I Found an Instrument I Love!

The hammered dulcimer isn't the first instrument I've learned to play, but it's by far the one I've loved the most. Enjoy a little story time with me while I talk about the instruments I've studied and what makes the hammered dulcimer stand out to me. Do you have an instrument that makes you happy just by playing it?
Instagram: aleedulcimer

[@JasminAlvarez1]

Hey, I’m so happy to find another cool video from you! :) I have to say that I totally agree with you. When you play an instrument, it’s very important that you like it and that you genuinely want to play it. Not necessarily because your friends or family members play it, but because you yourself love it and look forward to playing it and practicing it every day. That was very funny the story that you told about when you were Young and didn’t want to practice the piano! 😂 Definitely relatable. I think I told you once that when I was very young I started learning piano, I was about three years old and my grandmother taught me some basic stuff and then from there I picked it up and continued playing it by ear. I really like it, but it was really never that instrument that connected with me, that when I played it I truly felt like it touched my heart. But I still kept on playing it anyways because I love music, and it definitely is a great instrument to accompany myself when I sing. And at that time, it was the only musical instrument around me. When I was in sixth grade, like you I was part of a band in my school. I couldn’t really make up my mind on which instrument to play, since their options were pretty limited, so I ended up also playing the flute. It was allright, I had a lot of fun with it, but then after a year it just really wasn’t something that I wanted to continue, so I left band and also put my flute away hahaha. A friend of mine played the marimba so I messed around with that for a bit, and it was pretty cool, but never really did anything with that. So really Piano was the main instrument that I continued playing throughout my life. When I was 17 I started learning German, so because I liked listening to folk music so much, I started getting very interested in the Accordion. Because I live in a place where it doesn’t really exist here, it took me some time to find one and also to find a teacher, but I eventually did it. I was actually really loving that and advancing very well, but because I bought an instrument that weighed 32 pounds it was pretty heavy for me and I started having back problems so eventually sadly I had to give it up. Many years passed after that, I really felt like I wanted to get into another instrument but never really made up my mind. Even tried to play a little bit with a guitar, I had friends try to help me out so I can maybe try to learn it, and even though I really like it, it just wasn’t really the instrument that I personally wanted to play. So, I can relate to you because I’ve gone through a couple of instruments myself, So I can say from experience that if you don’t genuinely like something, you will not have the motivation to do it and it will be much harder to keep going and make progress. Whereas if you do, you would be willing to overcome any obstacle and challenge and be determined to do whatever it takes to accomplish it. I love each experience that I’ve had with each instrument, I feel like it has helped me grow musically and that is something that I definitely appreciate very much. Of course, what I feel every time I hear the dulcimer is something unlike anything I’ve felt for any musical instrument before. Honestly it’s finally the first instrument in all my life that has brought me true joy just by listening to it. I can’t even imagine how it would feel to actually play it, but it must be amazing! A part of me just feels like I wish I would’ve found it when I was 3 years old and I would’ve started from a very young age. I think I would’ve never given it up no matter what because that’s how I feel now. I’ve actually gotten the same reaction with some of my Friends when I told them about the Dulcimer, they mostly asked me what is it and that they’ve never heard of it before. As I said, it’s definitely an instrument that deserves more recognition. That’s really cool that you were in Japan! Would definitely love to hear more of your story.

[@aleedulcimer]

Thanks for sharing your instrument experience! I think it's pretty common to go through a few instruments throughout your life, whether or not you keep playing them. I think it's great that your grandma taught you piano! And wow! The accordion! That's really cool. I can see how it would be hard to find a teacher for it though.

[@JasminAlvarez1]

A. Lee Dulcimer Yes the accordion is a pretty cool instrument. I really enjoyed playing it. It’s also a little challenging since basically your right hand plays a piano while your left hand has to get used to playing buttons with different cords that you have to memorize, and you have to worry about opening and closing the instrument. So you’re basically doing a whole bunch of different things simultaneously as you play. For me it also involves a lot of muscle memory. But it’s really interesting and fun and in my opinion also has a very pretty sound.It took me about 6 months to find a teacher, but I’m glad I got to do it! :-)

[@aleedulcimer]

@@JasminAlvarez1 I can definitely see it being a tough instrument to learn, but very rewarding!

[@JasminAlvarez1]

A. Lee Dulcimer Yes for sure.

[@jeffreymom2516]

Hmmm funny story? Yes please