Well, not to belabor a point, my whole post was to help us as a group, to remember and not forget Strumelia’s blog from 10 years ago. On a personal level, what she wrote meant so much to me. And I’m sure to others. I’ll leave it at that.

Cheers to you Lisa.

@terry-wilson I'm close to absent from the singing bunch.  Maybe 3 times I've sallied forth. . . 

There are folks here who have sung a lot on recordings and have done it well!  

I agree, Robin. And you are one of them. I have enjoyed your videos for many years. And am sure others would say the same.

We've had lots of mountain dulcimer players & singers here at FOTMD on video and audio through the years-- we're most fortunate that way!  

updated by @robin-thompson: 04/09/20 03:08:07PM

From the looks of your instruments snd photos, Irene, you don’t need much encouragement. That’s a beautiful dulcimer you are holding.

You and your hubby appear to be a perfect match. Congratulations & Cheers.

Earl and I have a lot in common. (Cartoon “Pickles”)

While fishing yesterday, I also did another stupid, but I won’t even go there. However, it was understandably stupid. Today has been better. So far so good. Only 5 hrs til bed time. Might turn in early just to be sure.

Lisa, I explicitly remember about 8 yrs ago, sitting on my stool, on my porch, watching you teach us how to play “Go Tell Aunt Rhodie.” I hollered to my wife, “Gail! Gail! Come out here and listen to me play. I can do it!” She actually remembers this moment too.

Rudimentary, yes. But an amazing moment.
My career spanned approximately just a few days.

😊 Thank you.

 

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

this site puts life into perspective and brings a great laugh....thanks Terry....not tupid......just engaged in listening.  hummmmmmmm, gotta look up that song Antioch Church Choir.

aloha, irene

All this discussion reminds me of a dear sweet older gentleman who attended my church for many years.  He did not have a singing voice at all, but he sang right out with every hymn we sang.  It's called making a joyful NOISE unto the Lord!  I so admired his efforts and his heart.  His wife sang very sweetly.

There's a a song sung by the Dixie Melody Boys called "Antioch Church Choir".  About Uncle Jesse who "couldn't sing a lick, don'tcha know".  The song pretty much says it all.

Interesting thoughts here. I participate in a couple of musical groups; one does a lot of singing, the other (predominantly mountain dulcimers) does not.   
Learning to play is a challenge. Learning to sing while doing that is another challenge. 

One of my problems is that I tend to ... well, sing off-key. Play in one key and then start out with a much higher key in my singing. Nerves? I'm not sure why. Nerves may be one reason.

 

Three singers come to mind, whose voices are questionable, but have made millions.

Bob Dylan; Neil Young; and Tom Waits. Gotta love all three. I bet when their careers first began, neither would have passed mustard on America’s Got Talent.

I’ve just recently got acquainted with Tom Waits. His voice makes no sense at all. My wife would cringe, same as with Mr. Young. But now, as we shelter in place, all three have helped us to pass the time away with easy listening.

If you have ever considered yourself stupid, take heart, I am the stupidest.

Yesterday, while “cutting grass “ on my riding mower, I was wearing my ear buds listening to Neil Young. I kept noticing that the mower wasn’t cutting very well, figured it needed a new blade. Then it got worse. Then I realized that I had “cut” 3/4 of my back yard without engaging the blade. Talk about feeling stupid. The blame lies with Me Young.

When I sing, I make Bob Dylan sound good! Too many years of smoking and drinking have done their damage (children, take note!). Quit smoking about 35 years ago, quit drinking about 6 years ago...just before it became a problem. Haven't quit singing, though.

I'm smiling reading all that is said here.  What a joy to read after reading for days about this CD-19.  I love this site, oooooooooooops, I've said that before.   Singing.  My mother would carry her Martin ukulele in the car, even with it's original case and we as a family would sing together many miles on the road.   My parents had wonderful voices and I learned a lot of old songs and my brother as well.  We get together and SING....and when looking for a man to marry, I had on the top of my list, "he has to carry a tune".....yep.   Married 55 years and 14 children.  All sing and play instruments.  We've loved singing as a family and with others and with our instruments.  Lisa, loved the story of the banjo boy.....

When I've had others come to my house and we have "learning sessions" on the dulcimer....I've had several great singers and others that were just finding their voices.   One used to sing in the Tabernacle Choir and we were in AWE when she'd sing with the dulcimer.   Other women that I've known that have sung in the Tab. Choir have said that a "woman's voice is not developed fully until after the age of 40."  So that should be encouraging to folks that start later on in life.  

When you sing, you develop better breathing, better posture, your body has harmony within.   It need not be perfect, just SING.   Find words to songs you want to learn, write 'em down and put them at the sink where you do dishes.  I have many stories about learning to sing....aloha, irene

And I love you too, Lisa. If it wasn’t for this forum, things could have turned out much different for me and my journey. The folks here have been just so encouraging.

Getting back to your blog. When I first started playing dulcimer, I attended 3 dulcimer jams in a city 100 mi away. About 25 people. They played as fast as they could and all in the key of D. I knew I loved the dulcimer, but not jams. Heck, I needed them to slow down, and play in C or Bb. I wanted to sing.

