2000-01, Dulcimer Players News Vol. 26 No. 1 by Dulcimer Players News

Malcolm Oalglish

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OUlCIM(R PlRYHH NMS 26, Number 1

Contents

~Iume

Networking

Letters to Us

Dulcimer Clubs

February 2000- April 2000 @2000 • All rights reseMd

•

MIIIIIInI MacNeI, PulJllsherIEdlDr

Profile: Alice Burton • Jim Brooks

3 3 5 12 14 21

Remembering GeffY Armstrong· Ed Trickett and Sandy and Caroline Paton

Columnists

If I Had A Hammer: An Interview with Malcolm Dalglish • N. Scott Robinson

1iII:I1nk:aI Dulcimer· ... ......

An Interview with Linda Brockinton • Angela Oberktel/

~ Bridget Cruise' O'Carolan; Arranged by Linda Brockinton

Eurotunes • David T. Moore

34 34

News & Notes Events Musical Reviews' Neal Walters Mountain Dulcimer Tales and Traditions' Ralph Lee Smith

~ Waltx • Arrangement and Tablature: David

T. Moore

Hammered Dulcimer Tales and Traditions' Paul Gifford ~ Adoramus ~ Pachinko

Te Christe • Th Dubois; Arranged by Donna Missigman

• Kim Murley

38 42 45

Whats New' Neal Walters

46 47

Unclassifieds

Advertiser Index

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April. July ud ~. S-iplioa iD .... UDired Ole S20 per _ . for caaada: $12 per y_ (us fuada). 0dI0r_ (surface mall): $24 (US funds~ III .... uS_. _ prlceofSI7 <..........) is avaI.· IbIe for peapIe wIIo . . _ 1 0 pay .... fun _ I<ripIioa price _ _ of ........ diffic:uIIies. _ _ illues . . .....oy.-.

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Dear Readers

he moment remains with me. I was in my early twenties, a school teacher who loved the kids but somehow knew I wasn't in the right profession. Something made me sign up for six weeks of summer study in choral directing with Robert Shaw at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. I also auditioned (successfully!) to sing with the choir under his direction, working with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. I was among the youngest there-possibly the youngest in the choral directing seminar. I sometimes think I made it into the choir because I was taking choral directing and, heck, I was already there. Sometimes I was in the dust and other times I actually knew where we were going. The moment came when Robert Shaw spoke of and demonstrated rhythm within a phrase. A musical line is going somewhere, but the rhythm within it gives it life. "Pay attention, Maddie," I thought. "Something important is happening here." Rhythm within a phrase; hmmm. When do I know? What phrases are Je talking about? The answer was (although I sure didn't know it then): Soon you're going to find a kind of music that truly envelopes you. Then let Robert Shaw's teaching help you. When you read the interview of Malcolm Dalglish and other columns and stories in this issue of Dulcimer Players News, read between the lines and celebrate the moments when they perked up and said, " Pay attention; something important is happening. It might take me a few years, but... " Robert Shaw died in January, 1999. Gerry Armstrong, a beloved, gifted, Chicago-area musician and teacher, died August 29, 1999. The forms of music they loved and knew best differed, but i hether it was the rhythm in a choral phrase or the phrasing of ideas in a traditional song, they taught and inspired us. Shortly after Robert Shaw's death, I

listened with five friends in Georgia to a recording of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Gabriel Faure's Requiem. After Gerry's death, some friends and I gathered to sing her songs and talk of her bountiful life. As I write this, I'm especially grateful for the gifts lovingly shared by Robert Shaw, Gerry Armstrong, and so many others-and for those moments when we perk up and tell ourselves to pay attention.

Dulcimerrily,

Madeline MacNeil

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Letters to Us Am Diekschloot 40 26506 Norden, Germany

Dear DPN: I had an extremely interesting and fun experience last year when I was contacted to do a program called Craftsmen of fhe World for NHK television of Japan and for the Public Broadcasting System. (They had found me on the web.) My deci ion to participate was easy to make- they wanted to film me building a hammered dulcimer, then they would pay for it, and I would get to keep it. In January 1999, a five-person, highdefinition television (HDTV) film crew moved into my 750-square foot shop and studio to film me building a five-octave dulcimer. I had spent the previous month preparing three instruments to work on SO that I could show all of the steps in building a singie dulcimer in the week they allotted for taping. There was barely enough space for lights, camera boom and dolly, two monitors, and lots of video and audio equipment, plus the crew. Following the construction phase, we all moved to the beautiful Arctic Dome Room in downtown SeatUe to tape my performance on the new instrument. After eighteen hours of taping and many detailed planning sessions, the final product, including interview and performance, is twenty-two minutes long. They did a great job of editing and the whole show is self-explanatory, even without the narration.

The film crew has traveled all over the world taping shows for this series, which includes other luthiers, a kayak maker, a glass blower, a totem-pole carver, a wagon builder, and many others. The camera man, Mark Pingry, has a signature shot which he films for each show. He incorporates a close-up of the featured crafter's eye looking through some piece of tbeir work (for me it was the internal braces) into the camera. It is very dramatic and pretty humorous when you notice it. Usually, building a dulcimer i a solitary experience, but not this time. I had to work closely with the whole crew to determine wbat step was next and where

it would be filmed; then they would choose a good camera angie and move the lights before I could do each step. It all went surprisingly smoothly and I got to hear many stories about their other projects. The only problem is that now the customers on my waiting list think I should be able to build a dulcimer every week! Be sure to watch for this excellent series in your area. Rick Fogel PMB 906, 1916 Pike Place #12 Seattle WA 98101 206-784-1764

