How to Play the Mountain Dulcimer, Parts I and II: Introduction and The Dulce Melos Method
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.พ. 2015
- This basic mountain dulcimer lesson is for people who have yet to meet the Appalachian mountain dulcimer or who might enjoy an introduction to the playing style that I am featuring. It includes three parts: I. Meet the Mountain Dulcimer, II. The Dulce Melos Method, and III. The Water is Wide. This video includes Parts I and II, and Part III is in a second installment: • How to Play the Mounta... .
Correction Notes:
On page 124 and in the video “How to Play the Mountain Dulcimer,” the correct recommended string gauges should be .010 inches for the treble string, .014 inches for the middle, and .023 inches for the bass. :-)
Also, C3 is the code for middle C on Yamaha keyboards, but middle C is also known as C4 (follow your ears! :-).
© Jessica Comeau 2016.
To learn more about my music, please visit my websites:
www.JessicaComeauDulcimer.com
Facebook: JessicaComeauDulcimer
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I'm a fiddler, but if I were not, I'd probably play the mountain dulcimer. Such a beautiful sounding instrument. Living in Nova Scotia, I play almost exclusively traditional Celtic music, and I do love to hear your renditions of the traditional Old World tunes.
Cliff Seruntine Thank you so much, Cliff! :-) I love Celtic music also... I was happy to discover that many Old World songs are well-suited to the diatonic mountain dulcimer. I understand that many pieces in the traditional dulcimer repertoire were passed on by fiddlers in Appalachia. Keep on playing!
I just had my first lesson on my new dulcimer that I just got this week! With you that is. Not used to strumming forward being a guitarist. Thanks for posting this Jessica. ❤️
I'm glad to help, Antony! Thank you for watching! :-)
@@JessicaComeauDulcimer ❤
I only googled this video because I found a mountain dulcimer yesterday in its case in absolutely pristine condition I'm a truck driver and I was dumping 16 tons of dirt at a landfill and I look out the left side of my window and another truck had just dumped it with a bunch of other garbage so I jumped out and grabbed it and now here I am
That's crazy!!! Do you have any pictures? Who is the maker?
I’m absolutely mesmerized. I can’t get over the calm comfort of the lesson and history. Thank you, Jessica for being a graceful teacher and sharing your talent and knowledge! Stay awesome!
That’s very kind of you! Thank you... I am glad that this video was helpful to you, and the mountain dulcimer will continue to be a lively part of my life for sure! :-)
You are a fantastic musician and an equally incredible teacher. I feel blessed to have stumbled upon you!
You're so sweet to say so, Weisha! I am glad that my videos have given you guidance and inspiration along your musical journey. :-) I have more that you can look at here on my website: www.JessicaComeauDulcimer.com Please let me know if any questions come up that are beyond what my site can answer for you!
You are so awesome! I love to learn from someone with Grace and clear communication. Thank you!
You’re most welcome, Jennifer! I hope you enjoy growing with your mountain dulcimer... :-)
Thank you for this Jessica. You are a very good teacher, covering important details of touch and sound, along with basics. I actually just wanted to remind myself what a dulcimer looks like, having remembered that I heard one many years ago in a deep forest log cabin. Your teaching is so good that I watched all three parts, even though I do not intend to play one. You are clearly a visual artist as well, the blue dress, blue earrings and necklace, glass balls, table and wall decorations, the spray of foliage (we have that plant also), all very pleasing to the eye. Even the blue-ish back on the park bench! You are tops! Almost makes we want to get a dulcimer and learn from your lessons!! But realistically, I'm stuggling enough with guitar at this time. Thanks again, I can apply some of your ideas to guitar strings as I play.
snowstargazer Thank you, snowstargazer! I appreciate that you noticed the color scheme. The dulcimer is a very friendly instrument, you know, with fewer frets than a guitar, so perhaps you might still consider learning it a possibility! :-)
Thank you for taking the time to create such a clear, thorough, and well produced video. I just picked up my first dulcimer and am quite happy to be adding such a lovely instrument to my repertoire. Your video provides such an excellent introduction, I feel like I'll be up to speed in no time. Cheers! :-)
That’s wonderful news, Joshua! Congratulations on meeting the mountain dulcimer. Thank you so much for your kind response; I do appreciate your feedback, and I am glad you found my videos helpful. :-)
Wow. Just wow! I have been toying with the idea of getting and learning a mountain dulcimer for a few years. Just never got around to it. This video was so inspiring, I am hooked and will get one this month for sure. Thank you for your calm and professional approach. So eloquent and precise. This is exactly what I needed. Great job!
