Hitting the strings

marg
@marg
7 years ago
615 posts

('mountain dulcimer abuse')

No, more like another way of letting the strings ring.

(over the strum hollow for good clean strikes that don't knock wood.)

Ha, yes. I learned this quick enough. (Little Drummer Boy )  that does sound like it would be a good one for this technique.

Thanks, as always

 

Ken Hulme
Ken Hulme
@ken-hulme
7 years ago
2,157 posts

Technique works really well for Little Drummer Boy and a couple other tunes I know.  You do have to keep the 'hammer' over the strum hollow for good clean strikes that don't knock wood.

Dan Goad
Dan Goad
@dan-goad
7 years ago
155 posts

I'm very tempted to call this 'mountain dulcimer abuse'

marg
@marg
7 years ago
615 posts

I am revisiting hammering the dulcimer strings instead of strumming. I have a wooden dulcimer hammer but it doesn't ring when I hit the strings as does a chopstick, a paintbrush, a leader drum stick and a brass tube over a stick. I think maybe the wooden hammer just  isn't heavy like the others. I am only playing slow, easy songs to start with but do like the different sound of hitting vs. strumming with some songs. Again, the different dulcimers, size, wood, etc. sound different with hitting & each has it's own tone. 

Any suggestions for hammering? Not thinking anything serious just playing around.