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chromatic mountain dulcimer
Beginner to Expert
by Linda Ratcliff
The expert in anything was once a beginner. - Helen Hayes
Beginner to Expert
The opening quote for this page, "Every expert was once beginner," is attributed to Helen Hayes (1900-1993). She was an actress who is one of the few in her career to win an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar and a Tony. If anyone became an expert in her craft, it was Helen Hayes.
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author born in 1949 who writes novels and short stories. He said, "If everyone waited to become an exp…
The expert in anything was once a beginner. - Helen Hayes
Beginner to Expert
The opening quote for this page, "Every expert was once beginner," is attributed to Helen Hayes (1900-1993). She was an actress who is one of the few in her career to win an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar and a Tony. If anyone became an expert in her craft, it was Helen Hayes.
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author born in 1949 who writes novels and short stories. He said, "If everyone waited to become an exp…
Ask Questions
by Linda Ratcliff
A truly wise man always has more questions than answers. - Wilson from Home Improvements
Ask Questions
Below is a series of questio…
A truly wise man always has more questions than answers. - Wilson from Home Improvements
Ask Questions
Your sub-conscious works day and night to answer any questions you ask. So asking yourself open-ended questions puts the sub-conscious to work. Answers often come "out of the blue", as ideas or notions that you might not have had otherwise. When practicing, why don't you put your subconscious mind to work by asking questions about your progress?
Below is a series of questio…
Natural Talent vs. Hard Work
by Linda Ratcliff
Hard work beats talent ... when talent doesn't work hard.
Natural Talent vs. Hard Work
Hard work beats talent ... when talent doesn't work hard.
Natural Talent vs. Hard Work
Is it possible for a person without any inherent musical talent to become skilled at playing their dulcimer? Now to clarify ... a person who lacks musical talent will usually manifest the following characteristics:
- Lacks a sense of rhythm - plays on the wrong beats.
- Tone deaf – doesn't notice when he/she strums or hammers the wrong notes or chords.
- Finds it difficult to keep in step with ot…
Tuning Hack for Scroll-Headed Dulcimer
by Steve Eulberg
The Snark™ tuner is very popular with mountain dulcimer players, for good reason. It is quick, accessible, accurate and it's display is very readable.
(This is not an insignificant feature as those of us who continue gathering service stripes in the playing of our dulcimers experience with eyesight that gets weary over time!)
And the handy clip-on feature works very well with flathead mountain dulcimers.
However, players of instruments with the traditional scroll have sometimes str…
The Snark™ tuner is very popular with mountain dulcimer players, for good reason. It is quick, accessible, accurate and it's display is very readable.
(This is not an insignificant feature as those of us who continue gathering service stripes in the playing of our dulcimers experience with eyesight that gets weary over time!)
And the handy clip-on feature works very well with flathead mountain dulcimers.However, players of instruments with the traditional scroll have sometimes str…
Backing Tracks Library is growing!
We keep adding to our Library of Backing Tracks which are available to our Premium Members.
The two newest are the chord progressions in the Keys of D and G which match the Albert Brumley tune: I'll Fly Away. These were created for the new Bluegrass Dulcimer series taught by Steve Eulberg.
We are continuing to produce these and other resources to assist you in your goals to "Bridge the Gap Between What You Know and Where You Want Your Music to Grow."
The two newest are the chord progressions in the Keys of D and G which match the Albert Brumley tune: I'll Fly Away. These were created for the new Bluegrass Dulcimer series taught by Steve Eulberg.
We are continuing to produce these and other resources to assist you in your goals to "Bridge the Gap Between What You Know and Where You Want Your Music to Grow."
I Have to Practice every day...
by Linda Ratcliff
...to play as bad as I do. —Woody Allen
Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg) is a passionate fan of jazz, and jazz music has often been featured prominently in the soundtracks of his movies. He started playing the clarinet when he was a teenager and actually chose his stage name, Woody, after the famous clarinet player Woody Herman.
Woody will be 81 in December, and these days he is performing with the Eddy David New Orleans Jazz Band. They play every Monday night at th…
...to play as bad as I do. —Woody Allen
Woody Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg) is a passionate fan of jazz, and jazz music has often been featured prominently in the soundtracks of his movies. He started playing the clarinet when he was a teenager and actually chose his stage name, Woody, after the famous clarinet player Woody Herman.
Woody will be 81 in December, and these days he is performing with the Eddy David New Orleans Jazz Band. They play every Monday night at th…
New Log-In Procedure & FAQs
At DulcimerCrossing we are always trying to improve and reduce confusion that is the friction that can slow down the process of learning music. We have a new log-in procedure that will direct subscribers to choose their level of membership: Basic or Premium with a single log-in button for both. \
In addition, this video is the first of several from our brand new FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions Page) to help our subscribers answer their questions faster so they can spend more time playing dulcim…
What is Your Method of Exercise?
by Steve EulbergI remember the question from the cardiologist I visited on my 33rd birthday.
I was there because my heart was skipping beats periodically and heart disease runs in my family.
After the stress test failed to produce any abnormalities they concluded that the source of this anomaly may be just day-to-day stress, rather than being physical activity-induced.
So their strategy was to be certain that I was building a strong physical system that could withstand the mental, social and emotio…
New Video Explains DulcimerCrossing
We are excited to unveil a new 30 second explanation of what DulcimerCrossing is all about! Watch below:
Click here to join today! Spread the news! Like this video using the heart icon. Share this video with your friends using the little paper airplane icon.
[note: this is an historical video, our website looks differently today.]
Backing Tracks Library
Here is a view of the new Backing Tracks Library which is a resource at DulcimerCrossing.com for Premium Members. Backing tracks are a way to play along with a "band" while not having to worry about any egos (yours or theirs!) or other people who are going to get knocked off track when you make an error. (You'll notice I didn't say "if"!) Steve uses these to get comfortable making and recovering from the errors and slips that inevitably come when playing music. And sometimes, these "happy acci…
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