Begin Playing Mountain Dulcimer with Mary Greene | Traditional Appalachian Dulcimer Lesson
Вставка
- Опубліковано 2 вер 2020
- Let's get started playing mountain dulcimer! Learn the Mixolydian tuning, how to hold both instrument and pick, left hand placement, simple strumming, and two simple melodies.
To book Mary for a workshop or event, click here: www.marygreenemusic.com
Find us on Facebook at: marygreenemusic
I could listen to Ms Greene sing the phonebook. What a lovely voice. Clearly a born teacher.
Thank you for your kind comment!
Thank you for this! So excited to learn!
25 months since you posted this, and STILL blessing folks like me! Thanks for your lovely, patient, calm and joyful heart you share with us.
Thank you so much for your kind comment!
What a great teacher! I'm going to love learning dulcimer with you!
Thank you so much!
I wish I had a music teacher like you when I was a kid, then maybe it wouldn't have taken me more than a decade to find the courage to pick up an instrument again. This was so helpful for getting me started!
Thank you so much for your kind comment! I do hope you continue learning to play the dulcimer.
great teacher for beginners... beautiful singing voice
Thank you so much!
you are a lovely teacher, thank you for this video! much peace and kindness to you, ma'am
Thanks you so much! Teaching is a joy.
Thank you very much this is exactly what I was looking for! Coming at it with a musical background is very beneficial!
Great feedback!
Mary, you did an excellent job in this video. You make it simple and have the viewer/student playing a melody right away. Your pace, voice and clarity is just perfect. Thank you!!!
I greatly appreciate your comment - thank you!
thank you! Your way of teaching is kind and sweet and slow enough to follow! I've subscribed. wonderful!! You make learning an instrument easy.
I've always enjoyed getting people starting on an instrument! My students have taught me a lot about effective teaching over the years.
I have a strumstick. I love how you teach the basics slowly.
Thanks Roy! My students taught me over the years to slow down and give people time to absorb information. So I credit all those wonderful private and workshop students for training me!
I bought a mountain dulcimer today. I'm SOOOO looking forward to watching more of your videos. I really soaked up a lot of what you said. Thank you!!
I play ukulele too!
Thank you Gina!
Thank you! You're a good teacher and has a christal voice
Thank you very much!
I never played one before but you got me interested. I'm 66 and had a stroke. But I think I can do this. Thanks for the lesson.
The mountain dulcimer is a very accessible instrument! I have had students learn who dealt with MS and even, in one case, a prosthetic left forearm. I wish you the very best in your endeavor and in your healing!
I do wish there were a lot more videos with the dulcimer.
There are a number of beginner mountain dulcimer videos on UA-cam - just google the keywords "Learn Mountain Dulcimer" or "Begin Mountain Dulcimer". You may have to wade through some that aren't as helpful as others but the fundamentals are out there.
I love your pacing and your lovely voice.
Thank you so much William! I have been teaching this wonderful instrument for years to children, adults & seniors! I love seeing people get started!
Thank you for the amazing lesson! That tip about using two fingers to fret a note helped me a lot. Cheers!
Glad it helped! Old-timers used wooden "noters" rather than their fingers oftentimes-great for children or weak/arthritic finger joints too.
great coverage of ergonomics! This is a great lesson.
I learned a lot by studying Alexander Technique two decades ago. I am now revisiting that body & mind education system and benefitting every day as I apply its methods.
You are a sweet and beautiful lady. As a mandolin player I am going to try the dulcimer, my teacher owns one and will start me off. Thank you for these lessons...your speech cadence is perfect for lessons.
Thank you so much! It is wonderful to be able to borrow an instrument and get acquainted with it that way. I borrowed my first mountain dulcimer from a wonderful mentor who later also built my first mountain dulcimer for me!
You are a awesome teacher!
Thank you very much!
Thank you so much! I love the way mountain dulcimers sound! Hopefully one day I'll buy one and get to learn! 'Til then, I've got your videos! :)
Thank you so much! There are several different body shapes with the most common probably being the hourglass shape. The one I am playing is elliptical and is set up with four strings equidistant (equally spaced apart). Some are three string dulcimers and there is another four string setup where the melody string is doubled and the instrument is played just like a three string. The wood choices also impact the sound of the instrument. So try out several body shapes made out of different woods.
@@marygreenemusic5507 Oh wow, thank you so much! I appreciate the advice, it's super cool to hear form an expert like you! Thank you!
Thanks for the information! ❤️💕❤️
Glad you found the video useful!
