Milton Keynes' concrete cows - a poem

 

Milton Keynes is a new city close to the small town of Olney, England, where we live.  Within the city limits, by one of the intersections, is a popular sculpture of some concrete cows.  Milton Keynes being a new and rapidly-expanding city, it has a reputation of becoming a concrete jungle.  I'm guessing that the local council dreamed up the concept of the sculpture to remind visitors of MK's rural roots - but then chose the wrong material for the cows.   

 
Be that as it may, I was inspired by the sculpture to write this (now dated) light-hearted poem called The Age Of The Nuclear Family.  When I first became professional as a musician I used to weave poetry into my set.  My publicity at that time read: 'Dan Evans - guitar song poetry - that little bit different'.     

 

 

 

The Age Of The Nuclear Family

now Fred and Sue live in a concrete house near Milton Keynes
where the concrete cows dream concrete dreams
they drive down concrete roads to concrete shops
and by frozen food like concrete blocks
but the local pub has old oak beams
and the kids like to play on the fruit machines
while Madonna sings on the video screen
in the age of the nuclear family 

 

well he's got a turbo car and there's a turbo mower
she's got a turbo fridge and there's a turbo dryer
there's Sony, Zanussi, Sansui and Saisho
and the kids watch an old war film on the JVC video
but now Fred's struggling with the spreadsheets on the Amstrad PC
he's juggling with figures he can't get to agree
the bills are so high - they're using so much energy
living in the age of the nuclear family 

  

well nuclear power's alright by Fred
he likes the remote control that works on infra red
the electric tooth-brush and the ultra-violet sun-bed
has made his body brown but they've made him weak in the head
'cos he doesn't know where the waste goes - 'never even heard of Elstow
and nuclear-free and CND are issues with which he could hardly agree
but don't blame Fred, he's just one of many
living in the age of the nuclear family

 

 

bespoke artwork courtesy of Katie Warwick

 

did this made you smile ? - read my amusing anecdotes

 

 

these gentle metaphors help to explain, in an informal way, my coaching style and the coaching techniques I use on my music workshops, especially my Everyone Can Sing voice workshop 

 

they may seem simple and fun but they are profound and work extremely well

 

tightrope walking
singing and making music can be difficult, like walking a tightrope
by creating a safe, non-critical environment however, the tightrope is now only a few inches from the floor
singing and making music is still difficult but there is now little risk with failure and students feel more free to try and then improve

 

cliff flying
it's not my role as tutor to drag students to the top of the cliff, show them how steep it is, push them off and then shout at them for flying badly
I invite students to the top of the cliff to enjoy the view and if they want to have a little fly, then I'll be there to take them under my wing, if they need it   

 

the door
'tutors open the door but you must enter by yourself' (Chinese proverb)   

 

 

the bird cage
students voices are like birds in a cage
as tutor, I open the cage door
some birds fly straight out without a backward glance  
others hesitate a little and sit on the open doorway to get their bearings before flying
some birds fly out but come back to the cage at night
others stay in the cage but know they can fly out anytime they want
some birds fly out, come back and trash the cage before flying onwards  

 

read the superb feedback we get for my Everyone Can Sing class
read how my confidence-developing model bonds groups
attend a workshop  

Tablature, manuscript notation and chord charts for the Scottish folk song The Water Is Wide for the mountain dulcimer in Ionian DAA tuning.

 
Captured by Cecil Sharp, the Water Is Wide is a Scottish folk song, dating back to the 1600s. It is also known as 'Waly Waly'.

There are two arrangements of the song here, one as an instrumental or air - the other as a song accompaniment.

Here is the TAB for The Water Is Wide arranged as an air ... 

 

 

 
This can be used as an accompaniment, interlude and outro to the song version.

 

It is one of the simplest pieces I play and yet one of the most beautiful. I have recorded two versions of the Water Is Wide on my Autumn Dance CD , as an air and as a song, using the air in the song arrangement.

 
I like the tune so much that I have also recorded it on my Let It Be Me album as part of a Scots medley.

 

Although I live in England and have visited Scotland many times, I worked out this arrangement  in a motel in Kentucky in 2000, passing the time between festivals.     

 

Please note the air version is played freely in 3/4 timing, whereas the song is in 4/4 or common time. By setting the air in 3/4 it adds depth and interest to the composition, when both arrangements are played together.        

 

Here is the song arrangement ... 

 

 

 
And here are the associated chord charts ...

 

 

 
see more dulcimer chord charts

Here are the finger picking patterns picking pattern for most of the song and also measure 9, where the pattern is stopped momentarily. You could gently strum the chords if you don't fingerpick. 
 

 

 

read my article Singing With The Dulcimer

These are true funny stories about events that really happened to me

 

The tale of the old lady’s mother
One night many years ago I played support to the popular poet John Hegley in Luton Library Theatre. John delivered a very funny set of poetry on the main stage and afterwards I played some folk songs with an acoustic guitar in the lounge/bar area, in an informal cabaret-style presentation. In those days, before I’d recorded any CD albums, I sold cassette tapes of my music and these were available for sale on a table beside where I was playing.

 

During my set, one feeble old lady came forward and purchased a tape. She then hobbled back to her table with the aid of a stick - she must have been 75, at least. Just before she sat down again and with a bent back this lady waived my tape in the air with all the strength she could muster and in a feeble voice she said: “my mother will really enjoy this”

 

The tale of the deaf old lady

Again many years ago I played support to the virtuoso Northumbrian pipe player Kathryn Tickell in St Albans. That night I played some of my electro-acoustic guitar pieces with effects.

 

After the show a frail old lady with a bent back came up to me and prodded me on the chest with her forefinger. “Young man” she said. “Young man” she said again, again prodding my chest. “It’s good to hear someone play some pleasant music on an electric guitar“. I replied with a simple “thank you”, to which she held her the palm of her hand in the air to stop me and said “hold on a minute ...”. She then fumbled around in her shoulder bag and produced an old-fashioned hearing-aid made from an animal horn. She put the sharp end of the horn in her ear and pointed the open funnel end to me and said “pardon?”

 

Tullamore  Festival, Ireland
In 2002 I performed and taught at Tullamore Arts Festival, about fifty miles west of Dublin. On the night of my concert, I met the organiser and we made our way to the venue, the lovely remote Charleville Castle. I expected to get there early to sound check but my client said in an Irish brogue: "we'll be having a Guiness now" so we popped into a pub and chatted to some local musicians. Eight o clock came and went and then nine.  I started to get concerned that we'd be late for the show but I was again told: "we'll be having a Guiness now". And so, eventually, we arrived at the venue and set up. Incredibly, I started my concert at 11.55pm and played in a castle in Ireland at midnight.

 

 

You may well know of the Irish international super group Planxty, named after the tune type.  Planxty's well-deserved reputation is at least in-part due to the instrumental virtuosity and outstanding vocals of Andy Irvine.  Andy now headlines at major folk festivals  as solo act.  In 2002 he rang the Tullamore festival organiser and to see if he could play there again that year.  But he was told: "no, we have Dan Evans this year".

 

read about my international tours

 

Meeting Mick Abrahams
Long before I was professional and before I’d performed very often, I was invited to play guitar at a big charity concert in Luton Library Theatre.  I would represent folk music.  There was a full house that night and the standard of the acts was sky high.  I remember that a professional string quartet was flown up from the South Bank to represent classical music and five young black guys in white suits sang in tight harmony and moved to a precisely choreographed dance routine, representing soul.  I was proud to be part of the show but feeling a little out of my depth.

 
The famous blues guitarist, Mick Abrahams played a tight set on an electric guitar – his music was great and his performance was slick.  Mick used to play with my favorite rock band: Jethro Tull.  The organiser, who liked my guitar playing, must have told him about me back stage.  When I met Mick he shook my hand enthusiastically and said: “Are you Dan Evans? – I’ve heard so much about you – I’m really looking forward to hearing you play”.  I was speechless.

  

Snow
Many, many years ago I wrote a jazzy electro-acoustic guitar piece called ‘Snow’ in the standard guitar tuning, which is recorded on my Spirit Dancing CD.  I normally play guitar in CGCGCE tuning so Snow doesn’t often get an airing - I’d guess that in 20 years Snow has been played less than 10 times.  However on many of these occasions it has snowed, sometimes unexpectedly.  The first time this happened was in Luton’s ’33 Arts Centre’ in the month of May, when the weather is normally mild or warm.  After this odd phenomenon happened a few times, I would make a joke about it when I introduced the piece and, of course, no one believed me.  The last time I performed the piece was at Ealing Guitar Society, I made my joke and it then snowed.  There was a very showy and flamboyant guitarist there that night and he phoned me a few days later.  He told me that when I played my piece Snow it had started to snow outside – and it snowed for 33 hours non-stop and Ealing had the most snow on record for 13 years.  There were several inches of snow outside of his apartment, which is unusual in London.  This gave me a delicious moment.  “You might be great guitarist ...” I said to him “... but I control the elements”.     

 

 

Never judge a book by its cover
When I was at university up in Durham I loved the band Pentangle and, in particular, the guitar playing of John Renbourn and Bert Jansch. When John came to give a concert at Durham University Students’ Union, I naturally bought tickets and took a friend. We were enjoying a quiet drink before the show when my friend politely pointed to a man sitting at the bar and said: “Isn’t that your John Renbourn?” I looked over at the somewhat gruff figure and then looked carefully at his hands – they looked like builders hands, big and rough. “Nop, that can’t be him” I said. Of course it was and he played beautifully that night.

 

As a young man living in London, I went with a friend to see one of my favourite bands, Fairport Convention, starting their Farewell Tour in Camden Lock. Again we were enjoying a quiet drink before the show when five older guys walked in and ordered drinks. They were flamboyantly dressed in baggy trousers, bright stripped jackets and wide-brimmed hats. I said to my friend: “I don’t know who they are but they’ve come to the wrong gig”. I had to eat my words when they started playing.

 

 

read about my influences

 

The ISM interview and my English accent in the USA

The highly professional British music organisation, the ISM, ran a short item on my music in their Music Journal magazine in 2009.  The item took the form of an interview and one of the questions was: ‘What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you as a performer?’

 

My reply was as follows: 'I told a long a silly tale at a concert in Indiana a few years ago about how I would go around the English countryside on my motorbike, humming folk songs to the drone of the bike’s engine – they loved the story but the punch-line ‘Dan and machine in perfect harmony’ fell quite flat – I later apologised to the festival director who said: “Dan you could read the telephone directory to us and we’d love it.”

 

read about recent press coverage

read where I've played in the USA

 

ARCA is an association of providers of short residential courses for the general public. Central to the ARCA philosophy is the belief that the residential element of the courses enhances the learning experience.  There are a number of ARCA centres around the UK and many are in lovely and/or period buildings.

I am a member of ARCA and have my own page on the ARCA website

I teach at ARCA centes

 

I am a full member of the ISM - the Incorporated Society of Musicians.  The ISM is the UK's professional association for musicians and music teachers - it champions the importance of music and protects the rights of those working within music.  Highly professional and academic, its member are typically classically trained musicians and membership is only granted through references.  I am also a member of the ISM's Specialist Section: Performers & Composers. 

 

PRS & MCPS = PRS for Music
The Performing Rights Society (PRS) and the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) collect revenue and pay music composers for their works when performed & broadcast (PRS) or recorded (MCPS).  As a long-standing composer, I am an associate level member of the PRS and I have membership of the MCPS for my record company DanSing Music.  The PRS and MCP merged in 1997 to form the PRS Alliance, which has been re-branded in 2009 to become PRS For Music.

 

PPL
The Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL) collects revenue and pays record companies for the record company component of music broadcasting.  I have membership of PPL for my record company DanSing Music.

dulcimer & guitar concert at Artrix centre, Bromsgrove

 

I will be giving a dulcimer and guitar concert at the Artrix Arts Centre in Bromsgrove on Saturday 28th January 2012 starting at 7:30pm

 

Tickets are £10 (£8 concs.) from the box office 01527 577330 or online

 

It should be a nice show - I'm looking forward to it - see Artrix website 

 

The programme will consist of a mixture of folk songs and airs with soloing and accompaniment on dulcimer and guitar with a few electric pieces using effects and sampling

 

 

a few highlights of my music career to date

 

Barbican concerts
One of my first significant engagements was to give a solo concert the Barbican Arts Centre, London – UK’s premier arts centre.   Although I performed there several times, that first concert still sticks in my mind – I played an acoustic guitar and an electro-acoustic guitar with effects and sampling.  The Barbican kindly wrote to me afterwards and commented:  ‘you attracted a large and enthusiastic audience’.  Since then I have performed up and down the country.

 

Recording the ‘More So’ project
At one point in my career I ran a small commercial studio.  One customer who recorded several projects with me is Andy Crowdy.   Andy is one of the best musicians I know – he plays jazz bass and guitar all over the world and is featured on my last three CD recordings.  My favorite project of Andy’s was his own album: More So, which featured Alan Barnes on sax and clarinet.  Alan has since been awarded Clarinetist Of The Year, Saxophonist Of The Year and Multi-instrumentalist Of The Year, several times each.  The music is fantastic and Andy’s own composition ’Green and Gold’ is one of my all-time-favorite tracks.  

 

working with Roger Nicholson
Roger was England’s foremost exponent on the mountain dulcimer.  I first met Roger when I was at university back in the 1970’s - he had already recorded his iconic Nonesuch album at that time.  We didn’t meet again for about 20 years when we were both involved in the UK dulcimer club.  The friendship that followed resulted in us undertaking a USA tour together and Roger playing on my Sprit Dancing CD, both in 1997.  Sadly, Roger died in 2009.  It was an honour for me to lead a seminar as tribute to Roger and his work at Kentucky Music Week festival in 2010.

 

 

Kentucky tour in 2000
Although I’ve been to Kentucky many times, there was something magical about that first tour.  I played a concert in Bowling Green, performed live on TV and was featured on a film ‘Under Kentucky Skies’ as well as teaching and performing at two festivals:  Kentucky Music Week and Kentucky Music Weekend.  As well as being huge fun, I met many new friends and the tour opened many doors for me.  In particular, meeting the late, great (Professor) David Schnaufer and the legendary Jean Ritchie were highlights of the tour.  I have many fond memories of playing other US festivals too, including SAMFest in Texas and the friendly Dulcimer Chautauqua on the Wabash, in the beautiful town of New Harmony, Indiana.

