USE OF THE NOTER

The noter, sometimes called a "fretter" or "playing stick," is a finger-length cylindrical piece of wood about a quarter of an inch thick. It is used most often by traditional dulcimer players who hold it as if it were an extra finger, usually between the thumb and index finger. To depress the unison strings, you run the noter up and down the fretboard, and as you play it makes a slight "whistling" noise.

There are drawbacks to using the noter, although the effect is quite pleasing, and one of these is that you have minimal contact with the strings, and therefore limited string control.

One interesting technique employs a noter made of slippery surfaced "wet" plastic. While playing a song, quickly move the noter off the strings and insert it underneath the melody strings at the cutaway portion of the fretboard. Then slide it back to the area where the melody was being played. This is like having a movable nut and creates a "blues" sound. Also, you can depress the strings behind the noter with your middle finger, and make the tone waver up a half-step or more. This sounds like a "Bottleneck" guitar.

BENDING NOTES

Bending notes resembles the technique of separating the melody strings to play thirds, but in this case you simply move the string slightly with your fingertip while it is depressed to the fret in order to alter its tone. You "bend" the note's sound to make it's tone climb a maximum of a half-tone or so. Again, strictly speaking, doing this takes you out of mode, but a well-placed bent note can add a great deal to a melodic passage. More often than not, these days, I bend quite a few notes practically without thinking about it-- it just "feels" like the natural thing to do.

One thing to watch out for is the elusiveness of the melody strings when you're bending both of them --they can wiggle out from beneath your fingertip easily, so make sure you are using enough downward pressure to stabilize their movement.

PLAYING NOTES WHICH AREN'T THERE

Eventually you will want to play a song which has one or more notes that are not included in your scale. There are four ways to get around this problem.

1. You can bend the note on the fret below the one you want and make it a half-step higher. Since you are going for an exact tone, this will be difficult until you learn to gauge how much the string should be bent to produce the desired note.

2. Rarely, but sometimes, you can get the note you want by using the harmonics of the instrument; however, this can sound a bit out of place.

3. You can make a change in the rhythm and leave the note out entirely. Here, you don't actually produce the note, but the listener will fill it in. Also, in the time/beat space allowed for that note, you can slide around it by playing the notes just below and above it, "passing through" the note without really playing it.

4. This method is really part of the next section, but you can always change the tuning to a different mode. You will probably find the note you are looking for, but then again you may lose a few of the other notes you need. Most songs that are "major" in mood can be played in either the Mixolydian or lonian modes, and the lonian comes next.

While learning to play the dulcimer, don't forget that the most important thing you can do is to improve your strumming and your sense of rhythm. The more you play, the more fluid your strum will become, and the better, quicker, and more sensitive you will be.

You've undoubtedly found that it doesn't take a great deal of strength or effort to produce sound on the dulcimer. Often, too much pressure in strumming ruins the otherwise pleasing, delicate sounds your instrument can create. Listen to what you are playing.

Syncopation-- the changing around of beats and their accents-- will enhance your playing, making your rhythms more varied, interesting and altogether different in impact.

Nothing is constant! Change it around!

Use two or three fingering methods in any given song. Do what sounds good to you-- even rewrite the tune if you want to. Few listeners will miss the notes, and maybe your song will be more pleasing than the original. Who knows? Drop beats, make it "funky." Even "Go Tell Aunt Rhody" can really cook if you get into it.

Whatever you do though, make sure that your embellishments and finger techniques are not coverups for poor strumming and non-rhythms. No left-hand technique can make up for a right hand that is not doing its job.