Introduction to Playing Back-Up on Mountain Dulcimer

4/1/07 www.DulcimerSessions.com
<strong>Introduction</strong> <strong>to</strong> <strong>Playing</strong> <strong>Back</strong>-<strong>Up</strong>
on Mountain Dulcimer
by Aaron O’Rourke
One of the most enjoyable parts of playing music is contributing back-up
(accompaniment) <strong>to</strong> the music, whether you’re backing up other instruments in a jam
session or your own voice as you sing.
There are many different approaches <strong>to</strong> playing back-up on the mountain dulcimer and
knowing some can give you lots of variety in your playing. My approach is focused
primarily on - but not limited <strong>to</strong> - imitating other instruments. In this article we’ll make
use of two basic ways of playing back-up using the tune “Boil ‘em Cabbage Down.”
1. <strong>Playing</strong> “Chops”
Have you ever listened <strong>to</strong> a bluegrass band and heard the mandolin playing percussive
strums on the off-beats? That is called playing “chops.” The mandolin has a very
rhythmic role in a bluegrass band. When I was learning how <strong>to</strong> play bluegrass mandolin
I remember my mandolin teacher telling me, “You gotta be the drum. Think like a drum
and you’ll get it. It’s all in the chops, you gotta play the chops.” I didn’t know it then but
he really did know what he was talking about.
First, it’s good <strong>to</strong> get comfortable with the chord shapes we’ll be using. You are welcome
<strong>to</strong> use other chord shapes if you wish, but the important thing is <strong>to</strong> leave no open
strings when playing this “chops” style. You’ll see why when we get in<strong>to</strong> how we make
the chop sound. The rhythmic concept of playing these chops is about playing only on
the 2nd and 4th beat of each measure.

Technique Tip:
As soon as your pick crosses the strings, relax your fretting hand so you’re not holding
the strings down <strong>to</strong> the fretboard. This will s<strong>to</strong>p the strings from resonating and give you
that chop-like sound. Try a few times just making a chord. I’ve chosen chord positions
that give me the best “mandolin” sound. However, any other chord you choose that
covers all three (or four) strings will work. Just strum and relax, strum and relax, strum
and relax until your hands start doing it without your having <strong>to</strong> think.
I’ve found that you can really dig in and be heavy handed with this approach <strong>to</strong> back-up
more so than on others. Some of these chord shapes can be quite a stretch, so it’s
probably good <strong>to</strong> practice just getting your hand comfortably used <strong>to</strong> these chords for
smooth switching between them. Most importantly, just remember what my old
mandolin teacher once <strong>to</strong>ld me, “You gotta’ be the drum. Think like a drum and you’ll
get it. It’s all in the chops, you gotta play the chops.”
D G A
Bass: 4 5 4
Middle: 3 3 2
Melody: 2 3 1
Listen <strong>to</strong> Aaron “chop” these chords <strong>to</strong> “Boil ‘em Cabbage Down” as Katie Gerringer
plays fiddle.

2. <strong>Playing</strong> the Bass Line – another style of back-up
Imitating a bass player doing back-up is the exact opposite of playing the chops. Now
we’re going <strong>to</strong> play only on the 1st and 3rd beat of each measure and we’re going <strong>to</strong>
play on the bass string only. Your fretting hand gets <strong>to</strong> take a well deserved break (after
doing all those stretchy chords for your chops).
The concept of this style has <strong>to</strong> do with alternating between two notes on the bass string
at the first and third beat. These notes are known as the root and the fifth.
Root Fifth
D D (open) A (4th fret)
G G (3rd fret) D (open)
A A (4th fret) E (1st fret)
Listen <strong>to</strong> Aaron play “bass-line” back-up <strong>to</strong> “Boil ‘em Cabbage Down” as Katie
Gerringer plays fiddle.
Technique Tip: Try placing the outside edge your hand directly on the bridge where the
strings sit. This will dampen the strings a little and give a little more of that thick, “bass
like” <strong>to</strong>ne. The trade-off is that you lose volume. Be careful not <strong>to</strong> dampen the strings
<strong>to</strong>o much or you won’t hear anything. If you feel like you’ve lost <strong>to</strong>o much volume try
rolling your hand back until less and less of your hand is <strong>to</strong>uching the strings.

To conclude this article on basic back-up, here’s a sound file of me backing up Katy
Gerringer’s fiddling on “Soldier’s Joy”. I’m using the above “chops” and “bass-line”
back-up styles in a kind of free-form way, changing around <strong>to</strong> vary it. I hope you have
lots of fun trying these back-up techniques in your own ways!
About the Author
Aaron O’Rourke lives in Tallahassee, Florida. His exploration of the mountain dulcimer
started in high school while playing bass in a punk rock band. He has studied with a
wide range of dulcimer masters and makes up for his brief stay on the planet with a
passionate investment in his playing and teaching. He has won numerous instrumental
competitions and brings a unique flair <strong>to</strong> his arrangements.
Through his playing Aaron effectively combines influences from Irish, bluegrass, Latin,
old-time, and jazz. As a member of “Panhandle String Band and Acoustic <strong>Up</strong>rising,”
Aaron’s creative approach <strong>to</strong> the dulcimer as an ensemble instrument focuses on backup
as well as blazing-fast leads. In 2005 Aaron and some other outstanding young
players recorded “Safe Haven,” a CD benefiting Family Violence Prevention, Inc. He will
be performing and teaching at dulcimer events in the upcoming festival season, among
them Western Carolina University Mountain Dulcimer Week, June 24-29, 2007.
Aaron has recorded a CD entitled, “One More Cup of Coffee,” which can be ordered
direct from him at adomed@hotmail.com
He has plans <strong>to</strong> write a book with lots more of his ideas for playing back-up on the
mountain dulcimer. For a sample of Aaron in performance visit:
http://www.myspace.com/aaronorourkedulcimer