Well done, Jennifer.  I love this Polish melody.

Bill

Thank you so much, Ariane. What a sweet thing to say! It makes me very happy to know my playing has brought you some joy.  :)

It is the most beautiful tune I heard here - and it is fantastic to have the possibility to see you playing it. Thank you very much for this enjoyment.

Wow,  Marg, thanks!   That's good to know.   I have since noted that I often  rest my thumb on the soundboard while playing,  but I'm not applying any pressure to speak of, fortunately.  It seems to be some sort of counter balancing maneuver,  best I can tell.

It's great to know that the area is reinforced.  I appreciate you letting me know! 

Jennifer 

 Westphalia Waltz 

     (edge of that long, narrow sound hole. It may not take much pressure )

I was out at Terry McCafferty's dulcimer shop today & while I was there I asked him about his sound holes and if they were reinforced. He showed me the under side of one he was working on and how he reinforces the sound holes. Not that we want to try this but he says 'an elbow shouldn't damage it' so I take that to mean thumbs also. 

Good to check

Jennifer

Your playing & dulcimer sounds very nice. 

Bob    (edge of sound hole/ It may not take much pressure to snap the...  soundboard)

     That sounds like something we all should check into, where are the sound holes & are we applying any pressure near it.

Thanks,  Dusty.  I haven't used the tab in a long time.  I try to commit pieces to memory very quickly so i do by become dependent on them.  Most of the variations I play are ones I've come up with on my own... which,  for me,  felt like a real milestone.  Not too much longer now,  and I'll be making my own arrangements,  yay!

Mostly,  I get anxious when I hit the record button,  lol. 

Thanks for your thoughts! 

Jennifer, now that you know the song, you might put the tab away and not worry about exactly how Mark arranged it.  Instead of always doing the rhythm exactly the way it's written, use your own sense of the tune. Maybe you can play it straight when you're less confident and then add some of the rhythmic flourishes when things are going smoothly.  The only "right" way to play it is however you decide at a given moment.  

Thank you,  Marsha and Bob!   

Bob, I had to go back and watch the video to see what you were talking about, I wasn't aware I was doing it.   I doubt I'm really putting pressure,  but I'm going to watch for it when I get back home,  because that would be a real tragedy!  Thanks for pointing it out. 

Lovely playing. All too often people play it choppy, but you do it so smoothly.

What a beautiful song and sound, and a marvelous dulcimer! I wish I could play like that some day!

But one thing Jennifer- you got me really nervous watching how you put your left thumb down on the edge of that long, narrow sound hole. It may not take much pressure to snap that spruce soundboard right where you're resting your thumb. Just a thought....

~Bob

 Thanks so much,  Dusty!   It's a fun tune to play.  The rhythm gets almost too interesting as I stumble a couple of times,  lol.   I wonder if I'll ever be able to make it through a recording without goofing, lol.   Appreciate the comment! 

Nice playing, Jennifer.  That arrangement is indeed more interesting than mine, for there are some really nice chords there.  And your playing is very nice.  You keep the rhythm really interesting while the song keeps moving along.