Any dulcimer players?

#1
salutethehill

salutethehill

by hatchet, axe, and saw
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#1
I've always wanted to learn to play the hammer dulcimer, but until we have a bigger house, that ain't happenin'.

My wife brought her late-father's mountain dulcimer with her when we got married 11 years ago, and I've been playing it pretty regularly. As a long-time percussionist, and having never played a stringed instrument in my life, I've never learned a simpler instrument...and it sounds incredible. The one I have is a cheap one, true-diatonic that I typically tune to D-A-A. I plan on making a nice one this summer (been reading up on it).

Still aiming for that hammer dulcimer, once we have space for one. But until then, highly enjoying the mountain dulcimer. Here's one of my favorite tunes (this is NOT ME, this kid is great).

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWTaKR5fato[/youtube]
 
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#2
#2
I used to work in a store where we sold mountain dulcimers. We sold a lot of them, but I'm not sure I ever saw anyone actually properly play the thing. I think most people probably plucked on it for a few days and used it as a decoration.
 
#3
#3
Brian Jones, Rolling Stones, played one on Lady Jane way back when.

BRIANDULCIMER.jpg
 
#4
#4
Go to Berea, KY and visit Warren A. May's shop. He's been making dulcimer's by hand for decades.
 
#7
#7
I have goofed around with my wife's mountain dulcimer and have a kit to make a second one (it's somewhere on my to-do list).

I also recommend a baritone ukulele. The 4 strings of a uke seem to me much less daunting than a guitar, and the slightly larger baritone sounds better than the tiny ukes. You can get one for $30 and go to town!
 
#8
#8
I'm a southern Appalachian man. You can take that Hye-why-an crap back to Africa. :)
 
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#9
#9
Mountain dulcimers are no fun IMO. I'd like to be able to properly play more than one chord per tuning. Keep saving/looking for the hammer dulcimer!
 
#10
#10
Chris4Vols22 said:
Mountain dulcimers are no fun IMO. I'd like to be able to properly play more than one chord per tuning. Keep saving/looking for the hammer dulcimer!
Click to expand...

That's definitely the goal. I met a guy playing one at Chimney Rock, NC a few years ago, bought a bunch of his CDs and still listen to them regularly. I think a HD sounds amazing...like it was meant to be played outside under a tree somewhere. Being a long-time drummer, sticks fit better in my hands than a pick, too.

Still, having a good time with the MD. Very simple to play, and it sounds good. I'm constantly looking for ways to bypass the diatonic issues, besides purchasing/learning a chromatic dulcimer, mainly by bending notes, jumping to a different string or, honestly, just avoiding that note altogether.
 
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#11
#11
salutethehill said:
That's definitely the goal. I met a guy playing one at Chimney Rock, NC a few years ago, bought a bunch of his CDs and still listen to them regularly. I think a HD sound amazing...like it was meant to be played outside under a tree somewhere. Being a long-time drummer, sticks fit better in my hands than a pick, too.

Still, having a good time with the MD. Very simple to play, and it sounds good. I'm constantly looking for ways to bypass the diatonic issues, besides purchasing/learning a chromatic dulcimer, mainly by bending notes, jumping to a different string or, honestly, just avoiding that note altogether.
Click to expand...

Yeah man, the really great MD players get really creative to compensate for the lack of chromatic harmonies/notes. I was only assuming HD has all 12 notes, is that the case?
 
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