 

CD recordings
I take pride in my work and have gone to some pains to make professional recordings in excellent studios with highly-experienced engineers and international musicians.  Matt Parkin produced my Spirit Dancing CD at The Old School Studio in Peterborough.  Matt has since been appointed Controller of Classical Music for BBC Radio Scotland.  My last two projects were recorded at the same studio (although it has changed hands) and were produced by the talented Russ Dawson-Butterworth.  Matt & Russ have both done a great job, as have the accompanying musicians – indeed the reviews speak for themselves.

 

I am grateful to Andy Crowdy (bass), Martin Vishnick (classical guitar) and Sylvia Seaton (violin) to mention but three.  Martin tours the world playing classical guitar and has become a close friend.  Sylvia and I have given concerts in the UK as the violin-and-dulcimer duo: Eclipse.  As well as playing beautifully, Sylvia has a lovely stage presence and is a delight to work with.    

    
Perhaps my best album is Autumn Dance, which not only displays a good variety of dulcimer pieces, but also showcases my electro-acoustic guitar effects.   One British magazine published this review of Autumn Dance: "This album features once again Dan’s amazing talents on electro-acoustic and acoustic guitars and mountain dulcimer. Dan's mastery of his instruments and the electronic effects he creates through sampling, coupled with his sensitive and modal accompaniments create a unique and distinctive melodic sound throughout this album.  Recording quality is first class as one would expect and the album as a whole is superbly and professionally packaged".

 

 

standing ovations, great CD sales and teaching
I am naturally proud of my performance successes and occasionally I’ve been given standing ovations.  Sometimes too, my CD sales at concerts have been impressive and these events have been highlights of my career.  However, teaching can be even more rewarding.  Students on my Everyone Can Sing workshop are often moved by how much progress they are able to make in just a short time.  With the right help and a safe ambience, students find their voice and then there’s no stopping them!   We also have enormous fun and for both these reasons, my Everyone Can Sing workshop has been extremely popular and highly successful, with students coming from all over Europe.  Probably, my Everyone Can Sing workshop has been the most rewarding work I’ve done to date.  The feedback speaks for itself. 

                     
read about my music influences

is there a difference in positivity between British and American cultures ?

 

a nasty attitude
The famous hypnotist and self-improvement guru, Paul McKenna was born in England and now lives in California.   In a recent interview for the Sunday Times Magazine he commented: ‘There is too much of a knocking mentality in Britain.  In the US they encourage you to better yourself, but here it’s all “Don’t get ideas above your station”.  It’s a nasty attitude that undermines this country.’

 

 

performing in America
Having worked in the UK and the USA, I do see such differences.  In an article I had published in the UK magazine MK Arts entitled: ’Performing in America and Britain – the difference’, I discussed how much more demonstrable and appreciative American audiences generally are and how they also tend to buy more CDs.

 

Engish singers

When I run my ‘Everyone Can Sing’ voice workshop in the UK, students attend who are clearly good singers, but from the outset many of these announce that they can’t sing or don’t know if they can sing.  By politely challenging their limiting beliefs in an ambience of positive reinforcement their confidence, positivity and objectivity are all enhanced.

are schools to blame ?
During his talk at a recent conference, one of my British clients commented how popular my confidence–building singing classes have been and then joked: “we can thank the English primary school system for that”.  It does seem that we are more self-critical in the UK and education and parenting could play an important part.

if you like my music, you will doubtless enjoy the sounds of those that inspired me - here are just a few influences ...  

 

folk
back in the seventies, the folk group The Pentangle was favourite listening during my college days – featuring two legendary guitarists, Bert Jansch and John Renbourn, their mix of folk, jazz, blues and their own material kept my turntable turning for many years – I particularly liked Bert’s original playing style and John’s taste for the medieval and I’ve followed their solo careers since – many people have compared my vocals to Bert’s and I first heard a number of the folk songs in my repertoire from the playing of The Pentangle

 

 

also about that time, Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention used rock technology to give traditional material a contemporary feel and it worked so well that both bands enjoyed great popularity for many years – my favourite Steeleye albums were those that featured the wonderfully idiosyncratic guitar work and vocals of Martin Carthy and I also like the playing, vocals and songs of Fairport’s Dave Swarbrick – together Carthy and Swarb’ formed a wonderful duo of quintessentially English folk music and song – I played support to (Americans say ‘opened for’) them some years ago, when I was just starting out – they are great guys and were kind to me, showing considerable interest in my guitar playing - I'm delighted that Martin has won awards from the BBC and an MBE from the Queen

 

medieval
still focusing on the seventies and eighties, bands like The City Waites and Gryphon brought medieval music into the twentieth century with virtuosity and passion – the City Waites using authentic reproductions of old instruments and Gryphon combining reproduction instruments with current technology to give a medieval rock/jazz sound – one night the ‘Waites got me on stage to act the dragon in a comical re-enactment of ‘George and the dragon’ during one of their concerts – I had to exit a cave and roar before I was killed - all my voice and performance training kicked in and my roar filled the theatre – the performers and audience we so taken aback that I was given an unexpected round of applause   

 

guitar
the late, great John Martyn OBE was a fantastically talented singer, songwriter, guitarist and guitar innovator – originally using tape loops, John built up layers of sound, live, on an acoustic guitar – inspired by this, I used sampling and digital effects to create my own electro acoustic guitar sounds -  John had an excellent rapport with bass player extraordinaire Danny Thompson (ex-Pentangle) and together they made atmospheric sounds that still make me tingle – John Martyn’s music has been such a large part of my life, I literally felt bereaved when I learned of his passing

 

sadly, also now deceased is the late, great Isaac Guillory - over many years I have watched Isaac develop as a musician, singer and performer – his guitar work was world-class and his improvisation skills were second-to-none – I am full of admiration for Isaac and still enjoy his albums today - one night I played support to (opened for) him – we had met before but he hadn’t heard my music – afterwards he was effusive about my work and described one song as ‘beautiful’ – whenever anyone criticises my work, I think of that moment

 

 

two wonderful guitarists that still inspire me are the French Pierre Bensusan, who specialises in playing jazzy guitar ‘landscapes’ in DADGAD tuning and the multi-award winning folk guitarist Martin Simpson – indeed the only instrument training I’ve ever had was an informal one-to-one session with Martin – in just fifteen minutes he transformed my playing, helping me to put power and poise into my right hand technique – both Pierre and Martin are enormously deserving of their success and recognition in the guitar world 

 
dulcimer
I’m deeply indebted to the late, legendary British dulcimer player, Roger Nicholson – Roger’s transcriptions of medieval lute tunes for the dulcimer are second–to-none and he has inspired players on both sides of the Atlantic in so many ways – Roger and I made a trip to the USA together and we recorded a couple of dulcimer duets on my Spirit Dancing CD – Roger was not only inspirational to me but he also encouraged and helped me in my own career

 

Nashville-based Stephen Seifert is also a friend and is probably the leading player in the world today – he was the protégé of the late, great David Schnaufer, whom I had the privilege of getting to know on my first trip to Kentucky – Steve’s playing totally transcends the instrument, which becomes putty in his hands - jamming with Steve when we meet up at festivals is both a delight and an education

Dan Evans' radio TV & film recordings & broadcasts

1972 - BBC Radio Cleveland – studio recording & live broadcast with school folk group: The Plaggy Band
1972 - BBC Radio Cleveland - original instrumental used as theme tune for ongoing magazine programme
1982 - Bedford Hospital Radio – Desert Island Discs interview
1983 - independent radio, Dunstable - studio recording for songwriting completion
1992 - BBC Radio Bedfordshire – three live broadcasts 
1992 - BBC Radio Essex – live broadcast
1993 - 33 Arts Centre, Luton – short video film made, demonstrating the dulcimer
1993 - BBC Radio Cambridge – outside broadcast
1993 - BBC Radio Essex – live broadcast
1993 - BBC Radio Bedfordshire – live broadcasts
1993 - BBC Three Counties Radio - live broadcast
1994 - BBC Radio Essex – live broadcast
1994 - Cable Radio Milton Keynes – studio recording & broadcast
1994 - Y cable TV, Leicester – live broadcast of performance at the Y Theatre, Leicester  
1994 - Wear FM – live broadcast
1995 - BBC Three Counties Radio - live broadcast
1997 - BBC Radio Northampton – three live broadcasts
1998 - BBC Radio Northampton – live broadcast
1999 - BBC Radio Northampton – live broadcast
2000 - Fox 41 TV, Kentucky, USA – live broadcast on morning news program
2001 - recording of concert performances and back-stage interview for American film on folk music 'Under Kentucky Skies', featureing Jean Ritchie, David Schnaufer, Bill Staines and recorded at Iroquois Park Amphitheater, Louisville, Kentucky in July 2000 and relased in 2001 by Ruffian Pictures, USA 
2002 - local radio, Tullamore, Ireland – live broadcast
2005 - local radio Elizabethtown, Kentucky, USA – live broadcast
2010 - BBC Radio Northampton – live broadcast
2011 - BBC Radio Northampton – live broadcast

2012 - BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester - interviews

Boss ME25 guitar multi-effects unit for use with dulcimers

 

 

 

Background
For some years now I have been waiting for Boss to release a compact, battery-driven guitar multi-effects FX unit that could travel with and use on my dulcimer.  I have always used Boss FX as they are well-thought out, ruggedly made and sound great.

 

For my electro-acoustic guitar work in the UK, I am still using the sophisticated and complex Boss GT-5 multi effects board along with a rack-mounted Lexicon JamMan loop station. These units require mains power and are considerably heavy, not to mention bulky – you could not easily travel with them abroad.

 

The sort of effects I need for the dulcimer include chorus, phase, reverb, delays and phrase loop (or sound-on-sound).  I have previously documented here the sorts of effect combinations I use on guitar and dulcimer. 

           
Then along came the ME-25.  It has stereo sounds, is compact, rugged, runs off AA batteries and represents great value for money.

 

Boss ME 25 sounds
The modulation section has chorus, phase, flange and an octave-divider as well as some others, like rotary and harmonist that I might or might not use with the dulcimer.

 

There’s a nice hall reverb and a range of delays from 1 millisecond to 6 seconds and a tap delay.

 

What’s really useful for me is the phrase loop.  You can sample complex and/or wet sounds and then overdub onto them, building up layers of sound with different textures.

 

I don’t normally get on with overdrive and distortion on acoustic instruments, unless they are fitted with a coil pickup.  The acoustic profile is usually too complex to overdrive and often results in an unpleasant 'fizzy' sound.  However, the overdrives work surprisingly well with the transducer pickup in my dulcimer.

  
There is also a preamp section and a super-stack button that simulates the heavy bass you would achieve from a tall (Marshall-like) amp stack if you are using a small amp. I can’t see me using these much with the dulcimer, but you never know.

 

Foot control
There are three foot switches and an expression pedal. The first two switches toggle up and down the memory banks and when pressed together, they bypass the effects and access the on-board tuner. The third switch controls the phrase loop or acts as a ‘solo’ feature with a richer sounds and more volume.  The expression pedal defaults to a useful volume control and can be switched live to become a wah pedal.

           

Programming
You cannot really use the ME25 without programming it first.  Programming however is quite simple and there are 60 memories available to store patches.

 

The first thing I did was to delete all the memories and then populate the first bank of them with my own building-block sounds – for example a reverb, a delay plus reverb, a chorus plus delay etc.  I’ll then use these building blocks to create more tailored sounds for particular songs in the next bank.

 

I have saved the last bank of memoires for use at concerts. I can put here the patches I will need in the sequence of the concert program, allowing me to jump seamlessly between patches. This is especially important with layering sounds.

 

A noise suppressor is included in each bank and it can be switched off or tweaked to suit, although the default setting works well most of the time.

  
Limitations & summary
Inevitably, an entry-level multi-effects unit will have limitations and for me what’s disappointing is the lack of analogue or ping-pong delays, both of which I would use a lot. The hall reverb is very nice and can create an ambience not too dissimilar to an analogue delay but a ping-pong effect is hard to achieve without the actual module itself.

 

All-in-all this is a simple, rugged multi-effects unit that gives a great stereo sound and is easy to use.  Some of the more bluesy guitar sounds I probably won’t use on the dulcimer, but you never know.  Despite its’ limitations, it has many of the features I need for the dulcimer at fraction the cost of buying individual foot pedals and in a small packaged that runs of batteries.  Watch this space.

   

 

Boss ME25 for dulcimer - a one-year-on update

 

I have lived with the ME25 for a year now and I use it all the time with my dulcimers.  I have used my building-block programmes (patches) as a source to create more individual patches for my songs.  Overall it's easy to use and it augments the sound of my dulcimer with a little conditioning to suit each song.  It's quite compact and not too heavy and I found a small case to protect it in transit.  I would not be without it.

In using it for a year however, I have noticed some further limitations.  Firstly, the LED only displays the patch number, not the song name.  I can't remember the numbers of all the patches so I carry a chart in the ME25 case, which tells me which patches are for which songs.  It's as simple solution but it would have been nice if you could enter the song name so it displays on the LED.

My second issue is with the sound quality.  Boss FX units are renowned for their rugged build quality and  high sound quality - both in the texture of the effect and in not degrading the signal.  When plugging into a small portable and mono amp (I use an AER amp) you do not notice any signal degradation - you just hear the great sound of the Boss effects.  People listening to my dulcimer with ME25 FX though my AER amp will also hear a significant amount of sound from the instrument itself - so any slight degradation of the signal is not an issue.

 

When taking the stereo signal from the ME25 into a PA however, you do hear a significant degradation of the signal.  In particular the frequency response is curtailed and there is a loss of bass, especially.  You would not think that important for a dulcimer which is often tuned to BBE - but it is indeed an issue.  The sound is also less smooth and seems less refined.  A beginner electric guitarist with an inexpensive guitar might not notice this - but acoustic instruments are very demanding of sound quality and show up issues like this terribly.  To be clear and to be fair to Roland, who manufacture Boss products, the effects themselves sound great , it's just that the unit does degrade the signal slightly.  Considering the modest price and that it's an entry-level product its very understandable.

