times. Does that make me a play by ear, NO. Because I also need the notes on paper and the taps. Once I've heard the song enough times, played it enough times, I no longer need anything but my mind, it's all well embedded there. Flat picking, noter-drone, finger picking, cording, none of that matters as long as the song sounds as you, the player would like it sound.
I recommend recording your practice sessions, then listening so you can make adjustments.
Hey thanks guys. Actually, the last 'call to arms' was over a year ago i think, and we might need another reminder soon...
I think Stephen's original post questions are important and fascinating.
No problem, there, Dave. I did and will give again. Just referring to the "Call to Arms" a few months back.
Second those Kudos!
Great post, Lisa. To your point 4, specifically, I am grateful for FOTMD (when is that next pledge drive ?) because it provides a non-club outlet for noter/drone players. 2 years ago, I picked up the MD with a mind toward DAd/chording but quickly abandoned that pursuit to play by ear with a noter and drones (although I do understand TAB and can read crows on a wire to a degree and am trying to understand modes). Not only has the site provided the opportunity to see a number of great "amateurs"--in the classical sense of "one who loves" as in "loves" and is totally dedicated to the instrument--but I have learned and have been inspired by the history of the instrument. To hear folks like John Henry and Robin Clark (is there such a person as a classically amateur professional?) play tunes that we associate with early America when, in fact, they are "transatlantic" tunes hundreds of years old is inspiring, to say the very least. This, I think, is helping to swell the "unreported?" ranks of traditional players. (and so ends my love letter to FOTMD)
Stephen said:
I recently heard someone bemoaning there just aren't as many non-tablature/by-ear folks as there used to be. They talked about how all the clubs seem to be more standardized and tablature based. I suggested to him there are not only more tablature players than ever, but also more non-tablature/by-ear folks than ever.
Getting back to the main subject of Stephen's original post above --
1) Yes there seem to be more dulcimer players overall than ever before...more players of all kinds.
2) Yes the clubs are more standardized and tablature based. Unless they diversify their approach they will continue to naturally mostly attract those who play from tab. (nothing at all wrong with that, if that's what they like).
3) Yes there are more non-tablature/by-ear/variedtunings/noter/diatonic type folks than ever. They tend to play with other musicians because they play/learn by ear and consequently they can manage to play along in various music jamming situations. Thus they have less interest in attending the dulcimer club scene, and less interest in attending dulcimer festivals that offer 90% of their workshops based on the tab/DAd/chording players. They are more likely to attend music gatherings that feature jams with various instruments, such as general folk or old-time festivals. Mind you, I don't mean to imply that they are more 'advanced' in their playing than the tab players- but rather that they can learn from a wider range of methods and don't have to translate everything into D/tab/chording format in order to learn a tune.
4) Even though there is a higher number of all types of dulcimer players overall than there was 15 years ago, I do also see the proportion changing rapidly . Within that whole, the percentage of diatonic/noter-drone/Galax/traditional/by-ear players is increasing by leaps and bounds, older beginner players too are interested in those areas of playing, and people in general are i think more wanting to play with other musicians and friends, not just in club/tab-book settings of dulcimers only. Ten years ago on EverythingDulcimer forums, I remember it was a rare treat to read posts about diatonic, drone playing, noters, Galax, playing with fiddlers or old-time sessions, etc. DAd chording/flatpicking pretty much ruled the day. Even fingerpicking topics seemed a bit outside the norm, as I recall...lol!
All that has changed now- these traditional playing genres and learning methods are super hot topics for everyone, even older beginners are eager to jump into such areas of play. It's great , now in addition to the most common tab/chord approach, there is much wider diversity of interest, information, and learning! Something for everyone's tastes.
James, Memory is a quirky thing. It works in so many different ways.
This morning I started singing "Are you going to "Blank, blank, blank"town.
Tried fitting in London, but not enough syllables, Edinburgh fit but I knew that wasn't right, stuck in Nottingham, Birmingham, etc and so on, but I knew they just weren't right, I finally went on through "Are you going to ?????town, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and it's Scarboroughtown."