Dear DPN: I am doing some research on the diffusion of the mountain dulcimer; I'm particularly interested in the origin and spread of dulcimer clubs that have members who play mountain dulcimers. Also, I want to look at the increase in dulcimer clubs over the past two decades. Any information you club members could send me would be greatly appreciated. Bob Larkin Professor of Geography University of Colorado Colorado Springs CO 80933 rlarkin@brain.uccs.edu Dear DPN: Since the early seventies, when there was a television dulcimer-building course by John Pearse, I have been building dulcimers, scheitholts, and hummels. I am a teacher of woodworking and handcrafts and so my pupils can build these instruments, too. I learned that these instruments were very practical to elementary music beginners. I also make viola da gambas and hurdy-gurdies- nearly all Medieval and Renaissance stringed instruments. Wilfried Ulrich Siiderneuland

Dear DPN: A highlight of my recent trip to England was meeting Sally Whytehead of the Nonsuch Dulcimer Oub. Sally hosted a wonderful luncheon for me and I was able to meet some players from the Redditch area, including Fred Woodley. Fred is well known for playing the hammered dulcimer by plucking the strings; what a player! The Woodley family has built dulcimers for several generations and it was great to finally meet "The Man." Thanks, Sally, for making it a memorable day of music and friendship in the UK! Linda Thomas Kansas City, Missouri Dear DPN: I built my first hammered dulcimer at the May 23-29, 1999 Elderhostel in Abingdon, Virginia. This was an outstanding Elderhostel adventure into the wonderful world of the hammered dulcimer. Jeff Sebens was the instructor. Jeff was a wonderful teacher, performer, and builder. At the conclusion of the Elderhostel, our class had completed eleven beautiful hammered dulcimers, learned basic playing skills, and held a class recital! 1 am obviously very proud of my beautiful instrument and find that I want to play it all the time. Many thanks to Jeff for his patience, his willingness to share his talents, and for introducing this wonderful instrument to so many people. Mary Lou Jubin Akron, Ohio Dear DPN: Your magazine has been an inspiration to me for the past 10 years. Congratu ations on your anniversary! You are to be commended on your professional work, your fine articles and keeping those of us who live outside the mainstream of mountain dulcimer folk up to date. Thaoks! Jerre Roberts jerre@txk.net

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fUICimer Clubs

o r our most up -to-date club d irectory visit our websi te (www.dpnews.com). Le t us know [ if you r club is not listed a nd should be o r if we have som e incorrect information. Should yo u and the inte rne t no t be intima tely acq uai nted , we will glad ly send yo u a oomplete list of clubs fo r $2.00 a nd a stamped (55e) businesssize envelope. Listings for ind ividual states a re free.

New Dulcimer Clubs Michigan River Valley Strings Lorrai ne Giller 1100 Barber Terrace, W Gra nd Rapids MI 49504 616-453-0566 dlgille r@juno.com, 3rd Wednesdays ( ~ D)

News & Notes

Mississippi Magnolia Dulcimer Club Forrest D. Smi th P.O. Box 493 Booneville MS 38829 60 1-728-5448n20- 1425 1st & 3rd Mon. ( MD focus)

ongratulations go from our dulcimer commu nity to the tale nted winners at the Walnut Valley Festiva l in Winfield , Kansas, in Septembe r, 1999. Mountain Du lcimer: Lee Rowe (Nas hville, TN), Tom Have r (De nve r, CO ), a nd Michael Shull (West Colum bia, sq. Hamme red Du lcimer: Scott Eva n Freeman (Lafayette, IN), T ina Gugeler (Tho rnton, CO ), and Samantha Oberkfell (SI. Louis, MO). The winner of the songwrite r'S competition was du lcime r playe r Debbie Porte r (Pittsburg, TX) for " Ha rd Drivin ' Rain ." 0

Texas NE 1i!xas Dulcimer Chorus (1i!xarkana Chapter) AI Pa rsons 14 N. Pinewood Texa rka na, TX 75501-7834 903-832-242 1 dulcimentl@aol.com 3rd Sa turdays ( H D, MD)

Rio Brazos Dulcimer Club T heresa Ford PO Box 155196 Waco TX 76715 254- 67- 1243 tford@iame rica.net 4th Saturdays (HD, MD)

23rd Annual

~mAPRIL 20-23

2000

OlD CAPflOL 11IADmONAL MUSIC FESnYAL

ItIJI£IMER ,11\1110•••.•.

April 28 & 29, 2000 HISTORIC CORYDON, INDIANA

& Southern Regional

MOUN"!LAIN & HAMMERED DULCIMER CHAMPIONSHIPS 4 Day s of Classes (New Player to Advanced Intermediate M ln i-CODcerts ... Jams & Open Stage · Dulcimer Store '* ... Compedtlon and Special Guest Performen ... Old-Time Ozark Crans ViUage & Mus icians

(.ZllllK I~(. I.. I{ CEN'rEll P.O. BOX 500, MTN. VIEW, AR 72560 (870)269-3851; E-MQiI: ofc@mvtel.net http://www.ozQrkfolkcenter.com

• • •

• All events are UDder one roof" Workshops All Day Saturday Open Stage, Friday night and Saturday Afternoon. Saturday Evening Coneen featuring:

~eetw'a.ter

Just By Chance For Info: David Austin (812) 246-1640 email: Eda62249@ao1.eom 2015 Roosevelt Dr. Sellersburg, IN 47172

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Mardi Gras Dulcimer Festival Febn&.ary 24110.26- 2000 Abbey Comp, Benedict, ... (40- miles fIiX1II oFNew 0rle4ns)

Instructors/PerforrnersHnt. K:lmmer.d D4.1ldmer:

Paul Andry-Leo KretznerHollis Landrum-Robin MohunKaren Mueller-David SchnaufferMaureen Sellers-steve SeifertBill Taylor-Ben Wade-Maddie MacNeil-Jim Miller-Gene HattenDoug Felt-Lois Hornbostel - 8< - lesAmis"

This year's theme will be the Mardi Gras Indians 8< the Wild Magnolias! You'll just have to see it to believe it!!!! For early bird registration, contact: Uz Perilloux 39838 E. Sam Amold Loop Ponchatoula, LA 70454 50+845·3459

