According to Barry Foy's excellent book, "Field Guide to the Irish Music Session", hammered dulcimers are unwelcome at Irish sessions (page 20). That's news to me since one of our semi-regulars plays one and we all quite like it.
So I'm curious about how others feel about this and why some may not like the instrument.
And Uilleann pipes are subtle? I didn't realize that subtlety was a requirement for session instruments.
I have an excellent Irish album, "Traditional Music on the Hammer Dulcimer" by John Rea. It was recorded in 1977 and released on the Topic label. John was born in Antrim and started playing hammer dulcimer in 1924. According to the liner notes, "The dulcimer seems to have been a fairly common instrument in the Co. Antrim area." So it seems its use in Irish music goes back at least 80 years.
lol, micheal. I have felt covered hammers myself, so make that "spoons with bandaids on them". I don't bring the thing to sessions because it's large and unwieldy, and because I don't find "tunes" sound very good on the thing. I would consider learning to accompany tunes with it, but the long strings of notes just get ridiculously muddy. I've got a some compositions that stick within one arpeggio at a time. It's brilliant for solo shows and amusing myself when I've been into the wacky psychotropics, but that's about it.
It's a big, unwieldy thing, and takes up a couple of people's places(!) But having said that, it can sound quite nice, like a harp minus the subtlety and dynamic range. My only real objection to them is that I've never come across one being played by anyone good enough. It's usually a Mazurka fest. So I guess I'm a trifle prejudiced...
Sessions, however, have not been around that long, comparatively speaking. Hammer dulcimers, unless very sensitively played, tend to muddy up a session's sound something fierce. That said, I've played and enjoyed playing with hammer dulcimer players at sessions. I've also been driven out of playing by hammer dulcimer players -- as well as players of other instruments.
Hi Kerry,
I visited the wacky Psycho tropics once, when I was in the Merchant Navy.
The other thing I meant to say about H Ds is that people who play them that I've heard seem so pleased with their ringing tone, that they forget that they could use their hands to damp them - so anything faster than a Carolan tune tends to end up being a tangled mass (mess?) of notes ringing in the ears...
The amount of sustain depends a lot on the builder. Some builders design and make their instruments to minimize sustain for the purpose of playing fast music. The problem is that some players do not take this into account before they purchase their instruments. Also, many players are not clued in about this issue. There are some good book/CD sets for folks who want to learn more about Celtic music on hammered dulcimer; for example, Celtic arrangements by Karen Ashbrook or Maggie Sansone (you can check out their web pages at http://www.karenashbrook.com/index.html and http://www.maggiesmusic.com/maggiepage.html ). (And no, we are not getting paid to mention them! We are just listing them as examples).
The Sean McAloon/John Rea albums are golden-grand music. We do have a hammer dulcimer show up at a small session that I've gone to; and it adds to the music. Although, it does seem unhandy to lug about; but what do I know? I've got a 1/2 set of pipes to bring around.
We had a dulcimer hammerer who used to play at our session, but there were two problems: Firstly, when he started playing it was often halfway through the third repetition before anyone could work out what tune he was playing, and secondly he was (at that time) one of those who wanted to make a session into a one-man show (we're not talking the odd solo here and there, but a relentless "let's play this tune I know, and not play anything I don't").
That's why they have a bad name here. It's a shame, because we have another guy who is able to play really nicely, but doesn't bring his because of the bad experiences with the first one.
The hammered dulcimer was the first instrument I seriously tried to learn to play. I've had lessons from some of the best -- Karen Ashbrook, Maggie Sansome, Jody Marshall, Ken Kolodner. I switched to mandolin when I decided I would like to start going to Irish sessions. Even Karen, who wrote the book "Playing the Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition" strongly discourages people, especially beginners, from taking HDs to sessions. She usually takes her flute or whistle. Her workshops are more along the line of how to properly play Irish tunes in a hammered dulcimer jam, not in a session. The reasons have been stated above -- too bulky, takes up too much space, bad reputation from too many unsensitive players, too much sustain, etc., etc. By the way, Michael had a great description of a HD.
My impression is that folks mostly don't like the sustain making the sound "muddy", as several folks here have said. There are dulcimers with damping pedals, and I know that really good players can damp with their hands, tho it's beyond me. Mine is apparently not very loud (either that or everyone else is really loud) because the others often tell me they can't hear me.
