kniteracy | Adding to the dulcimer repertoire. Contains POLL!

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Adding to the dulcimer repertoire. Contains POLL!

I'm trying to add some more songs with the mountain dulcimer to my repertoire. Songs that I have done in the past with this instrument include The Shirt of Lace, (assuming I can find the chords) and The Scarlet Tide, which I first heard in the film Cold Mountain.

So, I'm trying to figure out which one (or two, or three, or half-dozen) songs I should work on next with the dulcimer.

And so, here's a poll!

[Poll #967319]

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Or if it isn't it should be. Though, in these days of cuts and threatened privatisation, it's more like a political lack of movement.

I love Dancing at Whitsun. I have a recording of it by Steeleye Span (but it's not a very famous one), and I filked it once (but no-one recognised the original, the filk went down like a lead balloon and I've never sung it since). You'd do it wonderfully.

I didn't realise Steleye Span had recorded it. The only copy of it I've ever had was on my myseriously-lost-around-the-time-of-my-divorce (funny how that kept happening) copy of Maddy Prior's solo CD Summer Solstice.

I kind of like Big Rock Candy Mountain (though I know it via Steve Goodman), and though, as you note, Everything Possible is rather overdone here, that's because it is a good song.

How about something like A Hazy Shade of Winter, or even Fakin' It (both Simon & Garfunkel)? They might translate well, though you'd be kind of busy with the vocals in Fakin' It. Hm...

One odd possibility that occurred to me when I was listening to it recently: I would love to hear an acoustic reword of (Hangin' on the) Telephone, by Blondie. It could be done either at tempo or slowed down, and I think it's a good enough song to stand up to it.

Just thinkin', at almost 5 AM (did taxes, needed to transfer from spreadsheet to forms, noticed error, decided that three hours of sleep were going to be a problem, so I'm up until after taking the kids to school).

Can I postpone my answer until late May? Our Big USA Holiday includes a visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains, which I believe is Dulcimer country. After that, I'll have a much better idea. (And if I should be looking out CDs or sheet music for you while in the area, let me know).

PS: why can I only select ONE of the options in part 2 of the poll? Wants lots of clicky things! (And cheese).

You can postpone anything to anytime you want, baybee. I'm always looking for suggestions, so if you are spending some time in the Appalachians, do try to give a listen to some traditional dulcimer playing and see what you like.

Ah, grasshoppah. In life there are choices, and the wise man knows that sometimes there can be only ond. O:-)

It's more that I don't actually *know* any of those songs! 'The Big Rock Candy Mountain' is the only title I recognise, and I don't think I've ever actually heard the song. I have a personal dulcimer repertoire of about two or three songs, all badly played, so I'm not much help, am I?

I'll happily sing any of them to you (except Beggars to God, whose tune I really am fairly shaky on). Just ring or skype me.

Any of the songs you listed would be fine, on a couple I knew the words but not the title.

The Big Rock Candy Mountain is the one I know best, I remember it from an Easter special when I was a kid.

As I was looking up lyrics, a word on the screen clicked with somethig in my head and made me think of Birches which I think would fit into your your repertoire rather nicely.

That's an excellent suggestion. I like "Birches" very much. I'm just never sure what note Bill Morrissey is singing. Will have to find my copy of Philo So Far and see how much of that I'm remembering corretly.

They all sound nice, I just figure you can do a way better job with "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (or, "Darling Corey" or "Goodnight Irene") than I ever did when I was assiduously practicing dulcimer in high school. :)

I do like "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine." Hm. Thinking, thinking. Someone else suggested "Oh Shenandoah," which I also really like. Now I'm contemplating a medley.

Big Rock Candy Mountain is a lot more appealing before one actually listens to the words, and I'm not familiar with any of the others. Pick something you like and for which you have a good answer to the question "why are you playing this particular song on the dulcimer rather than on the harp that you're so awesome with?"

Sometimes, people just want to branch out, sweetie. I'll probably write an entire post explaining "why dulcimer" because of my reaction to this comment.

Heya Harper,
My poll comment relates to my vote for "New Ballad Extraction". Although we should get together for a song swap at some point - be nice to meet you face to face, we only live in the same city after all...

Sure-- while I live in Southeast London, my workplace is fairly centrally located. Tonight's Sharps Folk Club, y'know.