I tend to like TAB too because if I can remember the words to a song, generally I can sing the melody. But when my mind decides to forget the words 
, my music goes to "He.l in a handbasket"
James, I too enjoy using tab for various reasons. Tab is the home grown musician's practical way of writing down what they play, and tab notation has been in use for generations and on many instruments. I don't think you need worry one bit about tab becoming extinct.
My only thing is that I hope people do not abandon writing tab. I can do some by ear if I've been playing a song for a long time, but I can not just hear a song, and be able to play it. Everyone has there own method of learning and mine is to learn by tab. If I can commit the song to memory, great, but sometimes that's easier said then done. For whatever it's worth...
I agree about YouTube. Combine YouTube with software like Transcribe! by Seventh String Software where you can change the speed and key of the videos, and there'smore opportunity to learn by ear and eye than ever before in history.
Scott Collier said:
This is a great discussion! I can relate to the Tab vs. playing by ear this way. My Son plays the bass guitar and since he has "grown up" in the digital age, never even thought of taking lessons or buying books. He started watching songs he wanted to learn on Youtube. He was able to quickly learn them. I was amazed at his ability to grasp the concept of a song by just watching someone else play.
This is a great discussion! I can relate to the Tab vs. playing by ear this way. My Son plays the bass guitar and since he has "grown up" in the digital age, never even thought of taking lessons or buying books. He started watching songs he wanted to learn on Youtube. He was able to quickly learn them. I was amazed at his ability to grasp the concept of a song by just watching someone else play.
I come from a background of learning SMN and the sax. But have been out of that for so long I can't read it anymore. Tab helps me learn a new song but one thing tab can't help you with is the pace and timing of a song. If you have never heard a particular song before, tab won't help you with the rhythm.
Following my Son's lead, I have started using Youtube more often and it really helps. I have to agree that tab is good to help beginners learn the notes of a song but teachers should help them steer away from it and listen to the songs they are learning once they get the notes down.
And I agree with Robin. If we post more songs in alternate styles and modes at this level, it will help sway popular trends, eventually, and everyone will benefit.
What I have seen a lot is players who are actually afraid to try to play without the tab in front of them. In some cases it's because they never got the tune in their heads-many never listen to recordings of the songs they are trying to play. Never letting their ears take over guidance of their hands, they are forced to use their eyes instead. Eyes are a very very poor substitute for ears, when playing music. Besides Beethoven, can you name a deaf musician? But there have been scores of blind musicians. Even Beethoven learned with his ears before he went deaf. I suspect he never would have become a musician had he been born deaf. Find a recording of the song you are working on, and listen until you can hum the tune, then work with the tab. It speeds up the process. YouTube is the first place I turn, if I don't have a recording to listen to. The down side of YouTube is I always find several more songs I want to learn. It's a vicious circle, and I'll never get to the end at the rate I'm going, so many songs, so little time.
Another group doesn't realize how much they can do with their ears, and stick to tab/eyes. Fear or failure, lack of self confidence, there are several reasons players fall into this trap, but it can be hard to talk them out of it. I've heard such answers as "Oh, no, not me. I'm tone deaf. But almost every person can recognize a familiar melody after only 5 or 6 notes. Your ears have been in training since your Ma first sang to you as an infant. Start with the tab, or SMN, but eventually set it aside and try without it. Trust your self, and your ears, the worst that can happen is a few wrong notes. That won't last forever. But do use your eyes for using knives, cars, and chainsaws!
From my own experience, I have found that at performance or jam speed, I can't read the tab fast enough to keep up with other players. This is when you or I really need our ears in command.
Paul
I don't know if this fits into this thread, but I have 'music[al] dementia' and need tab to learn/remember more difficult tunes.
An area I feel needing more coverage is playing in support of the lead [as far as I'm concerned, most dulcimer playing/instruction is on the lead part] so I also use tab to learn and pass on harmonizing and multipart tunes, when I can figure out how to do one. Learning the supporting part can be hard due to the fact it/they do not sound like the melody part, but blend with it [rifs, runs ?], it is not playing the melody with a baritone or bass although that can be a part.
