Been playing guitar for about 50 years and just got my first dulcimer. Your lessons are very helpful and fun. Thanks for teaching this old dog some new tricks......
I have had a dulcimer for 37 years and never learned to play. Got it out this week and got new strings and tuned. Checked different sites and teaching techniques and found yours. Now I am hooked and learning with your style of teaching. You are awesome and I thank you so much for your time and willingness to help others. Again, THANK YOU
Thank you for this video and the preceding one on chords! I picked up a dulcimer at an estate sale and have been trying to figure out how to play it. So glad to have come across your videos! Looking forward to exploring the whole library.
What cord is 6.5 and 4? Also as a new beginner never having played an instrument before, I see you mentioned something about charts . What are some beginner educational materials that you would recommend to purchase? Your slow patient teaching style is remarkable. You obviously love your instrument and love teaching. So very grateful and appreciative of your time to make these videos!!
Brett, I am enjoying your simple clear lessons so much! But on Lesson #3, my left hand fingers do NOT work as well as yours, so I really need to see the tab for the G chord - it's kind of hard to tell exactly where your fingers are in the video. Then I can play the chord the way my fingers are comfortable. Could I please see the tab for the G chord? Diane McLarty
I was doing pretty well until I got to that 6.5 fret that I don't have on my dulcimer. Is there somewhere with a tab chart of these chords I can print out? I have always learned best through diagrams and as helpful as these videos are to me as a completely beginner I'd be more comfortable looking at a chart than continually pausing and rewinding video.
I am confused - You show a couple of ways to make the D and a couple of ways to make the G - How am I suppose to know which D or G chord to use when playing songs?
If you associate a chord with the note of the melody it will make sense. If your melody note is on two that is the D chord you make if it’s on for that is the D chord you make, if it’s on seven that is the D chord you make. There are several different ways and different chords on the scale. The first fret would be A the second fret would be D the third fret would be G, the fourth fret would be D the fifth fret would be G the six fret would be A and the seventh threat would be D. If you want tablature for your music I have several tab books on my website at www.brettridgewaymusic.com
C# E A is an A chord for the second to the last chord. Quick way to figure out what they are A chord=A C# E (1,3,5), B chord=B D F#, C chord=C E G, D chord=D F# A, E chord=E G B, and F chord= F#, A, C. If you know what the notes are on the fret board, look at all the notes and compare to what chord they go with.
You made the chords and keys explanation easy to get. Now on this lesson and in lesson 2 I could not hear you correctly as to the progression of the chords for the scale. It sounded like I heard you say D A B G D G and the last 2 were not identified. Can you clarify that for me please?
This is the only one I have not been able to get. The hammer on's I finally got, but I can't understand what to do exactly for the poll off's, so they aren't happening yet.
I’m a long time guitar player but bought my wife a dulcimer since she really wants to play it. She’s a lefty though, so I’m assuming you always want the double melody strings closest to your body, correct? That means I need to flip the nut and saddle so she can reverse the dulcimer. Thanks for the info and I will put her onto your lessons.
Before you do anything, I am a lefty too. BOTH hands have to do something, and actually the left hand does more work than the right hand. My suggestion would be to just try playing it right handed. Every instrument I play, it is my left hand that does the fretting and the right hand the picking or strumming. I can't even hold a pencil in my right hand! IF she switches, workshops etc. will be confusing. IF she just can't, yes, the double strings would be next to the body. But as a leftly myself, I would strongly recommend working through it.
Brett Ridgeway's Learning For Life thanks for the quick response. In guitar I’ve always heard the thought process was always your dominant hand does the repeated strumming so you don’t have to think about it and can concentrate on fretting hand but strumming patterns seem much easier on dulcimer. She’ll try it righty first for sure!
Love your teaching; however, my dulcimer has traditional frets which doesn’t include fret 6 1/2. I’ve already written down the notes you described for each fret. Since I don’t have fret 6 1/2 how how does that change the notes on my dulcimer?