How I get around this is to mix the stereo sound of the ME25 with a mono signal from the preamp.  So the ME25 uses a stereo channel on the mixer while the mono signal uses a mono channel and both are mixed in more or less equal proportions.  By programming the patches so that the effects are strong, then mixed with some untreated signal, gives just the right amount of treatment.  You hear the great Boss sounds in stereo but with the mono untreated signal restoring the sound quality.  You could use an Aux send (to the ME25) and stereo return to get the same result (assuming you have a spare Aux).  The same principle works with my AER amp, as you also hear some of the instrument itself - the strong effects give just the right amount of treatment to the dulcimer's sound.               

 

dulcimer chords for Ionian / DAA tuning  

 

these charts show some popular DAA chords, which which you can play many, many songs  

 

 

 

about playing chords on the dulcimer

 

these dulcimer chords are all triad chords – but they work really well and sound nice 

(pedantically) chords should have 4 notes (or more)
so D should be D-A-F#-D with a D below and above

the low D is called the root note
hence on my chord chart I’ve not called the lowest D chord (2-0-3) the ‘root’ chord but the ‘base’ chord
the root chord is in fact the 2nd inversion (7-5-7) but it doesn’t feel appropriate to call it that  

   

where this system theoretically fails is with chords like seventh chords, which should have 4 notes
eg: A7 has the notes A, E, C# and G – with the G being the seventh note

 

the question is do you play 3-0-4 / G-A-E or 3-2-4 / G-C#-E – both have the seventh note
3-0-4 sounds softer and 3-2-4 has a more dischordant/harsh sound

 

the answer is, of course: ‘horses for courses’ - I use 3-0-4 most of the time but occasionally vary it with 3-2-4     
in the context of a song in the key of D, the A note will appear often in the melody and many of the chords – so omitting then A note from an A7 chord does not sound wrong (pedantically it’s not an A7 chord but it sounds like it, in context) – it’s important to take these things in context

 

because I fingerpick / arpeggiate, sometimes I will alternate between 3-0-4 and 3-2-4 and back again, all in the same bar/measure to include all four notes of the A7 chord and add a little subtle variety

 

 

dulcimer chord shapes for DAA tuning

 

shapes for major chords ~ these three chord shapes will all give major chords

 

 shapes for minor chords ~ these three chord shapes will all give minor chords 

 

shapes for seventh chords ~ these three chord shapes will all give seventh chords

 

to learn more about dulcimer chords in DAA you might like to attend one of my song accompaniment in Ionian classes    

Dan & Mary’s return tour of central Florida – February 2011

 

Thirteen years on from our previous tour in 1998, our return trip to central Florida involved working at a dulcimer festival, giving concerts, seeing wildlife and catching up with old friends. On this occasion I travelled with two dulcimers and a camera.

 

 

I have used some American terms in this write-up – in case they are not obvious, here are the English translations …

a bunch of – many
board – mixing desk
Florida cracker – supper, typical of cowboys of old (who would crack whips)  
gator – alligator 
nature preserve – nature reserve 
RV – camper van
snowbirds – retired people who migrate from colder US states to winter in Florida 

  

Fri 11th & Sat 12th Feb – Mount Dora Dulcimer & Autoharp Festival
Mount Dora is a picturesque town just north of Orlando. Many of the houses are brightly coloured and the trees are eerily adorned with hanging air plants, colloquially know as Spanish moss.

 

 

Previously, I’d led a workshop there for a local dulcimer club in a shed by Lake Dora with a gator gliding glibly by. Thirteen years on, the town now boasts a dulcimer festival, which was held in Round Lake Christian Church on the outskirts of town. Ruth Harnden, the festival director, certainly knows how to run a good event and the six-year-old festival is growing in popularity, now featuring nearly twenty tutor/performers.

 

I gave five classes, two on dulcimer technique in Ionian/DAA, one on the dulcimer in Bagpipe tuning and two on vocal technique, based on my popular voice workshop in the UK.

 

I enjoyed teaching and also entertaining a responsive audience with a performance at the closing concert.  It was good to catch up with fellow performers and for Mary to meet some of them for the first time - like the great dulcimer players Tull Glazner and Rob Brereton and the irrepressible multi-instrumentalist Guy George. 

  

     
friendship    
An important part of the trip was for us to catch up with old friends like Jim Lowman and Elaine Reichenbacher, who were our charming hosts last time and who were honoured at the closing festival concert for their long-standing contribution to the local dulcimer scene. I didn't capture a current photo of them but here's an old film snap taken back in '98 ...

  

 

Sally and John Wilson had visited us in the UK and Hank and Sharon Link were our hosts this time during the festival. All are folk musicians, variously playing dulcimer, guitar and/or banjo.  We had met Hank back in ’98 and I remembered his interest in motorcycles - there was always lots to talk about.

 

Sun 13th Feb – Orlando Folk Festival
Hosted by the Mennello Museum Of American Art this open-air event was held in the lovely museum grounds. I was a little apprehensive about my performance as all the other acts were very much rooted in American culture – but I had nothing to fear as the audience appreciated my concert of British folk tunes for just what it was.

 

 

The performer who followed me, Magda Hiller was stunning - a petite lady with a great voice and a huge stage presence. Shortly after my concert professional dancers, dressed as fairies, gave a magical impromptu performance, which was other-worldly and totally captured the spirit of fairyness.

 

life in an RV
Hank and Sharon were great hosts and we left their comfortable home for the interesting experience of living in an RV for a week. Sally & John kindly allowed us to stay in their ‘Born Free’ RV at the Olde Mill Stream RV Park in the nearby town of Umatilla. Born Free is very well equipped and we had a comfortable stay for the rest of our trip. The temperature was typically 25º C (77 º F) – pleasantly warm. Many of the park residents were snowbirds and everyone was friendly and curious.

 

 

wildlife

 

Mon 14th Feb – lake Griffin & friends gathering
We spent the afternoon with Nancy & Jim, John’s sister and brother-in-law, who live on a peninsular jutting out into Lake Griffin. It’s a truly magical spot. Nancy took us on a pontoon boat ride around the lake and into some of the creeks where we saw a bunch of wild birds and a small gator. Seeing bald eagles, ospreys, anhinger and various types of egret, herons & ibis was a highlight of the trip for Mary, who’s a keen birdwatcher.

 

The day ended with a friends’ gathering of Jim & Elaine, Hank & Sharon, Sally & John, Nancy and Jim and Mary & myself all enjoying a traditional Florida cracker together to a spectacular sunset.          

 

Tue 15th Feb – Indian River Lagoon
We took an Eco-tour from New Smyrna Beach up the various creeks in Indian River Lagoon, just north of the Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral. We saw many more local birds like ospreys and kingfishers and learned of the ecology of the mangrove swamps and oyster beds. At this time huge swarms of sharks eerily came to the Florida beaches to catch the warm weather – the local TV advised that they were not a threat to humans but I limited my swimming to the pool in the RV park.     

    
Thu 17th Feb – Homosassa Springs & manatees
We visited the Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park on our previous trip. It has been developed since and has grown in popularity. The park is a convalescence home for injured wildlife, especially the lovely manatees. These docile creatures stole our hearts on the last trip and we were glad to see them again – they move slowly and gracefully, almost ethereal.               

         

Fri 18th Feb – boadwalk & rat snake
Flat Island is a peninsular in Lake Denham and a nature preserve. We took a walk through tropical woodland that lead to a boardwalk into a swam. We didn’t see many animals but the cypress knees (roots jutting upwards) were characteristic of swamp terrain. On the walk back Mary spooked herself by accidentally stepping over a 4ft yellow rat snake. The snake carried on unperturbed, so no harm was done.

      

Sat 19th Feb – concert
My last commitment was to give a concert for Eustis County Folk, organised by Jeff Freiberg, who we already knew and who’s PA skills ensured a great sound for my dulcimers on the board. The billing was shared with autoharp champion Ivan Styles, who also plays the saw with a bow, very skillfully.

 

We performed our solo sets to an appreciative audience and then closed the evening with the Scottish tune ‘The Water Is Wide’, played by me on dulcimer with Ivan on saw. It was a truly eerie experience, more so than the Spanish moss hanging from the trees, more eerie than the fairies at Mennello Museum, more so than the manatees at Homosassa, more eerie than the swarms of sharks and more so than Mary nearly stepping on a snake. 

          

We flew back the following day to land in a cold (2ºC/35ºF) and very wet England. 

 

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digital effects (FX) recommended for mountain dulcimer and acoustic guitar and the phenomenon of synesthesia

 

 

 

abbreviations of some popular effects
AD = analogue delay
CH = chorus
CM = compression
DD = digital delay
FL = flange/flanger
LP = phrase loop/loop station/sampler
LM = limiter
NG = noise gate
OD = overdrive/distortion
PH = phase shift/phaser
RV = reverb/reverberation
SG = slow gear
TR = tremolo/pan
 
what the individual effects do

envelop-shaping effects
SG – this changes the envelope – specifically the attack of the note such that the sharp leading edge of the string is softened to give more of an organ-like sound – useful on slow melodic parts
CM – compression reduces the dynamic range, increasing the amplitude of quiet signals and reducing loud ones – a compressed signal gives a more balanced level and is useful to precede an overdrive/distortion to ensure a more evenly overdriven sound 

 

overdrive/distortion effects
OD – the sound is clipped by adding harmonic distortion – a whole range of OD sounds are possible from ‘fuzz’ to a harder, more gritty OD sound     

 

modulation effects
CH – chorus splits the signal in two, ever so slightly delays one signal, then blends the two – the effect is cool and open sound with a shimmer – useful on chords   
PH – phase shifters work in much the same way as choruses only they put the two blended signals out of phase creating richness and modulation, especially noticeable on lower notes   
FL – is similar to a phaser but the out of phase-ness, varies crating a pronounced rolling effect and a clearer, more open sound – useful on repeated musical patterns  
TR – a tremolo imposes a modulation to the volume of the signal – when in stereo this pans from left to right 

 

reverb & delay effects
RV – creates a reverberation, like playing in a room or hall – some reverb is customary to make an anechoic space sound more natural  
DD – digital delays give a precise copy, or several precise copies of the original note, usually decaying in level over time - the effect can makes notes seem longer and is useful on melodic parts    
AD – is similar to a digital delay except that the repeat of the note is less clearly defined and so a warm ambient sound is achieved – useful on melody parts  
LP – phrase loops record a piece of music and play it back, allowing you to play a second part over the original, thus dueting with one instrument

 

corrective effects
LM – a limiter reduces the amplitude of peaks in the music without seeming to compressing the overall sound – this is useful to avoid unwanted distortion in loud passages  
NG – combining lots of effects in complex arrangements, especially if compression is used can result in a higher noise floor – a NG removes this ambient noise during silent passages

 

example effects for mountain dulcimer – signal from transducer pickup 
input  => RV => output
input  => AD => output
input  => CH => RV => output
input  => CH => DD => output

 

example effects for acoustic guitar - signal from transducer pickup 
input => RV => output
input => AD => output
input => CH => RV => output
input => CH => DD => output
input => FL => RV => output
input => FL => DD => output
input => PH => AD => output

 

using a loop allows two layers of with different effects  …
input => CH => RV => LP
  +                                     v 
input => PH => AD => LP => combined output

 

in this example chords might be played with the chorus making them sound open and uncongested, whilst a melody line on top with phase and analogue delay will sound rich and warm   

 

example FX for acoustic guitar – signal from coil pickup 
input => CH => DD => output
input => FL => DD => output
input => TR => DD => output
input => PH => AD => output
input => OD => PH => AD => output
input => CM => OD => PH => AD => output
input => SG => CH => DD => output

 

combining a transducer and coil pickup gives a rich resonant sound
transducer input => CH => RV => output 1 
            coil input => PH => AD => output 2   

 

combining a transducer and coil and using a loop on the coil gives three layers with different effects sound  …
transducer input => RV => output 1 
            coil input => CH => RV 
              +                                v 
 coil input => PH => AD => LP => combined outputs 2+3

These are just a few simple examples using only a few popular effects.

 

sequences of FX
Whilst it good to experiment and push the boundaries, some things work better than others. In general it’s best practice to put overdrives at the start of the FX chain, modulation effects in the middle and delays at the end of the FX chain. 

 

 

playing the effects
For me, using effects is not just about adding a colouration to the sound after having written or arranged the music. The effects become part of the instrument – you actually play the effects. Delays, for example, work well with slides on treble strings, staccato and muted playing - your fingers intuitively change the way the music is played to interact with the effect. I play the piece with the effects from composition/arrangement through to rehearsal for concerts.

 

recommended brand
Having used effects with acoustic instruments for over 30 years I’ve owned several generations of effects. The market leader Boss, made by Roland, are in my opinion by far the best for pedals and boards. Boss effects are rugged and reliable, easy to use and come in a comprehensive range of single & twin pedals and multi-effects units. Moreover, they sound great. 

 

synesthesia – they look like they sound
Boss, and other FX manufacturers have chosen the same colours for their effect boxes and it may not be an accident. Chorus pedals are blue, reflecting the coolness of the sound. Likewise, analogue delay pedals are burgundy, reflecting the warmth of this effect and overdrives are yellow or orange, representing the aggressiveness of the sound and so on…

 

This may be more that helpful intuitiveness on the part of the manufacturer however. Syneshesia is where some people can experience one sense though the organs for a different sense. Evelyn Glennie may be a good example of this phenomenon as she feels the music in her fingers. Some synesthetes experience music as visual information. I don’t think I’m a synesthete, as I don’t perceive music visually. However, somewhere deep in my psyche it makes a deal of sense for a chorus pedal to be blue.

 

Read about my guitar work using FX.

Read about my Boss ME25 FX for use with the dulcimer.

