Thank you so much, Ginny.

Thank you for watching, Linda. You are very welcome. I'm not very familiar with a lot of tab books, but I hear that Mark Nelson's book of Celtic music for dulcimer is good although I haven't played any of it myself. A lot of what I play are my own arrangements, or arrangements I have received from other players.

Guy - Thank you so much for these tutorials. I love the music you play and getting an explanation of how youdo such a fantastic jobhelps tremendously. Please let us know when Cyntia has her book of tab available - I would love to get a copy.And, if you havesuggestions on tab bookswith similar music - I wouldappreciate hearing aboutthem.Thank you again for being so generous in sharing your techniques with us. Linda

Hi Guy, I really liked this tutorial video. I wasn't sure at first what tuning you were in but two things helped me out. I believe you told someone that CGC is great for singing. I also downloaded your chord chart for CGC and now I am in sink with your video. Thanks for opening up this whole new way of playing for me.

Thank you Patty!! I'm glad you found it helpful!

Thank you Guy! I'm learning chord melody. This is very helpful to me. I'm adding it to my favorites

Thank you Brian!

Nicely done Guy. And I am sure many people will find this useful. Regarding the pinky discussion, I only very very rarely use mine (in fact, I can think of only a single instance where I couldn't find some alternative that necessitated using it), but I think Karen is right below - it doesn't matter whether you use it or not, the ideas you present here are useful either way.

Thank you so much, Nina!

Yes, there are many ways to accomplish good playing, and it's just good to know all the possibilities. When I teach workshops, I've learned to never say "you must use ____ finger", but, as Guy says, just show people "this is what I do to get a legato sound". So, in learning, we can look to see what folks who have the sound that we like do, and then try the different approaches to see what works for us.

Other tips that I give:(1) Never lift a finger until absolutely necessary. (2) "lifting" includes not only lifting finger off the string, but even lifting /lightening the LH pressure that little bit that will break the contact between the string and the fretboard (that's actually how to create a gap or "dampening" of the sound). (3) try anticipating and hovering over whatever the next notes are (if possible). Most important - LISTENING, to become sensitive to our own choppy playing, so that we can find the spots that need to be smoothed out.

Of course, none of this written stuff is anywhere near as useful as a video-tutorial, so once again, big thanks to Guy for posting!

Most important- it is wonderful to see a whole discussion on smooth playing!

Guy,

I will practice keeping contact, that could help me make my playing sound so much less choppy. Maybe I will try it on 'Ode to Joy' since I have the test for the tones already on here. Than I would have a good comparison on the before & afterwards.

Thanks for the tutorial

Guy, that is a nice and concise tutorial Count me in as another "non-pinky" player...I have nerve damage and can't really feel it. I would love to try using it if I could, but it's a fun challenge at times to find ways around it.

I surely respect that. I'll continue the search and yes, it is very interesting!

Wout

Guy, perhaps "firm" is not the right word. But I think what I was getting at is the angle of the wrist. You don't want it to drop down below the hand or rise above it so the hand dangles. Although it's hard for beginners, you want to be relaxed for sure, with as little tension as possible. I have a problem with that when learning new tunes. But the idea of the delicate egg is to ensure that there is not to much tension or pressure.

If you ever wanted to give online lessons, I think you would be very successful. The camera angle you use is perfect for demonstrating your fingerwork, and you are very articulate explaining what you are playing.

I've been surprised to find very good dulcimer players (you and Brian G come immediately to mind) who don't use your pinky at all. I am just amazed at how much you can accomplish only using 80% of the fingers at your disposal. I figure I need all the help I can get!

Wout, also this isn't really meant to show how to play "this" tune... I just happened to use this tune to demonstrate some concepts. Hopefully you found it of some interest.

Hi Wout! I don't believe it's been published yet. I believe that Cyntia is publishing a book of tab and this will hopefully be in it. If it were my arrangement, I'd be happy to share it.

Guy,

Are there any tabs or SMNs availlable for this tune? I would help me to understand better what you are explaining.