Two options you have. The 6 1/2 fret...a C# can be found on the middle string at the 9th fret. or it is not difficult or expensive to have a 6 1/2 fret added. I hope that helps and thank you for asking! :)
Hello, Brett! Is there something out there I could print out that would remind me which chords these are and what the finger positions should be? I have Lesson 2 down cold but this one is harder for me. Also, thank you so much for these lessons. They are wonderfully clear, do-able, generous, and inspiring. (I'm working my way toward Wildwood Flower... :-) ). I just signed up via Patreon, so if the chord chart or handout is there somewhere, if you could point me to it that would be wonderful.
Hello and THANK YOU for becoming a patron on Patreon! And I am glad you are enjoying the lessons. By the way, Wildwood Flower or any tune...the secret? Use the pause button often and memorize just a very small piece at a time! As fas as a chart, I do have one on my site here and of course you will receive a Patreon discount: www.brettridgewaymusic.com/merchandise
I can go back and forth with the chords from lesson 2 and lesson 3. At the very end of lesson3 what are you doing. Are you playing scale using chords? I’m fine until the very end..
Thank for all this, Brett. These two lessons have been invaluable. The only place I'm getting a little lost at this point is trying to keep track of the names of the last three chords. @@BrettRidgewaysLearningForLife
In this Lesson 3 Mountain Dulcimer- Chord Continued I have listen to it for several days now and you don't announce the chord that you are strumming when your Thumb is on 61/2 melody strings and your middle finger and ring finger are on 4. Is that an A chord? When thumb is on 5 melody string and middle finger and ring finger is on 3 fret is a G chord. When thumb on 7 fret and ring finger on middle string 5 fret its a D chord.
Brett, I don't have a 6.5 on my dulcimer. What A cord variation should I use instead? I made my dulcimer 30 years ago and learned to play in Ionian tuning. (I don't think the 6.5 was in much use back then.) I haven't played it in 15 years. Pulled it out to relearn ... and to get my 9 year old granddaughter to start playing it. I don't really want to put in an extra fret unless I have to -- the Dulcimer carries a lot of sentimental value and I want to pass it on to her as I made it back in then.
Nick, without the 6 1/2 fret you CAN make the same chord but it will not fit well into the chord progression very smoothly. You would fret the melody string at 8, the middle string at 9 and the bass string at 11. However, you can also just substitute and A chord. But if you need the melody note of 6 1/2, it would be found on the middle string at 9. However, my recommendation it to have a 6 1/2 fret put in. The cost is minimal if you have any dulcimer builders around you. Even a music store with a guitar repairman can do it, but they tend to charge a bit more. Either way, it would be worth having one installed. Let me know if you need help in this.
@@BrettRidgewaysLearningForLife Thanks Brett for the advice (and responding so quickly!!!). You're right the cord pattern is a bit kludgy and I should consider installing a 6.5 fret. I'll look for a dulcimer builder in the Salt Lake City, UT area -- any recommendations (long shot I know) out here would appreciated.
@@nickcoleman I understand the sentiment. I have a dulcimer my dad built. My best recommendation as far as a luthier is if you are on Facebook, there are several dulcimer groups: Everything Dulcimer, Discovering Dulcimer are two of the largest. I guarantee if you ask there, someone will know. If you were wanting to send it to someone, there are a few I could recommend.
LOL, I was just looking and was confused. Pull-offs to an open string is a bit easier that a pull-off to a lower fret. Try not even picking the string with your right hand. Just fret the melody string lets say at the second fret. You are going to actually pick it off...pull it off...NOT lifting the finger up, but pulling the string toward you till it snaps loose of the finger tip. You should be able to get a sound with JUST your left hand. See if this helps :)
Hi Brett. I just found my dulcimer(after 30 years) and your wonderful site but my dulcimer does not have the half step at 6. How can I make a half step?
Hi Rhonda, I have a laminated Chord Chart on my site here: www.brettridgewaymusic.com/merchandise Just scroll down. It's called "Understanding Your Mountain Dulcimer"
I maybe missing something here but you seem to lose interest in clearly naming each chord as you go through the lesson demonstrating it A chord chart would tempt me to stick with this tutorial and pay a fee, I'm always happy to pay for quality, but at the moment I'm having to look around for chord charts and their supporting information.