Bob Vaughan-S04-624-3530 or Phyllis Goodwin-S04-893-2S00

Dulcimers & Accompaniment. in Conjunction with its 7th Annual Dulcimer Festival, Proudly Presents the First Annual

TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER CHAMPIONSHIP Saturday, May 13, 2000 • 9 :00 am The Patten Arts Center Chattanooga, TN

Send SASE for

Cl!-':I" PPIft;",IIUfI

to :

41h Annual

Soutbern Obio Dulcimer Festival May 27 & 28, 2000 Ripley,Obio New Loca.tion ... Ekmmtery School

Ken Kolodner, Cathy Barton & Dave Para, Rick Thurn, Maynard & Sara Johnson, Joyce Harrison, Molly Friebert, Fran Booth & Madge Moore, Larry Conger, Lee Rowe, Stephen Seifert, David Schnaufer,& Les Gustafson-Zook. Workshops on HD, MTD, Autoharp. 3 Jam Rooms!!! Concerts on Saturday & Sunday Early Bird Jam on Friday night For a 4 page flyer meibarb@bright.net WWW.RIVERSONGMUSICSHOPPE.COM Pt.senlcd by

River Song Music Shoppe 7 North 2nd Street, Ripley, Ohio 45 I 67 937-392-9274

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Winler 2000 • 5

Events

February 5 • loudon, TN Workshop, all leve ls of mountain du lcimer players. In fo: Norma Jean Davis, 205 Engel Road, I.:oudon, TN 37774. 865-458-5493. February 11}-13 • Cleveland, 011 Folk Alliance Conference. Folk music and dance workshops, exhibit hall, artist showcases, and other activities. Info: Folk Alliance, 1001 Connecticut Ave.

~0~8;~i_~6~~I~.~~~~t~~. DC 20036. February 11-12 • Dallas/Fort Worth, TX Winter Festival 01 Acoustic Music. HD, MD, autoharp, harp, guitar and other instruments. WorRshops and concerts. Info: Linda Lowe Thompson, 631 Hillye r High Rd., Anrliston AL 36207. 256-240-9070. Ilt@inte rne ttport.net.

EVENTS CALENDAR DEADLINES February 18-19· Florence, At Shoals Dulcimer and Folk Music Assoc. ~I Winter Fest at Floreoce-Lauderdale May - July issue: Events from 1st weekend of May Coliseum , Veteran 's Drive. Workshops through Labor Day weekend and jamming. Info: Paul and Kathy ThIs IS Our I.argest yearly calendar Harbin, 8075 Co. Road 6, Florence, DeadlIne: February 1st AL, 35633. 256-767-1471. February 24-26· Covington, LA Bayou Dulcimer Club Mardi Gras Festival. Workshops (H D, MD), concerts, Mardi Gras festivities, Cajun cooking. Info: Liz Perilloux, 39838 E. Sam Arnold Loop, Ponchatou la, LA 70454. 504-845-3459. February 24-26. Booneville, MS Paul Vaughn Memorial Dulcimer Festival (focus on MD, some HD) Classes, jamming, stage performances, handcrafters. Info: Forrest D. Smith, P.O. Box 493, Booneville, MS 38829. 601 -728-5448mO-1425. February 25-27 • Brasstown, NC Workshop: Beginning Mountain Dulcimer. Info: John C. Campbell Fo lk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC

I I I I I I

August - October issue: Even ts from the 1st weekend of A th roug h the 2nd weekend of N ug. D eadline: May 1st ov.

NoVember - January issue: Events from the 1st weekend of Nov through the 2nd weekend of Feb . Deadline: August 1st .

February - April issue: Events from 1st weekend of Rb through th~ 2nd weekend of r:a; Deadline: November 1st

28902.800-365-5724. www.folkschool.com.

continues

Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest March 3 & 4, 2000 1. 3. 4. 1000

Univel'S'it4 of Pitt<buT'gh "t G-reen<buT'g. G T'ee n<bUT'g. PA

~~ McKownville Methodist Church

t=eatUT'ing - Tv// G/'nen.~

-Ooo{vc Ove r 50

-/'1",./, Wade -K",.." /'1u"//~

1565 Western Avenue, Albany, NY Coneerts

+ Friday Open Stage

MD liT Jiutoharp Workshops Jam Sessions Vondor< + MD Rentals Featured Performers:

Karen Mueller Susan Trump

'Worbhop, in: -Mounlain and lklmmered Dulcime r 'AuloMrp -Cuilar Abo 2 cooc'lrl>

----..J 12th Annual

0une

I I I I I I

Sponsored by: Dulcimer Association of Albany Contact: Lori Keddell 119 Co. Hwy. 107 Johnstown , NY 12095 518·762·7516

e-moil: lark t 19@Cltllnk.net

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6 • Dulcimer Players News Feb '£1- March 4 0 Brasstown, IIC Workshop: Beginning Mountain Dulcimer. Info: John C. Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902.800-365-5724. ~.fo l kschool.com.

March 3-4 0 Albany, NY 12th Annual Mountain Dulcimer Music Fest. Open Stage, workshops, jam sessions, sales booths, and concerts. Info: Lori Keddell, 119 Co. Hwy 107, Johnstown, NY 12095. 518-762-75 16., larkI19@citlink.net. March 3-5 0 East lI'oy. WI

StrIngaIong Weekend. Dulcimer concerts, workshops, singing, and dancing at YMCA Camp Edwards. Bring or rent an instrument Info: UWM Folk Center, Ann Schmid, PO Box 413, Milwaukee, WI 53201. 8oo-636-FOLK (3655). ~.uwm.edu!Dept/FolkJ.

