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Evart Hammered Dulcimer Jam in the Teacher's Tent!

by Steve Eulberg The Evart Funfest which happens in the 3rd week of July in the heart of Osceola County, Michigan, gathers amazing musicians. Under the teacher's tent, by John and Sharon Skaryd's camper, there are day and night-long jams and fun conversations, both vocal and musical!  Here DeeDee Tibbits, Linda Foley (both from Michigan) and Chuck Boody (from Minnesota) are leading this celtic-style tune while others are also welcomed in.

I just played with DeeDee at the Kentucky Music …

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David Massengill and Reverse Ionian Tuning

by Steve Eulberg On the road as part of my country-crossing-summer-tour, I got to visit with David Massengill at the Gebhard Woods Festival in Morris, Illinois in June. David has a long history with the mountain dulcimer and developed some playing styles that pre-date the 6-1/2 fret, DAd world that has been more common since the instrument was brought in from the "free-range."   Here he demonstrates the beautiful of what he calls "Reverse Ionian Tuning".   5 - 1 - 5 are the relationships between…

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Some Copyright Issues for Dulcimer Players of Music

by Steve Eulberg

May I offer a few musings on a recent conversation that has been seeded and is taking root in my brain?

Like many dulcimer players, I am just giddy when I discover that I can quickly play my favorite Jim Croce or John Denver, or Elton John or Blood Sweat and Tears tunes on the dulcimer I love! And....I get very confused when I am told that I have to respect copyrights when I want to share this music with others.

Copyright Laws were created to protect the intellectual property…

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DulcimerCrossing Festival Scholarships

by Steve Eulberg & Linda Ratcliff

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…

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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.

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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…

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What to Do....when you're snowed in.

by Linda Ratcliff

snowedinMost 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 …

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How to Choose a Hammered Dulcimer

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Criteria for Purchasing a Hammered Dulcimer

by Steve Eulberg & Linda Ratcliff

SteveHDAndyOrdination 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…

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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.

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