My husband had a long weekend off from work, so we decided to board the dog and take off for parts unknown. I found a dulcimer festival in GA this weekend, and since that's my newest interest I thought it would be fun to go and hear people play. It was a long drive but we really enjoyed the time in the car, just talking and riding. When we arrived there, I was surprised to see there was a tent outside where they were giving free lessons for a small group of newbies like me, but they seemed to be pretty far along and I didn't want to interrupt them by coming in late. So on Saturday, we just listened to the other players jam, and it was great. People who know how to play make it look so EASY and FUN. Plus, they had other instruments there, like a bass, a guitar, mandolin, dulci-banjo, harmonica, etc. There were all ages of people, young and old. It was really neat to watch.
We stayed in a motel overnight and went back to the festival the next day. We got there early because I hoped they would have those beginner classes again and I could get in on them. I brought my dulcimer with me. Well the tent wasn't even up outside, so we went on in. There was a nice man giving some lessons inside since there weren't many people there yet. He began by telling me that my dulcimer was not in the key they usually played in, so he retuned it to DAdd. That was fine except my ear was used to the way the notes sounded with the other tuning so it really messed up my mind trying to figure out what to fret. They began playing a song they had evidently learned the day before, which I had never heard of. It was really fast, and I was TOTALLY lost. I was embarrassed, plus my husband was looking on as well as other people. I don't do well in a group setting anyway, and I really felt freaked. Finally I snuck away and we sat over toward the back of the room as other players got there and they set up to jam together. I put my dulcimer under my seat. Well the man who had been helping us walked by and said, "That thing won't play in the case. Get it out." I did, and he pulled up a chair and started trying to help me again. I had a NEW group of other people watching then. I was almost in a panic but I was trying to smile and go along. I was messing up really bad. When he went back to play with the others, I packed up and we left. I really do appreciate his being friendly and trying to help me. I just felt so out of place, and conspicuous. Plus I felt like a bumbling idiot because I wasn't catching on to the things he was showing me. Since I've got home, I have tried to play but it seems like my strings don't sound right. Then I read that if you change them to DAdd and then back to DAaa which is what my regular teacher has us play in, it can stretch out the strings and they won't sound right. So now I'm wondering if I should change out the strings. I've never changed them before. I'm really afraid I'll mess that up too. I seem to have lost all my self confidence, but I'm not sure when or where. I know I really want to learn to play this. I know I've just got to hang in there.
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