Dulcimer display in the new museum at the John C. Camplbell Folk School

March 8-12 0 Ashley. 011 Buckeye Dulcimer Festival features work-

shops (some are extended), concerts, jamming, and gospel sing. Info: Louise

Ziegler, 232 W. High St., Ashley, OH 43003. 740-747-2326. ~. myfreeoffice./buckeyedulcimer. March 10-11

Charlotte, IIC

Queen City Dulcimer Workshop. A m inifestival featuring workshops for MD and HD, concerts, jamming, vendors. Info: Paul Byrum, 428 Ro lling Ridge Rd., Rock Hill, SC 29730. 803-5471564. bttp:/lweb.infoave.net/pbyrum/cadc/. March 18 olJlnpkln, GA

Westville Dulcimer FestiYaI. Mountain dulcimer festival with Jam-in on Sunday. Info: Patty Cannington Westville, P.O. Box 1850, Lumpkin, GA. 31815. 888-SEE-1850. ~.westville.org. March 24-26 0 French Uck, It Ohio valley GatherIng sponsored by the Louisville Dulcimer Society. Workshops, concert, jamming, vendors. Info: Maureen Sellers, 4708 Corydon Pike, New Albany, IN 47150. 812-945-9094. MaureenSel@AOL.com .

A Wide Variety Of Workshops for Hammer & Mountain Dulcimer

for Program & Advanced Registration Contact: Anna Duff P.O. Box 641. St. David, Az 85630

Concert Under the Stars Friday & Saturday Tent Camping RV Parking Hotels Near By

(520)-720-4965 Email: aaduff@therlver.com

Late Nlcht Contra Dance, Jammlnc, All Acoustic Instruments Welcomel Two Hours From The Grand Canyon

VIsit Our Website:

www.brl.htan.olmu.lc.com/Ey.ntl-SWDF.html~

DEWEY

Vendor Inquiries Welcomed

- - - - - - - - - - A R I Z 0 N'A - - - - - - - - - -

June 16-18 BeanTree Farm-Near Prescott, In The Mountains of Northern Arizona

SPONSORED IN PART BY SONGBIRD DULCIMERS

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Winter 2000 • 7 Info: Phil Spring, National Folk Festival, PO Box 156, Civic Square, ACf 2608, Australia. Tel: 61 62497755. natfo lk(!?spi rit .com.au.

March 24- 26· Shepherdstown, WV Upper Potomac Spring Dulcimer Festival. Workshops, concerts, jam sessions (HD). Info: Joanie Blanton, PO Box 1474, Shepherds town, WV 25443. 304-263-2531. blanton@intrepid .net.

April 9-15 • Brasstown, NC Workshop: Beginning Hammered Dulcimer. Info: John C. Campbell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902. 800-365-5724. www.folkschool.com.

April 2 - 8 • Brasstown, NC

April 14-15 • Tishomingo, MS Dulcimer Days. Two days of performances and jam sessions, as well as sales booths, sponsored by the AJa-sippi Dulcimer Association. Held at Tishomingo State Park. Info: Holl is E. Long, Box 76, Golden, MS 38847.

~:akSJh::~ ~~an~~b~l~u;~~~ns~~!~~ne Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902. 800-365-5724. www.folkschool.com. April 8- 9. Hendersonville, NC Olde tYme Music Festival featuring workshops and pe rformances (HD, MD, banjo, guitar, fid dle, mandolin). Info: Jan H ranek, 200 Sweet Lane, Hendersonville, NC 28792. 828-692-8588. April 9-15 • Elkins, WV Spring Dulcimer Week. In-depth classes for all levels of hammered and mountain dulcimer players. Evening jam sessions, concerts, guest artists. Info: Augusta Heritage Center, Davis & Elkins College, Elkins, WV 26241 . 304637-1209. www.augustaheritage.com.

April 20-23 • Mt. View, AR The Ozark Folk Center's 23rd Annual DulcImer Jamboree features mountain and hammered dulcimer contests, workshops and concerts. Info: Dulcimer Jamboree, Ozark Folk Center, Mt. View, AR 72560. 50 1-269-385 I. www.ozarkfolkcenter.com . April 20 - 24 • Canberra, Australia The National Folk Festival. Five days of international and mu lticultural music, dance, workshops, chi ldren's festival.

April 28 - 29 • Corydon, IN Old Capitol Traditional Music Festival sponsored by the Corydon Dulcimer Society. Workshops, open stage , concerts, jamming. In fo (send SAS E): David Austin, 2015 Roosevelt Dr. , Sellersburg, IN 47 172. 812-246- 1640. Eda62249@aol.com. April 28-30· Brasstown, NC Workshop: Beginning Mountain Dulcimer. Info: John C. Camp bell Folk School, One Folk School Rd., Brasstown, NC 28902. 800-365-5724. www.folkschool.com. April 29 • Morgantown, WV WV Mountaineer Dulcimer Club Spring Meeting. Jamm ing, pot luck lunch and open stage at the Drummond Chapel. Info: Patty Looman, 1345 Bitonti St., Star City, WV 26505. 304-599-5343.

continues

FEATURED MUSICIANS Mounta in D ulcimer A ubrey AI'Wltcr

Foster. RI

26th Annual· May 19th. 20th 6 21st. 2000

H ammered Du ld mc r Bob Bclh.my

Bucyrus.OH

MID-EASTERN REGIONAL DULCIMER CHAMPIONSHIPS Workshops with Fe.tured Musiei'Ds . Dulcimer C lub Pbyoff S.turd.y Night CoDcert · 1.m SessioDs SUDd.y Gospel SiDg . Dulcimer . Dd Music Exhibitors

Ifi&Sc5e Village Coshocton, Ohio

Livi Dg H istory Tours · ShoppiDg . DiDiDg . LodgiDg

For inform.lion. c.1l (740) 622-9310. (BOO) 877-1830 or visit our website ilt www.roscocviJbgc.com

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8 • Dulcimer Players News April 29 • Cincinnati, DH Mountain Dulcimer Workshops and Concert. Sponsored by the Cincinnati Dulcimer Society. Info: Madge Moore, 4534 Forest Ave., Norwood, OH 45212. 513-531-8772.