Hi Colin, You are correct, and that is on purpose.. I think I even explain that in the video, There is a specific reason why I teach like I do and why I don't use tab. One of the things I recommend is to take the first chord A and play that from open to A again and again. Don't move on the the second chord (2 D) until you are proficient with open to 1. But I do have a laminated chord chart with some additional information here: brettridgewaymusic.com/books-charts I hope this helps! And thanks for the input!
Been playing guitar for about 50 years and just got my first dulcimer. Your lessons are very helpful and fun. Thanks for teaching this old dog some new tricks......
I have had a dulcimer for 37 years and never learned to play. Got it out this week and got new strings and tuned. Checked different sites and teaching techniques and found yours. Now I am hooked and learning with your style of teaching. You are awesome and I thank you so much for your time and willingness to help others. Again, THANK YOU
@Brett Ridgeway
i love your teaching style, so clear, practical and to the point. thank you for sharing these lessons.
Finally basic, easy to understand, lessons in bite size portions. Thank You
Thank you Vicki, I appreciate the comment and recommendation!
I'm really enjoying your lessons. When I get my Dulcimer, I will start over with your lessons. Your directions are very explanatory. Thank you!
Thank you for this video and the preceding one on chords! I picked up a dulcimer at an estate sale and have been trying to figure out how to play it. So glad to have come across your videos! Looking forward to exploring the whole library.
these tutorials are very very good, thank you so very much* they are a great help to me.
Thanks Brett
Thank you for watching and taking the time to comment!
Thanks a lot for these!
And me too!! Thank you!!
Thank you and glad you are enjoying the lessons! Thank you for commenting!
So clearly explained thankyou
What cord is 6.5 and 4? Also as a new beginner never having played an instrument before, I see you mentioned something about charts . What are some beginner educational materials that you would recommend to purchase? Your slow patient teaching style is remarkable. You obviously love your instrument and love teaching. So very grateful and appreciative of your time to make these videos!!
Brett, I am enjoying your simple clear lessons so much! But on Lesson #3, my left hand fingers do NOT work as well as yours, so I really need to see the tab for the G chord - it's kind of hard to tell exactly where your fingers are in the video. Then I can play the chord the way my fingers are comfortable. Could I please see the tab for the G chord? Diane McLarty
thank you sooo much!
Ah! Thank you Judy! And thank you for taking the time to comment! And please share if you would be so kind!
I was doing pretty well until I got to that 6.5 fret that I don't have on my dulcimer.
Is there somewhere with a tab chart of these chords I can print out? I have always learned best through diagrams and as helpful as these videos are to me as a completely beginner I'd be more comfortable looking at a chart than continually pausing and rewinding video.
I am confused - You show a couple of ways to make the D and a couple of ways to make the G - How am I suppose to know which D or G chord to use when playing songs?
If you associate a chord with the note of the melody it will make sense. If your melody note is on two that is the D chord you make if it’s on for that is the D chord you make, if it’s on seven that is the D chord you make. There are several different ways and different chords on the scale. The first fret would be A the second fret would be D the third fret would be G, the fourth fret would be D the fifth fret would be G the six fret would be A and the seventh threat would be D. If you want tablature for your music I have several tab books on my website at www.brettridgewaymusic.com
Brett, the second to the last chord with the thumb on the 6 1/2 - is that an A? I don't think you mentioned what chord that was on the video. Thanks.
C# E A is an A chord for the second to the last chord. Quick way to figure out what they are A chord=A C# E (1,3,5), B chord=B D F#, C chord=C E G, D chord=D F# A, E chord=E G B, and F chord= F#, A, C. If you know what the notes are on the fret board, look at all the notes and compare to what chord they go with.
@@AndreaZelones Thank you! Still learning. This is very helpful!
@@newcreation55 You are welcome. I help you and it helps me remember better. Win/win
Andrea I wish I could understand what you mean. I’m just learning. Can you explain it for dummies lol?