You are very kind, Albert! Thank you. :-) It is a delight to the heart to hear that you are being introduced to the world of the mountain dulcimer! You will discover that the internet, especially Facebook, holds many excellent dulcimer groups and forums for support and exchange among dulcimer friends. :-) (You might also want to check your area for dulcimer clubs!) It has been a joy to me to play the mountain dulcimer, and I think it will be for you, too. When you are ready, and if you are interested, I have also recently published a book and DVD set that you might enjoy, "Mountain Dulcimer Wildflowers." It includes many of my arrangements as well as tutorials in playing technique, You can see the trailer here: th-cam.com/video/UxVnyOs4BIs/w-d-xo.html
Awesome. Thank you!
Jessica, Thank you so much for posting the dulcimer lessons. It has been so helpful to me as a beginner dulcimer player. I'm loving practicing The Water is Wide.
Linda Hofer Thank you, Linda! I appreciate your writing. :-) I am glad to know that my videos are helping you and that my song selection has resonated with you, too! Please let me know if there is any other way I can help.
I've been wanting a mountain dulcimer for about a year now and haven't found any good how to play videos until now. Thank you for such easy to follow instructions, you've inspired me to actually take the plunge and buy a dulcimer next month!
That's wonderful news, Crystal! It always makes me glad to hear when a new musician has embraced this special instrument to give it a new voice. Please let me know if you have any more questions as you are getting to know the mountain dulcimer better. :-)
My father just gave me one as an early Christmas present. My daughter bought a hand-made one several months ago at a yard sale. I am listening to the video and slowly figuring it out--the instructions help. I like the fact that I won't have to constantly do chords--I am trying to preserve my Braille-reading fingers as much as possible and have yet to figure out the pic. Or Pick. Or however it's spelled.
Congratulations on setting forth on your mountain dulcimer adventure. :-) You are on the right track; go slowly and discover what works for you!
I've been considering trying to learn an instrument for some time now. When I heard about the dulcimer, which was described to me as something that a bard might have played long ago, I decided to take a look at them and hear their tunes. I'm in love. From what I can see, they're rich and folky. Also smaller than a guitar, which is hard for me to use given my hands are too small.
I think I'll go to Mountain Dulcimer one of these days and try them out in person. A three-hour drive would so totally be worth it, and it's something I could learn. Though learning how to read sheet music is a must. It's been so long. Used to be in choir, but that was years ago. Having music to go along with a song helps keep a singer on the right notes.
Thanks for the video!
You're most welcome, Brittany! :-) It is interesting to hear about someone else thinking of the mountain dulcimer as a relative of ancient zithers, for indeed, that is how I relate to this instrument! You will find that in most cases, mountain dulcimer music is rendered in tablature rather than standard notation or is presented in a combination of notation and tab. I have some examples at my website: www.jessicacomeaudulcimer.com/lessons-and-tablature.html
I agree with you that it is a good idea to try some dulcimers out in person, both to see if you have a connection with the mountain dulcimer itself and, if you do, to select the model you like best, for only in person can you listen to, feel, and watch for the subtle differences among the instruments. :-) Perhaps these resources may become useful to you in the future: www.jessicacomeaudulcimer.com/links-and-resources.html
This is a great introduction! Thanks. ❤️
Hi! I come from a family of 14 which my Dad played the fiddle, even made a record in 1954, the year I was born, many of my brothers played instruments, my son played all intrument, especially the piano, guitar and violin with no effort at all, I have a very good ear and love music, 2 weeks ago on youtube I saw the Dulcimer and instantly fell in love with this sound, the next day i foolishly ordered one on Amazone, not knowing enough about them to know if I wa getting a good intrument, i bought and received today, a rare 1976 Robert Mize, mountain 4 tring Apalachian Americana folk, it doesn't look like all the ones I saw on youtube, but it does look like yours.
You’ve found a treasure, Suzanne! This video shares some background on Robert Mize Dulcimers... th-cam.com/video/vXH5faiVItU/w-d-xo.html
Great info, Jessica, thank you very much!
+Sellers Hymel You are very welcome, Sellers! It has been such a rewarding experience to be able to teach people about how to play the mountain dulcimer through these videos. :-)
Jessica, I like you calm demeanor and the Dulce Melos Method. For a long time I have written poetry. A few years ago I decided to try writing lyrics, despite the fact that I am not a musician. I would write lyrics to an existing melody I liked, or write the lyrics and then listen for melodies in the same meter. But, wanting to be able to perform my own songs I decided at the age of 68 to pick up the Mountain Dulcimer, mostly for its simplicity. Also easier on tendonitis flare-ups.I have been able to work out a chord progression for a song or two of my own lyrics. I have also had a few demo made in order to hear how the songs would sound when played by pros. You can hear them on my youtube page. I really enjoyed your videos of The Angelic Greeting and Veni , Veni Emmanuel, among others Thank you.