May 5-7 • West Salem, OH Spring Fling C8mpout at Town & Country Camp Resort. Workshops, jamming, "Suicide Stew" supper. Info: Bernice Campbell, 288 Adario W. Rd., Shiloh, OH 44878. 419-896--2808.

May 5- 6 • Winston-Salem, NC Winston-Salem Dulcimer Festival. Classes and concerts featuring MD, HD. Info: JeffSebens, PO Box 616, Meadows of Dan, VA 24120. 5401952-1865.

May 5-7 • Sliver Falls State Pk, DR Sliver Falls Rendezvous, east of Salem, OR. Pacific Northwest hammered dulcimer (and friends) gathering. Concert, workshops, jamming, open stage. Info: Pete Ballerstedt, 1260 SW West Hills Rd., Philomath, OR. 541-929-4267. www.Pioneer.net/-ballers/site.htm.

www.meadows-music.com.

May 5- 6 • Waverly, TN Spring Fling Workshop. Jamming, workshops, open stage (MD). Info: 931-582-7931. blubrdhill@aol.com. May 5-7· Cambridge, MA Spring Dulcimer Festival at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education (56 Brattle St.). Workshops (MD, HD), concerts, open mike. Info: Cambridge Center for Adult Education, PO Box 9113, Cambridge, MA 02238-9113. 617-547-6789.

May 6 • McCalla, Al 27th Annual Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Festival at Thnnehill Ironworks Hi torical State Park. Music and crafts. Info: Helon Riggins, 12632 Confederate Pkwy., McCalla, AL 35111. 205-477-5711, Fax 205-477-9400. May 6 • Columbus, DH Central Ohio Dulcimer Festival. Workshops for MD, HD, guitar, mandolin, banjos.

7ne V1( Nonsucli (])u[cimer C[u6

Evening concert. Info: Andy Beyer, 614-846-1779. May 12- 14. Glen Rose, TX Lone Star State Dulcimer Festival at Oakdale Park. Contests for MD and HD players, arts and crafts fair, workshops, and concerts. Info: Dana Hamilton,

904 Houston, Arli ngton, TX 76012. 817-275-3872. www.ftash.net/dcturner/gfest.htm. May 13· Chattanooga, TN 1st Annual Mountain Dulcimer Championship, in conjunction with the 7th Annual Spring Festival. Info: Lee Baldwin, PO Box 121, Signal Mountain, TN 37377. 423-886-2642. dulcimer@Vol.com. May 13 · Lancaster, SC Carolina Legends Festival. Workshops include dulcimer, guitar, banjo, and more. Info: Chesley Sigmon, Lancaster County Council of the Arts, P.O. Box 613, Lancaster, SC 29721. 803-285-7451. 0

Our 19th Year!

Irish Wee.t

The Year 2 0 0 0 Wortheast V ulcimer Symposium

Boghill Centre, Kilkenny, Co. Clare

June, 2000 t]3lue!MountainLake, 'New York

invites you to their

at the

14 - 21 May 2000 Price: 220 Irish Pounds including bed & board . A chance to meet English & Irish players and steep yourself in the Music! For more information contact: Sally Whytehead email: sally @ftel.co.uk 19 Ivor Road, Redditch, 8 97 4PF, UK.

24-30

witl!

Ken Kolodner Mary McLau~hlin Steve Seifert Hammered Dulcimer

/ns/r Smgmg/ltOIce

Mountam Dulcimer

Ken Lovelett

David Moore

Percussion

Mountain Dulcimer

Seven days of music and fun on the shores of otle of the Adirondack Park's loveliest lalres. An unforgettable week of intensiv.lessons in smaU classes; private tutorials; lots ofpersonal attention; concerts and janIS; bird warching; /riking and canoei"g; incredible sunsets For information or to register write David Moore, P.O. Box 358, Annapolis Junction, Maryland 20701. Email: dtmoore@clark.net Website: http://www.cu.rk.netlpub/dtmoorelnds2000

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cM'aster CWbrh Hammered Dulcimers Bowed Psalteries by RusseU Cook

A model for every purpose

that "fits"

Don't leave home without it ...

Tune it

Dealer Inquiries Welcome wood 'N Strings / Master Works 1801 Peyco Dr. S. Arlington, TX 76001 817-472-6991 or 888-752-9243 http:// www.wnsdulcimer.com Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

Classical H!!!Jll\I~red

OuIcuner

Beginning Hammered Dulcimer Linda Lowe T~n

:vel&

Hammered Dulcimer Notebook

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Sweetwater

announces:

The Fourth Annual

.SHADY <1ROVE

." '¥ In the

\) of West Central Ohio

Appalachian Dulcimer Camp July 9-14. 2000 All levels of mountain dulcimer instruction with: Sweetwater Alan MacFarlane

Aubrey Atwater Louise Ziegler

New Class! Ensemble Arranging with Shelley Stevens ..plus. ..Jammin'

to the Max with Shari Wolf and Cindy Funk

B.Ud your ..... Dulcimer with Art Burmeister For brochure, contact: S..eetw.t.r - 643 E Euclid Ave.. Springfield, OH 45505

---

(937)323-7864 (937)473-5176 Email: sweet-water@musician.org http://www.myfreeoffice.comJsweetwater/

6th Annual "TRADITIONS" Week Workshops: July 2-7, 2000 at Western Maryland College. Westminster, Maryland

The American Music & Arts Festival July 8 &. 9, 2000 at the Carroll County Farm Museum

Featuring GuiJor Legend DOC WATSON and much, much more • •• Only 35 minuJes from Baltimore!

