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Get Plugged In
I live in DEEP south Texas, just 10 minutes from the border wall, the Rio Grande River, and Mexico. I am far, far away from any other dulcimer players. I frequently cross the bridge over the Rio Grande River to enjoy all Mexico has to offer – the ambiance, the food, the inexpensive gift items. But as for the music, never have I ever heard another dulcimer player busking on the street. I am more likely to encounter Mariachi bands playing on the street corners, and live music in the restaurants.…
What to Do When You Want to Give Up
Remember learning to ride a bike? How many times did you fall off before you got the hang of it? And even after you learned, there were probably occasional mishaps – but I bet you got back on and tried again.
Pursuing diet and fitness goals is a lot like that. From time to time you'll fail. I have. Many times. It takes time to shop for the right food and then cook it, and more time to exercise, and often I can’t (won’t?) make the time. I have a sugar addiction, so I crave sweets all the time. M…
My New Year's Resolution
There is a keyboard in my home as well as a hammered dulcimer set up on its stand, a mountain dulcimer, a guitar, a ukulele, and a pickin’ stick. None of these are packed up in their bags. They’re out on their stands because I always preach that you won’t practice unless your instrument is out and standing at attention, ready to be played.
The problem with this system is that, when someone comes into our home, they see all the instruments and expect a concert on demand. Aaaaaaarrrrrgh. I neve…
Bloom
by Linda Ratcliff
The first year I taught school, I put up a bulletin board for my 3rd graders with the quote, “Bloom Where You Are Planted.” I probably was thinking that was a nice Biblical scripture to put up in the parochial school where I was teaching, but then I learned that advice didn’t really come from the Bible. It was actually written by St. Francis de Sales who lived from 1567 to 1622, but it still holds true today.
This age-old tip encourages resilience. Let’s face it … sometimes…
The Value of Partnership
by Linda Ratcliff
My son has a new puppy, part Yorkie and part Dachshund (a Dorkie), called Tipper. And he already owned a black Lab named CJ (after the Jeep CJ-10). Those two dogs have become fast friends, and they have a new hobby - chasing squirrels. Now before Tipper arrived, CJ chased the squirrels alone, but they would run under the shed and the game was quickly over. But now the two work it like a team. When the squirrels run under shed, Tipper chases them back out. Game on!
Warming u…
Be an OVERcomer!
I get notes from folks now and then telling me that, due to physical challenges, they are thinking about packing up the dulcimer and putting it away. I can relate. I’ve told you, my vision is giving me problems … can’t seem to see the strings on my hammered dulcimer and rely mostly on muscle memory. In addition, after an accident this summer, I can’t stand to play very long at a time. Even sitting at my piano, I only last about 10-15 minutes before my back hurts too much.
Is it time to just giv…
Creativity
I taught school for three years in a very small, parochial elementary school. The first two years, I had a combined classroom with 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders. But the next year, I was told I would be teaching the combined 6th, 7th, and 8th grade classroom. OH. MY. GOODNESS.
First problem, I couldn’t use any of the materials I had developed that worked so well with the sweet middle graders. Second problem, they were TEENagers. Third problem, I needed to come up with some lessons and activities t…
How to Recover From a Baaaaaaad Performance
You just played the last note in a performance, and you know you messed up. It was bad. You let your nerves get the best of you, and the longer you played, the worse it got. You want to go straight home and lick your wounds. But you can’t just run out the back door. There are people approaching you already … with smiles on their faces. (Why????) What to do … what to do.
- Accept compliments and congratulations graciously. Even though, to your own ears, the performance sounded like a disaste…
If My Dulcimer Could Talk
Your faithful, highly treasured, beautiful dulcimer is sitting by itself over there in the corner. What would it say if it could talk? What if it could tell you what it’s really thinking? Well, I’ve taken a guess about a few things you might hear it say.
- I’m so honored that you chose me. Choosing your first dulcimer is important, because if the workmanship turns out to be an inferior quality, it may not hold its tuning properly. Many think they will start off with an inexpensive dulcimer,…
Get a Handle on It!
Are there still some licks and tricks you still can’t play on your dulcimer? You feel like you just can’t get a handle on them? Yet? Well, I have found that, if you want to get a handle on a new technique, you have to handle the dulcimer and (oh yes, I’m going to say it) practice.
- Get a handle on … the basic chords. We play most music in the Key of D, so you need to know the D chord, the G chord, and the A or A7 chord. If we’re playing in G, you need to know the G chord, the C chord, and …
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