Leatha with Mountain Dulcimer

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•            Sherry with Mountain Dulcimer

• The mountain dulcimer was used to play folk music back in the mountains back in the old days of the 1800's and even today.  The dulcimer is played by pressing your fingers on the fret board while strumming the strings.  The dulcimer is played while laying flat on your lap.  This is what is played by most members of the group.  Dulcimers are played by number meaning you don't have to be able to read music to play one.  It has been said that if you can count to 12 without taking off your shoes, then YOU can play a dulcimer.

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• Guitar
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•              Tom
• The guitar has 6 strings and can be played by either strumming all the strings or plucking each string individually.

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• Guitar, Mandolin, Strumpf Fiddle, and the radio
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•                  Tom                     
• This different looking instrument (Strompf Fiddle on the right) can be heard when we play the song "Cripple Creek". It has Cymbals on top, a wooden block in the middle, a cow bell, and a tambourine; all mounted on a stick (like a broom stick). It is played by tapping the stick on the floor while beating the cymbals, wooden block, cow bells, and tambourine to the beat of the song being played.  It takes a musical genius to play this thing.  LOL  It is pronounced like stomp fiddle.  In addition, Tom can also play the radio.

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• Harmonica
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•              Tom
•  The harmonica is basically a reed instrument with 10 holes.  It is played by blowing air into a hole for a note, then inhaling air the other way the get the next higher note; basically giving it 20 notes.  Sometimes though, you have to BEND the note to get the next higher note such as on hole 2 which has the note E when blowing in, and G when inhaling (On a key of C harmonica).  Harmonicas are made in different keys but the most common are C, D, E, G, and A.  Since our group plays dulcimers in the key of D, we use a harmonica in the key of D as well. 

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• Mandolin
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•                  Tom
• The Mandolin has 4 sets of strings with 2 strings in each set to give each sound a harmonized effect.  The Mandolin is unique in that Mandolin players usually do a tremolo effect which means they play a note very fast by picking the string back and forth on the one note.

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• Recorder
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•             Sherry
• This instrument has holes for seven fingers; the lower one or two often doubled to facilitate the production of semitones and one for the thumb of the uppermost hand.  It gives a high pitch sound much like that of a tin whistle.

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• Bass 
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•                    Dee
• The bass only has 4 strings and is played by plucking each string individually.  The bass player keeps the rythm for the group.

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