I find it intriguing, Randy, to hear you talk about the "freedom" you have found in not playing drone strings. And a lot of that freedom seems to involve rhythms that you are able to produce. When I moved from the guitar to the dulcimer, I discovered that the diatonic fretboard and fewer strings was not limiting but in fact liberating. Less is more.
Do you join jams playing the dulcimer with just one string? I would think your style of play would mesh well with a small string band, really standing out while backed up by guitar and bass.
Randy I've never been a fan of discipline.. for example my idea of musical 'practice' is to play a tune, not play scales. That said, I admire people who can practice their music in an organized way.
Whatever brings you joy- whether it's jazz, classical music, mountain ballads, rap/hiphop, Mexican rancheros, Japanese koto, countrywestern, or polkas... doesn't matter to me whether one considers them to be 'precious' or open to improvisation not. Just enjoy the music! I myself like to define the word precious as -being dear to one's heart.
I went to a big contra dance last night. The band was three young men- two fiddlers and a guitar player. They were creative and original and wonderful! You could mostly recognize the traditional contra tunes they were playing... but then they would start variations and all kinds of strange edgy stuff, dissonances, snippets of old Beatles tunes (Get Back to where you once belonged...). It was just amazing and fantastic energy to contra dance to. Glad I took two Alleve before i got there though... my knee thanked me! Not sure if this fits in with the ideas Randy was expressing, or with jazz, but these things all reminded me of each other.
Great tune!I have a jazz theory that I apply to dulcimer....in jazz,30% melody,70 % improv.Otherwise the audience loses interest if you go too much either way.Dulcimer?I'd say 60 % melody(at least) and 40 % drone...and it still remains a dulcimer.That said I love the fingerstyle closed chords stuff on FOTMD.Your playing blows my theory out of the water.Sounds great.
Randy, your metronome of a right hand is a wonder to me. You can do the percussive stuff so well because you're like a good drummer or bass player-- you set in on the timing.
Love this and your words ring true. For me, the noter zing is something special, too.
DT can't get much simpler than 1 string diatonic frets huh? Not a coincidence that set up best suits my given musical intellect.
I play the music with or for anyone in person very seldom don't enjoy it like I used to.
I find it intriguing, Randy, to hear you talk about the "freedom" you have found in not playing drone strings. And a lot of that freedom seems to involve rhythms that you are able to produce. When I moved from the guitar to the dulcimer, I discovered that the diatonic fretboard and fewer strings was not limiting but in fact liberating. Less is more.
Do you join jams playing the dulcimer with just one string? I would think your style of play would mesh well with a small string band, really standing out while backed up by guitar and bass.
Randy I've never been a fan of discipline.. for example my idea of musical 'practice' is to play a tune, not play scales.
That said, I admire people who can practice their music in an organized way.
Whatever brings you joy- whether it's jazz, classical music, mountain ballads, rap/hiphop, Mexican rancheros, Japanese koto, countrywestern, or polkas... doesn't matter to me whether one considers them to be 'precious' or open to improvisation not. Just enjoy the music! I myself like to define the word precious as -being dear to one's heart.
I've never seen the % that's interesting thoughts. I could use more self discipline in my playing and less self indulgence. : )
Lisa to paraphrase Art Rosenbaum said when the music gets to be a precious thing to hold onto it ceases to be a living and breathing entity.
I went to a big contra dance last night. The band was three young men- two fiddlers and a guitar player. They were creative and original and wonderful! You could mostly recognize the traditional contra tunes they were playing... but then they would start variations and all kinds of strange edgy stuff, dissonances, snippets of old Beatles tunes (Get Back to where you once belonged...). It was just amazing and fantastic energy to contra dance to. Glad I took two Alleve before i got there though... my knee thanked me! Not sure if this fits in with the ideas Randy was expressing, or with jazz, but these things all reminded me of each other.
Great tune!I have a jazz theory that I apply to dulcimer....in jazz,30% melody,70 % improv.Otherwise the audience loses interest if you go too much either way.Dulcimer?I'd say 60 % melody(at least) and 40 % drone...and it still remains a dulcimer.That said I love the fingerstyle closed chords stuff on FOTMD.Your playing blows my theory out of the water.Sounds great.
Lisa I was concerned about the words they go against the grain. I appreciate your confidence.
Thanks Robin & Val!
Nice one Randy, words of wisdom.
Randy, your metronome of a right hand is a wonder to me. You can do the percussive stuff so well because you're like a good drummer or bass player-- you set in on the timing.
Love this and your words ring true. For me, the noter zing is something special, too.
That was great Randy. I really enjoyed what you had to say about all this as well. Makes a whole lotta sense to me.