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Jam Tracks added to the Backing Tracks Library

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by Steve Eulberg

Jam Tracks added to the Backing Tracks Library

There have been several updates that we've been making to the Backing Tracks Library in DulcimerCrossing this past year.  In addition to NEW TRACKS, we've added the description of the track so players know whether there is an introduction or not, and how many times the track is repeated.

As I have spent more time in this library, it is clear that several of our tracks are aimed toward LEARNING and others are aimed at JAMMIN…

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Behind the Shower Curtain

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Why is it that I can sing so well behind the shower curtain? My pitch is perfect, I remember all the words, and my vibrato is amazing. I feel like I could go on stage to be a professional vocalist. However, my confidence and perfect pitch go into hiding when I try to sing in front of someone.

It’s the same with playing my instruments. I have a great assortment of instruments and we moved recently to a new neighborhood. When my new neighbors come into the house for a get-to-know-you visit, the…

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Cluck, Cluck

DXingLinedrawingLOGO
You cannot soar like an eagle with a chicken mentality. 
Elevate your thoughts to elevate your life (and your music).


A man found an eagle's egg and put it in a nest of a barnyard hen. The eaglet hatched with the brood of chickens and grew up with them.

All his life the eagle did what the barnyard chicks did, thinking he was a barnyard chicken. He scratched the earth for worms and insects. He clucked and cackled. And he would thrash his wings and fly a few feet into the air.

Years pass…

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Say NO to Boring

by Linda Ratcliff



Are you bored of being bored, because being bored is BORING?





Say NO To Boring
 



Have you ever been to a jam session and wondered how many times they're going to repeat the same tune?



Have you ever gone to the nursing home to share your music, and watched your audience nodding off to sleep - bored by your performance?



Just as "gorgeous" is the ultimate compliment for a woman, "boring" is the most dreaded description of a performance a musician can hear.



So let's say "NO…

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Top 10 Tips for Jam Sessions

by Linda Ratcliff

Relax and enjoy the little things in life, for one day you'll realize they were the big things. - Kurt Vonnegut

Top Ten Tips for Jam Sessions



i.e. Jam Etiquette
Going to jam sessions can be intimidating. And yet, they can also be the most fun and rewarding music experiences of your dulcimer life. So how can you move past your fears and inhibitions, and just have a great time?
  1. First of all, tell yourself it’s ok to make mistakes. This is not a performance. You’re just there to…

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Free Lesson: Jam Session Strategy

by Steve Eulberg My mother was right.  Boredom is a choice. If I am bored in a Jam Session because the other players are playing the tune too fast, or too slow, or too many times (is that even POSSible?) do you know whose job it is to fix that? MINE.

In this free lesson, Steve offers a suggestion about what do to participate, support the other players AND keep yourself awake and interested in a jam session. Try it and let us know how it goes for you!

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