With appreciation, Steven!

I really like this!

Steven

Thanks, Gordon!  I can't get the drumbeat out of my head now - makes it hard to sleep at night.  

Thanks, Annie!  Playing a march in slow jig time painfully brought tears to my eyes.  A march in jig time?!  Now, that is an oxymoron!

Guilty as charged , Strumelia! Bodhran duet?!

Gwen, this is exciting! Great that you can incorporate the pipes and drum. Thank you.

Now you got me wanting to play the bodhran, Gwen...you evil thing you!

Oh my. This brought a shiver up my spine and a tear to my eye. Haunting. To say nothing of the amazement that you played allthe instruments, Gwen. Thank you!

Ha! You are on, Dusty - instant hire as "Oreo Feeding Assistant" (OFA).  Mixing is a challenge, I think it is a longer-than-lifetime learning experience.

Nice work, Gwen.

I think you could teach me a lot about mixing. I seem to be incapable of getting even two tracks together right.

Maybe you just need an assistant to feed you oreos while you play.

Thanks, Lexie! Glad to hear from your sweet self!  Uilleann pipes this time - you can see my response to Strumelia for more info.  They help give a clan feel to the tune, I picture the O'Mordha clan marching through the heather to combat the English.  I think we could all get together and play a bang-up dulcimer sound track for a top movie hit on the History Channel!  You up for it?

Thanks, Lisa - the odd instrument is Uillean Pipes, the high part you hear is the chanter, a low pipe drone runs through much of the tune, with a bit of regulator here and there.  I love crumhorns, shawms, sackbuts, serpents, etc!  They would have been so appropriate to the century of this tune.  If you have one, we could do a great duet - though, we might make cats howl!!

The minor note you hear is because the tune is 'modal', actually in a mixolydian mode.  It uses only a flatted sixth note of the scale, a '6' fret, not a '6 1/2' (starting at fret '0').  If a dulcimer is without a 6+ fret, this song is perfect - just tune to DAD (instead of the usual DAA) and start your scale at fret '0' to fret '7'. You get that one magical minor note at fret '6'.

I'm actually in a 'bagpipe tuning' here, where all strings are tuned to the same pitch. To keep in pitch with the pipes, I think my dulcimer is tuned to B-B-B.  Tons of fun to play around with tuning all strings the same!

 Thanks, Terry - I need five hands, two for bodhran, two for dulcimer and one for Oreos!

(I hear cookies help drumming)

Loved it Gwen! Really enjoyed the drumming and the minor key. Like Lisa said, "What is the 3'rd instrument?

Beautiful, Thank you for sharing

Gwen, this is excellent.  I like that odd minor note the tune has.

What is the instrument you are playing at 3:00 ?  Sounds like a crumhorn or shawm.

I love your drumming- it adds so much timelessness and "marching soldiers of antiquity" feel.  Wish i could drum like that!   I'd love to see more of you playing various instruments.

Hi Gwen

     I enjoyed your song very much.  Different, yes.  Adding the drum enhanced your presentation immeasurably. 

Thank you.

Terry

Very nice