UK venues (folk clubs, art centres, churches etc) where I have give concerts and lead workshops     

 

33 Arts Centre, Luton
60 Years Of Folk Festival, Cecil Sharp House, London
Ampthill Library, Bedfordshire
Angel Folk Club, Toddington, Bedfordshire

Artrix Arts Centre, Bromsgrove
Arundel Folk Club, West Sussex
Ashby Folk Festival, Leicestershire
Balloon Ph, Bedford  
Barbican Arts Centre, London
Bedworth Folk Festival, Warwickshire
Biddenham Village Hall, Bedfordshire
Bideford Arts Centre, Devon
Bideford Folk Club, Devon
Birtley Folk Club, Tyne & Wear
Bishops Storford Folk Club 
The Boatrace Ph, Cambridge
Broadstairs Folk Club, Kent
Bromham Mill, Bedfordshire
The Bull Folk Club, Ware, Hertfordshire
Bunjies Folk Cellar, London

Castle Arts Centre, Wellingborough
Cannon Ph, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire
Caesar’s Palace, Luton, Bedfordshire
Church Of Christ The Cornerstone, Milton Keynes
Clapham Hall, Bedfordshire
Colchester Folk Club, Essex
Cornwall Folk Festival
Croydon Folk Club, London
Darlington Folk Club, Co. Durham 
Denman College, Marcham, Oxfordshire
The Dolphin Folk Club, Robin Hoods Bay, North Yorkshire
Downside Centre, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Dunstable Folk Club, Queens Centre, Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Dunstable Folk Festival, Bedfordshire
Ealing Guitar Society, London
East Carlton Country Park, Corby 
The Ecology Centre, London
Ely Folk Club, Cambridgeshire
Farncombe Estate Adult Learning Centre, Broadway, Worcestershire
Flitwick Library, Bedfordshire
The Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford
Grendon Hall, Northamptonshire  
Grove House, Dunstable, Bedfordshire 
Guitar Teacher's Seminar, St.Albans, Hertfordshire
Guildhall Winchester, Hampshire
Guildhall, Bedworth, Warwickshire
Hale End Folk Club, London
The Hertfordshire County Show, Nr Redbourne
High Wycombe Folk Club, Buckinghamshire
Hitchin Folk Club
Houghton Regis Library, Bedfordshire
Hurler’s Folk Club, Rickmansworth, London
Kings Arms, Sandy, Bedfordshire
Knuston Hall, Northamptonshire
Lea Manor College Of Further Education, Luton, Bedfordshire
Leighton Buzzard Theatre, Bedfordshire
Leighton Buzzard Camera Club, Bedfordshire
Letchworth Museum, Bedfordshire

The Lichfield Garrick Theartre & Studio
The Light Infantry Museum, Durham 
Luton Main Library, Bedfordshire
Luton Library Theatre, Bedfordshire
Lyceum Theatre, Crew, Lancashire 
The Madcap Theatre, Milton Keynes
Maryland College, Woburn, Bedfordshire
Mask folk Club, Teeside
The Mean Fiddler, London
Mickleby Folk Club, Teesside
Middlesborough Folk Club, Teeside
Missenden Abbey, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire
Nonsuch Dulcimer Club - various locations
Northampton College Arts Centre
The Olney Centre, Olney, Bucks
Olney Festival Of Arts, Buckinghamshire
Prebrendal Manor, Northamptonshire
Raunds Manor School / Northamptonshire Life Long Learning
Redbourne Folk Club, Bedfordshire
Redditch Folk Club, Worcestershire
Ripon Folk Club, Yorkshire
Rising Sun Arts Centre, Reading Berkshire
The Riverhouse Barn, Walton-On-Thames, London
Romford Folk Club, Essex
Peterborough Arts Centre, Cambridgeshire
Wooton Folk Club, Southampton, Hampshire
South Hill Park Arts Centre, Bracknell, Berkshire
South Luton Community College, Bedfordshire
St Ives Folk Club, Cornwall 
Sundon Park Library, Luton, Bedfordshire
Sutton House, London
Swedenborg Hall, London
The Stables, Wavendon, Buckinghamshire
The Star Inn, Chillam, Kent
The Jongleurs Club, Bedford
Soulbury Village Hall, Bedfordshire
Stevenage Arts Festival, Hertfordshire
Stockton Folk Club, Teeside 
St Mary’s Church, Luton, Bedfordshire 
Sundon Park Library, Bedfordshire
The Swan Hotel, Bedford
The Swan At Hay Hotel, Hay On Why, Herefordshire
Swiss Gardens, Nr Biggleswade, Bedfordshire 
Talking Heads, Southampton, Hampshire
Trevelyan College, Durham University
Truro Folk club, Cornwall
Tudor Folk & Blues Club, Chesham, Buchinghamshire
Uppermill Folk Club, Manchester
Victoria Gardens Folk Club, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear
Walls Restaurant Oswestry, Shropshire
Weaver’s Arms Ph, London
White Heart Folk Club, Orpington, Kent
Wigmore Library, Luton, Bedfordshire
Winchester Folk Festival, Hampshire
The White Horse Festival, Oxfordshire 
York Arts Centre
YMCA Theatre, Leicester

 

Read about my international tours.

voice workshop - student feedback

 

as well as countless unsolicited thank-you cards and e-mails, my Everyone Can Sing voice workshop receives superb feedback from the students on the formal evaluation forms

 

some typical comments from students  ...

 

'Dan was an excellent tutor and brought a fantastic atmosphere to the group - I had a great weekend and will come again'

'DAN WAS INSPIRING'

 

'Dan was a real pro - very knowledgeable about bringing out the best in people'

'Excellent weekend, did everything we wanted it to and we will go home singing!'

 
'An excellent course - very enjoyable'

'I have enjoyed the course enormously - and encouraged to experience  such a  congenial weekend'
 

'a very empowering and affirming experience'

 

'Dan was a wonderful tutor and I came away with a lot more confidence then I arrived - I also had a lot of fun'

'wonderfully enjoyable course'

'I don't really know how to thank you for all the ways you have helped me over three 3 times I have taken part in your amazing course - I think your process is terrific and you are one of the few totally inspirational tutors - thank you for your skill, your sensitivity, your sense of humour and your warmth'

'the course was brilliant - Dan is a first-class tutor and the format was carefully developed and worked very well - I learned a great deal and things have shifted for me in several areas'

 

'our tutor presented the course in a way that allowed all students to develop in a positive way at their own pace and developed a wonderful sense of a secure environment - this created a beautiful bonding amongst a group who embraced the philosophy of the course and achieved more than we could ever have thought possible'

'an enormously enjoyable fun and life-changing experience - Dan is an inspirational and wise man'

'an absolutely wonderful course led by an inspiration - Dan's gentle encouragement led me to achieving more than I could ever have imagined'

'Dan has crafted this course beautifully with the right mix of theory and practice - he set the stage very well and created a safe and nurturing environment - there was music all around and the choice of songs to sing excellent'

'Dan is a wonderful inspirational teacher whose techniques gently inspire through a  journey of self- exploration'

'A fabulous weekend – I thoroughly enjoyed myself'

'A wonderful course'

'Cannot praise enough – I came with such reservations about my ability to sing - but we all sang like angels'

'This has been a wonderful weekend – an inspiring combination of training and friendship'

'The course content and environment exceeded all expectations'

'We came as strangers but went home as friends'

   
'It was a brilliant experience – I hope to come again'

'I have found my voice, challenged myself and had such fun'

'Thank you for creating an environment for me to ‘fly’ – I’m heading for new horizons'

 

'Brilliant - one of my best personal live experiences – will remember for ever – feel so enriched & just appreciate life – good for the heart + soul !!' 

 

 'A brilliant weekend, I have learned so much about singing and about myself. Thank you Dan'

 

'Thank you for a wonderful weekend'

 

'A fabulous course – I learned so much, met nice people and had great fun !  Thanks to Dan'

 

'A fantastic weekend  - Dan’s positive ethos is so empowering and has so many implications for one’s whole life'

 

'Brilliant course – learnt a lot, gained confidence – wish I’d done it much sooner but may possible do it again - Dan is a really supportive tutor, and a nice guy'

 

'Dan Evans was a wonderful inspirational teacher. A really lovely course.'

 

'Dan was very inspirational and calming. His techniques really gave me confidence and everyone really respected him and have taken a lot away from this course.'

 

'This more than met my expectations. Excellent, varied tuition from Dan Evans who brought out the best in us all!' 

 

'This was the second time I have done this course and it was well worth doing a second time. I learned every bit as much (and more!) than the first time. Dan is a brilliant presenter and an amazing communicatior who ensures that everyone has a wonderful time as well as learning and developing.'

 

'I can't praise Dan highly enough for his superb tuition and his incredible humanity - I leave energised and confident - I don't think it could honestly get any better than this' 

  

'The course was one of the best experiences I have had. It was uplifting, stimulating and confidence-building and it was amazing to see the change in people.' 

  

'Dan was brilliant - this weekend has been a joy to experience!' 

 

“the course for me was the best experience I’ve had for sometime - it was a mind-blowing experience to see the magnitude of change that took place in people - your course has and will stay with me forever” 

 

‘words can’t express – uplifting, stimulating – best time I’ve had for a while’

 

‘thank you – I have loved every minute’

   
‘very inspiring workshop, thank you’

 

‘I cannot speak highly enough. I have been very fortunate to have been part of an excellent experience with a great group of people and a great tutor – an amazing positive experience that I hope will remain with me’  

 

‘wonderful course bringing so many people really together in a very happy way’

 

‘for me the tutor, Dan, is exceptional in his teaching – everything was wonderful – best course I have ever done – truly marvellous’

 

‘what an amazing weekend’

 

‘best weekend I’ve had for ages – my heart is full of song’
 

‘This has been an outstanding course with an outstanding tutor who uses a unique process that ensures success for everyone involved. It has been an absolute pleasure to be a part of this incredible weekend.’

 

‘Dan is a fantastic tutor’

 

‘Environment and atmosphere magical.  Dan has an amazing gift to get the absolute best from the people he meets. The way he bonded the group of total strangers into a group of friends is not only a talent but a gift! I will treasure the memory that I have stored from this weekend.’

 

‘Dan – the Voice Whisperer’

 

‘fantastic weekend – I feel totally uplifted’ 

  

‘combination of amazing skills & supportive tutor with environment made for a wonderful fulfilled learning experience’

 

‘It has been a rare and very special weekend - The structure and delivery of the course enabled such growth in the group. A spirit of warmth & fun which I have never experienced before. I will recommend the course to others – and I will cherish the memory I take with me.’  

 

‘The course has been wonderful experience. Dan has a rare talent for getting the very best out of people. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a supportive environment in which to develop their singing.'

 

‘fantastic experience – wonderfully supportive and great fun’

 

‘Dan is a very motivational and inspirational tutor. I have learned so much in a relatively short space of time.’

 

‘The perfect environment for a brilliant course. Dan’s input was outstanding. I have been singing for more than 60 years and I learned a great deal – I also had a lot of fun’.   

 

‘incredibly supportive and nurturing environment – fantastic!’

 

‘a wonderful weekend lead by a superb tutor’

 

‘the course was inspirational – Dan is a marvellous tutor’

 

‘brilliant’

 

Learn how this course works

 

Venues where I teach this class.

 

 

 

 

films I recommend for their musical interest

 

If you like interesting and varied music, there are some gems for you to enjoy in these favorite films of mine …

 

One Day (2011)
A romantic tale of two college friends who, after many failed attempts, eventually find true love in each other. Jim Sturgess is convincing as the failing playboy, Dexter and Anne Hathaway, aside from a dubious Leeds accent, is adorable as the blossoming Emma. The film’s moral sub-plot is that shallow hedonism doesn’t pave the way to happiness. Beautifully filmed in Edinburg, London and Paris this enjoyable film is enhanced by the simple yet evocative score by Rachel Portman.

 

 

Slumdog Millionaire (UK 2008)
Based in the depressing slums of Mumbai, this film works on several levels. The clever but improbable plot is underpinned by a darker indictment of corruption in Indian administration. The upbeat soundtrack compliments the fast-moving story and  has won a Golden Globe, a BAFTA, two Academy Awards, and two Grammys, although I found the production aspects of the music to be crude in places. My favorite song is the delicate and haunting Latika’s theme, which is a calm counterpoint the high-energy  score.  

         

Once (Ireland, 2006)
Set in the poor backstreets of modern-day Dublin, this low-budget film follows the blossoming friendship between an Irish singer/songwriter (played by Glen Hansard) and a Czechoslovakian pianist (played by Markéta Irglová) - both musicians, not actors. Sensitively handled and hugely enjoyable the music and songs, written and performed by Hansard and Irglová are part of the main plot, not just in the background. Their song Falling Slowly received an Academy Award for Best Original Song and the soundtrack as a whole also received a Grammy nomination.

 

The Motorcycle diaries (Spain, 2004)
1952 was a formative year in the life of Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara as he travels with his friend across South America on a dilapidated old Norton 500 motorcycle, which they christened The Mighty One. The poor over-laden bike doesn’t survive the constant tumbles of the dirt-track roads but makes for some comic interludes in an otherwise serious statement about the poverty of the people they meet along the way. The majestic scenery is beautifully complimented by Gustavo Santaolalla’s atmospheric score. The film has won many awards including Academy Awards for Best Achievement In Music and Original Song and the album of the music won a BAFTA for Best Film Music.

 

 

Japanese story (Australia, 2003)
Toni Collette stars as a guide to a Japanese business man on a geology trip to the Australian outback. They have an affair and he suddenly dies in a swimming accident. His wife flies in and discovers evidence of the affair. How his wife reacts to both the death and the affair gives insight into the stoic formality of Japanese culture. This is an odd film that you will probably only watch once but the soundtrack by Elizabeth Drake has Japanese overtones and is hauntingly beautiful, especially the track Chinsagu No Hana.       