Playing by ear is an extension of singing or whistling to me, so depends on having something in my head already.
I've never been convinced by plain fret order without already knowing the tune, or a sound clip to go with it. It's more useful as a 'refresher' or aide memoire
Just as an experiment, see what you can make of this :
345545565543
34543454
345545565543
36543
Apparently a very simple tune that only uses 4 notes(do,re,mi,fa) but if you've never sung it before you may find it hard to know what you're supposed to do with the numbers.
Folks don't sing enough, and that includes me.
john
I sign that, Dusty. Tabs helped me to learn some new (to me) "typical" or "authentic" songs for dulcimer - but on the other hand, I want to get rid of them as soon as possible!
I would like to reiterate a point Robin makes above. Although nowadays, software such as Tabledit allows very elaborate tablature indicating all sorts of nuances of playing, most tab that people have used has been very simple. That simple tab assumes that you already know what the song sounds like. In the case Folkfan raises--3453, 3453, 567, 567--which is Frre Jacques on an A string, one has to know that the 7 note is played for twice as long as the other notes. One also has to know that the accents fall on the first and third beats of the measure rather than the second and fourth. You don't even have to know what a measure is, but to play that song based on that tab, you have to know what it is supposed to sound like.
The point is that even if you think you are playing by tab rather than by ear, you are relying on your ear a lot.
My second point is that we all learn differently. It may be, as Folkfan says, that "With the use of tab . . . a person can quickly join in and get a sense of satisfaction from being able to play." But not all people can do that. I cannot look at tablature and play a song. I can replicate the notes on the page, but I cannot get it to sound like a song unless I have an idea of what the song sounds like. However, if someone plays a simple song slowly in front of me, I will be able to pick it up by the third verse or so. Let's not generalize about how easy it is to play from tab. Some of us cannot do it at all.
But the really odd (to an outsider) use of tablature in the dulcimer community is not for learning songs; it is the utter reliance on tablature in order to play at all. Once you have learned a song, you should be able to dispense with the tab. Maybe you need a quick glance to refresh your memory, but I have to believe that you are stifling your own musical expression if your attention is focused on the tablature in front of you rather than on the instrument on your lap. When you play you have to feel the music enough to know when you might play some notes staccato or linger on a whole note a bit longer or play the chorus with some extra drama. I'm not talking about improvisation here, but merely the small nuances of playing that give any song its character. I assume no one wants to sound like those midi files when they play a song. You need to free yourself from tab in order to put your own unique touch into a song.
It may be, as Robin suggests, that we need to do a better job teaching people how to play by muscle memory. Part of that is learning about how songs are put together. It is a lot easier to learn a song if you pay attention to the fact that there are four melody lines of four measures each, that the second and fourth are identical, and that the first and third only vary in two measures, and so forth. Learning to see that kind of structure when you first listen to a song or look at tablature is the first step in knowing a song without the tab. Most of the music we play is pretty formulaic, and understanding some of those formulas (formulae?) can help in the process of freeing oneself from an over-reliance on tab.
With the use of tab, however, a person can quickly join in and get a sense of satisfaction from being able to play along, or play alone. I remember the feeling of happiness I had when I heard the dulcimer being played, and I was the one playing it. So what if it was only 3453, 3453, 567, 567, with an out only strum, I was playing.
I have used that simplenumber sequence TAB myself with complete music/instrument novices, and it is great It is a useful shorthand where the player already has in their head, or is taught, how the tune sounds -astheTABlacks information like the tunesspeed rhythm and phrasing. I would say Folkfan thatyour simplenumber is style of TAB is closer to learning by ear than you may think - it relies on a lot of internal asistance from the tune in your head. It is great to help move the tune from your head to the dulcimers as it give the mechanics for achieving that process. But it can become like having stabalisers on your bike, at some stage I would hope that my strudents would take the stabalisers off for that tune and play it without the TAB in front of them.
