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Behind Every Performance
One of the privileges we have, living in today’s world, is access to pristine, note-perfect recordings on YouTube, the radio, CDs. But this privilege comes at a cost. Performers, as well as our audiences, have developed the mind-set that such perfection should be possible every time we play for others – whether we are hanging out with friends on the front porch or attending a performance in a concert hall. And, Lord knows, we performers try our best. I’ve spent most of my adult life feeling like…
Winning at Winfield
The Value of Contests
by Steve Eulberg
Defining what “winning” means to you.
For some people the notion of combining “competition” and “dulcimer” is oxymoronic. They just don’t go together! I see music competitions as an opportunity to prepare some music to share with appreciative listeners. (Where else can you buy such an attentive audience for $.05 a head?) ($10 entry fee/200 people) The process of preparing tunes for this kind of presentation is an intensive artistic endeavor!
I’ve …
How Do You Eat an Elephant?
Eating an elephant can be daunting and overwhelming. So can setting and achieving lifetime goals. How can you accomplish something as big as eating an elephant? By doing it the SMART way, of course … eating it one bite at a time.
Everything in life that seems daunting, overwhelming, and even impossible can be accomplished gradually by taking on just a little at a time. If you can learn how to break down large goals in to smaller more manageable goals, you will be well on your way to reaching yo…
Rhythm & Timing
If you want to become a good musician, it’s necessary to develop your ear for rhythm and timing. Musicians often have problems with their rhythm and timing because they don’t match the level of their skills with the complexity of composition they chose to play. If you fall in this category, here are some things you can do to improve. 
- Count out loud. Amazing Grace is written in ¾ time. In other words, when you play it, you will count 1 – 2 – 3, 1 – 2 – 3 etc. But I have written a hammered du…
Celebrate Milestones
Are you a list maker? I’m kind of OCD and I like to work from a goal list. Sometimes I do something that wasn’t on the list, and I feel compelled to go back and add it to the list – just so I can have the satisfaction of scratching it off the list. I like to recognize my own accomplishments and milestones.
And the same is true when I’m playing my instruments. Each day we can find the time to play is a treasured gift. However, certain days mark significant moments in our musical journey. I wan…
Am I a Defensive Person?
My husband and I went to South Padre Island a couple of weeks ago, to celebrate my 76th birthday. While we were waiting for our food, I entertained myself by watching the seagulls.
Seagulls are highly adaptable feeders that advantage of every opportunity for a bite. They will eat fish, both alive and dead, insects and earthworms, rodents, eggs, carrion, reptiles, amphibians, and seeds and fruit. The type of food they eat depends on circumstances and, while we were watching, their main prey w…
Finished or Not Finished? That is the Question.
I recently read this quote by artist Arshile Gorky, an Armenian-American abstract expressionist painter (1904-1948). "I never finish a painting – I just stop working on it for a while. … I like painting because it's something I never come to the end of. Sometimes I paint a picture, then I paint it all out. Sometimes I'm working on fifteen or twenty pictures at the same time. I do that because I want to – because I like to change my mind so often.”
This quote resonated in my heart because that’…
Backing Track Library in it's new home!
Backing Tracks Library in its new home!
by Steve Eulberg
As another step in the transition from our Legacy Site to our new Platform, Steve has gotten all of the Backing Tracks Library moved and set up for use by ALL members of the site.
The organization of the Library is very similar to what it has been and can be found at the menu at the top of the page when you are logged into the site and can be sorted the way it always has been:
You may notice that the actual number of tracks that app…
Bloom Where You Are Planted
Bloom Where You Are Planted
I saw this lovely flower in the parking lot of a motel in Mackinaw City this summer. All around the plant, there was nothing but asphalt and concrete. The sun was beating down and it was hot. But the plant was standing up proud and beautiful, blooming right where it sprouted up between the sidewalk and our parking space.
I shot this photo because it reminded me of some of our Dulcimer Crossing members. A few are the only dulcimer player in their entire town. They …
Lessons Learned from Sandcastles
 (No sandcastles were harmed in the shooting of these photos.) We live just 1 hour from South Padre Island, and we go there to enjoy a meal with a view of the water at least once a month. While we're on the island, we usually take the time to look for sandcastles. I’m always blown away by the artistry and detail in them, and they can be found all over the island. We… |
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