Hammered Dulcimer: Bill Trox ler, Rick Thurn, Bonnie Carol Linda Thomas Lap Dulcimer: Bonnie Carol Autoharp: Bryan Bower.; Banjo: Bill Keith Guitar: Jack Lawrence, Dan Delancey Fiddle: Earl White, Jay Ansill Celtic Harp: Jo Morrison, Jay Ansill Mandolin: Barry Mitterhoff Highland Pipes: Wayne Morrison Villean Pipes &. Tin Whistle: Wattie Lees Bodhran: Myron Bretholtz Dance: Bill We llington, Matt Gordon, Sankofa Dance Theater Scottish Song: Heather Heywood, Tom Smith Percussion: Nery Avevalo Songwriting: Bob Franke, Bob Zentz Blues: Guy Davis, Sparky Rucker, Scott A ins lie Native American Arts: Sakim And More! Plus a Full Curriculum of Fine Arts and Crafts: Sweet Grass Basketry. Native American Shell Carving. Photography, Meta/smithing. Celtic Carving and Printmaking. Watercolor, Basic Drawing. Spoon Carving, Byzantine Painting, African Bead Art, Didgeridoo, Native American F/ute Construcrion, & much more! For Catalog, Info, Registration & Tick.t.: Common Ground On Th. Hill. WMC, Westminst.r, MD 21157

410-857-2771 cground@qis.net

www.commongroundontbebill.com Walt Michael, Artistic Director

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...

New Millennium New Traditions

The Staff Loi Hombostel Ralph Lee Smi th Karen Mueller B.II Taylor

Janita &..ker 51 \Ie Seifert Madeline MacNeill Way~

Seymour

Thomasina Kenneth Bloom Howie Milchell Gary Gallier

Betty Smith

Lee Rowe Anne Lough Carilyn Vice

Gwen Oglesby Flora MucDonald Gammon and more

Lois Hornbostel and Western Carolina University proudly announce the first Mountain Dulcimer Week. Continuing and expanding upon the program made popu lar in Boone, Mountain Dulcimer Week will offer the best in mountain dulcimer music and instruction.

The Dulcimer Week Program The Campus

Nearby Attractions

Nestled belW~n the Great Smoky and

WCU Mountain Heritage Center (a museum and hLSlOncal collecuon feat'uring Infonnauon and anifacu from the area's early settlers): on campus Great Smoky Mou ntains National Park (scenic drivt=5 and hikes. waterfalls. fishing. horseback riding, historic SItes): )0 minutes Picturesque Dillsboro (craft shops. restaurants, moky Mountf'1n Railroad excursions): 15 minutes Cherokee Indian Reservation (shops, fishing, Cherokee m~m and cultural atuactioru, year-round events): 30 minutes Blue Ridge Parkway (scenic drives and hikes, picnic and recreation areas): JO minutes Pigeon Forge &. Gatl inburg, TN (shopping and sightseei ng): 1 1/2 hours on scenic Route 441 Cashiers and Highlands, NC (resort areas. craft shops, resrouranlS, golf): )0/45 minutes A-iaggie Valley, NC (restaurants, doggmg center, golf, crafts): 35 minutes Sc.ouish Tartan Muse.um, Franklin, NC (hlSloncal collecllon highlighting tht arcI'S CeltIC roots) : 45 manutes

Blut Rid~ Mountams, Western Carolina Umverslty is IOC~Hed in ullowhee. North

Carolma. one hour west of Asheville. Drawing on the area's

h traditions,

Western offers a congenial and relaxed atmosphere that IS conducIVe to leammg and leisure activities. Summertime In Cullowhee: doesn', stand on ceremony_

Peaceful and mformal, the campus lades crowds and trdffic but offers a wealth of natum l bc!auty and cool mountam evenings.

Enjoy modem residentml, performance, and classroom facilities. The wa lk is easy and shon between bu,klings, and dulcimer players Will tnjoy tht dining and leisure facilities. The area aOOomb wllh cultura l, and rttre3uonal oppC>rtumuts, so come ear"", Ray late, and enjoy tht finest In mountam htntage anJ hospltalllY.

For Your Workshop Catalog and Application contact: Continuing Education and Summer School, Western Cn rolina University, University Outreach

• Kick up your heels: A rousing welcome Western-style at a "Gel Acquatnted" barbecue and square dance, (eaturing a live band and caller. • Instruction for beginning to advanced players: Choose compre· hensive ten-hour courses or concentrate on specialized subjects, such as flatpicking. Ahemoon sessions offer electives on dulcimer traditiOns, playing sty les, and more. • After hours: Evenings feature (acuity performances and an "Open Stage" session for participants; late-night jam sessions and sing·alongs; and the return of the "Colossal Dulcimer

Orchestm" under Kenneth Bloom' baton. • Continuing crowd.pleasers: Dulci· mer marketplace, in·class [U[Qrs, and the "Dulcimer Doc[Qr" return. And you'll apprec iate economica l tuition, meals, and on-campus housing.

Center, Cullowhee, NC 28723. Phone (828) 227-7397. For infonnation on curricu lum and staffing, contact Workshop Direc[Qr Lois Hornbostel at

P.O. Box 907, Bryson City, NC 28713 or e-mail Lduic@gte.net

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Th. WORLD'S PREMIER ACOUSTIC MUSIC STORE

I••• clo•••• your m.llboxl We have DULCIMERS -

plus thOU$lnds of other

Jim Curley's

Mountain Music Shoppe 11 200 Johnson Drive Shawnee, Kansas 66203 (913) 962·9711 www.mountainmusicshoppe.com

new, used and vintlile INSJRUMENTS• • hUI! assortment of ACCESSORIES. mounbins of CO'S II

CASSETTES, and a wealth

Dealerships: Deering* Ome·

Mike Ramsey* Kentucky· Mid-Missouri ·

of BOOKS & VIDEOS. Fast, friendly

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Sigma * Con Magic Fluke· Ler Works* Song Bird· Rich Thurn ·

McSpadden' and many mort!

