Timothy's Blog

Timothy's blog on dulcimers, music, nature and life!
JUN
08

Using body language for expression

Using body language for expression

Musical phrasing and interpretation are affected by the way the instrumentalist moves.  It often marks the difference between cold, dead music-making and compelling, electrifying results.

A lot of dynamic effect can be achieved with a very efficient and slight movement, as when a hammered dulcimer player uses mostly his fingers to flip the hammers in just the right way, with shoulders and elbows moving the hammers to the note locations.

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4241 Hits
OCT
20

Pachelbel's Canon in D Fantasia for hammered dulcimer

Pachelbel's Canon in D Fantasia for hammered dulcimer
 

One of the most popular and beloved pieces in all of Classical music is the beautiful Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel, made famous in our time by its use in a recording in 1969 and a film in the 1970s.

With its repeating chords, diatonic (do-re-mi scale) nature, and interesting lyrical melody, it seems like a perfect candidate for a hammered dulcimer arrangement.

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23994 Hits
SEP
26

A musician's feedback loop

A musician's feedback loop

When we play music on our instruments or when we sing, our ears hear what we’re doing the very instant each sound is made.

Our brains --- consciously or subconsciously --- immediately make an assessment: Is it in tune?  Is it exactly in time with the overall flow of the piece?  How well are the tone and the volume and the phrasing matching the goals of the performance?

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6290 Hits
JUN
08

The great value of 'Repeat One'

The great value of 'Repeat One'

One of the great advantages of digital recordings --- CDs, .mp3s, etc. --- is that you can set up playback for shuffle/random, for repeating an album or playlist, or for repeating one track.

That last one, repeating a single track, is wonderful for getting your fill of a favorite piece without having to hit the ‘return’ button each time (or in the case of magnetic tapes of all kinds, setting zero and rewinding to it); but I also find tremendous value in the ‘repeat one’ feature of any playback system: for learning something new!

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4792 Hits
APR
22

Llamas are among my fans!

Llamas are among my fans!

For a few years in the early 2000s I set up my booth to sell my CDs at a marvelous weekend festival in Chesapeake, Virginia --- an event that focused on celebrating natural fibers such as wool.  Sheep dogs showed their amazing herding abilities; weavers and spinners demonstrated theirs.  My booth was on the outer edge of a huge white tent with sides, but the first year I was there it was quite hot, so the walls were removed to let air in.

As usual I was playing away at the hammered dulcimer, when… I felt the presence of observers from behind me.  You know how that ‘sixth sense’ somehow can tell there’s someone there?

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4587 Hits

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