Blog
Quirky Preferences
by Linda Ratcliff
I'm not weird . . . I'm a limited edition musician!
When you finally pack your new dulcimer in the bag, load it in the car, and find your way to your first jam session, you're going to find out that not everyone plays the same way you do. As a matter of fact, some musicians' styles aren't even going to sound good to you. And if you're going to a jam or workshop to learn, not everything you see and hear is going to make sense to you.
My style is to play slower tunes with a flowing …
I'm not weird . . . I'm a limited edition musician!
When you finally pack your new dulcimer in the bag, load it in the car, and find your way to your first jam session, you're going to find out that not everyone plays the same way you do. As a matter of fact, some musicians' styles aren't even going to sound good to you. And if you're going to a jam or workshop to learn, not everything you see and hear is going to make sense to you.
My style is to play slower tunes with a flowing …
The Perfect Wrong Note
by Linda Ratcliff
If you ever strum the wrong note, or strike the wrong string with your hammers ... just tell them you were playing the jazz version. - Linda Ratcliff
The Perfect Wrong Note
If you ever strum the wrong note, or strike the wrong string with your hammers ... just tell them you were playing the jazz version. - Linda Ratcliff
The Perfect Wrong Note
My 16-year-old grandson plays the saxophone in his band at school, and he was telling me about trying out last week for the school jazz band. All the kids waiting for their turn were troubled by one note in the arrangement - an Eb. They thought if they could just play that note 1/2 step higher, it would sou…
When I am frustrated with my progress, (or lack of it)....
...This quote from Judy Klinkhammer comes to mind:
"What a curse it is, that the only thing you ever do is exactly what you choose to do."
- Judy Klinkhammer
Judy was an amazing fixture in the community of Mountain View, Arkansas, bringing and treasuring the mountain dulcimer in this northeast corner of the Ozark mountains. She loved equipping absolute beginners AND singing harmony. She was an indefatigable encourager, but as her wisdom shows, she knew that the impetus for playing must always c…
Stop Stopping
by Linda Ratcliff
To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable. - Aaron Copeland
How to Stop Stopping
To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable. - Aaron Copeland
How to Stop Stopping
I think the main reason people don’t get what they want in life is because they give up too soon. You may have given up on something before, but let’s just apply this to your dulcimer playing..
- You didn’t understand what those tabs meant - so you gave up.
- You can’t figure out how to tune your dulcimer - so you gave up.
- Your hammered dulcim…
Busted & Rusted
by Linda Ratcliff
Practice will clean up the rust and put the shine back in your playing. - Linda Ratcliff
Busted & Rusted
Call me old-fashioned, but I love old things with a bit of rust on them. Sometimes we wander into antique stores, and I always gravitate to the instrument section. I wonder about who owned the instruments, how they ended up in the store in such bad condition, and whether or not I could restore one of them.
Some of you may recognize the guitar below - its name is Trigger and it …
Practice will clean up the rust and put the shine back in your playing. - Linda Ratcliff
Busted & Rusted
Call me old-fashioned, but I love old things with a bit of rust on them. Sometimes we wander into antique stores, and I always gravitate to the instrument section. I wonder about who owned the instruments, how they ended up in the store in such bad condition, and whether or not I could restore one of them.
Some of you may recognize the guitar below - its name is Trigger and it …
The Finish Line
by Linda Ratcliff
Don't be so focused on the finish line that you fail to enjoy the journey. - David Weekly
The Finish Line
I started a new diet about two months ago. And so far, all I have lost is 2 months and 8 pounds. Now you may want to pat me on the back and say, "Way to go! You didn't put it on in a day, and if you take it off slowly - it will stay off. But that's discouraging for me. I want to git'er done. I want to reach the finish line, and I want to reach it TODAY.
That's not going to…
Don't be so focused on the finish line that you fail to enjoy the journey. - David Weekly
The Finish Line
I started a new diet about two months ago. And so far, all I have lost is 2 months and 8 pounds. Now you may want to pat me on the back and say, "Way to go! You didn't put it on in a day, and if you take it off slowly - it will stay off. But that's discouraging for me. I want to git'er done. I want to reach the finish line, and I want to reach it TODAY.
That's not going to…
Beginner to Expert
by Linda Ratcliff
The expert in anything was once a beginner. - Helen Hayes
Beginner to Expert
The opening quote for this page, "Every expert was once beginner," is attributed to Helen Hayes (1900-1993). She was an actress who is one of the few in her career to win an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar and a Tony. If anyone became an expert in her craft, it was Helen Hayes.
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author born in 1949 who writes novels and short stories. He said, "If everyone waited to become an exp…
The expert in anything was once a beginner. - Helen Hayes
Beginner to Expert
The opening quote for this page, "Every expert was once beginner," is attributed to Helen Hayes (1900-1993). She was an actress who is one of the few in her career to win an Emmy, a Grammy, and an Oscar and a Tony. If anyone became an expert in her craft, it was Helen Hayes.
Haruki Murakami is a Japanese author born in 1949 who writes novels and short stories. He said, "If everyone waited to become an exp…
Ask Questions
by Linda Ratcliff
A truly wise man always has more questions than answers. - Wilson from Home Improvements
Ask Questions
Below is a series of questio…
A truly wise man always has more questions than answers. - Wilson from Home Improvements
Ask Questions
Your sub-conscious works day and night to answer any questions you ask. So asking yourself open-ended questions puts the sub-conscious to work. Answers often come "out of the blue", as ideas or notions that you might not have had otherwise. When practicing, why don't you put your subconscious mind to work by asking questions about your progress?
Below is a series of questio…
Natural Talent vs. Hard Work
by Linda Ratcliff
Hard work beats talent ... when talent doesn't work hard.
Natural Talent vs. Hard Work
Hard work beats talent ... when talent doesn't work hard.
Natural Talent vs. Hard Work
Is it possible for a person without any inherent musical talent to become skilled at playing their dulcimer? Now to clarify ... a person who lacks musical talent will usually manifest the following characteristics:
- Lacks a sense of rhythm - plays on the wrong beats.
- Tone deaf – doesn't notice when he/she strums or hammers the wrong notes or chords.
- Finds it difficult to keep in step with ot…
Part 2 of Bluegrass Series
by Linda Ratcliff Bluegrass has brought more people together and made more friends than any music in the world. - Bill Monroe NEW: Part 2 of our Bluegrass Series
What makes a tune or a song “bluegrass” anyway? Well, if you ask five bluegrass players, you'll most likely get five different answers. Bluegrass music is usually performed by a group with a guitar, an upright bass, a mandolin, a fiddle, and a banjo, and features “high lonesome” three-part singing. Since most of early bluegrass musicia…
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