Harder Than You Thought?

Have you ever looked at the tab for a new tune and thought, “Now that doesn’t look so hard.” Then when you started trying to work through the piece, you discovered it was harder than you thought.

Yep, that’s happened to me too. I think I’m quite nimble with my hammers, and they get all tangled up trying to strike the right strings at times when I’m learning a new piece.

Then should I do? Do I just wad up the paper with my tabs or sheet music and throw it in the trash? OR, should I stick with it and dig in deeper?

If everyone who wanted to play the dulcimer realized how challenging it can be at times, they might not have the courage to even buy a dulcimer and try. They might think it will only take them a lesson or two, or a week or two, to be playing right along with everyone else. They may be initially devasted when it isn’t as easy as it looks.

And then, when they finally master a tune, they didn’t realize they’d have to keep practicing to maintain it!

If that is you, or if you have a friend who just made this discovery, this is what I’ve learned. You have to be in it to win it. You have to be committed to stay with it for the long haul. This is the price of admission to the dulcimer community.

If you will just stick with it, a world of musical possibilities will open up for you.

You will make connections with other like-minded dulcimerists.

You will get to go to jam sessions and festivals. You can attend online workshops and concerts.

You can even eventually teach others (and the teacher always learns more than the student!).

Hang in there. It’s worth it.

Happy dulcimering,
Linda