 

Songcatcher (USA, 2000)
Loosely based on the work of Olive Dame Campbell, founder of the John C. Campbell Folk School in North Carolina, Janet McTeer plays Dr Lily Penleric, a Professor Of Musicology who stumbles across a treasure of beautifully preserved Scottish and Irish ballads in the Appalachian Mountains. Set at a time before the industrial revolution brought modernity to these isolated communities, Dr Penleric finds herself in a shocking lesbian love affair. Great scenery and beautiful natural singing by the talented young Emmy Rossum in the character of orphan Deladis Slocumb, make this film a must for anyone interested in British folk songs. Look out for a cameo appearance of a mountain dulcimer played by Don Pedi.

 

Shine (Australia, 1996)
With a captivating performance by Geoffrey Rush as a pianist with mental health problems, this film is based on the real-life story of David Helfgott. Helfgott wins a concerto competition by brilliantly playing the difficult Rachmaninoff 3rd Piano Concerto but then suffers a breakdown, related to his difficult relationship with his father. As well as the powerful plot, there’s lots of piano music to enjoy from The Troggs to Beethoven.

 

The English Patient (USA, 1996)
Starring Ralph Fiennes as Hungarian geographer Count László Almásy (the English patient), this is a powerful drama set in World War II. Fiennes’ character is badly burnt from a plane crash in the Sahara Desert and he is now being cared for by a Canadian nurse (played by Juliette Binoche) in an abandoned building in Italy. The story unfolds in flashbacks in the Count’s last few days and features the statuesque Kristin Scott Thomas as Katharine Clifton in one of his memoirs. This complex film has won nine Academy Awards and six BAFTAs, including an Academy Award for Best Original Score and a BAFTA for Best Music. Some recorded music is also featured, including the exotic eastern-European sound of Marta Sebestyen and The Muzikas.   

 

Brassed Off (Britain, 1996)
Pete Postlethwaite, Tara Fizgerald and Ewan McGregor star in this competition-of-brass-bands story set in the South Yorkshire village of Grimethorpe at the time of the coal pit closures. Dramatic and depressing, the bleak plot is uplifted by the fantastic playing of the real Grimethorpe Colliery Band. Despite many adversities, the band win the final in the Royal Albert Hall with a superb performance of Rossini’s William Tell Overture and then go on to play Elgar’s Land Of Hope And Glory as they pass the Houses Of Parliament. The irony will make you smile as tears run down your cheeks.

 

 

Riverdance (Ireland, from 1981 - stage show available on DVD)
Riverdance started out as Timedance, a short interval show in the Eurovision Song Contest with music written and performed by Irish folk band Planxty. It became a stage show and eventually ended up on Broadway in 2000. Now a well-known showcase for Irish formation dancing with an exciting Irish-sounding contemporary score, it shows the inclusion of Spanish and tap-dancing influences into the Irish form. What’s special is that, interspersed between the up-tempo dance tunes, is a lovely Uilleann bagpipe solo and some atmospheric choral singing.

 

My Fair Lady (USA, 1964)
A latter-day version of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion played out by the stubbornly English Rex Harrison and the beautifully vulnerable Audrey Hepburn. This light musical film won eight Academy Awards but Hepburn doesn’t actually sing in the film, she was dubbed by Marni Nixon. If this film of popular classics seems an odd choice for my selection, listen again to the beautiful melody of the song On The Street Where You live - timeless. 

tone deafness seems to be rare - everyone can sing

 

In many years of leading my Everyone Can Sing voice workshop, many participants have attended who believed they are tone deaf or have been told they are tone deaf only to find out that they can sing perfectly well in tune, by following my process. Some have even had private voice tuition only for the tutor to have given up on them.

 

However, in all the years I’ve been leading this class I’ve yet to meet anyone who is actually tone deaf. ‘Tone deaf’ appears to be a phrase that we use casually but it would appear to be a very rare condition and I’ve not come across it.  Early on in the workshop we undertake some listening exercises, which sharpen up everyone’s awareness of sound. With the right kind of active listening, everyone can sing in tune and find they get can enjoy singing.

 

Howard Goodall update

 

In a recent interview on BBC Radio 4, the famous composer and presenter Howard Goodall explained that there are several skills to be acquired in order to be able to sing.  These include: awareness of rhythm, awareness of melody and awareness of pitch.  All of these skills can be acquired by everyone but we may not all learn them in the same order.  Children who learn about pitch last of these skills can be labeled as ‘tone deaf’ and may be asked to mime in school choirs.  This can have a long term damaging effect on the person’s musical confidence, right through to their elderly years.

 

 

Quite a number of students on my Everyone Can Sing course have been told they could not sing and were made to mime in the school choir.  Experiences like these have often caused them not so sing at all for up to sixty years of their lives.  Fortunately, the damage is normally easily undone with the listening exercises I use and the positive reinforcement process that I deploy on my voice workshops.

reviews of Dan Evans' CD albums

 

where to buy CDs and download tracks

 

 

DSM6 / Let It Be Me
Englishman Dan Evans has been captivating audiences at concerts and festivals here in the States since his first trip to our fair shores back in 1997.  Let It Me Be is Dan’s first recording since 2002 and he admits that it’s long overdue but my ears tell me that it has been well worth the wait. He gets some super support from Sylvia Seaton on violin, Andy Crowdy on nylon-string guitar and string bass, and from Hilary Davies on harmony vocals.

 

The new recording focuses on traditional folk songs from the British Isles and showcases Dan’s clear and precise dulcimer and guitar playing along with his superb vocals.  He has a very natural vocal style with a warm presence that definitely complements his great dulcimer playing. His guitar playing on the non-dulcimer numbers features dulcimer-like open tunings which, similar to his finger-style dulcimer playing, incorporates interesting rhythmic textures and flowing melodic lines.  Above all, I am gobsmacked by Dan’s amazing ability to provide such compelling and lyrical dulcimer accompaniments to his singing. 

 

"I am gobsmacked by Dan’s amazing ability to provide such compelling and lyrical dulcimer accompaniments to his singing."

 

The material ranges from spritely dance tunes to powerful songs with a message with an emphasis on stately traditional tunes with some contemporary flourishes.  Highlights for me were his version of Amanda Broom's The Rose, Let It Be Me, and We May and Might Never. You’ll note that I am very partial to the vocals but I’m betting you’ll love it all.

Neal Walters writing for the Dulcimer Players News, USA

 

 

DSM5 / Autumn Dance
Englishman Dan Evans plays guitar and mountain dulcimer. Occasionally, he manages a trip across the water to teach a workshop or perform in concert here in the States and a fortunate few of you will know him from these all too infrequent visits. Autumn Dance should serve to introduce him properly to a far larger number of people on this side of the Atlantic. It might help initially to say that his guitar playing reminds me not a little of Martin Simpson and his dulcimer playing is influenced by a long and  fruitful friendship with Roger Nicholson, perhaps the best known dulcimer play from England.

 

The new album is filled with wonderful music that ranges from the moody and introspective She Moves Through the Fair and In The Bleak Midwinter / Spring’s Promise, to very elegant and flowing traditional arrangements of Lord Franklin, I Wish I Wish, The Water Is Wide and The Trees They Do Grow High, and including a delightful and delicate dulcimer rendition of the Beatles’ Let It Be. Sylvia Seaton contributes brilliant violin accompaniment on several numbers and Ruth Cohen Rose joins Dan to supply the vocals. Mary Evans chips in with chimes and rainstick while Martin Vishnick, Andy Crowdy and John Ward provide tasteful guitar, bass and bodhran licks.

 

"the effects he produces on his electro-acoustic guitar are astonishing"

 

Those who know Dan will also appreciate the technical excellence he brings to his the engineering of his albums and that is certainly the case here as well. The effects he produces on his electro-acoustic guitar are astonishing as just one example. This is a superb recording from start to finish and I recommend it highly.

 

Neal Walters writing for the Dulcimer Players News, USA

 

 

DSM4 / Spirit Dancing
On reading back my own track-by track notes of this CD I found the words ’attractive’ and ‘pleasant‘ occurring again and again. And that really sums up this very professional recording. Unquestionably, Dan Evans is one of this country’s most accomplished performers of both acoustic guitar and dulcimer. He also has a fine voice and, as this 15-track CD demonstrates, is a skilled songwriter and arranger.

 

"one of this country’s most accomplished performers"

 

The album is a good mixture of songs and instrumentals, traditional and contemporary. It benefits from an impressive array of accompanying musicians including classical guitarist Martin Vishnick, whose work is to the fore on Dan’s self-penned The Seed Is Sown. Roger Nicholson, another fine exponent of the dulcimer, duets instrumentally with Dan on some of their own arrangements of traditional tunes. Self-penned songs such as Forever and Me and You demonstrate both Dan’s song writing talents and his pre-occupation with love songs. The latter is one of a number of tracks to feature the haunting harmonies of Elaine Samuels. The Journey, one of his own instrumental compositions, fully demonstrates Dan’s outstanding guitar playing talent.

 

There are some highly individual arrangements of well-known songs, including Bill Caddick’s lovely song Unicorns and, unusually and unexpectedly, the Paul Anka / Buddy Holly song It Doesn’t Matter Any More.

 

Well thought out, highly polished and attractively packaged, this CD deserves a wide audience.

 

Alan Hibbert, Folk In Kent magazine

 

 

DSM3  / Guardian Spirit
Dan Evans is a consummate artiste who presents us here with a superbly professional and polished recording. He has recruited three equally skilled artists to abet him in this venture – singer Michèle Welbourn, Jenny Newman to play fiddle and viola and John Ward to play bodhran and cymbal.  Dan himself plays mainly acoustic guitar, sometimes electro-acoustic guitar and in one instance Appalachian dulcimer. The fourteen tracks comprise a variety of songs both traditional and contemporary, including several of Dan’s own, plus his instrumental composition Heartbeat – subtle rhythms very much to my own liking.

 

"a superbly professional and polished recording"

 

Michèle Welbourn, an excellent singer in her own right, sings two of the songs, the traditional Davey Lowston (the opening track) and Ewan McColl’s Dirty Old Town.  Dan’s light and pleasing voice is heard on eleven songs, The Golden Vanity, Lord Franklin, The Rose;  Was it When and The Errand Boy, both self-penned; Columbine, on which he also plays Appalachian dulcimer, The Unquiet Grave, Watch the Stars (with traditional lyrics which Dan has set to music); Only You, Spencer The Rover and Let it Be Me. On these last three Michèle sings in duet with Dan - a delightful blend of voices.

 

For me, Dan Evans’ unique instrumental artistry is the outstanding feature of this entire recording. Buy it listen to it; be uplifted. It is people like himself who help to bring traditional folk music into the twentieth century and give it some contemporary relevance.

 

Monni Aldous,  Essex Folk News  magazine

 

where to buy CDs & download tracks

Dan Evans' music trips abroad 

 

1997 – Massachusetts & upstate New York – with Roger Nicholson – read about Roger
Cambridge, MS - house concert
Blue Mountain Lake Arts Centre Theatre, NY – concert
North Eastern Dulcimer Symposium, NY - dulcimer festival

 

1998 – Florida
Eustis – Women’s Club Theatre – concert to standing ovation 
Yalaha Bakery – concert
St Francis Inn, St Augustine – concert

 

2000 – Kentucky
Blowing Green – Theatre On The Green – concert
Bardstown - Kentucky Music Week – dulcimer festival
Fox 41 TV – live broadcast
Urquoise Park Ampitheatre, Louisville – Kentucky Music Weekend - folk festival
read more

 

2001 – Texas
Houston - SAMFest – folk festival
read more

 

2002 - Ireland
Tullamore - Tullamore Arts Festival

 

2003 - Ireland
Cork - Cork Dulcimer Festival

 

2003 – Indiana
New Harmony – Dulcimer Chautauqua on the Wabash – dulcimer festival

 

2005 – Kentucky

Bardstown - Kentucky Music Week – dulcimer festival

 

2005 – Kentucky
Elizabethtown – Heartland Dulcimer Festival - workshops & concert to standing ovation

 

2005 – Indiana
New Harmony – Dulcimer Chautauqua on the Wabash – dulcimer festival

 

2007 – Indiana
New Harmony – Dulcimer Chautauqua on the Wabash – dulcimer festival

 

2010 – Kentucky
Bardstown - Kentucky Music Week – dulcimer festival
read more

 

2011 – Florida
Mount Dora Dulcimer & Autoharp Festival

Orlando Folk Festival – concert at Mennello Museum Of American Art

Eustis County Folk – concert

read more

 

See where I have worked in the UK

Kentucky Music Week (KMW) – 21st to 25th June 2010 - Bardstown, Kentucky

 

 

Friendship
This was my 3rd KMW dulcimer festival.  Read about my 1st trip to Kentucky. It was great to be back in Kentucky again, to connect with many old friends and meet a few new ones too. To mention but two: Butch Ross and Stephen Seifert are both great mountain dulcimer players. Butch is a consummate performer and Steve is, in my opinion, the finest player in the world.

 

New friends I met this time included the excellent musician Dan Landrum, a hammer dulcimer player and editor of the Dulcimer Players News (DPN) magazine. Dan has taken the DPN forward with contemporary graphics and quality printing.

 

 

I also met and enjoyed the company of Bing Futch, a handsome and very cool man and I shared a room with Steve Eulberg, a great guy and knowledgeable musician. Reads Steve's blog on me and my playing.

 

 

Diary
I flew into Louisville, Kentucky on the Saturday and stayed for the 3rd time with old friends and lovely couple Karl & Scottie Sebree, who are members of the Louisville Dulcimer Society. We were joined on the Sunday by Robert Force, a mountain dulcimer player who uses a strap and plays standing up. We made our way to the festival at Bardstown for a tutor briefing with Festival Director Nancy Barker.

 

 

Workshops ran Monday to Friday and I lead four classes each day: three on mountain dulcimer in DAA tuning (the Ionian mode), from beginner to advanced and a song class based on my UK voice workshop: Everyone Can Sing.

 

The tutors gave concerts on Monday and Tuesday evenings. Everyone I spoke to felt that Butch Ross’ performance was outstanding. Butch also gave an informal presentation using multiple dulcimers and a sampler to create layers of sound from a solo performance – it was very well thought through and enthusiastically received. The techniques he used are similar to my own electric guitar work.

