As I promised in my last post, here is a dulcimer tab I created in Aeolian mode for one of my very favorite traditional songs- known as either Wedding Dress, or My Little Doney Gal. I usually play this on the banjo in modal 'sawmill' tuning. I've never seen it tabbed for dulcimer before, so it's about time someone did it! Especially since it's less easy to find aeolian tunes as it is to find ionian ones. (UPDATE: I've been told that Mark Nelson did a tab for it, in Dorian DAG mode. It really is a Dorian tune, but I'm tabbing it here in Aeolian mode because a lot more people play in Aeolian than Dorian and it's a bit more difficult to find aeolian tunes to play.)This is a great beginner's aeolian tune, because it is actually quite simple to play, with lots of breathing spaces and very simple strums and noter moves. In this one, the drones shoulder almost the whole weight of the tune.
It's easy to get in the zone while playing this one. In the zone is how my old-time musician friends refer to the blissfully hypnotic state one can get into while playing mantric droney-modal-y tunes...
The other nice thing about this tune is that it's so open in terms of space and timing. You can feel free to strum in a soulful way as long as you like between verses or even between lines- aeolian tends to be so forgiving that way, you can linger forever and savor the magic of the drones. Pausing just makes it all the more beautiful. I never get tired of this song, though I've played it hundreds of times.
I hope you enjoy this tab. I made it just for you.
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