You made the chords and keys explanation easy to get. Now on this lesson and in lesson 2 I could not hear you correctly as to the progression of the chords for the scale. It sounded like I heard you say D A B G D G and the last 2 were not identified. Can you clarify that for me please?
This is the only one I have not been able to get. The hammer on's I finally got, but I can't understand what to do exactly for the poll off's, so they aren't happening yet.
A pull off should be the exact same as a hammer on but taking the finger off and instead of putting it on
Another great lesson. Thank you.
Thank you Peter and glad you are enjoying the lessons!
I'm loving this set of lessons so far but I have no 6.5 fret... What to do?
I'm looking forward to purchasing and learning with you.
I’m a McSpadden dealer if I can help
@@BrettRidgewaysLearningForLife I enjoy your videos and teachings too
I’m a long time guitar player but bought my wife a dulcimer since she really wants to play it. She’s a lefty though, so I’m assuming you always want the double melody strings closest to your body, correct? That means I need to flip the nut and saddle so she can reverse the dulcimer.
Thanks for the info and I will put her onto your lessons.
Before you do anything, I am a lefty too. BOTH hands have to do something, and actually the left hand does more work than the right hand. My suggestion would be to just try playing it right handed. Every instrument I play, it is my left hand that does the fretting and the right hand the picking or strumming. I can't even hold a pencil in my right hand! IF she switches, workshops etc. will be confusing. IF she just can't, yes, the double strings would be next to the body. But as a leftly myself, I would strongly recommend working through it.
Brett Ridgeway's Learning For Life thanks for the quick response. In guitar I’ve always heard the thought process was always your dominant hand does the repeated strumming so you don’t have to think about it and can concentrate on fretting hand but strumming patterns seem much easier on dulcimer. She’ll try it righty first for sure!
That assumes you have a 6 1/2 fret.
I keep getting an “A” for 6 1/2 and 4. Is that correct?
Could t find these on your Patreon page. Are they there? I just joined so I could see them there.
Love your teaching; however, my dulcimer has traditional frets which doesn’t include fret 6 1/2. I’ve already written down the notes you described for each fret. Since I don’t have fret 6 1/2 how how does that change the notes on my dulcimer?
Two options you have. The 6 1/2 fret...a C# can be found on the middle string at the 9th fret. or it is not difficult or expensive to have a 6 1/2 fret added. I hope that helps and thank you for asking! :)
My dulcimer only has 3 strings. Will this work the same?
Yes! Actually mine only have three now too
I miss something what is the 6 1/2 to 4 chord? Right before the last D. At 4:50 minute mark.
Hello, Brett! Is there something out there I could print out that would remind me which chords these are and what the finger positions should be? I have Lesson 2 down cold but this one is harder for me. Also, thank you so much for these lessons. They are wonderfully clear, do-able, generous, and inspiring. (I'm working my way toward Wildwood Flower... :-) ). I just signed up via Patreon, so if the chord chart or handout is there somewhere, if you could point me to it that would be wonderful.
Hello and THANK YOU for becoming a patron on Patreon! And I am glad you are enjoying the lessons. By the way, Wildwood Flower or any tune...the secret? Use the pause button often and memorize just a very small piece at a time! As fas as a chart, I do have one on my site here and of course you will receive a Patreon discount: www.brettridgewaymusic.com/merchandise
I can go back and forth with the chords from lesson 2 and lesson 3. At the very end of lesson3 what are you doing. Are you playing scale using chords? I’m fine until the very end..
Yes, just start at 0 and for every note of the scale, make a chord!
Thank for all this, Brett. These two lessons have been invaluable. The only place I'm getting a little lost at this point is trying to keep track of the names of the last three chords. @@BrettRidgewaysLearningForLife
In this Lesson 3 Mountain Dulcimer- Chord Continued I have listen to it for several days now and you don't announce the chord that you are strumming when your Thumb is on 61/2 melody strings and your middle finger and ring finger are on 4. Is that an A chord?
When thumb is on 5 melody string and middle finger and ring finger is on 3 fret is a G chord.
When thumb on 7 fret and ring finger on middle string 5 fret its a D chord.