 

 

On the Wednesday evening we found ourselves at Weavers Corner, the home and business premises of friend and hammer dulcimer player, Martha Richard. The weaving machines were impressive and her fabrics were lovely looking and soft to the touch.

 

 

Nancy Barker puts on a great festival – there’s so much going on – it’s hard work, but relaxed and great fun. Each day has a different theme, culminating in a Mardi Gras party on the Friday night at which I danced with (new friend) Jeff Furman’s wife. I don’t dance well – I hope I didn’t step on her toes.

 

As well as the workshops there were special events scheduled, including a tribute to the late David Schnaufer and a tribute to the late British dulcimer player, Roger Nicholson. It was an honour for me to lead the tribute to Roger. Read more about Roger.

 

My own concert performance received favorable comment and my voice class students gave two performances at short notice, including a round in French - they acquitted themselves very well indeed. We had a few tears on my voice workshop during a session on how to connect with the emotion of the song. This is very rewarding work.

 

 

Excellent hammer dulcimer player Rick Thum is also a maker of the instrument – his craftsmanship is superb. He arrived in a beautiful old green van, which he had restored himself.

 

 

Highlights
Looking back on the week, two highlights stand out for me …

 

Long standing friend, Alice Burton and I learned some duets for mountain and bowed dulcimer – the two instruments complemented each other beautifully. We performed a lovely arrangement of the Beatles’ song Let It Be to an attentive and appreciative audience.

 

 

On Friday night Steve Seifert and I swapped dulcimers and improvised non-stop for over 30 minutes without a word being spoken. It was original, innovative, flowing and flawless. Steve is not just the leading dulcimer player, he’s also a very funny guy. Earlier in the week he said to me: “I want to play with you this week. If my theory about the after-life is wrong, we may not get and other chance.”

You only live once and I’m really glad I made the trip.  

 

Read abpout my dulcimer playing and voice workshops.

 

More images    

 

 

 

 

how to have strong, healthy nails to fingerpick with

 

 

Nail care
Manicure your nails a couple of times a month by:
pushing back the cuticle
buffing the upper surfaces to remove ridges
filing the nails (not cutting or clipping) into a smooth curve avoiding any sharp corners—using a nail file
profiling the tips such that the plucking edge is sharp but the upper edge is rounded

 

 

Nail length
On your left hand (assuming you’re right handed) your nails need to be short enough so that they don’t touch the strings, even under pressure. Push you left fingers vertically onto a hard, smooth surface. Your nails should just miss touching the surface if they are the correct length. To long and they will inhibit your playing and damage your fingerboard, too short and your fingertips will become misshapen.
How long your right nails are is more personal and may vary according to the musical style. As a general rule, long nails give a sweet, soft sound, whereas short nails will give more volume and allow for greater speed.  Your nails should be short enough to allow your fingertips to touch and dampen the string when it is plucked but not so short that you have to hook your fingers to play.

 

 

Problems & repairs
If you suffer from nails that tear, split or chip on a regular basis - it could be due to a lack of calcium in your diet. Many guitarists eat raw jelly (jello in the USA) on a daily basis to increase their calcium intake. Massaging nail-oil into the cuticle when you manicure might help too.
Cracks and fissures can be repaired with nail-glue or superglue. More extensive repairs can be achieved using false nails. There are many types of false nails but the type that uses a powder and liquid mix works particularly well. False nails are only recommended for repairs not for regular use. The glues they use drain the nail of it’s natural oils and the nail will be weaker for a while after the fault has grown out.

 

Finger picks sound great, albeit at the expense of sensitivity, if you can get along with them.

 

Read about my dulcimer playing - and my guitar work.

Dan diary of his trip to SAMFest, Texas in 2001

 

I’m writing this article sitting on a Jumbo Jet, flying economy-class back from Texas to England. The reason for this trip was to teach and perform at the 7th SAMFest (Summer Accoustic Music Festival) in Houston.

 

 

As you might imagine, it’s hot in Houston in July so I really appreciated the air-conditioned environment we worked in. The festival was held at the Westchase Campus of the First United Methodist Church. ‘Campus’ is the right word as the venue includes a college, chapel and a large theatre space. The premises are only a year old and this was a first-class facility for the event. To give you an idea of the scale of things: the First United Methodist Church has 25,000 members.

 

 

The festival director is Peggy Carter, herself a fine musician on mountain and hammered dulcimers, having won both the Texas and Southern Region Hammer Dulcimer Championships. Peggy was assisted by her husband Chuck, who developed and sold fine instrument cases as well as providing accessories for the players at the festival. I arrived early with Peggy and Chuck and folks started arriving from the surrounding areas of Houston, Texas and neighbouring states. In no time there was a sense of community that pervaded throughout the 3-day event.

 

 

I was commissioned to give a concert performance and to teach 7 classes. On the first day of the festival I lead a 3-hour ‘power workshop’ on guitar, teaching modal music in the Open-C tuning. I then gave three very well attended dulcimer classes: one on chords in the Ionian mode, one on the Dorian mode and one in the Bagpipe tuning. Peggy also asked me to include a class on arranging traditional music as well as a session on chanting and rhythm, which I lead sitting the group in a circle, cross-legged in the campus Chapel. Finally I lead a dulcimer ‘play-around’ on much the same lines as an English sing-a-round. I was really lucky to have good students, some of whom are graduate musicians, performers or teachers themselves. They were interested in my approach, asked good questions and participated eagerly in the lessons.

 

 

My concert performance was warmly received and resulted in very healthy CD sales. Just before hand, while I was warming up, a lady called Anita Bustamante started singing along with me. During the performance I invited Anita to the stage and, with minimal preparation, we sang a song together that sounded very rehearsed indeed. It’s always a pleasure to meet and work with new musicians. I also met David Moran and Rick Thum who are master hammer dulcimer players. Rick is also an expert maker of the hammer dulcimer and one of his instruments was raffled and won by a student of the festival.

 

 

One lunch-time a novice player asked me to help her decide which one of two dulcettes (small dulcimers) she should buy. She gave me one to evaluate and gave the other to Linda Brockinton, another player/teacher. In no time we were making really nice music together and soon had a dulcette duet of the Beatles song: Let It Be. Later that night we performed this at three of the jam sessions. At the biggest of these the room lights were put out and we were lit be cigarette lighters being gently waved from side to side - it was a lovely moment.
I swapped (Americans say traded) CDs with some of the performers there and came back with a number of interesting new records to add to my growing collection of dulcimer albums of American musicians that I’ve had the privilege to work with. One of my favourites this time is a CD given to me by a student called Cindy Angel who plays flute in a group called Briar Rose.

 

 

I already knew three of the tutors/performers from my tour of Kentucky last year: Maureen Sellers, Lorinda Jones and Steve Seifert. All three play mountain dulcimer and Lorinda also plays harp. Steve flew in from Nashville, Tennessee whilst Maureen and Lorinda flew in from Indiana and Kentucky respectively. Coincidentally both Maureen and Lorinda were up-graded to first-class seats on their flights to Houston. They became known as the ‘first-class dulcimer players’ and lived up to their name, in their individual ways, by performing with grace and aplomb. As I write I’m lying, stretched out across three seats on the plane, which is only half full. It’s not first class but does this make me a ‘laid-back dulcimer player ‘?  Steve and I shared a room at the hotel, which was very comfortable, and got to know each other a little better this year. We joked a lot and got on very well. 

 

 

On the last night of the festival there were problems with the sound system. They were short of staff and the ‘gremlins’ were out in force. Because of my experience of sound engineering, I was asked to help out. With a little re-scheduling, some straightforward mic-ing techniques, a pinch of common sense and a lot of hard work we got a good sound for the show. And what a good night it was …

 

Rick Thum’s band gave an excellent performance, ably supported by Patty Amelotte, Frank Simpson and Lorinda Jones. It would normally be unfair to single out one artist for special praise, but there was one performer that night who, for me, was something really special: Steve Seifert. I had previously thought that Steve was on the par with the great guitarists of our time but he’s progressed further now, not only mastering his instrument but completely transcending it. He deservedly won a standing ovation for a solo performance of a jazzy/rocky number on the mountain dulcimer – taking the instrument to heights that no-one ever imagined possible.

 

… and to think I shared a room with that guy and we’d pull each other’s leg over a beer while watching some trashy TV, just before turning in for the night. People have said to me: “you went all the way to Texas for a 3-day festival – was it worth it ? “. Worth it ? – I wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

 

Read about my dulcimer playing.

Dan Evans appearances in the press    

 

 

for many years I have been listed in the Who's Who Of Popular Music directory   

  

as well as being invited to the Royal Television Awards this year, my music has been featured in a number of national publications recently

 

Durham First - the magazine of Durham University included a short article on my unusual career in their spring / summer 2010 issue     

 

the American magazine with international coverage, the Dulcimer Players News have published a four page article of mine entitled Singing With The Dulcimer in their spring 2010 issue

 

the Mail On Sunday published a favorable ½ page article on my voice workshop Everyone Can Sing at Farncombe Estate in Nov 2009

 

in March 2009 the WI magazine WI Life published a short column interview about my voice workshop Everyone Can Sing at Denman College near Oxford

 

in 2009 the prestigious ISM organization ran a ½ page interview about my music in their ISM Magazine

 

in March 2009 the Express On Sunday published a one and a half page review on the front of their Travel Supplement of my voice workshop Everyone Can Sing at Farncombe Estate - the reviewer attended my class all weekend and thoroughly enjoyed it – the review clearly reflected this    

 

in December 2010, I gave an extended interview for BBC Radio Northampton, performing on the dulicmer and dicsussing the dulcimer and my voice classes - this was on Mark Whall's programme - again in March 2011, I gave an interview with my dulcimer about my voice classes on Jon Griff's programme on BBC Radio Northampton 

 

 

 

read about my radio TV & film recordings & broadcasts

team building and community development though learning to sing

 

Doubtless many choirs and singing groups bring people together and help to form friendships and communities. Singing is enjoyable, good for you and sociable in all sorts of ways. My Everyone Can Sing voice workshop however goes further than this – as well as the sociable aspects of singing, my workshop actively builds teams and communities. Confidence is key in singing and my coaching process was designed to develop confidence. A by-product of this process is highly effective team building and community development.

 

Confidence is key in singing – weather it’s singing powerfully, hitting high notes or presenting moving songs – it’s important to feel confident in order to sing well. My Everyone Can Sing voice workshop deploys my ‘engine’, which develops confidence through the reinforcement of existing (and developing) strengths. Participants grow in confidence by receiving positive feedback from myself as the tutor but also, importantly, from the other participants.

 

In giving positive feedback, participants show each other respect, differences are celebrated and competitiveness vanishes – everyone encourages everyone else to succeed. This creates a motivating and exciting ambience, in which I can gently challenge limiting beliefs and help participants to achieve their full potential at that time. Participants frequently progress more than they would have thought possible and are often moved by the experience, which is memorable for them. Participants not only feel more confident but they also they also develop a more optimistic and positive outlook.

 

In showing respect, celebrating differences, removing competitiveness and working in a positive, motivating and exciting ambience, barriers come down, friendships are formed, teams are built and communities develop.

This chart illustrates how my ‘engine’ works …  

 

 

Read feedback from students or you can experience this for yourself by attending my Everyone Can Sing voice workshop at one of these venues. Early booking is advised as these events frequently sell out.

RTS invitation

 

I was lucky enough to have an invitation to this prestigious event at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. My host is a guitarist and event organiser who had previously worked with Pink Floyd and the Mercury music prize. I made new friends and enjoyed the evening.

 

British comic, Rob Brydon hosted the event with consummate ease and among the many and worthy award winners, the beautiful and talented Naomie Harris won best actress. 

 

Read more on the BBC website

 

 

Stage fright, or performance anxiety, is a very common problem but it can be resolved. 

 

Students on my Performance Skills workshops are coached to lose their nerves, excel in presentation and they also learn about the psychology of performing. 

 

The paradox of performing is that fear holds us back in our discomfort zone, where we punish ourselves with negative thoughts and limiting beliefs.  Letting go takes us to a new place, where uncertainty rules.  Here our inner creativity takes over and we instinctively know what to do.  We focus on the music, emotion & interaction and loose our inhibitions.

As well as my solo work, I also perform with violinist Sylvia Seaton in the duo Eclipse. 

 

Elcipse are ...
Dan Evans: dulcimer, guitar & vocals
Sylvia Seaton: violin

 

Fingerstyle dulcimer player Dan Evans is also an original guitarist, specialising in open tunings and modal music. He has undertaken many tours in the USA and his CD albums have won critical international acclaim. 

Sylvia Seaton is a graduate of the Royal College of Music, London. She works as a freelance violinist performing a wide range of material in orchestras and shows, including performing in the folk duo Carolan.

 

Together, Eclipse present a delightful repertoire of traditional folk songs and airs from the British Isles. All are beautifully arranged with subtle and original harmonies and are skilfully performed on the finest hand-crafted acoustic instruments.    

 

Eclipse ~ take a fresh look at the folk tradition  

 

hints and tips for mountain dulcimer players who sing

The following article was written for the American magazine Dulcimer Players News.

 

Few performers sing with the mountain dulcimer today.  It’s great to hear music on the dulcimer and I delight in the virtuosity of the great players - but accompanying songs is good fun too.  The dulcimer’s sweet sound is an ideal accompaniment for many folk songs and it’s surprising what can be done in Ionian tuning with just three strings and no half-frets.

 

pitch and key
When I started playing dulcimer, I followed the traditional principle of tuning the dulcimer to suit my voice. Typically I’d be in (or near) the key of C.  I liked the organic nature of this approach but it had two main disadvantages:  You can’t play with other instruments and the strings were never optimised, sometimes being over-slack and limiting the tone of the instrument.  As my voice developed it became higher and I started using D and later E as typical keys to sing and play in.  As I played with other musicians more it became important to tune the instrument to a fixed key so we were in tune.

 

In over 15 years of teaching singing I find it common for singers to choose a lower key than is ideal for their voice.  This has much to do with confidence of hitting high notes - so comfortable keys are chosen, rather than ideal ones.  For me the key of E can sometimes feel a little high on the top notes.  Despite this, E is generally a better key for me than D.  Being in the right key requires less breath and helps to project the voice better - these help to sustain long notes and to communicate the emotion of the song.