I chose Beggers To God because Gods do I love that song. However, all of the choices are excellent and would sound lovely for your to perform.

However, I decided to go hang out at the winchester. Though, while there, I do hope to have Ricky Gervais's love child. And eat cheese.

You know you'll be safe at the Winchester, at least. I couldn't promise safety if you chose to meet Ricky Gervais somewhere else. Perhaps you could ply him with cheese. :)

Love _Beggars to God_ and _Everything Possible_, like _Big Rock Candy Mountain_. Gotta go google... there's a song stuck in my head, but I can only hear snippets... Not _Mothers, Daughters, Wives_ by Judy Small, although that's a good one... Or _1000 Candles, 1000 Cranes_ by Small Potatoes. Ah well, I can't find the song in my brain. And I don't know how the dulcimer would sound on either of the ones I did mention.

I'm not familiar with the songs you've mentioned, but I'll presume they're worth digging for, and dig. :)

I don't see lyrics on the web for candles/cranes -- but there's a 2 minute clip on http://cdbaby.com/cd/smallpotatoes00 Lyrics for MDW are at http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk/folk-song-lyrics/Mothers_Daughter_Wives.htm

Jean Redpath does a brilliant version of Dancing at Whitsun on one of her albums. That's where I heard it first.

I love that song.

I don't know many of the others you mention. I know Big Rock Candy Mtn., but I don't like the version I know. Maybe there's another that sounds better?

I haven't heard the Jean Redpath version. I learned it from Maddy Prior; it's on her CD Summer Solstice, I believe, which went walkies a long time ago (from my house, anyway).

I believe that the soul of the mountain dulcimer lies first in the melody-drone style of playing. I'm not sure I can predict which songs might work well that way. Simple Gifts is the only one I play melody drone, but I think you should audition songs against a drone, and pick on that basis.

Or maybe not.

No, I think that's a good idea. The poster below you is suggesting "Oh Shenandoah," which I love and think would stand up fairly well to that kind of playing, meaning it would be not impossible for even someone as untaught as me to play it a couple of different ways.

For vocal accompaniment, I have to admit I'm going with the chord dictionary/fingerpick method, but so far what I'm doing sounds all right, although I'm sure it's not right, if that makes any sense.

I should add that the the bit about melody-drone being the soul of the dulcimer is not what I would say to everyone. It's not what I would say to myself, for sure.

If you've got a perfectly good harp sitting in front of you that you play phenomenally well, it seems that there's an issue of "why not just play it on the harp." And that's why I suggested putting a premium on dulcimeriness.

As for me, the dulcimer is my first musical voice--I'm not trying to make the dulcimer sound like a dulcimer. I just ended up a dulcimer player through an improbable chain of events that put one in my hands as a teenager. I didn't choose the dulcimer on the basis of its sound or its history. Heck, sometimes I'm trying to make it sound like a harp.

*sigh*

OK, definitely writing that post about why dulcimer.

I vote for both "Beggars to God" and "Everything Possible." I'm personally tired of the latter, but I agree it deserves to be better known around the world even if it needs a rest here.

I'm not sure why, but I've always actively disliked "Big Rock Candy Mountain." It certainly is far more overused than any of the others you cite, but I didn't care for it even before that was true.

To my shame, I don't know any of the others you mentioned.

If you don't already do them, how about "The Water Is Wide" or "Oh Shennandoah" (the loveliest of all American folk melodies, IMHO)?

If you don't already do them, how about "The Water Is Wide" or "Oh Shennandoah" (the loveliest of all American folk melodies, IMHO)?

You are 100% right. Thank you so much for this suggestion! Neither one is in my repertoire: I used to live in the Southeast US and found that they were in everybody's repertoire, so I kept them out of mine. Now that I live in England, they're not as common, plus people expect that sort of thing. And they are beautiful, beautiful melodies. Thank you very much. :)

You're welcome! I look forward to hearing them on your next visit over here.

BTW, I don't think I've mentioned my name: I'm Crystal Paul. I gave you the little bag with a frog on it a few years ago.

Ah! I wondered who that was. :) And I'd have remembered you without the reference to the bag, although I have carried that little bag with me ever since.

Big Rock Candy Mountain is one of my favorite songs - one of the ones my dad used to sing us as a lullaby.

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narrowly avoided my head asploding, thanks to the banjo holding it together

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