Moons & Tunes

Specializing in Moun tain & Hammered Dulcimers

with

BONNIE

Civil w..r, 1800's, Old Tune, Bluegrass & 11 00 N, Washington PO Box 1421()..DPN Lansing. Ml 48901

CAROL Moons and tunes, notes and boats: join us summer, 2000, for our second

annual musical wilderness adventure. All the wonder of fiver running, desert strolling and warm riverside camping in combination with music in starlit, sand ampitheaters. The

em--..."""'IiI """..,

(517) 372-7890

Fax (517) 372-5155 Visit us on the web at www.elderly.com

World Instruments, Accessories, CDs, Cassettes, Books, Miscellaneous Gift Certificates & Lay.A.w..ys Lessons • Repairs Buy · Sell • Trade · Consign

Private Performances · Solos or Groups

camaraderie of a music camp and a river trip all rolled into one. Come with your dulcimers and guitars, flutes and

whistles, accordions and voices · or come to boat and listen · all are welcome. Bring your camping get up, your smiles and your friends, and we'll bring professional guides, boats, gourmet food and whatever specialized river equipment you need. No river running experience is necessary. All of us who went last year are quicky becoming repeaters, and we invite you to join in the fun

this year. Please get in touch for specifics of dates, location, and costs, or to see a video of last year's trip on

the Gunnison River in Western Colorado.

Bonnie@BonnieCarol.com www.BonnieCarol.com 15 Sherwood Road Nederland, CO 80466 (303) 258·7763

Order online and find out about the Saint Patrick's Day concert & workshop in Columbus, Ohio at: www.Q1 .com/markwade

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Musical Reviews edited by Neal Walters

new release by North Carolina's Don Pedi always contains an implicit but no less ironclad guarantee of a bumper crop of rare and beautiful old fiddle tunes, played with incredible taste and skill at anything from modest to actual burn-down-thebam fiddle tempos. Bound to Have a Little Fun is no exception and features Dan's solo mountain dulcimer on twentyfour fiddle tunes he has collected

through osmosis over the years from var-

ious old-time fiddlers, most notably Bruce Greene of Yancey Country, North Carolina, with whom Don plays regularly. Greene has influenced many younger fiddlers witb what Don describes as an older-generational style and a seemingly endless repertoire of tunes. Dan's virtuoso dulcimer interpretations of these rare old tunes should open many eyes and ears to the possibilities of the instrument. Dan's arrangements are deceptively simple and straightforward. On two numbers he plays a prototype fretless oak dulcimer; this produces the slippery sliding sound usually associated with a slide guitar and is quite appealing. Many of these tunes are usually played in open tunings on the fiddle with lots of dronal harmonies and sympathetic resonating strings. Since these are characteristic strengths of the dulcimer as well, it shouldn't be very surprising that these tunes are potentially great dulcimer tunes. In fact, this would probably be common knowledge if more people possessed Dan's flawless sense of rhythm and timing, his understanding of the essence of the tune, and his ability to stay relaxed and focused while playing faster than the proverbial speeding bullet. Unfortunately for the likes of us ordinary mortals, these appear to be gifts that are bestowed on very few. Simply put, his playing is stunning in every respect. Tunes include Rose in the Mountain, Old Christmas, Speed of the Plow, Bound to Have a Little Fun, Steppin' in the Parlor, Bullfrog on a Puncheon Floor.

am Baehr's approach to the mountain dulcimer is completely different but no less compelling. On Ancient Echoes, he combines an intricate fingerstyle right-hand technique with compound meters, contemporary rhythms, and jazz-inspired chord progressions in an amazing variety of music. The material is mostly Tom Baehr originals, which stylistically range from the sounds of classic Scott Joplin rags to O'Carolan harp tunes, classical guitar transcriptions, and baroque music. As Tom says, it's not your father's bump-ditty. On this recording, he adds flute and an occasional fife to a trio of dulcimers-standard, baritone, and bass. His right-hand style is unusual and very similar to that of a fingerstyle guitar player, and he describes his sound as reminiscent of a harpsichord. At one level, this recording will challenge your previous assumptions of what is possible on the dulcimer. After a couple of listens, I'm betting you'll agree that, in the hands of a master of precision and musicality like Tom, virtually anything is possible. Tunes include Prelude, Patchwork QuiltlPartita in F, Jeffrey Alexander, Nostalgia, Gambol.

n the hammered dulcimer front, Linda Thomas has a dandy new release titled simply Home. Although the album's material comes from a variety of sources, Linda believes that the music brings everyone to a common place and evokes the feeling of home. To this I would say you betcha, but I must add that what the music mostly has in common is some exquisite musicianship, highlighted by Linda's tasteful hammered dulcimer playing and complemented by a number of excellent supporting musicians including Dan DeLancey on guitar, banjo and vocals, Scott Tichenor on mandolin, Ronnie DeLancey on bass, Brenda Allen on cello, Suzanne Stricklin on flute, Pat Ireland on fiddle, Brett Gison on accordion, and Timothy McBain and Pablo Sanhueza on percussion. The material consists of Irish harp and fiddle music, English polkas, hornpipes and folk melodies, traditional American tunes and compositions from

Bound to Have a Little Fin. Don Pedi, Grapevine Productions, 5456 Grapevine Road, MarShall, NC 28753,828-689-9126, www.mindspring.com/-pedi (Cassette). Tum Back the AnCient Echoes. Tom Baehr, Hogfiddle Press, P.O. Box 2721, WOburn, MA 01888-1421 (CD/Cassette).

