I was a young kid and woke up in the night to hear music downstairs and was was completely convinced that the fairies were having a party down there because I had never heard anything like it
I had the same reaction when I heard the one my teacher had when I was a kid!
You didn't know I had this one because I never play it. It's been mostly an ornament on our wall (or, right now, on top of the barrister bookcase) pretty much since my grandfather made it for me - and he died shortly after I began keeping this journal, around seven years ago I believe. It's a mountain dulcimer, shaped much like this one (http://www.boredbard.com/CDcover.jpg). (My teacher's was the hourglass shape, pretty much exactly like this (http://www.musicalinstrumentsandmore.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_3/8451331_2423775.JPG).)
And I don't know if it's that I can't tune it (probably) or if my lack of coordination and stiffness in my fingers has gotten much worse since I was a kid (likely) or if I've become more critical, but the noises I make with it sound pretty cacophanous to me, now!
I heard a guy at the Faire playing a hammer dulcimer (http://www.marcillewallis.com/Dulcimer_hands.jpg), and talk about fairy music, though... oh my. Looks difficult to play, to me, though.
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Date: 2008-10-16 09:58 am (UTC)I had the same reaction when I heard the one my teacher had when I was a kid!
You didn't know I had this one because I never play it. It's been mostly an ornament on our wall (or, right now, on top of the barrister bookcase) pretty much since my grandfather made it for me - and he died shortly after I began keeping this journal, around seven years ago I believe. It's a mountain dulcimer, shaped much like this one (http://www.boredbard.com/CDcover.jpg). (My teacher's was the hourglass shape, pretty much exactly like this (http://www.musicalinstrumentsandmore.com/image_manager/attributes/image/image_3/8451331_2423775.JPG).)
And I don't know if it's that I can't tune it (probably) or if my lack of coordination and stiffness in my fingers has gotten much worse since I was a kid (likely) or if I've become more critical, but the noises I make with it sound pretty cacophanous to me, now!
I heard a guy at the Faire playing a hammer dulcimer (http://www.marcillewallis.com/Dulcimer_hands.jpg), and talk about fairy music, though... oh my. Looks difficult to play, to me, though.