Brett,
I don't have a 6.5 on my dulcimer. What A cord variation should I use instead?
I made my dulcimer 30 years ago and learned to play in Ionian tuning. (I don't think the 6.5 was in much use back then.) I haven't played it in 15 years. Pulled it out to relearn ... and to get my 9 year old granddaughter to start playing it. I don't really want to put in an extra fret unless I have to -- the Dulcimer carries a lot of sentimental value and I want to pass it on to her as I made it back in then.
Nick, without the 6 1/2 fret you CAN make the same chord but it will not fit well into the chord progression very smoothly. You would fret the melody string at 8, the middle string at 9 and the bass string at 11. However, you can also just substitute and A chord. But if you need the melody note of 6 1/2, it would be found on the middle string at 9. However, my recommendation it to have a 6 1/2 fret put in. The cost is minimal if you have any dulcimer builders around you. Even a music store with a guitar repairman can do it, but they tend to charge a bit more. Either way, it would be worth having one installed. Let me know if you need help in this.
@@BrettRidgewaysLearningForLife Thanks Brett for the advice (and responding so quickly!!!). You're right the cord pattern is a bit kludgy and I should consider installing a 6.5 fret. I'll look for a dulcimer builder in the Salt Lake City, UT area -- any recommendations (long shot I know) out here would appreciated.
@@nickcoleman I understand the sentiment. I have a dulcimer my dad built. My best recommendation as far as a luthier is if you are on Facebook, there are several dulcimer groups: Everything Dulcimer, Discovering Dulcimer are two of the largest. I guarantee if you ask there, someone will know. If you were wanting to send it to someone, there are a few I could recommend.
The D chord is really hard for me as I have small hands and they don't stretch that far. Any suggestions for an alternative finger placement?
IDK if this helps (you prolly figured it out by now), but using my thumb hurt, so I switched to index, middle and ring.
Oh, it must have switched video's while I was typing. My comment was for lesson 9 re: the pull off's
LOL, I was just looking and was confused. Pull-offs to an open string is a bit easier that a pull-off to a lower fret. Try not even picking the string with your right hand. Just fret the melody string lets say at the second fret. You are going to actually pick it off...pull it off...NOT lifting the finger up, but pulling the string toward you till it snaps loose of the finger tip. You should be able to get a sound with JUST your left hand. See if this helps :)
Yes, I got it.. I will go back and do the lesson again and do this. Thank you. Your patience is admirable. @@BrettRidgewaysLearningForLife
@@melanierichter9657 Not a problem at all! :)
Hi Brett. I just found my dulcimer(after 30 years) and your wonderful site but my dulcimer does not have the half step at 6. How can I make a half step?
Deborah - go to a luthier and have a 6-1/2 fret added to your dulcimer. It is fairly inexpensive and will be a great improvement to your instrument.
Thank you. Would a guitar maker be a luther
@@deborahdecker7686 - Yes Ma'am.
Is there a chord chart, I think that would be helpful to me?
Hi Rhonda, I have a laminated Chord Chart on my site here: www.brettridgewaymusic.com/merchandise Just scroll down. It's called "Understanding Your Mountain Dulcimer"
Does it include your recommended finger positions?
lol, sore thumb!
Do you have a link to these chords?
I sell an understanding the mountain dulcimer laminated chart that has them on it on my website. Is that what you are referring to?
What is the name of the opening song played at the beginning of your chord lessons ?
(Poor) Wayfaring Stranger
I maybe missing something here but you seem to lose interest in clearly naming each chord as you go through the lesson demonstrating it A chord chart would tempt me to stick with this tutorial and pay a fee, I'm always happy to pay for quality, but at the moment I'm having to look around for chord charts and their supporting information.
Hi Colin, You are correct, and that is on purpose.. I think I even explain that in the video, There is a specific reason why I teach like I do and why I don't use tab. One of the things I recommend is to take the first chord A and play that from open to A again and again. Don't move on the the second chord (2 D) until you are proficient with open to 1. But I do have a laminated chord chart with some additional information here: brettridgewaymusic.com/books-charts
I hope this helps! And thanks for the input!