AUŠRINE GARSONAITE TRADITIONAL PLAY OF HAMMERED DULCIMER A SELF-STUDY BOOK TRADITIONAL PLAY OF HAMMERED DULCIMER Turinys About the book ................................................................................................................................................................ 2 A Brief Overview of the History of Traditional Music: What Has Changed Over Time? .................................................................................................................... 3 The Dulcimer: Then and Now .................................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter One: General Knowledge and Striking Strings in a Row 1.1. Correctly Positioning the Dulcimer and Holding the Hammers; First Sounds ....................................... 10 1.2. Playing on the Left Side of the Treble Bridge 1.2.1. First Compositions in A Major ................................................................................................................. 15 1.2.2. Playing Polka in D ........................................................................................................................................ 17 1.3. Playing on the Right Side of the Treble Bridge 1.3.1. Performing Compositions You Already Know in D Major ............................................................. 20 1.3.2. Performing a Composition You Already Know in G Major ............................................................ 22 1.4. Playing on the Left Side of the Bass Bridge 1.4.1. Performing Compositions, You Already Know in G Major ............................................................ 24 1.4.2. Performing a Composition You Already Know in C Major ............................................................ 26 Chapter Two. Chord-Based Compositions 2.1. Learning to play chords .............................................................................................................................................. 28 2.2. The G Major Scale: four upper string courses ..................................................................................................... 32 2.3. The D Major Scale: four lower string courses ...................................................................................................... 38 Chapter Three. Repetitions 3.1. Repetitions in Duple Metre 3.1.1. Learning to Play Repetitions in Duple Metre .................................................................................... 43 3.1.2. Rhythmic Repetitions in Duple Metre: Polkas ................................................................................... 47 3.1.3. Duple Rhythms in Quadruple Metre: Dances and Marches ........................................................ 51 3.2. Lesson Two. Triple Rhythms 3.2.1. Learning to Play Triple Rhythmic Patterns .......................................................................................... 54 3.2.2 Triple Rhythmic Patterns in Waltzes ....................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 4. Dyads 4.1. Dyads and Split Dyads 4.1.1. Learning to Play Dyads .............................................................................................................................. 62 4.1.2. Learning to Play Compositions with Dyads ....................................................................................... 68 4.2. Accompaniment 4.2.1. Chords and Intervals Used for Accompaniment .............................................................................. 72 4.2.2. Learning to Play Accompaniment ......................................................................................................... 75 Chapter 5. Notes of Small Rhythmic Value 5.1. Notes of Small Rhythmic Value in Duple Metre 5.1.1 Learning to Play Notes of Small Rhythmic Value in Duple Metre ............................................... 87 5.1.2 Polkas with Notes of Small Rhythmic Value ........................................................................................ 98 5.2 Notes of Small Rhythmic Value in Triple Metre 5.2.1 Learning to Play Notes of Small Rhythmic Value in Duple Metre ............................................ 101 5.2.2 Waltzes with Notes of Small Rhythmic Value ................................................................................... 106 Step Six. Wide Jumps 6.1. Octaves 6.1.1 Learning to Play Octaves ........................................................................................................................ 112 6.1.2. Octaves in Compositions ....................................................................................................................... 114 6.2. Multiple jumps 6.2.1 Learning to Play Multiple Jumps ......................................................................................................... 121 6.2.2 Multiple Jumps in Compositions ......................................................................................................... 123 1 TRADITIONAL PLAY OF HAMMERED DULCIMER About the book This book is meant for anyone who would like to learn to play the dulcimer. It is designed to give you what you need to know to get started as quickly as possible. You will learn to play real song and dance tunes and begin to experience the ineffable joy of music with your instrument. The book will be useful for anyone interested in folk and traditional music—the techniques discussed here represent traditional styles and can be utilized in traditional music ensembles. It will also be helpful for students and professionals who would like to join the rapidly growing ranks of dulcimer players in our region. Most of the techniques described here are universal and these training methods for the acquisition of good skills will be of use to both amateur and professional musicians. The instructions have been written simply, so that those who do not read music can get right down to learning practical techniques. Each assignment has been formulated as simply as possible and the music is given in easy to understand figures there strings are illustrated graphically. Each exercise and piece of music is accompanied by a video which can be accessed on a computer or mobile device via the links provided. The material is organized in 6 chapters. Because you will not need to absorb a lot of complex information upfront, you will be able to start making music for real from the very beginning. The book contains traditional Lithuanian marches and dance tunes that have been selected to teach and consolidate specific techniques. Mastery of each step will successfully prepare you for the next step, incrementally increasing the range, rhythmic complexity, skills, and the modes of expression available to you for music making. You will be able to proceed at your own speed through the chapters. This is a book from the series of self-study books of traditional play of instruments. The book was created with the financial support of the EU educational program Erasmus+. The series was created in collaboration of three non-governmental organizations – “Skaņumāja” (Latvia), “Virbel” (Estonia) and “Utenos etninės kultūros centras” (Lithuania). 2 TRADITIONAL PLAY OF HAMMERED DULCIMER A Brief Overview of the History of Traditional Music: What Has Changed Over Time? Lithuanian folk music directly reflects the lifestyle of our ancestors. Back in the day, there would be no audience – people would play for their own enjoyment. This is why in terms of its origins, traditional music was not really an independent art that exists only to provide aesthetic enjoyment 1. “It grew together with the person, accompanying them through key life events: birth, christening, wedding, death. Music helped people rise above their everyday lives and get in touch with a certain sanctity2 .” The heritage of Lithuanian instrumental music is particularly broad and rich. Based on their origin, Lithuanian instruments are classified into authentic ones and those that were brought over later or were prevalent throughout Europe. Back in the middle ages, the art of troubadours, so present in European merchant towns, had its own parallel in Lithuania in the form of meditative tunes played by simple peasants on primitive five- string casket (or boat) shaped instruments – the kanklės. This instrument is considered one of the most authentic and significant Lithuanian, noted in numerous ancient literary sources and common in one form or another throughout the country (excluding Dzūkija). Besedlė is another Lithuanian stringed instrument, comprising a body (a hazelnut stick), a resonator (a pig bladder) and strings (made from pig intestine). But besides that, another important part of traditional creativity are the inventive improvisations per- formed by shepherds on lumzdelis, švilpa, wooden, straw or feather birbynė, or goat horns. Having such simple wind instruments that either produced a handful of different tones in the case of horns, or just a single tone in the case of skudučiai encouraged shepherds to play in ensembles, which was how various sutartinės were created. For rhythm, often drums and tambourines where used with beaters and jingles, while other instru- ments, such as terkšlė, kleketas, skrabalas, the so-called idiophones, were not played at all. Pan-European instruments came to the area back in the Middle Ages together with nomad Gypsy musicians. In terms of stringed instruments, Lithuanians used to particularly favour the fiddle, which was able to get