We play the dulcimer in a "guitar style"; that is, we attach a strap to each end of the instrument and play standing up with the frets vertical and the dulcimer on its side, hanging across the body horizontally. This method allows for the greatest playing versatility and freedom of movement. You can play sitting down or standing up or dancing with the tune, while still keeping the instrument anchored. This method also puts you in a relationship to the instrument that utilizes a natural "hinge and muscle" arrangement that makes strumming easier.

You'll probably want to start playing sitting down with the dulcimer held sideways across you like a guitar, with the strap over your left shoulder and angling down off your right. It's going to be uncomfortable at first, since you weren't born with a piece of wood dangling around your neck, but it will come in no time.


Traditionally, you play the dulcimer while sitting on a low chair, stool or log. The instrument lies across your lap, fretboard side up, with the tuning pegs to your left. Some people find it easier to angle the instrument slightly away from them on the left.


We find the most comfortable sitting position is the yogic style. Sit on the floor with your feet tucked back out of the way and the instrument angling down and off your lap, again with the headstock to your left.

This method is a sit-down version of the guitar style - instead of having the strap around your shoulders, wrap it around your leg to anchor the instrument. This style is an excellent starting position because it helps you to center yourself over the instrument. Sometimes sitting on a soft pillow or small cushion makes the position more comfortable.

      Experiment.

In "Autoharp Style" the dulcimer is held vertically with the headstock over your right shoulder. Another twist is to turn it upside down and use the other shoulder. This works well for playing in the front seat of a Volkswagen.

Finally, there's what we call the "Stoval Style," named after Babe Stoval, a truly fine steel guitar blues man from New Orleans. He's not the only one to use this technique, a favorite of super-stars for bringing sweating thousands to a final ecstasy. It is essentially a variation of the guitar style. Swing the instrument up over your head and play it upside down resting on your shoulders behind your neck. It's strange, but fun to do, and great for exits.

       

Later on we'll be discussing picks and picking styles, but for now visit your local music store and buy several light gauge, highly flexible picks which look like this:

If your music store is too far away, or if you are simply into a "resources recycling routine," you can cut up a coffee can lid or bleach bottle and use this plastic material for picks.

You may notice that this "fist pick" is larger than most other picks you've probably seen. It's larger so that your hand can become accustomed to holding this foreign object. Remember when you were in the first grade and began to write with a big, thick, black pencil? Same idea.

Okay. So now you are all set. No more trips to the store for strings, picks, straps, or anything else.

First we're going to work on developing a rhythmic strumming style. We'll be concerned with the tempo (speed) of strumming, the accents within a strummed sequence, and the overall tone of the sound of the rhythm. Then we'll get into playing notes, and notes in sequences, by depressing the unisons to various frets in order to put together melodies. Once we're playing a melody, we'll talk about musical phrases, or passages, which create a total melodic sequence-- a song. A little later on in the book we'll work on harmonics, picking styles, and finger positions for making melodic chords.

Now, hold your pick any way that is comfortable - between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand is the most usual way. We usually hold it between the thumb and middle finger -keeping the forefinger somewhat aloof, bending it down now and then to straighten the pick, which tends to turn during fast tempos.