Fortunately, I guess, for me, I play with a group that is not strictly ITM, tho many of our tunes are Irish, so we just never get around to "hd's aren't welcome at Irish sessions." But it does seem to me, as others have said, it depends on the player. Muddying up one or two tunes a session is surely more acceptable than muddying up every tune in a session. Making an effort to learn the tunes is surely more acceptable than hammering randomly all the time. Leading sets in turn rather than hogging them, etc, etc, etc.
But I do know folks that don't appreciate hammered dulcimers, even in sessions that are a real mix of old-time, bluegrass, ITM and more, and I'm pretty leary of showing up. Makes me sad, tho. Thank goodness for the Sunday eve jams -
this guy is pretty good: http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlillq/page4.html in person he plays more irish than he does on his cd's. he builds his own hammered dulcimers. i want one... but i dont have 1,500 lying around.
The two ways I have heard hammered dulcimer sound great. I have heard harp type tunes played and dulcimer played with harp (Maggie Sansone). In the Gold Rush, American Civil War music tradition, there is a lively hammered dulcimer style. If done right, it adds a lot to the immigrated Irish reels and similar synchopated music for the 1850's through 1870's . Try Jim Taylor's "Civil War Music" CDs. The problem I have seen at jam sessions is the dulcimer can easily overplay other instruments or get all of the credit as a lead instrument. You need a fair measure of "Ceol Cairdeas," music friendship to keep the group happy.
Well, they do take forrrrrever to tune. That is a lot of strings with the double courses. Compare that to walking in with a pennywhistle. I wonder how many hammer dulcimer players also play whistle.....
Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
According to Barry Foy's excellent book, "Field Guide to the Irish Music Session", hammered dulcimers are unwelcome at Irish sessions (page 20). That's news to me since one of our semi-regulars plays one and we all quite like it.
So I'm curious about how others feel about this and why some may not like the instrument.
- Mick
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Craymcla
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
It's a very unsubtle thing. Think of the inside of a piano being played with a pair of spoons, and a brick sitting on the sustain pedalÿ
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by ...
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
And Uilleann pipes are subtle? I didn't realize that subtlety was a requirement for session instruments.
I have an excellent Irish album, "Traditional Music on the Hammer Dulcimer" by John Rea. It was recorded in 1977 and released on the Topic label. John was born in Antrim and started playing hammer dulcimer in 1924. According to the liner notes, "The dulcimer seems to have been a fairly common instrument in the Co. Antrim area." So it seems its use in Irish music goes back at least 80 years.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Craymcla
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
lol, micheal. I have felt covered hammers myself, so make that "spoons with bandaids on them". I don't bring the thing to sessions because it's large and unwieldy, and because I don't find "tunes" sound very good on the thing. I would consider learning to accompany tunes with it, but the long strings of notes just get ridiculously muddy. I've got a some compositions that stick within one arpeggio at a time. It's brilliant for solo shows and amusing myself when I've been into the wacky psychotropics, but that's about it.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Kerri Brown
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
It's a big, unwieldy thing, and takes up a couple of people's places(!) But having said that, it can sound quite nice, like a harp minus the subtlety and dynamic range. My only real objection to them is that I've never come across one being played by anyone good enough. It's usually a Mazurka fest. So I guess I'm a trifle prejudiced...
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Ottery
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
Sessions, however, have not been around that long, comparatively speaking. Hammer dulcimers, unless very sensitively played, tend to muddy up a session's sound something fierce. That said, I've played and enjoyed playing with hammer dulcimer players at sessions. I've also been driven out of playing by hammer dulcimer players -- as well as players of other instruments.
It's how the thing's played that counts.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Zina Lee
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
Hi Kerry,
I visited the wacky Psycho tropics once, when I was in the Merchant Navy.
The other thing I meant to say about H Ds is that people who play them that I've heard seem so pleased with their ringing tone, that they forget that they could use their hands to damp them - so anything faster than a Carolan tune tends to end up being a tangled mass (mess?) of notes ringing in the ears...
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Ottery
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
If we outlaw hammered dulcimers -- only outlaws will have hammered dulcimers.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Phantom Button
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
I suggest they are best played with 15lb hammers. That stops the notes ringing too long straightaway!
