Boil Them Cabbage Down!

Do you know what this is?

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Kentucky/instrument_dulcimer.html

Well, it is the state of Kentucky's musical instrument, and I learned to play it last night; well, I took a lesson.

It is called a dulcimer.

I love music, but when it comes to learning to play an instrument...well, I just have never had much luck. Growing up, I remember visiting my grandparents in Southern Colorado. Grandma had an old antique piano that I loved to bang on (as my dad would refer to it as). I never learned to play, but I did pick some songs out. The highlight of our visit was to get Grandma to play chopsticks. She would only play it once; it was the only thing she knew how to play. She would put everything into it, all 5 feet of her, and it sounded great!

Here is what it sounded like...minus the chopsticks...

When I was 12, I took guitar lessons...I was not very successful; I did learn a few songs, but was never good enough to perform.

When my kids started taking piano lessons, I tried to learn right along with them, with zero success. The boys lost interest once they started high school. My daughter, well, she is actually pretty good...she plays at church.

Last night when my friends and I went to dulcimer lessons, I really didn't know what to expect. It was actually quite easy. One does not need to know how to read music. If you can count to 12, well, you can play the dulcimer. I was able to pick up one song pretty well. It was called Boil Them Cabbage Down. 

Here is what it sounds like. Of course this is a much more advanced rendition of the song.

I think because of my dance background, I could actually learn to play this instrument. You need to be able to hear and feel the rhythm which I can, and you don't need to be able to ready music, which I cannot.

I guess I'll go back next week and try it again.