Lessons

Tomorrow night I have my next Mountain Dulcimer lesson, and there's lots to go over. It's been a month since my last lesson, and since then, I've learned to manage my tight neck which has the side effect of pinching a nerve causing all kinds of weird sensations down my left arm. Correct posture is important, as is regular stretching generally. I've taken my body for granted, and so on top of my super tight neck I have a horrid head cold.

But I will go to my lesson tomorrow and be sure to medicate myself beforehand. My nose is too stuffy/runny/sneezy to try and get one more practice session in tonight, but I wanted to pop online and stress the importance of getting some training when you are first learning an instrument. As adults, we sometimes set our expectations too high for ourselves. There have been many times during my lessons when Karen has made simple suggestions that have helped me learn better. While online resources like Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer are fantastic, nothing can substitute sitting down with an instructor. I'm one of the truly lucky ones to have a world class instructor available to me where I live, I know that.

Having regular instruction has kept me from getting stuck and that has made all the difference for me. My love for this little instrument continues to grow and I am amazed at how much joy it has brought into my life. Lessons continue to inspire me and increase my passion for folk music and my Mountain Dulcimer in particular. It is a continuing joy for me to sit with an experienced player and learn from her in the tiny music rooms at Homestead Pickin' Parlour. Watching her play as we go over a new song is a delight, her fingers effortlessly glide over the fretboard to find each chord waiting for her touch. My fingers fumble along and she corrects me as I make mistakes, and I always leave with an excitement to practice the new things I learned in class that day.

I remember when I first got my dulcimer, and how awkward it was the first time I played. I've come a long way, having learned a few songs by heart, and I have a great desire to learn many more. Hopefully I'll find others to play with as well, for I know there are secret dulcimer players out there among my folkie friends. Until then, I'll play with Karen for my bi-weekly half hour lesson, and continue trying to improve. Little by little I'm getting the hang of it.

Learning More about the Mountain Dulcimer

I am approximately 23 days away from holding my new dulcimer in my hands. After spending time on Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer, and reading some recommendations of other beginning players, I decided to sign up for Dulcimer School. It's the closest thing to Hogwarts I can find for learning to play my new Mountain Dulcimer. After spending a few hours watching the foundational videos, I'm certain I made the right choice. The classes are taught by Stephen Seifert, who is one of the worlds foremost instructors on the mountain dulcimer, and I love watching him play.

So far I've learned how to hold the dulcimer, how to change strings, tune, and play a melody note. Of course it will be much better to have the instrument in hand, but for me, I really do like to watch it through one time before I try a technique any way. I did think long and hard about taking classes with Karen Mueller at Homestead Pickin' Parlour. She did give me a lesson on her instrument so I could try it out to see if I would really like it, and of course I LOVED it. My decision was made mostly due to budget and time considerations. Starting out I really wanted to have the information I needed right in front of me, and this is a way for me to do that, and one month is less than one half-hour private lesson.

Based on my history with learning the Autoharp, I would tend to focus on it in spurts, practicing constantly some weeks, and very little or not at all other weeks. With the online school I will be able to work with that kind of eratic learning curve and really take advantage of my energy curve when it comes to learning. If I ever get stuck on something, I can always take a drop in lesson with Karen as well. This is going to be a really fun spring and summer I can tell you!