Blog
Odd Meters
by Steve Eulberg Playing traditional instruments in the western world, we get quite used to "square" or "even" rhythms and meters in the songs we play. Marches and Reels are in (4/4) time; Polkas are in (2/2 or 4/4). Even jigs (6/8) have 2 pulses in their measures. Waltzes (3/4) have a strong beat on 1. Slides (12/8 or 6/8) and Slip Jigs (9/8) have multiple pulses in their measures, but what all of these tunes tend to have in common is that they have a regular way to be counted based on the t…
Traditional Noter and Drone Style Lessons
by Linda Ratcliff
Traditional Noter Style
Many mountain dulcimer players play their instruments by pressing the fatty pads of their fingertips down on the strings to create the different notes. But there is another option. The traditional, old-time way of playing a mountain dulcimer is to use a noter. Your noter can be anything from the broad side of a popsicle stick to a wooden dowel - or anything around the house that can be used to press down on the strings. In this series of 14 videos, St…
DulcimerCrossing Festival Scholarships
At DulcimerCrossing.com we believe in supporting all the ways that students learn to play the music that is in their hearts. Some people learn better in the privacy of their homes, some with an individual tutor, and some learn best when immersed in a setting that is chock-FULL of music, with people who are engaged in the same pursuit as they are.
For this reason, DulcimerCrossing has provided some full and partial scholarships to selected weekend and week-long du…
New Lesson: So You Want to be Heard?
by Steve Eulberg
Amplifying the Mountain Dulcimer.
Steve adds a sample from a new lesson series about Amplifying the Mountain Dulcimer in the DulcimerCrossing website. This sample lesson from that series that describes and demonstrates the use of a contact pickup and the combination of that pickup with a microphone. A similar lesson series for amplifying the hammered dulcimer is in development.
Orphan Girl: New Chromatic Dulcimer Lesson!
Orphan Girl by Linda Ratcliff
For Chromatic Mountain Dulcimer Players "Orphan Girl" was written by Gillian Welch, whose musical style combines elements of bluegrass, neotraditional country, Americana, old time string band music and folk into a rustic style that she dubs "American Primitive." Gillian and David Rawlings included "Orphan Girl" in their debut album, "Revival," in 1996. This song is somewhat autobiographical, as Gillian was adopted on the day she was born, and spiritual as none of u…
What to Do....when you're snowed in.
Most of you know I live full time in an RV. At the campground where we stay, they don't believe in plowing. And we live at the low end of the park. Early January, there was ice - on top of snow - on top of ice, with NO hope it would be cleared and we didn't even try to get out. Now most of you would have used that gift of time to practice your dulcimers. But I began going through our lessons one by one, and found some ways to make improvements.•Right now, videos are loaded in a …
How to Choose a Hammered Dulcimer
Criteria for Purchasing a Hammered Dulcimer
by Steve Eulberg & Linda Ratcliff
Steve playing a Prelude for an Ordination service. We are fortunate to live in the midst of a sustained dulcimer revival! Today, not only are there kits available for you to build your own, there are a good number of quality builders who have refined the process and are able to make instruments that are reliably good from instrument to instrument and who stand behind their work. In addition, there are also a good nu…
Dulcimer Sighting!
While on tour in North Carolina, Steve Eulberg stops a Jerry Read Smith's Song of the Wood Dulcimer Shop in Black Mountain and look who he sees playing in the shade out in front of the shop! Joshua Messick, National Champion.
DulcimerCrossing Teacher Sighting(s)!
Steve Eulberg and Don Pedi, both teachers at DulcimerCrossing.com, play this Old-Time (Scottish-Heritage) tune at a Fort Collins House Concert in Summer 2013. Miss McLeod's Reel (aka "Have You Ever Been to Meetin', Uncle Joe?" and "Have You Ever Seen the Devil, Uncle Joe?" and "Hop High, Ladies") is played by them on mountain dulcimers with Vi Wickam playing fiddle.
DulcimerCrossing & Music Education
As former public school educators, Linda Ratcliff and Steve Eulberg, have designed the DulcimerCrossing.com website to support Music Educators, students and Homeschool students and teachers.The National Association for Music Education has created nationwide standards for musical education for the United States of America.
DulcimerCrossing.com lessons are designed to equip students to be successful in demonstrating their proficiency on 6 of these 9 standards.
You can read more about our goals here,…
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