I'd be happy to give that song a try, but I do not know the tune. Can you help me out?

Nancy, Your group should tryABBA, Father the song rocks back and forth from D to G. A beautiful song at a slower pace.

Happily, most players of those instruments do eventually learn to incorporate melody lines, to one extent or another.

Ken Hulme said:

One of the things I personally never cared for with guitar (or banjo, mandolin etc) was the fact that every player I knew only knew three chords (as it were) and could not play melodies.

Practically every dulcimer player that I know (who sings while playing "chord/melody" style) plays accompaniment chords without playing the actual melody when they are singing the melody during a song. I've heard some play and sing the melody together (even harmonies between the two), but not many, and certainly not most by any means. Melodic lines for intros and breaks? Sure...all the time. Purely instrumental tunes would be a different matter, where the chords and melody would be played simultaneously.

Ken Hulme said:

Well Dusty, I started my music 18 years ago, as an adult that has some piano but couldn't sing a note in tune. No tunes running thru my head; so I feel like a beginner with music and ear training. I've just recently been able to hear chord changes and am still challenged with which one is being played or what tuning an instrument is in. So I'm working on what the best way is to improve this process of leaning music and playing without music. I can now sing a tune, but only if I play the melody notes. I do understand chords and can follow tab as well as play in front of others, when I have my music. Now I want that transition to just doing it from the heart...that is the reason for the simple tunes. I discovered when I started with Twinkle, Twinkle I'm able to get the music without the paper, but I can't play it in a different key yet without a lot of practice! That is also one of my next goals!

Thanks for the info and suggestions.

Nancy

Dusty Turtle said:

I think Dusty's right about not getting stuck on one or two or three chord songs. Fact of the matter is that most dulcimer players do not play 'accompaniment style' that way. They play Chord-Melody style - one chord for each note of the melody - and sing along with that.

One of the things I personally never cared for with guitar (or banjo, mandolin etc) was the fact that every player I knew only knew three chords (as it were) and could not play melodies. I came to instrumental music from singing, and wanted to play melodies, not 'hints of the melody'.

Loud applause here, for your desire to get students away from paper as soon a possible!

Nancy, I mention "Jambalaya" above because it is a really fun song and doesn't sound like something simple or child-like.

I think minimizing the chord changes is a good way to introduce the notion of chord progressions and chording in general. You are on the right track. When I was a wee one my mother taught me to play the ukulele by showing me two one-finger chords. She sang and pointed to me when I was supposed to switch from one to the other. That exercise helped me to hear when the chord change was happening.

So I encourage you to go forth and teach a couple of two-chord songs. But I don't think you should overdo it, meaning you don't need more than three or four. Once people "get" the idea of chord changes you can move very quickly to three-chord songs, and there are a lot of those. AsButch Ross said, if you like the first folk song you learn, you'll like the other one, too. His point is simply that all the songs we play are basically the same.

The reason Bile Dem Cabbage Down is so useful as a first song for chord/melody play is that is that it involves the three main chords that lay at the center of all the music we play. Additionally, all chords can be played with one or two fingers, and in fact the melody itself is really nothing but a few chord changes. So whenever the melody note is found on the 2nd fret of the melody string, you play a D, when the melody moves to the 3rd fret you play a G, and when it moves to the 1st fret you play an A. And fancier versions of the song are basically compilations of littlelicks to move from one chord to another, meaning they are usable in all the other songs we play, too.

I guess my point is that while it makes sense to begin with two-chord songs, you shouldn't fear moving to three-chord songs very quickly.They are not much more difficult to play but offer a lot more in terms of ear training and practical applications as well.

Paul said:

If you play using drones, you effectually make every song a one chord song. This is another possibility you may want to consider. You then can demonstrate the same song using chords, and discuss the difference in how it sounds. These are both just different ways to approach a song.

I think Paul was not saying they then become one chord songs- he said it 'effectively makes it' (in effect, in practice) a one chord song- meaning you can play it without playing/fingering any changing chords. :)

Me gotta go. How about Jambalaya?

Thanks Guys. this should get me started and give me a lot choices. First I need them in my brain before I can help others learn them. Well that's my goal with my groups this year. Working to play without the music!

Thanks,

Nancy

I'm with Randy. Drones don't make a song a 'one chord', but they do provide a common element from chord to chord. A good N&D player like Robin can produce some complicated music with two notes the same and one playing the melody.

But. We've hijacked Nancy's thread.

Nancy - if you Google "Two Chord Country Songs" or "Two Chord Songs for Kids", you'll find a ton of tunes. A chord is a chord is a chord, so you won't use guitar or mandolin or banjo fingering, but you will play a D chord, A chord, etc.

Nice word Paul - effectually _ I like it!

I ain't so sure about drones make a song a one chord though. When I listen to Robin Clark play Morris Waltz

http://mountaindulcimer.ning.com/group/oldstyledronenoterplayers/forum/attachment/download?id=3745489%3AUploadedFile%3A485323

I hear some complicated stuff going on and it's not what I'd consider one chord?

This list is from Peter Wernick's website, but is all 2 chord songs. As he is a banjo player/teacher, these are not necesarily all common dulcimer songs. They are mostly common bluegrass songs, and some are probably familiar to a lot of dulcimer players. If nothing else, it is a list to use as a starting point. http://www.drbanjo.com/instructional-2chordsongs.php

If you play using drones, you effectually make every song a one chord song. This is another possibility you may want to consider. You then can demonstrate the same song using chords, and discuss the difference in how it sounds. These are both just different ways to approach a song.

Paul

Hi all,

My name is Nancy Garrett and I'm working with a couple groups of adults and also teaching students in school. In working with my own progress, I'd like to play more without the music; so I've decided to work on simple 2 chord songs. I'd like to be able to sing and play the songs and help others learn where the chord changes take place.

So does anyone have a list of 2 chord songs that are popular on the dulcimer and do you have any hints for me to use for my own learning and helping others to learn?

Thanks,

Nancy