You made it so simple thanks
Wonderful! That is the best compliment a teacher can receive!
watching now learnning, really good
Fantastic! Good luck with your process.
So inspiring! Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you for your kind comment!
Thanks for the good information!
Thank you very much!
Great video, Mary! I subscribed to your channel. Are you planning any more mountain dulcimer lesson videos?
I am gradually turning my mind toward continuing that project. I stay rather busy as I am a performing musician still as well as a church musician. I have started a local monthly Mountain Dulcimer Gathering in 2023 and maybe they will convince me to do more instructional videos.
Well now I am going to have a dulcimer addiction. My family will commit me. I have 15 guitars, 5 ukuleles. That's not all.
A mountain dulcimer will make a fine addition to your musical instrument family! Enjoy!
Mary, where did you get your dulcimer from. It is so pretty and sounds lovely. Cynthia
My dulcimer was made by Rick Stone (J.R. Stone). He was a friend, bandmate, and the builder of Joni Mitchell's dulcimer. Sadly, he is now deceased.
Thanks for the great video Mary, i currently play the ukulele and need a new challenge and im strongly considering purchasing a dulcimer however im not sure what make or model to get, i know nothing about them other than the fact that they are a beautiful sounding instrument, i recently retired so any feedback would be greatly appreciated, thanks again Mary.......Scott 👍🏆.
Hi Scott! Mountain dulcimers are amazing instruments. You can play melody, harmony, and rhythm simultaneously - plus it has a truly unique sound. Explore your options as far as instruments. My particular instrument was made by Rick Stone who also made Joni Mitchell's instrument. My other dulcimers were made by traditional WNC builders who are also deceased. Warren May is a well known builder. McSpadden Dulcimers and Folkcraft instruments come to mind. Blue Lion is a top name. Check out individual builders such as Walter Messick and Ron Ewing. Check this link for more names and contact info: everythingdulcimer.com/builders.php
Try to play several instruments before buying. That way you have several points of comparison.
@@marygreenemusic5507 thank you so much Mary, the information is greatly appreciated, i'll be checking them out 👍.
That is a beautiful dulcimer, who is the maker / available for sale?
The maker was my dear friend and band mate for some thirty years. His name was Rick Stone and sadly is deceased. He built Joni Mitchell’s mountain dulcimer and there is an interesting story about him and Rick Scott, a Canadian performer, on Joni’s website. He made about seven gorgeous dulcimers for Rick Scott. Rick Stone was a consummate craftsman and hand carved the beautiful head on this dulcimer which he custom made for me. It has unique fine tuners that make tuning with friction pegs a breeze!
I am left-handed, but my dulcimer was made fornrightnhanded.
I imagine it could be changed around although I do try to convince my lefties that it doesn't matter. But it always does matter to them, I think perhaps because they are so accustomed to having to flip things around. My mother was ambidextrous while my brother is a leftie and I am a rightie. Wishing you great luck!
Can this be strung left handed?
I have never tried it but I imagine that it would be quite doable.
whats the best place to buy a dulcimer?
That is a very difficult question! One fine resource is a video on UA-cam on the Lee Cagle Music channel titled Sound Comparison of Various Mountain Dulcimers. The least expensive way to begin is with a cardboard body instrument from Backyard Music. McSpadden dulcimers are excellent quality and moderately priced. Best of luck sorting through the incredible variety of instruments! Also just because it is sold at a music store does not mean it is a decent instrument - just saying. Also go to the Banjo Lemonade channel and watch her video titled Watch This Before You Buy a Mountain Dulcimer.
Guitar picks are too hard 😭 and I bought dulcimer picks and they still feel hard... I used a guitar pick cutter to get picks from cardboard and or plastic bottles...and so far it seems to be best. Other than that..I need some more recommendations for the picks.
Herdim picks (available online) are a favorite of mountain dulcimer players.
She said " this D"
Do = C
Re = D
Mi = E
Fa = F
Sol = G
La = A
Si = B
Si NOT "ti"
You are playing a scale of D so Re, not Do.
In America we customarily use a moveable solfège system rather than a fixed solfège system. I have taught students who came from a Spanish speaking background who exposed me to the “fixed do” system that you are referring to. I found it quite interesting and different to what I was accustomed to using. Both systems are in existence both historically and currently. So you and I are both correct in different geographic regions. In America the use of “si” is still used by singers in the Sacred Harp tradition that comes from the early 1800s while “ti” is customary among seven shape-note gospel singers. So glad you took time to watch and thoughtfully respond to my video!
Great video but it would help a lot to see where you are placing your fingers on the instrument thought the video
Thanks for watching! True enough on the visual comment.