COLEMAN'S MARCH - Dulcimer Solo

One of my favourite slow tunes. It is supposedly the tune that Joe Coleman, a shoemaker and fiddler, played on his way to the gallows.
I am playing my new FolkCraft (FolkRoots) all cherry dulcimer. Regular DAD tuning.

[@lisaw9263]

Why haven't I heard this before in my life? Beautiful!

[@DianePoole]

How beautiful and amazing

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

That's a lovely comment, Diane.

[@PhilDoleman]

Beautiful Ken!

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Hi Phil. Good to hear from you. Many thanks.

[@ametista15]

What a healthier sound..., thanks!

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Thank you.

[@dianaaldridge-ukulele7785]

Beautiful… and lucky man… having a new dulcimer 🎵♥️🎵

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Thanks Diana. Yes, I am very pleased with it. I may do a review of it in a few days.

[@lynjackson351]

Wonderful harmonics!

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

It is a great instrument and produces very clear harmonics. But thanks for noticing.

[@rayhomewood8831]

Lovely, Ken 😀

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Thank you, Ray.

[@xphrum]

Très belle sonorité. Nice air too

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Many thanks for your comment.

[@jillgeary1313]

Really pretty, Ken! I've not heard this tune played slowly - it's perfect that way on the dulcimer! Are you recording with echo and/or reverb? Love that!

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

No, I am recording just straight into Logic Pro with mics. I added compression and reverb later, just like on every studio recording. Thanks for watching.

[@tommorrisey3999]

Beautifully done, Ken. How difficult would the migration be from ukulele to dulcimer?

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

That would depend on a lot of factors, Tom. If a uke player only strummed chords, the learning curve would be quite steep. The chords on a dulcimer are completely different. If the player knew what the chords actually represented within a key, then that would help their understanding of how the dulcimer works. However, the dulcimer is primarily a melodic instrument, so, if the player played melodies on the uke, that would be a big help with the dulcimer. if the uke player knew what the melody notes were called on the uke, that would make it much easier to play the dulcimer. Don't forget that the strings are back to front: a down strum on the dulcimer is like an up strum on the uke. If you have played lots of stringed instruments over a period of 60 years, like I have, it is much easier to learn the dulcimer. I have only been playing for a total of a few hours.

[@kithg]

That is a really pretty dulcimer.

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Yes. I got it about a week ago. I like the Celtic knots.

[@kithg]

Lovely. I fingerpicked mine. Do you know the hymn, Be Still my Soul? Finlandia, it’s also called. Beautiful on a dulcimer. It’s been a while, so I forget what mode it is. Maybe Doric. I’m enjoying all your music, ukulele and dulcimer.

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

@@kithg Thank you. yes, I do know that hymn. I have recorded it on the ukulele. There is a free tab download on my website if you are interested. However, I have only been playing dulcimer for a total of a few hours. I am still getting the hang of it and am just playing by intuition at the moment. But I will give it a try. many thanks for the suggestion.

[@kithg]

Thank you. What a fine resource your website is. Thank you for everything you make available there.

[@JasminAlvarez1]

This is so nice! I really like it.

[@KenMiddletonUkulele]

Thank you, Jasmin.

[@cooperd5691]

Close…and it’s NOT a dirge