Red River Valley Dulcimer Club       JANUARY 2008 NEWSLETTER Meeting Dates and Times for 2008           The schedules were discussed and compromises made - we've made some necessary and wanted changes that everyone needs to be aware of: 4th Saturday meetings through October 2nd Sat. in November and December 3 Hour meetings 11:30a - 2:30p (all subject to change as necessary obviously)           Everyone keep their ears and eyes open for opportunities for club appearances. We had a fantastic 2007! We're making a great showing out there. Our festival and meeting attendance and new interests in the club attest to this. Keep up the good work everyone! Your enthusiasm and hard work are definitely effective! Check out the club pictures below! * * * * * * Red River Valley Dulcimer Club aka: RRVDC Interested in becoming a member? Monthly meetings with workshops in MD and HD All levels of experience Active Membership Frequent public performances Annual club sponsored festival No dues (donations accepted) COME JOIN THE FUN! * * * * * *      The purpose of our Dulcimer Club is to provide opportunities for dulcimer enthusiasts to meet and share ideas and information, learn new music, and just have a good time jammin'. The club meets the 4th Saturday of each month. A short business meeting is followed by workshops for mountain and hammered dulcimers and a jam session. All stringed instruments are welcome. * * * * * * * * * * * * Meeting Reminder Saturday February 23rd First Baptist Church Cartwright, OK 11:30 AM - 2:30 PM New Song: Going to Boston Anyone wanting to submit music for this song, please feel free to do so. We prefer DADD and key of D for HD/MD jamming. A midi link is always helpful. Upcoming Events January 17th - 20th 4th Annual Harps Hammers & Friends All Acoustic 4 day Jam Perrin, TX http://www.harpshammersandfriends.com January 26th Club Jam Gathering 4008 N. Washington Street Durant, OK February 8th - 9th Winter Festival of Acoustic Music Irving, TX Email: Winter Festival of Acoustic Music Email Website: Winter Festival of Acoustic Music February 23rd Club Meeting First Baptist Church Cartwright, OK Email with events and happening news. Click to view larger image Julie with her new baritone Lyn Jennings 3 mos new player Ted Fortner and John Anderson Hammer Players Mountain Class Mountain Class Club + Enthusiasm + Appearances = Interest           Did you see all the new faces at the last meeting? How fantastic is this people? This is the result of how active the club has been this past year. Performing at different churches, public performances, setting up the club tent at different local events and of course the great results of the Winter Creek Festival; all of this has resulted in new faces entering into the pleasurable experiences of the Dulcimer World! We find ourselves creating enthusiasm in people; enlightening them to our world of the dulcimer and of course they just have to get involved and hopefully join the club. We welcome everyone and we hope you enjoy your new journey! Do you know? - Maybe Not.....            There are a lot of new faces coming up in our dulcimer family (I just can't seem to say it enough! It's so exciting). And I remember when I first started I had soooo many questions - simple things like "How do I hold my instrument or hammers", "How am I supposed to play this thing", "Where can I find instruction on how to play", "Am I ever going to learn where the notes are"? Well people, that's what learning (and the club) is all about. We've all been there and no question is a stupid one so if you've got something you're wondering about, ask us - email and we'll get you hooked up on things like training material, suggestions and solutions, music tab and helpful web sites to assist you along your way to learning the dulcimer. Oh - and by the way, that's why it's good to come to the meetings; to be among others that can show you ways to improve your playing and give you encouragement along the way. Besides, where else are you going to find enthusiastic dulcimer players to get together with! We all feed on each others enthusiasm and knowledge…. think about it. . Winter Festival of Acoustic Music - Feb 8th & 9th            Winter Festival of Acoustic Music... let's see... what can I say about it? YOU HAVE TO GO. If you can make a festival, this is one you should try to attend. All day classes in HD / MD and many others (penny whistle, ukulele, harp, autoharp, bodhran, guitar, bones, bass, shape note, drum, banjo, fiddle, mandolin... whew!) all day mini concerts and night concerts. It's set inside with nice size rooms and good acoustics There's luthiers (look it up), music accessories galore, crafters... Food on site... One location... Beginners and Advanced will find something informative and exciting for sure! Check out the schedule and plan ahead. Go to: www.lssds.org/wfest.htm (click here or copy and paste to your browser).            If you don't think you're ready for a festival yet - then you're dead wrong! At what point in time do you expect to let yourself learn? You are only holding yourself back by not taking advantage of the wealth of knowledge that comes from these types of settings. There are always beginner classes that will allow you to start your journey with some enlightenment of what your instrument is all about. THEY WOULDN'T HAVE BEGINNER CLASSES IF THEY DIDN'T EXPECT BEGINNERS. There's no wrong question, there's no need to have prior knowledge before you start learning - that's why you go to these classes, so you can start learning. If you're finding it hard to teach yourself, or you aren't taking private lessons, why not take advantage of the opportunity that festivals present us - all of us, even the veterans! Club Play Dates:            Is everyone enjoying the play dates the club has been having this past year? Isn't it fun! What a good feeling to share music with others and enjoy playing your dulcimer. Hopefully we can keep finding different events to share our enthusiasm about our instruments and club with others. If you know of any events the club may be interested in setting up at, let us know so we can organize a group to set up a demonstration and/or jam tent. Helpful Hint           If you haven't invested in a small digital or micro cassette recorder - please - do yourself a favor and get one! Trying to remember how a tune went after you've left the meeting or workshop just ain't going to get it unless you read music! While many of us can read music, those of us who only or also play by ear can pick up a tune quickly if we were able to hear it repeatedly as we worked out the chording and melody. Months after hearing the song for the first time, you can hear it again and keep the tune fresh in your mind to help you 'feel' your way through it. A great little investment for your music education. Interesting Web Sites Have you visited an interesting site? Email us the link to share with all Check out this great link for MD and HD tab, lyrics and related midi's. You can convert any song into DAD or whatever tuning you'd like. Also shows tab pennywhistle! A wealth of information..... Digital Tradition Folk Music Database So much information! You've got to see this one Silver Strings Dulcimer Society Check out Linda Brockinton's free tab page and make sure you listen to the MP3 samples of her recordings. Linda Brockinton's Free Tab Page Ever wonder what that song sounded like that you heard at our last meeting or at the last workshop you went to? Try Hetzlersfakebook.com Dulcimer Player News The "Official Hammered Dulcimer Site" Newsletter Contributions This is your newsletter folks. If you have an announcement, a cartoon, a handy trick, input on a festival or event you went to, please send things in. Since not everyone does the same things, it's nice to share experiences and news with others so everyone can hear about them too! If your interested in getting together with other members between meeting dates to play, it’s been expressed by some that they would entertain getting together to practice. Email to rrvdc@texoma.net and we’ll get everyone connected. 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