Thank you so much, Stephen! I am glad if these videos were able to give you some guidance for your own musical projects with the mountain dulcimer. :-) Thank you for listening, and thank you for sharing!
Very interesting - you make an excellent teacher.
Thank you, Steve! I'm glad this resource was helpful to you. :-) I created it especially for people who live remote from dulcimer clubs and instructors. :-)
This introduction is great! Thanks for making it. :-)
You're welcome, David, and thank you! I hope it will be helpful to you. :-)
So good!
Ahoy, Thanks. I prefer the Dolce style. It gives the instrument a more delicate, classical voice. My friends insist on more a "blue grass" style. I play bowed psaltery as well as dulcimer and I have been trying to get my "band mates" to understand that both of these instruments can have a very haunting and beautiful voice. Thanks for this video. I hope it helps them think about other ways of using this beautiful instrument.
There are many beautiful, equally valid ways of playing the mountain dulcimer, but I am pleased that some of what I share in this video is helping to inform your playing style. Some songs, I feel, really do call for slower treatments, though, so perhaps you might be right in calling this fact to your bandmates’ attention. :-) Thank you for listening, and blessings on your dulcimer journey!
Hi Jessica, I'm yet to choose and buy my first Dulcimer. I have played electric bass for 40yrs, acoustic guitar on and off over that time and recently taken up Double Bass. I'm glad I found your video to learn more about different playing styles and possibly what to look for in my first instrument...Dulcimers are difficult to find over here in Australia.
Paul Abrahams Thank you, Paul! It's good to hear that my video has helped you and has inspired you to seek out and get to know the mountain dulcimer better. :-) I also have some more resources that might interest you at www.JessicaComeauDulcimer.com. Please let me know if you have any others questions!
Thank you for watching, Bobby. It's actually a Dean Markley acoustic pickup; it sticks to the dulcimer using a putty similar to that which you use to hold up posters. :-) It has been handy for amplification in informal settings, but I've since been exploring other options that might produce a crisper sound.
Thank you for your prompt reply. Also, I took your suggestion and removed the top melody string and really like the three string configuration better for this song. I'm a newcomer to the dulcimer and have no music genes, so I experiment based upon you experts' recommendations and suggestions.
I've got a Myers pickup and I just bought a Fender accoustasonic 15 amplifier. Can I plug the pickup directly into the amp?
Hi there Jessica thanks for the knowledge in this video. I've been making dulcimers in England and strumsticks too. Good luck with your playing I'm sure you are gifted in this instrument !
It’s lovely to hear from you, Tim! It is exciting to learn of new corners and communities in the world where the mountain dulcimer is becoming better known. :-) Thank you for making more music possible through your instruments!
Jessica Comeau thanks again for your excellent work! it's appreciated by music lovers everywhere !
I have watched this a LOT! Your teaching style is great. I have not yet built my first dulcimer but I will and I will be better prepared by these videos.
As a thought regarding strum direction, what I find interesting is that a guitarist usually strums from bass to treble. The lap dulcimer has the strings reversed in effect, so pull strumming is, in fact, the same thing, from bass to treble. It is simply about muscle memory. I learned that when I went from guitar to clawhammer banjo, from up and down to all down strumming. I love the Dulce Melos method though. It makes the dulcimer sound like and early English instrument such as a lute.
Thank you for the videos :)
Thank you so much, Ian! That's a good observation about strum patterns... It would make sure that the deeper strings established their drone before the higher strings sounded. I am glad my videos have been helpful to you as you begin your dulcimer adventures. :-) Have you found my website yet? I have some other free lessons there: www.JessicaComeauDulcimer.com/lessons-and-tablature.html
I have indeed and many thanks for taking the time to share them freely! Hopefully I will build my first dulcimer later this year :)
thnx for beautiful sound, Gd bless!!!
SHMAGEGIE Thank you, Shmagegie, and God bless you, too!
2020. July.... in all this havoc , I’m learning the Dulcimer !
Wonderful! Please let me know if you have any questions as you begin this dulcimer journey! :-)
I was just gifted a beautiful Dulcimer and I am just now starting my journey to learn how to play. Would love links of music being sung and played on the Dulcimer!
