12/26/2023 0 Comments Dynamics curves tabledit![]() ![]() A friend gets a dulcimer and wants to play together. Whereas learning all the scales on chromatic is a major learning curve. Dorian is my favorite mode for improvising, and it's so easy on a diatonic! Dial in the right tuning and off you go. When an absolute beginner asks me about dulcimers, I usually steer them toward diatonic. There are a few books and videos for learning chromatic dulcimer, but not nearly as many resources as diatonic. Do you play with a noter? Can't stand the idea of your dulcimer sounding like a slide guitar? This is a dealbreaker for some. However, if you hate to practice scales you will probably be happier with a diatonic. Think about the guitar players you know are they all rocket scientists? If they can manage a chromatic fretboard, so can you. Since you asked why NOT buy chromatic, here's what I got:Ĭhromatic is harder to play. I play half-breeds with 1.5 and 6.5 frets. For others it's confusing and it sounds wrong and they just don't like it. For some people this is no problem at all. Ignore the extra frets until you need them. Instruments- discuss specific features, luthiers, instrument problems & questionsĮvery chromatic dulcimer comes with a free diatonic hidden in plain sight. The Beethoven version of the t-shirt would be Bim Bim Bim BOM, wouldn't it? CFCC is a reverse Ionian tuning that puts you in the key of F. The "X+3" stuff is confusing and I'm glad we don't need it nowadays. We didn't have electronic tuners and you couldn't always count on having a piano, tuning fork or pitchpipe when you needed it. yet.Ī lot of the old books have "creative" ways to describe tunings. This is especially true for guitarists, most of whom need to let go of their prior training and allow the dulcimer to lead them down some winding roads that don't seem to be going anywhere. The modes will make sense eventually, but not until you've been playing for a while. It's fun to plunge into the deep end, but the only way to really grasp how a dulcimer works is to play it. I speak from experience, since I am another person who likes to gobble up information. So this is a point on which Force and d'Ossche agree with our own Ken H (and also me). Not until Chapter 6 do alternate modal tunings show up. No tab, hardly any theory - just strum and listen while you play. Ironically, the reason I recommend "In Search of." to beginners is because it gets them tuned up and making music right away. General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
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