So, what you wrote of rang so true.

We all love you Terry, we think you're perfect just as you are!

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

I think singing is like this: Great voice, poor voice,
good voice, mediocre voice, etc. Doesn’t matter. Confidence in your own voice will get you through.

Well, confidence, practice, and picking the right songs.

I love playing and singing “Stand by Me.” But it stays in my man cave and on my porch. Nadda my song. About 3 years ago I attempted to perform it at a Valentines banquet at a church. 75 people there.
I quit in the middle of the song, laughed at myself hilariously, they laughed at me, did a little comedy routine, degrading myself, and it was a hoot. Big applause. That was a big lesson. Don’t experiment with a song in front of people. Love the song, just not my song.

I hope that all makes sense.

“Heck, I’ve always been short and ugly. Born short. Mama told the doctor someone switched babies.
I got into freak shows for free. At 13, I was so short I broke my leg getting off the toilet. You could see my legs on my driver’s license.”

See.

Thank you, @terry-wilson , for bringing this up & thank you for tracking this down from back ten years ago, @strumelia .  It's still true. 

I remember a great bit from a storyteller, Barbara McBride-Smith , who has so many wonderful stories, but what stays with me, especially when I hear "Just As I Am" & "Washed in the Blood of the Lamb."  Seems her mother's singing would change the songs so that it's "Just as I am without one flea" and the other would be "Washed in the blood of the lam p ."  Barbara finally asked her about it & it was humility on her mom's part as she had plenty of "pleas" & similarly didn't feel ready to claim the Lamb. 

That's a greatly compressed version of the story.  If you ever get a chance to hear her, it's definitely worthwhile.

Though I don't sing much, I've decided I don't want my lack in abilities to stop me if I really want to go ahead.  It is not easy.  I sang a lot when I was young.  My brother's wife was the person who, after coming into the family, became "the singer"; people wanted her to sing at their weddings, funerals, and other occasions.  I let that quiet me a bit.  After I married, my husband's sister was who had always been considered "the singer" in his family.  I let that quiet me, too.  

It is my doing that I didn't sing much for a lot of years.  I compared my singing to theirs and that was a mistake.  I hope to sing more now and in future!  And know that to become good at anything takes practice.  

I think anybody who has a song in their heart would do well to go ahead and sing it! :)  

updated by @robin-thompson: 04/07/20 05:54:27PM

I've always liked to sing (not exceptionally well but I enjoy it) in choirs and congregations. When I started playing dulcimer, early on I realized I wasn't a prodigy, So I had my buddy build me a big loud dulcimer that matched my big loud voice and then with lots of practice I taught myself to sing to the accompaniment. I think because I'm self taught I may have discounted "music police" and critics too much especially when they are probably trying to help (anyone who tries to help must have a good heart) . I know absolutely nothing about music theory.

I've become somewhat long winded here, but my point is, if you want to sing to your dulcimer music, all it takes is some practice. Don't worry about the critics, if you're posting here or on face book , the critics aren't paying to listen to you anyway.

It is great right now in this time of "self isolation" to be able to talk, I hope you folks are staying safe and healthy!

You are welcome, Lisa. I actually learned to play Aunt Rhodie by watching you, 8 years ago.

“Music Police.” That topic really hit home with me. When I first took up ukulele, I started a uke club. We had 5 members, all beginners except one. The music police, a story:

During our 5th meeting, she bluntly said to me: “With your sense of Rhythm and timing, you will never be able to play very well with others. Alone, perhaps, but you won’t sound right with others.”

It hurt me so bad. I quit the club and the club never had another meeting. Fast forward 6 years later. Out of the 5, I’m the only one who actively plays anymore. A year or so later, the “Music Policewoman “ called me to see if I needed help playing at an assisted living home. She had heard from another member that I had begun playing there. I said, I’m so many words, “Thanks but no thanks, I prefer to play alone.”

Now I think she actually did me a favor. Her hurtful words, in front of the others, motivated me to become a better musician.

Great discussion there, Lisa.

 I still visit her blog posts often over the years. They are very informative and are really helped. Its a fun blog with all the quaint pictures that go along with each song. Great teaching on how easy and quick it is to retune so you can sing and play. Love the tabs she created for each song. A vey good pace to find  some old favorites for noter drone.  

Terry thank you for your kind words!    I did enjoy writing those blog posts.

For the benefit of those wondering, here are links to the two posts on my dulcimer Blog that Terry mentioned:

https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-ever-happened-to-singing.html

https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-have-no-musical-talent-at-all.html

--
Site Owner

Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990

“Whatever happened to singing? “

”I have no musical talent at all.”

Lisa, while surfing, I accidentally discovered these two blogs you wrote about 10 years ago.  That’s about when I got started learning to play.  

Finding this brought huge smiles to my face.  Everything you wrote is just so very true.  And. Loved the comments that others wrote.  

The truth is, I don’t even know how I stumbled across this treasure.

Thanks for making my day, once again.

Terry