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Something Else New! Sarah Armstrong
by Linda Ratcliff
The key to success is so simple ... just practice and then practice some more.
We have another new lesson ready for you this week - this time for our hammered dulcimer players. The tune is known by the name of the person who played it, Sarah Armstrong.
Sarah Gray Armstrong (3/18/1883 - 8/12/1957) was a well-known fiddle player in Pennsylvania. She began playing the fiddle when she was five, and learned most of her tunes from her uncle and father who were also accomplis…
New Lesson-Cold Frosty Morning
Steve & Vi Wickam play Cold Frosty Morning
Vi Wickam has provided us with a new lesson on DulcimerCrossing.com for the Fiddle Series. He and Steve play the tune at the Swingfingers studio above while recording for their duo, Fiddle Whamdiddle's debut CD Old School Old-Time
Cold Frosty Morning is a wonderful old tune in a minor mode. Take a look at Vi's Demonstration here.
Subscribe to DulcimerCrossing to have complete access to this and all of our lessons!
…The Iceberg Illusion
We see the trophies, not the sweat.
We see the diplomas, not the years of study and homework.
We see outstanding performances, not the hours and hours of practice.
by Linda Ratcliff
The Iceberg Illusion
I came across this illustration and it really resonated in my heart. There is this glamour around success that seems to appear when you have "made it." Although I work behind the scenes - writing newsletters, uploading lessons, and answering student inquiries, the rest of our Dulcimer…
30 Days of Dulcimer Joy
If you practice correctly from the beginning, you will save yourself a lot
of time and frustration later on. Don't practice bad habits. — MusicNotes
30 Days of Dulcimer Joy with Steve Eulberg
We are excited to let you know about a new Master Class thatSteve Eulberg developed for Mountain Dulcimer players.
30 Days of Dulcimer Joy is a systematic approach, using progressive fingering patterns, in exercises to develop:
- Confidence
- Accuracy
- Dexterity
- Arranging …
8th of January
by Steve Eulberg
We are excited to announce that we have a new Fiddle Lesson posted on DulcimerCrossing.com. The 8th of January is a tune that was written to celebrate and commemorate Andrew Jackson's victory over the British in the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812.
This tune appears on Steve & Vi's Fiddle Whamdiddle recording Not My Monkey. (The mountain dulcimer lesson is on the production list for recording.)
In the 1936 Jimmy Driftwood was teaching hig…
New Years Resolutions for Dulcimerists
A New Year is like a blank book, and your dulcimer is in your hands.
It is your chance to write a beautiful story for yourself.
By Linda Ratcliff
New Year's Resolutions for Dulcimerists
The New Year is coming up in just a few days, and now is the perfect time to make some musical resolutions! As usual, I've made a list of resolutions that are fun, and they will support any practical music goals you’ve set for yourself.
- Establish a regular practice time. It's not as easy as it sounds to ge…
31 Days to Fingerstyle Mastery
by Steve Eulberg
Hi folks! This post is music-related but not dulcimer-specific.
I have had a Patreon Project going since January of 2015.
This fall I decided that I wanted to put together some one-month class offerings that would let people take a single class with daily lessons to work on a specific skill, figuring that if it takes 21 days to set a habit, in 31 days we galvanize it!
So, today I launched my first class: 31 Days to Fingerstyle Mastery (this focuses on 6-String Guitar,…
Concise Guide to Chord Symbols
by Steve Eulberg
These questions get asked frequently so here is a guide to help you decode the chord symbols that you may often see above the musical notation:
A Chord (by definition a triad) is made up of 3 specific pitches (1-3-5 steps of the scale.)
A Chord Symbol is short hand for which steps are intended.
1. When a Single Capital letter is used, it indicates a Major chord (no alterations in the 1-3-5 plan)
e.g. C = C-E-G
2. If there is a low…
3-D Playing Lesson by Deborah J Hamouris
by Steve Eulberg
We are excited to announce a new Mountain Dulcimer Lesson Series by Bay area teacher Deborah DJ Hamouris. Deborah teaches at the famed Freight & Salvage Coffeehouse in Berkeley and is the Director of the annual Berkeley Dulcimer Gathering which takes place in May.
In this lesson, Deborah takes us beyond playing melody only with a drone. You will be playing melody, harmony, and ornaments - and she calls this the 3D Method.
New Fiddle Lesson by Vi Wickam
by Steve Eulberg
The Arkansas Traveler is one of Vi's favorite old-time tunes, and crosses several different genres from old-timey Ozark style to Texas style, and even to bluegrass.
The version in this lesson is on the beginner level. This is also a tune that was featured on Fiddle Whamdiddle's Not My Monkey recording.
Vi has taught a brand-new lesson on this tune for DulcimerCrossing.com here.
Subscribe to and get access to all of the …
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