I have several other videos here in my channel with both instrumentals and singing! You can also find more music and other resources at my website: www.JessicaComeauDulcimer.com
Very cool style very musical
Thank you very much, Brandon! :-)
Wow, Jessica, this is a wonderful instruction video! I play the Native American flute, piano and hangdrum but really falling in love now with this mountain dulcimer! I live in the Netherlands so will have to explore where and how I might be best getting one (maybe you have suggestions?) But if I got one I will surely buy your book and DVD! Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you so much, Liesbet! I am glad that you have discovered the mountain dulcimer... It is a very friendly, flexible instrument, one that has a strong connection to the soul. :-) I have a link to some resources that might be helpful to you as you search for an instrument; I would recommend getting in touch with Michael J. King, not only because his instruments are beautiful and unique, but also because he lives in England, which is closer to where you live than the other dulcimer workshops are. :-) www.jessicacomeaudulcimer.com/links-and-resources.html
Please let me know if you have any other questions on your search!
Thank you for this Jessica! I have just started playing and this is a huge help!
Julia Gabriele Thank you so much, Julia! I am glad that my videos have helped to equip you for your own dulcimer adventure! :-) Let me know if you have any questions.
Enjoyed your video . Ole' trumpet player just lookin' for something to play.
Thank you, Newby! I hope that you learned some helpful lessons from these videos... :-)
Thank you, Jessica, for the wonderful lesson. Your video shows, at about 7:34, what looks like a suction cup and cable attached to the soundboard. Is this your microphone? If so, what kind and where did you obtain it? Thanks again. I look forward to your Part III arrangement of The Water is Wide.
Oh, wow! You’re over in P’cola. I’m in Mobile. I’m a trumpet player but inherited my Grandfather’s Dulcimers. No idea how to play them but what a lovely sound they make 😊
Well, perhaps this video might help with some rudimentary techniques, Steve! :-) How special that mountain dulcimers run in your family... Did your grandfather make the instruments, or otherwise, do you know the maker?
Jessica Comeau Thank you! The mountain dulcimer was custom made for him at a shop in the Smoky Mountains (mid 1980s). I was there when we ordered it and they had it shipped to him :) I don’t know the story behind the hammer dulcimer.
I been in Love with the Mountain dulcimer ever since I first heard it being played by Joni
Mitchell.
Yes, she discovered some remarkable music on the mountain dulcimer, didn't she? :-) Thank you for stopping by, Terry!
Hi Jessica Thank You for the instructions
I am looking at different types and brands, being a guitarist it is odd that I lean more toward the type that fits better on your lap.with the rolled top like a cello>
Do you have a favorite brand?
Or recommendations?
Thanks Again
GREAT JOB
Liam
Extra Cash Music Hello, Liam, and thank you! Luthiers often refer to the cello top as a "scroll head." :-) I have several McSpadden dulcimers in my collection, and I have found them to be very reliable in terms of tone and quality of craftsmanship. The ultimate voice of the instrument varies with every make, model, and season, so finding the right model is really a matter of "getting to know" an instrument and testing it out in a hands-on setting. The ideal place to discover the right dulcimer is by visiting vendors' booths at dulcimer or bluegrass festivals or by visiting a music shop that carries the instruments you are looking for. Enjoy your search! :-)
***** Hi...Jessica...
Thank You for the quick responce, I have seen some McSpadden ones online, while looking on a used sale venue I've found a Shady Grove (Branson MO) which was made 6/1977 and had a old fashion case
(think compressed cardboard) all for $75. And a scrolled top with just awesome tuners.
The fret board flows like and old friend and the sounds that come from it are like those that are whispered on a warm summers evening.
After seeing one you have in the video, I will most likely add a Cross shaped sound port in the upper right hand corner, Celtic style of course.
I introduce a steel guitar slide to see what it would sound like, and that offered some really awesome sounds.
I was wondering if you had tried one, or...had any songs using one?
I figure to stick with the D A D D and will try to carefully cut off the brass ends of some guitar stings I have, to see their sound differential.
Its is wonderful to go into discovery of a new instrument, and have the teaching of and artist like yourself .
YOU ROCK!!!
Thank YOU for the instructions and for letting not only your voice be heard.
But the deepest part of oneself...Their music.
The Harmony of the Universe.
Keep Strumming...
Liam
Extra Cash Music Thank you very much, Liam! The mountain dulcimer is a delightful instrument to explore; keep on experimenting with different sounds and techniques until you discover your dulcimer's unique voice for you. :-)
I am so going to buy a dulcimer!!!
