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mountain dulcimer

You're Awesome!

YoureAwesome

I have a self-confidence issue. I never think I’m getting a new tune fast enough, playing it well enough to perform for others, or have practiced it long enough to be completely prepared to share. I’m harder on myself than ANYone else would ever be. And why is that?  Maybe I’m just being too critical of myself. Maybe I have unrealistic expectations. Or maybe I need to listen to some positive thinking tapes.

I have had a few full-time jobs playing the dulcimer. When I got the job at the Butter…

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Enough with the QUICK FIX

RomeWasn'tBuiltInADay

In today's fast-paced world, the desire for quick fixes permeates every aspect of our lives. Whether it's in our quest for physical fitness, mental well-being, financial stability, or being able to play our dulcimers … the allure of immediate results often leads us to look for shortcuts and temporary solutions. However, too often these quick fixes are just Band-Aids

For example, when I am practicing and come across a section that is difficult (usually my own fault, because I “write” all my own …

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The Same, But Different

RedMapleLeavesDifferent

We moved six months ago into a senior community. It is a wonderful neighborhood … peaceful, friendly, and very well maintained. However, when you first drive into the neighborhood, you may think that all the houses look the same. We are hooked together like quadplexes with no steps – same metal roof, same postage-stamp-sized front yard, same double garage, same inset front door.

But when I ride up and down the neighborhood streets in my golf cart, I don’t see the sameness anymore. Every famil…

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Live Workshop Archive

LiveWorkshopArchive

In addition to all of our filmed lessons at DulcimerCrossing, we also have been hosting Monthly Live Workshops from a variety of respected hammered dulcimer players/educators for years.  Workshop and Mentor Level students have access both to these live workshops AND the Video Archive replay of the Workshops for later.  DIY members can upgrade to Workshop and attend for half-the-price of the ala carte ticket.

Others can purchase an ala carte ticket for a particular subject or instructor and also…

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Tell Your Backstory

MargaretWrightCassandraDamper20162ndPlace

One of the best ways to get someone interested in playing the dulcimer is to tell your backstory. The term “backstory” refers to the history or background, especially one created for a fictional character in a movie or TV series. But your own backstory is valuable too. I have found that one of the best ways to get someone interested in playing the dulcimer is to tell my personal backstory.

Telling your own backstory may …

  • Build Connection with Others: Sharing your backstory allows others to…

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The 3 P's of Practicing

The 3 Ps of Practicing

It’s obvious. I preach (teach) about this all the time. If you want to make any progress in your playing, you’re going to have to practice. It’s unavoidable. It has to be done. But to see nay improvement, I think you also have to have the right attitude. And that’s what we’re going to look at today … the 3 P’s of Practicing.

         
  • Perseverance: There are going to be challenges. At times we’re going to feel like giving up. What separates the people who master playing an instrument vs. t…

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Practicing as a Child vs. an Adult

ErinMaeSingingwithChildren

I am a senior now (our son calls my husband and I the “geriatrics”), and there are a lot of things I didn’t like to do as a child that now I crave time to do as an adult. For example … 

  • Reading: Some of my grandchildren find reading boring, and their parents have to insist they get their noses out of their devices to read a real book. As an adult, I never go anywhere without making sure the Kindle app on my phone is loaded and ready to go with my latest mystery.
  • Eating My Vegetables: Well,…

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+Extra Frets+

ExtraFretsBlogCover

The question about whether to add extra frets to a standard diatonic mountain dulcimer does not elicit as dramatic a response as it once did, because so many players and builders have already made the 6+ or 6 and 1/2 fret standard on their instruments.  (The 13+ fret is an octave higher of the same fret.)

These days, more and more people are requesting and delighting in the addition of the 1+ or 1 and 1/2 fret to their instrument.

What is the deal with these extra frets?  What do they give me …

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Teaching a Dog New Tricks

PeachesLinda

In the past, I wrote a few newsletters about our cocker spaniel named Keyla, but she has been gone for two years now. And so, last week we finally got a new dog. Her name is Peaches. She is a cocker spaniel, and we “rescued” her from a breeder.

Since Mike and I are older and more prone to falls, we need to be able to walk Peaches without her jerking on the leash and lunging forward. So I have been consistently trying to teach Peaches to “heel” on every walk, and while walking today (and sayi…

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Expectations vs. Reality

ExpectationsVsReality

Back in the day, long long ago, I taught a combined classroom of 6th,7th, and 8th graders and I was also the volleyball coach for the school. Boy, were we pumped! We thought we had it going! We expected to win the city championship.

But as the season progressed, we had to face reality. I actually don’t remember winning a single game (but that was a lot of years ago). The reality just didn’t match our expectations. Now I wasn’t a very good coach, and we came from a really small parochial schoo…

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