 

Teaching singing has also shown me the great importance of warming up and being relaxed, which is often underrated or overlooked.  On my weekend singing course we spend a significant amount of time warming up and relaxing through Yoga, some simple voice exercises like humming and lots of laughter.  These significantly help with vocal tone and range. 

 

posture & breathing
We generally sing best standing up so that the diaphragm can move freely.  The diaphragm can be used in conjunction with the chest muscles to control the volume of air in the lungs.  Whilst some singers intuitively know how to use their diaphragm, all singers can be taught the technique.  Depending upon how we sit, the movement of the diaphragm can be inhibited and the lung capacity limited.  Assuming you play sitting down, holding your back straight helps, as does sitting upright - leaning forward with a curved back dramatically limits the lung capacity.  Singers with deep voices don’t just need the chest for breathing, the sound resonates there too – so a poor posture will inhibit resonance as well as limiting breathing potential.  A good posture looks attractive too.

Inevitably, even the most confident and adept players will at some point want to glance down at their fingers.  Unfortunately this tilting down of the head closes the airway and can limit or even stifle the voice.  Ideally, the singer’s head should not only be looking ahead, but up slightly too.  This opens the throat and maximises the vocal sound.

 

telling the story
We are all drawn to the beauty of our chosen music.  In sharing a song however, that beauty can easily be lost if we are tense and thinking about what we are playing on the dulcimer.  By the same token, it’s easy to sing a song parrot-fashion because we know it so well.  I coach singers to present their songs with warmth and passion using a drama technique called ‘method acting’.  Once the song is learned, the focus is on the words and their meaning to the singer.  When the singer relates the meaning of the words to their own experiences the quality of the vocal sound changes and the song comes to life.  In this way the singer connects emotionally with their material and communicates the feeling of the song, telling its story.  In performance, this technique not only puts feeling into the song but the effort required to do so takes the focus away from any nerves or negative feelings the performer may have.

 

rhythm and rubato
In much contemporary music, rhythm is king.  Traditional songs that might be played on the dulcimer however are often not like that.  Verses and stanzas can vary in length and need to be interpreted with greater rhythmic freedom.  Although there are many ways to describe these timing variations, the most common and meaningful term for this is probably rubato.  Technically, rubato (or tempo rubato) means rhythmic give-and-take when playing.  This gentle ebb and flow of the rhythm adds depth and interest to the music, making the song breath and so come to life.  I think of playing a song as a dance: During the verses the singer takes the lead and the dulcimer follows.  During the instrumental parts – intros, interludes and outros - the dulcimer leads the dance.

 

Intros, interludes and outros are important parts of a song.  The intro gives the singer the tempo and pitch and interludes let the singer catch their breath.  All three devices break up the song and allow the player to show off the beauty of the dulcimer.  They also allow for little complexities in the playing which would be lost and out of place during the singing verses.  A key principle of musical composition is the creation and resolution of tension.  Intros and outros are particularly good places to do this.  Hanging on a seventh chord for example, will create tension whist a major chord will resolve it.  In DAA tuning, compare the chords A7 (3-2-4) with D (2-0-3). The end of the intro, just before the singing - or at the very end of the outro are both useful places to deploy this device.

 

my DAA song accompaniment method
My dulcimers have three strings and a diatonic scale (there are no half-frets) and my favourite tuning is Ionian, commonly referred to as DAA.  In Ionian, the method I’ve developed to accompany folk songs is to play chord shapes with my left hand and fingerpick them with my right. 

 

This illustration shows a typical picking pattern that I would use for a song in 4/4 timing.

    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Equally simple but effective patterns are used for 2/4 and 3/4 time signatures and so on.  The next illustration shows how to introduce a simple rest in the pattern to create a sense of space in the accompaniment.

 

 

 

Likewise, other small changes to the picking add variety.  The beauty of this approach is that you can make the picking as simple or complex as you like, depending upon the song and your dexterity.  Fingerpicking allows for a certain amount of rubato but if I want to be more expressive with the timing, I’ll gently strum the chords for a specific part of the song, making the dulcimer follow the free rhythm of the voice.  

 

The picking gives rhythm and the notes in the chord add harmony to the song – but the real strength of this approach lies in using chord inversions.  Compare these three inversions of the D major chord: 2-0-3, 4-3-5 and 7-5-7.  By choosing appropriate inversions of each chord in the song, the accompaniment takes on a distinct shape can even convey a sense of the melody.  This simple but powerful method gives harmony, rhythm and a sense of the melody – it’s a complete accompaniment.

 

The example shown of the song Bogie’s Bonny Belle illustrates a number of these points:  Inversions are used to give a sense of melody to the accompaniment and the picking pattern is broken to add variety and accommodate quick chord changes (measure 3) and a time-signature change (measure 6).      

 

 

  

 

 

Although Ionian is a major scale, the DAA tuning allows minor chords also - eg Bm 2-1-3, F#m 2-0-2 and Em 3-1-4.  Without retuning to a minor mode, you can accompany a minor song.  Indeed, even without half-frets, the variety and complexity of chords available is considerable including sevenths, minor sevenths and suspended fourths.

 

see similar TAB for the Water Is Wide  

 

to conclude
There’s a lot more to singing and playing the dulcimer than the specific tips in this article.  If you adopt them however, they will help you to tell the story of your song.  Happy dulsinging! 

 

Read about my dulcimer playing

where does the mountain dulcimer originate from ? 

 

I’m often asked about the origins of the dulcimer. I know that there are polarised views on this topic. Some see connections with early European instruments, whist many American players are proud of it’s Appalachian origins. The truth is probably somewhere in between. The following text is an extract from the cover of Roger Nicholson’s albumThe Gentle Sound of the Dulcimer, released in 1974:

 

Most of the European countries had an indigenous zither-like instrument in the seventeenth century, used in rural areas and at the royal courts to accompany songs. During the eighteenth century began the migration of people from Europe to the New World, where the greatest concentration of settlers was in the Appalachian mountains. Here the traditional cultures of many nations intermingled and the dulcimer in its present form emerged. By the 1850’s a dulcimer could be found in most Appalachian homes, where it would be played when the family sang the songs handed down by their fore-fathers or to provide dance music.

 

When I started playing the instrument over thirty years ago, it was referred to then as the Appalachian dulcimer. Nowadays it has other names including lap dulcimer and fretted dulcimer. Although some still call it the Appalachian dulcimer, the term mountain dulcimer is the most used today. 

 

Read about my dulcimer playing.

how to amplify mountain dulcimers and guitars to get a great sound on stage 

 

I need a reliable system for stage use that gives a clear and smooth sound, is quick to set up and allows me to move around a little with the guitar. The answer for me is transducer, saddle-type pickups. I have these fitted to all my instruments and they give a controlled, strong and smooth sound.

 

Pickups mask squeaks and fingering noises but still convey the character of the instrument. They also allow high SPLs (sound pressure levels) before the onset of feedback (howl around).

 

Critically, the signal from the pickup needs to be conditioned by an acoustic pre-amp before being fed into the mixing desk (board). The preamp ensures that the impedance of the signal is matched to the desk, which results in a balanced sound (EQ-wise).

 

If there’s the facility, a little reverb doesn’t do any harm, especially on the dulcimer. The very strong bass my guitars is in part due to Open C tuning.

 

Read about my dulcimer playing

 

 

 

the Ionian tuning mode for mountain dulcimer is now generally referred to as DAA 

It’s confusing. For many, many years I’ve referred to the Ionian tuning on dulcimer as AAD but the convention now seems to be DAA. So I’ve adopted DAA as my label for the Ionian mode on dulcimer, simply to conform.

 

To be clear, weather you call Ionian AAD or DAA, this is how I tune the instrument: The first /chanter string is tuned to A, the middle string is tuned to A and the third/bass string is tuned to the D below. I hope this clears things up.

 

Read about my dulcimer playing

 

throwing your voice / vocal projection - is important for singers 

 

On my Everyone Can Sing voice workshop, I teach the open-throated calling technique, used by most styles of professional singers. Anyone can learn this and benefit from singing more powerfully.

 

To project or ‘throw’ your voice using open-throated calling, you need to be relaxed, adopt the right posture and breathe correctly. Finally the shape of the mouth and the vowel you make complete the picture. I teach all of these things on my class in a fun and practical way.

 

Most people show significant improvement in projection and this helps with dynamics and to communicate the emotion of the song. Participants generally find the open-throated calling technique energising and the new power in their voice to be liberating.

where to buy Dan Evans recordings - CDs and tracks online  

 

you can buy my CDs directly from me

all CDs albums are £10 each in UK plus £1 for P&P
for all other countries they are (US) $15 plus (US) $2 for P&P  

simply e-mail me which one(s) you want along with your address and I’ll send you the CDs and details of how to pay 

 

all albums are also available online using credit card or Paypal from the Divine Art Recordings Group, who have outlets both in the UK and in the USA and an online digital store where you can download the music 

 
you can also download Dan's recordings from iTunes, Amazon, Tesco, tutti, naxos & classics online   

 

beware of pirates
only buy my products from the approved dealers mentioned on this web page – ‘pirate’ copies are illegal, of poor quality and do me out of a living - nor will I warrantee them 
  

read reviews of my CDs

 

Tree-frogs, gortex strings and that cowboy hat
adventures in Kentucky in 2000

 

Nancy Barker is the big-hearted lady who booked me to play in Kentucky and it’s thanks to her that I was able to tour over there this year, performing and teaching with guitar and mountain dulcimer. Herself a fine singer and musician, Nancy is the brains and driving force behind the Kentucky Music Week (KMW) dulcimer camp and the Kentucky Music Weekend festival. Nancy’s e-mail address makes reference to tree-frogs so, being interested in natural history, I was looking forward to seeing or hearing some of these little creatures during my visit.

 

Friday 14th July
I was met at the airport by Karl & Scottie Sebree, a very kind couple who play the dulcimer and are members of the Louisville (pronounced Lou-a-vull) Dulcimer Society. Since their retirement Karl and Scottie spend much of their time supporting the local folk scene. Not having met them before, I spotted them straight away at the airport as they held a dulcimer-shaped sign with my name on it - a nice touch! Karl & Scottie were our hosts later on in the trip too and we were very well looked after during our stay with them.

 

The first thing you notice about Kentucky is the humidity. It’s about as hot as north Africa but as humid as the tropics. The humidity almost physically hits you as you step out of an air-conditioned environment. I thought that I would be used to this after my tour of Florida in ‘98 but Kentucky seemed even more humid than that. The second thing you notice is the warmth and friendliness of the people from Kentucky, which made the trip doubly enjoyable. 

 

Saturday 15th July
A folk duo from Cincinnati (pronounced Cincinnata), called Wild Carrot, gave me a lift (Americans say ride) to Bowling Green where I performed at the first concert. They took me in their Ford Econoline van south along the Interstate 65 towards Nashville, until we turned off for the town of Bowling Green. In good company, with Nancy Griffith’s song ‘Ford Econoline’ on my mind and passing signs that said ‘I-65 South Nashville’ everything felt strangely right felt somehow.

 

Pam from Wild Carrot has bright red hair and, with her partner Spencer Funk, they make a tight acoustic duo. They have packets of wild carrot seeds on their product stand - an original way to promote themselves! Other acts on the stage that night included a very young dulcimer duo called Next Generation who showed great promise, a slick bluegrass band called Fresh Cut Grass who use the traditional method of performing around a single microphone and Nancy’s own band The Kentucky Standard Band. The concert was in the town theatre just on the square and we played to a friendly crowd.

 

After the concert I took in the cooler night Kentucky air. This is a lovely thing to do - the sounds are amazing. Invisible crickets and cicadas compete in loud singing competitions that add a romantic feel to the evening. I was told that tree-frogs join in the chorus but I didn’t hear any that night.

 

Sunday 16th July
Nancy Barker and two of her ‘angels’ gave me a ride to the town of Bardstown, the location of the week-long dulcimer camp. Curiously Bardstown is just a few miles west of Danville and there’s an Evansville just over the Ohio river, in Indiana. The ladies I refer to as ‘Nancy’s Angels’ are Debbie Grizzell, Alice Burton and Sandy Huebel. They make sure that everything happens on time, helping Nancy’s vision become a reality. They do a great job.

 

Monday 17th July - Friday 21st July
Indeed, the Kentucky Music Week camp was a masterpiece of organisation, there was so much going on that my feet barely touched the ground. Dulcimers in England are few and far between so imagine my delight working at a camp of over two hundred people, most of which were mountain dulcimer players. The late night jams would include a couple of dozen mountain dulcimers, or even more.

 

It was a privilege for me to work with many of the top players in the dulcimer world including: Rob Brereton, Susan Trump, Maureen Sellers, Gary Gallier, Fred Meyer, Jim Miller, Molly Freibert, Steve Seifert and the man they refer to as ‘the professor himself’, David Schnaufer. David lives in Nashville and holds a university professorship. He has played with such household names as Emi-Lou Harris, Mark Knopfler, the Everly Brothers and Chet Atkin. David is a quiet and gracious man who clearly loves his work. There were instructors on other instruments who’s company I enjoyed too including: David James (hammered dulcimer), Greg Jowaisas (banjo), Lorinda Jones (harp), Neal Walters (autoharp) and the duo Cathy Barton (Banjo) & Dave Para (guitar) to mention but a few. I’m probably doing these fine musicians an injustice as they all play other instruments too. Interestingly, Neal Walters is also one of the editors of the American magazine Dulcimer Player’s News. Dave Para, brews his own ale, which I sampled. He was tickled to have his beer sampled by someone who used to be a beer taster for an English brewery.