I’m happy to hear that, Simon! Enjoy the journey of discovery... :-)
@@JessicaComeauDulcimer just ordered my Dulcimer :) Cant wait to start :)
Where can one get a dulcimer what is a good brand, and how much are they? I am just now trying to find out about this..do they all have 4 strings or is there different styles? can you play chords on it like a guitar, or just notes one at a time?
Perhaps this page at my website might be helpful to you as you search for resources: www.jessicacomeaudulcimer.com/links-and-resources.html
Yes, you can play chords on the mountain dulcimer. These instruments usually have three groupings of strings, so they generally have three to six strings, but the four string setup with a doubled melody string is one of the most common. :-)
thank you
You’re welcome, RavenMadd9! :-)
Jessica Comeau want to relearn it
This is probably out of left field , but can finger picks be used ?
I know it's probably not typical , but would someone experienced playing lap style fingerpicks have to switch ?
Absolutely, Filiana! Using fingerpicks is less common in dulcimer playing than bare-fingered fingerpicking, but I think that fingerpicks can be the best option for certain songs. Here is a video of me using AlaskaPik fingerpicks and a Fred Kelly thumbpick for a piece called "La Rotta": th-cam.com/video/ThA2g7H7hRY/w-d-xo.html
Hi Jessica, just a quick question, if you don't mind?; with you playing with 3 strings, have you played an Heritage dulcimer from Birdrock?, if so, what's your thoughts on them, with those being built with 3 strings?. Thanks Paul.
I'm afraid I've not played a Heritage dulcimer yet, but I do recommend the three string setup if you wish to play chord-melody, fingerpicked, or flatpicked styles. :-)
Okay thanks very much, much appreciated.
Hi just a quick question, what size is the vsl on the mountain dulcimer you are playing and is the dulcimer all made of walnut?.
I think that the instrument you are asking about is Rhiannon, my McSpadden Mountain Dulcimer with a walnut body and redwood soundboard. She has a 28 1/2 in vibrating string length. mcspaddendulcimers.com/product/4fhwr/
Thanks you very much. I wasn't sure about the wood it was made of.
What Dulcimer is that you are playing at 12:00 ? I would like to buy one like that.
It’s a McSpadden Dulcimers 4FHWR (walnut body, redwood soundboard, flathead). www.mcspaddendulcimers.com/product/4FHWR
Will your fingers need to callus to play? I am a massage therapist Interested in learning this Instrument, but cannot get calluses hands, like you would in a guitar. Thank you for your response. Also, if Ising in re, so and la, Can I play them all easily on the dulcimer?
I have never had a problem with calluses, Linda; if you have an instrument with good action, you should not really develop profound calluses. If anything, you might get a slight leatheriness on the fingertips on your left hand that only you would notice! :-) The mountain dulcimer plays in only one mode at a time, but it is very adaptable if you are not afraid of returning or of using a capo.
Jessica, what kind of accent is that you are speaking with? I do not think I’ve heard an accent like yours. Did you originally come from Ireland or some place similar?
Much of my U.S. dialect is a cross between Nebraska and North Florida, but as to any other accent, that must be idiolectic since I’ve not lived outside the country. :-) That being said, the music, film, and audiobooks I’ve listened to over the years could be an influence, but then I’ve had an “accent” since I was five!
Hello , You play beautifully . I noticed that you have long slender fingers which must help . I’m an elderly gent with short fingers so is the Dulcimer not for me ? . Kind regards . Bill .
Thank you so much, Bill! It is possible to play well whether you have long or short fingers! There are models with shorter vibrating string lengths and narrower frets, so this can sometimes help if you have shorter fingers! :-)
Is that a McSpadden?
Yes, indeed! :-)
Cords for playing mt. Duccimrr
Are you looking for strings or for chords? :-)
Enjoy the dulcimer, but prefer to sing. Would love to sing while you play some Irish and Scottish songs.
Yes, the mountain dulcimer is a good companion for a singer! :-)
U r soooo amazing tho!!!
Hi Jessica, who is the maker of your dulcimer? Cynthia
The one I'm playing in this video is from McSpadden Dulcimers! :-)
I have played dulcimer for a year
Congratulations, Julie! You are well on your way. :-)
String tuning?
CGC, Rich! :-)
@@JessicaComeauDulcimer thanks,, can you also go over string placement then? fatter to skinny and where to put them,, LOL
I believe I did mention the different string types in one section: the bass string is the thickest, and it is the one on top. The strings get thinner and higher as you go down. :-)