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by kris
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
The amount of sustain depends a lot on the builder. Some builders design and make their instruments to minimize sustain for the purpose of playing fast music. The problem is that some players do not take this into account before they purchase their instruments. Also, many players are not clued in about this issue. There are some good book/CD sets for folks who want to learn more about Celtic music on hammered dulcimer; for example, Celtic arrangements by Karen Ashbrook or Maggie Sansone (you can check out their web pages at http://www.karenashbrook.com/index.html and http://www.maggiesmusic.com/maggiepage.html ). (And no, we are not getting paid to mention them! We are just listing them as examples).
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by rob zouk
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
The Sean McAloon/John Rea albums are golden-grand music. We do have a hammer dulcimer show up at a small session that I've gone to; and it adds to the music. Although, it does seem unhandy to lug about; but what do I know? I've got a 1/2 set of pipes to bring around.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by I_Fel
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
LOL Jack!
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Ani Trec-Noc
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
LOL Michael!!!!!!!
Jim
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Worldfiddler
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
We had a dulcimer hammerer who used to play at our session, but there were two problems: Firstly, when he started playing it was often halfway through the third repetition before anyone could work out what tune he was playing, and secondly he was (at that time) one of those who wanted to make a session into a one-man show (we're not talking the odd solo here and there, but a relentless "let's play this tune I know, and not play anything I don't").
That's why they have a bad name here. It's a shame, because we have another guy who is able to play really nicely, but doesn't bring his because of the bad experiences with the first one.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by showaddydadito
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
Because we didn't want any chips making.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by geoffwright
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
The hammered dulcimer was the first instrument I seriously tried to learn to play. I've had lessons from some of the best -- Karen Ashbrook, Maggie Sansome, Jody Marshall, Ken Kolodner. I switched to mandolin when I decided I would like to start going to Irish sessions. Even Karen, who wrote the book "Playing the Hammered Dulcimer in the Irish Tradition" strongly discourages people, especially beginners, from taking HDs to sessions. She usually takes her flute or whistle. Her workshops are more along the line of how to properly play Irish tunes in a hammered dulcimer jam, not in a session. The reasons have been stated above -- too bulky, takes up too much space, bad reputation from too many unsensitive players, too much sustain, etc., etc. By the way, Michael had a great description of a HD.
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by Jiml
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
My hammered dulcimer is bigger than I am.
Well, not quite.
My impression is that folks mostly don't like the sustain making the sound "muddy", as several folks here have said. There are dulcimers with damping pedals, and I know that really good players can damp with their hands, tho it's beyond me. Mine is apparently not very loud (either that or everyone else is really loud) because the others often tell me they can't hear me.
Fortunately, I guess, for me, I play with a group that is not strictly ITM, tho many of our tunes are Irish, so we just never get around to "hd's aren't welcome at Irish sessions." But it does seem to me, as others have said, it depends on the player. Muddying up one or two tunes a session is surely more acceptable than muddying up every tune in a session. Making an effort to learn the tunes is surely more acceptable than hammering randomly all the time. Leading sets in turn rather than hogging them, etc, etc, etc.
But I do know folks that don't appreciate hammered dulcimers, even in sessions that are a real mix of old-time, bluegrass, ITM and more, and I'm pretty leary of showing up. Makes me sad, tho. Thank goodness for the Sunday eve jams -
# Posted on January 11th 2005 by cj
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
this guy is pretty good: http://home.earthlink.net/~jimlillq/page4.html in person he plays more irish than he does on his cd's. he builds his own hammered dulcimers. i want one... but i dont have 1,500 lying around.
# Posted on January 12th 2005 by daiv
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
The two ways I have heard hammered dulcimer sound great. I have heard harp type tunes played and dulcimer played with harp (Maggie Sansone). In the Gold Rush, American Civil War music tradition, there is a lively hammered dulcimer style. If done right, it adds a lot to the immigrated Irish reels and similar synchopated music for the 1850's through 1870's . Try Jim Taylor's "Civil War Music" CDs. The problem I have seen at jam sessions is the dulcimer can easily overplay other instruments or get all of the credit as a lead instrument. You need a fair measure of "Ceol Cairdeas," music friendship to keep the group happy.
# Posted on January 15th 2005 by CeolCairdeas
Re: Why no hammered dulcimer at sessions?
Well, they do take forrrrrever to tune. That is a lot of strings with the double courses. Compare that to walking in with a pennywhistle. I wonder how many hammer dulcimer players also play whistle.....
# Posted on November 8th 2011 by Matt_Haverly