Chord melody playing looks incredibly complex on the staff - and I doubt there are any players who just use SMN for playing chord melody style - unless they are using one of those busking guitar books of popular songs that gives the chords above a melody line and they are working out their own arrangements (half by ear and half by SMN).
However, if I'm teaching a slightly more advanced noter/drone player I would encourage them to learn SMN for a number of reasons. Such as the fact that there is so much Appalachian and world folk music, hymns etc avaialble in single melody line SMN for other instruments. And SMN contains all the information required to play a newtune you don't know (notes, timing, rhythm, phrasing). However, I would still expect students to quickly reach the stage where the SMN is put away and the tune is played without prompt. That's not to say that anyone will remember the tune for ever. But a quick read of the SMN at any time, with or without your dulcimer, will bring the tune back. I have reinforced my learning of many a tune by following the SMN when sitting in bed in the morning with a cup of tea And, unlike TAB, SMN is a thing of beauty. It bypasses language by using a pattern to depict the tune, whilst also providing the detailed machanics of a tune (key, note name, note duration etc) when those are required. With practice, reading SMN can become like hearing the tune being played, and so SMN can reinforce learning to play by ear.
And here is where things get blurred - there is no strict line between learning to play by ear and learning to play from TAB. The problem with TAB is folks not being taught how to 'learn'a tune fully and so they become TAB-bound (or SMN bound). I think a great workshop for a dulcimer festival would be one on the skills and techniques that experienced players use to move a tune from the page to muscle memory. I'm sure that there are a lot of players who would like to be able to put their TAB away but find they can't take the stabalisers off their bike 
There are skills and techniques that can be taught that will enable that jump to be made.
Babs, I think you've come up with some good points about why there are so many dulcimer players rely on TAB rather than playing by ear. For a number of us, traditional music wasn't a part of our lives growing up, in the sense of live musicians playing real instruments in a local or neighborhood setting.
Until I was an adult and could buy concert tickets, I'd only heard the church organ or the high school band play real instruments except for brief violin and piano lessons in grade school. Having a 30 to 45 minute lesson a week and then going home and practicing alone as no one I knew really played an instrument is not a way to learn to play by ear.
In college, I had to take a music theory class so that as a primary school teacher, I could teach music if required to. The class took basic piano lessons for 1 semester included in this class. And it didn't surprise the instructor that many of us had little to no background in music other than a few childhood piano lessons and listening to music on the radio, TV, or phonographs. Again that's not a way to learn to play by ear.
With the use of tab, however, a person can quickly join in and get a sense of satisfaction from being able to play along, or play alone. I remember the feeling of happiness I had when I heard the dulcimer being played, and I was the one playing it. So what if it was only 3453, 3453, 567, 567, with an out only strum, I was playing.
Babs Greene said:
I really have no clue what a West Coast Style player is etc; I just wanted to comment on the non-tab and by-ear players, if there is a dwindling of people that play by-ear and use tab, it may well be, in part, because music is not being passed on as traditionally as it once was, in addition to people from all over the world learning to play the dulcimer who are unable to attend either workshops or be part of the communities that are rich in the traditional intergenerational transmission of their musical history and roots.
New players that live a distance away from the centre of the dulcimer world who are neither able to discern by ear nor able to play along with others must resort to other means in order to learn to play; if they were left floundering and not really getting anywhere, after months of play, they'd probably just give up completely, since there's nothing more satisfying than being able to play a piece of music even though they may feel they have no musical skill at all.
I recall, being able to play straight from tab, as soon as I got my dulcimer, and it felt great, had I needed to restrict myself to either by-ear or by SMN, I wouldn't have stood a chance, at least for a number of months.
Dulcimerville seems to have a new way of presenting a class this year. One of the 13-14 hour classes is going to have a CD sent out before with the tunes that will be taught so the students can have a chance to hear them before coming. It's going to be a "playing by ear" class as I understand. So I guess they won't be handing out tab.
Dusty, A hearty AMEN to your thoughts on tab. I have always hated tab for the guitar, and, though I use it some on the dulcimer, if I can't get it just right by ear I'd rather have the music. Back in the "day" most blues/folk guitar books were only in tab. I bought them, but it took me much longer to figure out the tunes if the book didn't have the SMN as well.
