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Come to beautiful, enchanting northern New Mexico to
participate in
When: July 6-12, 2009
Where: Ghost
Ranch, Abiquiu, New Mexico (west of Taos)
Taught by: Lucille Reilly, National Hammered Dulcimer Champion & author of Striking
Out and Winning!
Description:
For the emerging hammered dulcimer player wishing to increase musicality,
technical facility and grace while building confidence playing solo and ensemble
music in a discovery oriented, supportive environment.
Through a collection of hymn tunes and folk melodies, students will
cultivate the creative, thoughtful musician within while exploring and refining
skills central to all styles of music: tone production, rhythm, phrasing,
dynamics, the architecture of sustained sound, solo arranging, group
improvisation and more. Ergonomics
and healthy hammering for a lifetime will also be addressed.
Each student must supply his/her own dulcimer (minimum of 15/14
preferred; lowest treble-bridge scale = A major), stand and hammers.
Register
now!
Need
more info? See the FAQs below!
What to Bring:
- Your dulcimer and hammers: If you are flying (Albuquerque is the
nearest major airport) and prefer not to ship or hand-carry your dulcimer, I
have a few dulcimers available to rent for $30. These are
available on a first-come, first-served basis, and you need to request one before
I leave Denver for Ghost Ranch. In an effort to travel light, I will
only bring extra dulcimers that are requested in advance.
- A dulcimer stand that is fully adjustable in both height and tilt. I recommend shipping your own stand to Abiquiu if
you use one of my dulcimers, and if hand-carrying on the plane is not possible. Stands with an obviously steep and
non-adjustable tilt are unsuitable for the kind of playing we will be doing. Feel free to
if you have questions about this.
- Striking Out
and Winning! This will be the core text throughout the week.
- A small notebook for jotting notes and ideas.
- Note that I have requested ample music stands for everyone. Driving
participants might pack one of these, just in case.
- An open ear and mind, your questions, your imagination, a sense of humor, and an eagerness to soar in
new directions!
Tuition:
Early-bird
special: $320; after May 15, $420. Room and board: See the registration
form for the various options.
How to register: Click
here!
Got a question?
Check the FAQs below first. If you need more information, be sure your browser allows the showing of content that may have been blocked on this page,
then
.
What level of player is this course for? Almost any level, which is
why "emerging" is stated. This course is for adventurous players who want to
make a difference in their playing, both musically and creatively. (How
does one apply a level to "adventurous"?!) Because dulcimer players progress at different rates of
time: If you
believe you have ventured quite far with the dulcimer after, say, six months' of
playing, and you feel ready to reach for new heights, definitely come and join
us. Or, if you have been playing for ten years and want to raise your
playing off a plateau, this course is for you as well. Regardless of how
long or how technically everyone has played, the things that will unify all of
those attending is a
willingness to stretch our current understanding of the dulcimer and shoot for the moon musically by trying new things in
out-of-the-box ways. The only thing I request is that your playing be beyond that of
novice or beginner. (Start playing!)
For those who need a some kind of "level"
definition, however, here is the best way I can describe it: If you can
play 10+, notey fiddle
tunes up to tempo ("Galopede"
and "Petronella" in Striking
Out and Winning! are two good examples of "notey" tunes,
and there are many others like this), you will have enough dexterity and
understanding to feel comfortable in this
class.
Do I have to be able to read music notation? No. Our group
improvisation sessions will be ear/voice-generated, and may prove easier for
non-readers to grasp! Plus, musicality comes from within the player, not
from the page. When we do refer to music notation, I will demonstrate how to use it as a helpful road
map that will
afterwards translate to the strings. Ultimately, you want your ear and
heart to guide
your hands/hammers, anyway, which is how I prefer to teach. Looking at notation
and playing at the same time gets
pretty sticky, for both music readers and non.
What kind of preparation do I need to do beforehand? Simply
play as much as you can! You want to be as familiar as possible with
hammering and your dulcimer's tuning layout. It will be a huge help to
refer to Striking
Out and Winning!, the required text, when you play.
I play a linear chromatic hammered dulcimer. Will this be
okay? Yes. My experience is that linear chromatics cover about
the same range as diatonic, fifth-interval dulcimers. I've had experience
teaching players of this dulcimer type, too.
What about a 15-14 dulcimer whose bass-bridge tuning is one octave below
the tuning on the right side of the treble bridge? This is fine,
too. You have probably made instructional adjustments in past classes when
it comes to finding and striking bass strings, something you will continue to
find on your own here.
I will be flying to Albuquerque. What's the best way to get my dulcimer to Ghost
Ranch? You can ship it there, take a gander and try to get it on the
plane with you (talk with your carrier first), or avoid the hassle and rent one of my
dulcimers, which I will bring for your use >as long as you request it in
advance<. If you use one of my dulcimers, you may want to ship or
hand-carry your stand, anyway (see stand recommendations under What
to Bring). Additionally, I can contact everyone closer to the
start date to see if there are any driving attendees who have extra stands they
can bring. (Drivers, you can help by letting me know these details once
you've registered. Thanks!)
Got another question? Sure,
and ask away!
Register
now!
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This page was last updated on February 21, 2009.
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