Strings Attached

Hi, Catherine,

Phyllis Gaskins is an excellent place to begin-- she's one of my dulcimer heroes.  Due to shoulder problems, I no longer play in the Galax style yet I still love unison tunings.  You can do no better than to look to Phyllis to learn this wonderful style.  And though I've never played a Don Neuhauser instrument, I've seen and heard them online and they sound fantastic.  

Happy strumming!   

Strumelia makes some good points, but let me ask a some questions. Is the rest of the band playing amplified? Can you use a microphone and amplifier to increase the sound of your dulcimer? Or would you be able to put a pickup on your dulcimer and play through an amplifier? You can make a simple "possum board" to elevate the dulcimer off of your knees which increases the volume of your dulcimer. Also using a thicker or harder pick will help increase volume.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Wow that's a great question!  But most members won't see this on the site's home page- you might want to create a new discussion thread in a forum next time you have a musical question.

However, I can suggest in this situation that you just use your time tonight by watching your fingers making the chords and take advantage of the practice aspect of it all.

Without a mike in a band, you probably won't hear yourself much anyway. A good skill to learn for such situations is 'chunking' (for want of a better word)... guitar players do this kind of chord chunking/choking, and mandolin players refer to it as 'chopping' chords. Such a technique can add a welcome rhythm to the band (especially if you don't hit the wrong chords, lolol). Perhaps do a bit of youtube search on these techniques that guitar and mandolin players do for rhythm chord playing.  Best of luck tonight!

I am playing with my band tonight at a dance. As a novice, I basically just play chords but as I don't have a mike on my dulcimer, I can't hear what I am playing.   Any suggestions? 

Hey Strings, welcome aboard. Glad ya found us.

Hi Strings, and welcome to the wonderful world of the Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer.  It's a good place to come, spend some time, learn about the dulcimer, and to meet some good people.

Ben

Welcome Strings Attached to Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer. Glad you joined. Sounds like you are active with your dulcimer. You have come to the right place. We are here to support each other in our dulcimer journeys. Ask questions and we will do our best to answer.

Welcome to FOTMD, Strings Attached. It's good to have you aboard. There are resources here to help you with both your practice and noter/drone playing with a quill. You can use the search function to find them. If you have any questions, just ask. We are always happen to help.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."