John and Mandy, I also agree about getting out of the "comfort zone." However, I prefer workshops that focus on technique or musicality (for of a better term.) I take a lot of beginner's workshops to try to see if I can polish up the basics of different techniques, and to see how others teach. I can learn "Haste to the Wedding" by listening or looking at the music. Now, if someone wants to teach "different" harmonic voicings and are using "Haste to the Wedding" as the basis, then I'll be there! Though I'm mainly a fingerpicker, I've taken flatpicking workshops because I figured I could learn something. I hadn't played much with a noter even tho' I've had one for a long time. So when a noter workshop was scheduled at Ft New Salem, I was right there.
Dusty, I also agree with you about the number of workshops at festivals. I would rather see half as many workshops but 2 hours long, even if I would only care to take 1 or 2. I took all the Mt Dulcimer workshops at the Spring Fling in Lancaster, Ohio, last year. All I can tell you now it that Doug Berch has an amazing left hand, and Butch Ross barely got into the subject of his 2nd workshop. Somewhere around here I have the tab from it.
Well enough rambling. Let's get to playing!
Dusty...me too. I have no earthly idea how I can decide what I like or dislike personally without trying new things. We (as dulcimer enthusiasts) can become our own worst enemy by type-casting ourselves into a specific genre. It can then lead to extremely poor public relations for the instrument if we criticize and ostracize those who don't "do it and play it as we do" so to speak. The key is having the desire to grow. I have personally attended workshops where I was taught how to play tunes that I have no desire to play. The part that escapes some people is that we can take the PROCESS used in learning those tunes and apply it in our own homes, learning tunes that we actually DO want to play. It has just become too easy to gripe and complain about things outside of our comfort zones rather than testing new waters. I think it is rooted in a "I might make some mistakes if I get outside of my comfort zone" mentality, but I don't know how to get better without a few brain cramps along the way...I call it growth. I have never attended a workshop where I didn't learn anything (even if it's what NOT to do), but the BIG picture that is so often missed is what we can learn at a workshop OUTSIDE of the classroom! If we get that many dulcimer players together in one place, we can find folks who can show us how to do things that we find helpful, AND we are bound to run into folks who like to play the same style/genre/song that we do. There are fantastic learning opportunities that we cannot take advantage of if we don't attend the event. As I approach my third anniversary of playing this wonderful instrument, I hope to have three years of experience rather than the same experience three times.
Dusty Turtle said:
What I find bothersome is the refusal of some dulcimer players to attend a workshop that does not address the specific style of play they prefer.
I agree with what has been said so far in this thread.
What I would add, however, is that the big issue as I see it from over here the other side of the Atlantic is not the fact that the focus of 95% of teaching materials and workshops since 1980 has been DAd chord melody, the issue goes deeper than that. Firstly, and most importantly, we simply need more music recorded in alternative styles.
The instrument's life is about the music it creates. There are hundreds of CDs of dulcimer music based out of DAd chord melody playing, there are hundreds of YouTube clips of players using DAd, competition winners use DAd, workshop concert artists use DAd. If we want another genera to grow then it has to be the music of that genera that speaks to folks - the music itself must lead the way.
This is going to sound a little harsh but it is a metaphor to make a point. To me the dulcimer establishment has become a little like the Australian Dancing Federation from Strictly Ballroom - 'There are NO NEW STEPS' as Barry Fife would say. This has not been a conscious move but a natural slide from the organic to the orderly . The way to break that cycle is for those of us interested in playing other styles to study hard, perform, record and make avaialable our music at the grass roots level. This process has started, and is most visible here on FOTMD with many players contributing to the growth of alternative styles. And it is this process, our music, that has put alternative styles on the radar of our 'Australian Dancing Federation' (Luckily our dulcimer pro players have far more emotional inteligence than Barry Fife ).
We just need to continue playing and posting our music at the grass roots and the workshops and teaching material will grow out of that interest. It looks like Stephen is already on the case!!!!