 

The students at the dulcimer camp pulled out all sorts of stops and hosted a very enjoyable concert on the Tuesday evening. But if the student’s concert was good, then the Instructors concert on Thursday night was sheer magic! I had heard many of the performer’s CDs before but to hear them play live was really special. My personal favourites were Susan Trump’s beautiful singing on the song ‘Make Hay While The Sun Shines’, a highly original Mexican composition by Gary Gallier - played on one of the dulcimers he himself built, a Gershwin song superbly arranged for dulcimer by Rob Brereton, and David Schnaufer’s old-time music on a banjo-dulcimer. All of these players have expanded the boundaries of the instrument and are very fine musicians in their own right. What stole the show for me however was the virtuosity of Steve Seifert. A previous student of David’s, Steve plays a chromatic dulcimer (one with a full compliment of sharps and flats) and his skill and versatility are quite incredible.

 

The lessons were held during the day in an air-conditioned college, after which we would eat out in the local restaurants and then enjoy concerts followed by informal jams late in the evenings. I lead four classes each day: English Finger-Style Guitar, The Modal Dulcimer, Song Accompaniments For Dulcimer and a Performance Skills class for dulcimer players. For Copyright reasons, the pieces taught had to be either original or traditional so I used a number of my own compositions in my classes. It was a real treat for me to hear my pieces being played by the students, who I seemed to enjoy playing them. I also lead an informal session on chanting and rhythm which was attended by a large and lively group. 

 

that cowboy hat
The camp wasn’t all hard work - we partied a lot too. One night some of the instructors took me to a rodeo. It was quite an experience to see the massive bulls throwing their riders off in seconds. One man was picked up between the bull’s horns and tossed into the air whereupon he landed on six-foot fence. Had I not seen it myself, I might not have believed it. The instructors bought me a smart black cowboy hat which, much to my surprise, suited me very well. I wore it for my classes the next day and for my performance at the instructors’ concert, which raised a smile or two.

 

With my smart black cowboy hat I could pass for a local, just as long as I didn’t say anything that is. My English accent was very conspicuous and attracted a lot of interest. One evening Rob, Neil and I were eating in a restaurant and the waitress interrupted us to say to me: where y’all from, I love your accent. This tickled Neal and Rob as she herself had a broad Kentucky accent. At this point I should explain that the people from Kentucky don’t speak English as such, but a variant of American with a few grammar rules all of their own. For example: y’all doesn’t mean ‘you all’ but ‘you’ singular, the waitress was referring to me personally. It takes a bit of getting used to. Back at the instructors lodge we had quite a few laughs about the different ways we speak. The phrase ‘two countries separated by a common language’ was never more relevant.        

 

Saturday 22nd - Tuesday 25th July
After the KMW dulcimer camp, my wife Mary flew out from England to join me for the remainder of my stay in Kentucky. We hired a car, booked into a nice motel in Bardstown and spent an enjoyable few days getting to know the surrounding area. Like me, Mary is interested in wildlife so we visited a park called Bernheim Forest where we saw chipmunks, red winged blackbirds and a friendly turtle. We didn’t see any tree-frogs however. On the way back from Bernheim Forest we passed the Jim Beam distillery and stopped off to visit their ‘Outpost’ visitor centre. Bourbon and tobacco are two of Kentucky’s traditional exports.    

   

 

Wednesday 26th July
Nancy and I drove up to Louisville (pronounced Lou-a-vull, remember) to do an interview for the television channel Fox 41 to help to promote the Kentucky Music Weekend festival that weekend. We arrived at the Fox studios just after 8am and were quickly ushered into the newsdesk studio. Nancy answered questions about the forthcoming festival and I performed a couple of modal pieces on guitar and dulcimer. The programme was broadcast live and we complemented each other afterwards on a job well done.           

 

27th - 30th July
The Kentucky Music Weekend festival is based in the beautiful grounds of Iroquois (pronounced Urcoyz) Park in the southern outskirts of Lou-a-vull. There was a main stage that seated a couple of thousand in an open-air amphitheatre surrounded by a number of smaller stages under the trees, where more intimate concerts and workshops were held. For the weekend festival we stayed with our new friends Karl and Scottie again and saw more chipmunks, red cardinal and a Cooper’s Hawk in their garden (back yard). At the end of their road a friendly groundhog watched unconcerned as we drove by - but still no tree-frogs.

 

My work at the festival consisted of a performance on the main stage as well as a concerts and workshops on the smaller stages. Much of this work was recorded for a film of the event and I was also interviewed on camera by the film company. I met and very much enjoyed working with John McCormick, an American guitarist who has toured the UK many times. I also met a duo called Small Potatoes who’s exciting performances were loved by the crowd and a guitar composer called Paul Reisler who’s music we found enthralling. It was also a privilege to meet two legends of the American folk scene: Bill Staines and Jean Richie. 

 

A number of the performers at the Kentucky Music Weekend I had already met: Next Generation, Wild Carrot, Fred Myer, David Schnaufer, Jack Twombly of the Celtic band Beyond The Pale and Nancy’s own Kentucky Standard Band - so I felt among friends from the start. David and Fred lead a dulcimer workshop at which I played a couple of pieces, one of my own and one of Roger Nicholson’s compositions. Roger is the leading exponent on the dulcimer in the UK. David, Fred and several other players there had either met Roger or knew of his work. David was at pains to point out to the workshop audience how significant Roger’s contribution has been to the development of the dulcimer in the USA.

 

This was not only the festival’s 25th anniversary but also the amphitheatre’s last event. The whole venue is being rebuilt this year to form a covered arena. As you can imagine this was a special year for the festival. To play in the open air in a wooded park is a lovely setting for folk music and the audience that had come, year upon year, really appreciated the whole event. Nancy does a great job of getting sponsorship from local authorities and industry and the 25th celebrations started with a formal reception on the Thursday evening with speeches of congratulations and support from various local dignitaries.

 

gortex strings
Uncharacteristically, it rained some of the time during the week-end. I very much welcomed the cool this brought but the humidity afterwards was oppressive. My watch even steamed up. Several of the guitar players were finding it difficult to play with clammy hands and I kept putting fresh strings on my guitar to retain a crisp tone. Practical as ever, the Americans have come up with an answer to this problem - Goretex strings, or to be more accurate, strings with a Gore coating. Those who use them claim that they last much longer and play well in humid conditions. I tried a Martin 000 series guitar with Goretex strings and I found them to have a very smooth feel but with limited sustain. I have been given a set to evaluate on one of my own instruments, which I look forward to trying out.      

 

I don’t want you to think that this trip was ‘too good to be true’. Far from it, lots of things went wrong. To give you just a couple of examples: on my flight out my suitcase arrived on another plane about 5 hours late, the airline did the same thing a week later to Mary, one of my flights was delayed due to engine trouble, on another we couldn’t land for a long time due to bad weather, we heard of four shootings in Louisville during the short time that we stayed there and I managed to scrape the car on a high curb on the way back to hire company. But all of these things pale into insignificance when we look back on the trip as a whole. We really did have a marvellous time. 

 

finale
As you might imagine, I felt quite sad driving away from the amphitheatre after the last performance on the Sunday evening, but what a memory to take away… I played to a very warm crowd and then enjoyed excellent performances from Small Potatoes and Paul Reisler. To close the festival all the performers joined Bill Staines and Jean Richie on stage and sang ‘Beneath Kentucky Skies’ which had only just been written a couple of hours beforehand in the back-stage changing rooms. After singing the song once through, we all hummed the tune while Nancy attempted to read out notes from regular supporters of their memories of the last 25 years, rather like we would have telegrams read at a wedding in England. I say ‘attempted’ as poor Nancy only got half way though the first one before she broke down and had to leave the stage for a few minutes. 25 years of memories was just too much to bear. ‘Angel’ Alice stepped in to cover and after the notes had been read, we sang one more chorus of ‘Beneath Kentucky Skies’ to finish. Then suddenly, just as the lights were fading, just as the final applause was dying down, just as we were all about to leave the stage for the last time - I distinctly heard the call of a tree-frog. My trip was complete.

 

read about my 2010 trip to Kentucky Music Week

Amazing Grace was written in Olney by storm convertite John Newton   

 

Amazing Grace is one of the Olney hymns, written by William Cowper and John Newton, who were both ministers in the small market-town of Olney in Buckinghamshire.  My wife and I live in Olney and a short walk across the fields from our house takes you to Cowper’s Alcove, where Cowper and Newton wrote some of their poems.  As you can imagine, Cowper’s Alcove is one of our favourite paces.

 

2007 saw celebrations all over the UK, but especially here in Olney, marking the 200th anniversary of the Parliamentiary bill abolishing slavery.  This was because of Amazing Grace and John Newton’s involvement in the bill.

 

The Story goes that Newton became ill in Sierra Leone on the west coast of Africa but was looked after by the local back people, which he was later to exploit.  He then worked on the slave ships, transporting African slaves, in appalling conditions, from Sierra Leone to the Caribbean to work in cotton fields and sugar plantations.  After a while Newton was promoted to captain and one wild night his ship risked being capsized in a storm.  That night he prayed and became one of the ‘storm convertites’, not only regretting his former ways, but becoming a minister and supporting William Wilberforce to get the Abolition of Slavery bill through Parliament.

 

Bearing this in mind, the words: ‘I once was lost but now I’m found’ seem now to have a deeper resonance.

 

Amazing Grace is featured on my Let It Be Me CD album. 

Everyone Can sing voice workshop venues

 

I lead open (public) Everyone Can Sing classes at the following centres:

 

Farncombe Estate, near Broadway in the Costwolds 
beautiful modern centre with splendid views and wildlife
e-mail / website
phone 01386 854100

 

   

  

Farncombe many not be near to you but people do travel to attend these popular classes. I’ve had students come from Scotland, The Orkneys, Cornwall, Ireland, Northern Ireland, The Dordogne, Brussels, Switzerland, Greece and Texas.

 

Farncombe Estate is a member of ARCA

 

 

read more about ARCA

 

The Castle Arts Centre, Wellingborough
popular & well-equipped local theatre & arts centre
e-mail / website

phone 01933 270 007

confidence development is key when coaching singers

 

For over fifteen years my popular Everyone Can Sing voice workshop has been developing confidence in singers of all levels of ability. The process that I use develops confidence by the reinforcement of existing strengths. As singers, we tend to ‘catastrophise’, thinking that the slightest mistake has totally ruined a song. In practice, probably no-one noticed or minded.

 

By receiving positive feedback from the group on what we did well, we realise that the song isn’t ruined and that we are bringing to it an array of personal strengths and qualities. Receiving this positive feedback is key to enabling us to lose our inhibitions and sing beautifully. I believe that everyone can sing beautifully and that’s what is normally achieved on my class.

 

We also work in a criticism-free atmosphere – only positive feedback is allowed. This creates a safe environment where participants can ‘spread their wings’ and achieve their potential.

 

Read about other benefits of this process.

Roger Nicholson remembered

 

It is with a heavy heart that I write of my friend Roger’s death yesterday afternoon.  Curiously I thought of him around that time, out of the blue.  Roger was the foremost exponent of the mountain dulcimer in the UK and his original compositions and transcriptions of lute tunes have yet to be surpassed on the dulcimer.  He recorded several vinyl albums and made seven trips to the USA - the man and his music were very well respected among the leading US players. 

 

I first met Roger in his (then) North London home back in the 70’s when I was a University Student – his instruments, recordings and TAB notation were an inspiration to me at that time.  We met again around twenty years later and the friendship that ensued resulted in us undertaking a US tour together to Boston and the Adirondacks, in up-state New York.  Around that time Roger and I worked up a number of dulcimer duets, a couple of which were recorded on my Spirit Dancing CD in 1997.  Since then we have kept in touch and I have often been with him to Ealing Guitar Society – a friendly guitar club, local to Roger’s (later) West London home.  Roger was involved in running the club for some years and I have many memories of seeing him and playing there too.
 
A few years ago Roger had a heart attack during a trip to Damascus.  He subsequently had operations on his heart and has since been on a grueling regime of dialysis for kidney failure.  He never fully recovered from his heart condition and in recent months his health deteriorated.  I am advised that he received the best possible medical treatment.  He passed away peacefully in hospital yesterday afternoon with his family around him.  What I remember is his indomitable spirit, his keen interest in all things dulcimer & guitar and his kindness to me and interest in my own music career.  His life will be celebrated and his music will live on.

 

This image of Roger taken circa 1972 is published with kind permission from Celtic Music.

 

how to record the mountain dulcimer to get a great sound 

 

Being a quiet instrument, especially when played fingerstyle, there’s a risk that the mountain dulcimer will sound thin on a recording.

 

Firstly, good microphone technique is important. When mic’ing up stringed instruments it’s best practice to position the mic at about 45 degrees to the deck. A square–on mic can pick up rough sounds from the back of the instrument.

 

Secondly, my hour-glass dulcimer gives noticeably different tones from its upper and lower bouts – so we used two mics, one on each bout, panning them apart so that the dulcimer occupies a space (not just a point) in the mix.

 

All my instruments have saddle-type transducer pickups fitted for stage use. A pickup on its own can sound a little unnatural in the studio as it has different attack and decay characteristics from a microphone. However, pickups are resistant to squeaks and fingering noise – the signal is very clean. So thirdly, we mix in a little of the pickup sound with the two mics to achieve a clean, rich and smooth sound.

 

Lastly dulcimers suit quite a lot of reverb, much more than a guitar – they seem to soak it up.

 

See my CD albums

 

 pl

 

 

How I tune my guitars to Open C tuning CGCGCE

 

To tune to CGCGCE, I use a G tuning fork to tune the 3rd/G string by playing the 12th fret harmonic on the string and holding the tuning fork near to my ear – I listen for the beats and when they subside, the G string is in tune. I always tune up to the note to ensure that there is no slack at the machine head.

 

Then the 4th/C string is tuned by matching it’s 7th fret harmonic to the 12th fret harmonic of the 3rd/G, similarly the 6th /C string and the 2nd/C string.  The 5th/G string is tuned by matching it with the 3rd string, both at the 12th fret. Lastly, the top E is tuned by fretting it at the 3rd fret and matching it with to the 12th fret harmonic of the 3rd/G.

 

I generally flatten the top E, as it sounds sweeter and I may make allowances for how hard the bottom C will be played by flattening it a little.

 

I then check for any rogue resonances by playing all the strings open but with the top E fretted at the 3rd fret and letting the chord sustain a while – it should sound rich and sparking without any pulses.