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This particular page was created 21/11/2004 and last updated 22/11/2004
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| | I used to call it "bagpipe style," but then I realised there was an old, traditional British stringed instrument that is played this way, so "dulcimer style" it is from now on. The keyword for the technique is drones: play the melody much like you would in fiddle style but add open strings every now and then (such as at the bginning of every bar) to produce a steady ringing background noise. You may want to retune your instrument to get the right drone notes, but I've found out that most of the time that isn't necessary.
Irish cittern and bouzouki players do this all the time and it can work well on the banjo too. You have to be a bit careful though; banjo drones can sound very overwhelming. Dulcimer style banjo playing is definitely not something you'd want to build a career on, but sparingly used (one or two tunes during a gig perhaps) it can be a very nice variation to the more common banjo styles.
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