Home路 Linda Thomas, TO Productions, 6409 E. 1l0th Street, Kansas City, MO 64134. http://members.primary.net/-lindadan/tm.htrnl (CD/Cassette). Hammered Fiddle Tunes. Rick Thurn RT Audio, 36 Yillawood, St. Louis, ' MO, 63119, 314-968-1195 (CD/Cassette). Hammered Fiddle Tunes. Mel Bay Publications, #4 Industrial Dr., Pacific, MO 63069-0066 email@melbay.com (book). '

Bill Monroe, Russ Barenberg, David Grier and Walt Michael. Linda's playing is confident and assured and thoroughly belies the complexity of the material. The arrangements are well constructed and feature a dynamic interplay among the various instruments without diminishing the front-and-center role of the dulcimer. Tunes include Byrne's Hornpipe/Galway Bay Hornpipe, Lord Inchiquin, Somewhere Along the Road, Steam folk Polkas, Greensleeves. here are a number of exceptional instruction methods available for hammered dulcimer. A new one by Rick Thurn is worth a special mention. Published by Mel Bay, Hammered Fiddle 1\mes is a combination booklet and companion CD that should help to answer the burning question that many of us have had about Rick's playingnamely how in the world does he get that syncopated sound while playing at those speeds without losing the drive that really makes fiddle tunes so exciting? Moreover, how can he smile and carry on a normal conversation while he's doing it? Apparently, the answer is to start slowly, get a grasp on some standard embellishment techniques using simple drones, chords and syncopation, integrate these licks into some

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simple tunes that you probably already know, get so comfortable with this that you can start to put these same licks into othe r tunes, and the n carefully increase your speed as both your knowledge grows and your comfort zone improves. Of course I have n't actually tried any of this so perhaps it's harder than it looks. But, hey, it seems to all make sense and \Vho wouldn't want to sound like Rick? All of the tunes can be played on a 12/11 instrument and aUare standards that you'll hear in any jam session. The hamme red dulcimer is front and center in the mix with guitar and bass backing. Occasionally, bluegrass-style 5-string banjo trades leads with the dulcimer. Includes Golden Slippers, Home Sweet Home, The Meeting House, Missouri, Soldier's Joy, Ragtime Annie/Whiskey Before Breakfast, Blackberry Blossom. 0

Send books and recordings for review to Neal Walters, 9507 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20901.

"A delightful album by premier hammered dulcimer artist. Steve Schneider, and award-winning guitarist, Paul Dorts. There ls a

liveliness and personality In their playing that Jets the listener know these two aren't merely in sync, they're a couple of

Arranged For Hammered Dulcimer

characters as well. A shimmering surprise.Victory Mu.1c Review

Available at: Elderly Music (517-372-7880, www.eIderIy.coml Andy" Fronl Hall 11-800.759-17751 Sal;.", Mu.icWorU I1-8SBOOtCIMfRI Other ,.orcIing.: ""71te Door to Chri.",..• .." "A _ _ ond ..,.....-y. Child"

Salient MusicWorks

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11-888-0UlCIMERI

Visit Steve on the web at http://members.aol.cam/hdplayer/

Blue Lion Musical Instruments Authorized builders of the Jean Ritchie Dulcimer and the Force-d' OsschE Six String Dulcimer.

aHome· is on ucursion through a t'Orielg of genres mc/uding Irish hmp """ M dl, musk, fngIM poIIws """ hornpipes and some nil:'! Ameriam gmIS. The hammered dulcimer is featured with guitar. mandolin. fiddle, Rute. cello, piano. accordion, bodhran and olhers. 14 titles Include: For J.L., Cascade, Sleamfolk Polkos, Azalea ,,~ltz and Jerusalem Ridge. Available on Compact Disc

Handcrafted guitars and dulcimers of exceptional quality preferred by fine musicians including: Janita Baker. Anna Barry. Ca thy Barton. Larkin Bryant. Rosamond Campbell. Carrie Crompton. Neal Hellman. Jay Leibovitz, Wade Hamp10n Miller. Mark Nelson. Jean Rit chie. Sally Rogers and others.

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Call or write for free catalog.

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Mountain Dulcimer Tales and Traditions by Ralph Lee Smith

Is This Date Good? I know of two old dulcimers bearing dates, that add tantalizing mystery to the question of the early beginnings of the hourglass-shaped dulcimer. In both insta nces, it is not clear whether the dates are valid. The first one, not shown here, was recently acquired by that indefatigable, and amazingly successful, followe r of a uctions, Josie Wiseman, who bought it at an auction in Ohio. Josie sent the instrument to me to look at, a nd to pass on to Keith Young, an experienced restorer of old dulcimers, to look at. It is a chromatically fretted dulcimer of hourglass shape, with frets made of heavy old wire. On the left-hand side of the fretboard, between the strum hollow and the foot of the instrument, the inscription, "O.T. 1841" is scratched

into the wood. On the correspo nding right-hand side, the words '~dams Co." have been scratched in, seemingly by the same hand. Adams County is in Ohio. I will bring the instrument to Keith for his opinion, will let you know what he thinks, and will illustrate it in my next column. Six photos of the other instrument beari ng an early date are provided here. This dulcimer belongs to Patty Looman of Star City, West Virginia, who brought it to the Dulcimer Players Workshop at Appalachian State University several ' years ago. It is one of a number of highly interesting instruments in her collection. Another one is shown in L. Allen Smith's book, A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers, on page 34. It is a scheitholt made of a solid piece of wood, with a bulge or bout on its right-hand side that seems to be a handle! I do not know if it will be visible in the picture as reproduced he re, but the date 1814 has bee n scratched into the

left-hand side of the scroll. The instrument has an unusual shape, with a small upper bout. The hook-shaped scroll resembles that of several American scheitholts, including an instrument illustrated in AJlen's book, page 23, and one in my collection, illustrated in my book, The Story of the Dulcimer, pages 13-14. The latte r instrument bears the date 1781 behind the peghead; the date is composed of small dots and appears to be authentic. The peghead of this dulcimer is fluted. Unusual features include the triangular shape of the bottom where it joins the peghead. lndentations are crudely cut into both sides of the peghead where it joins the body. The metal tailpiece seems to be newer than the dulcimer, but it is of a type that is seen on a number of old instruments, and could be a replacement for an older piece. There is no doubt that most hourglass-shaped instrume nts known to us postdate the Civil War. An e nigmatic

mel Bay Publications ...

The Besc in DulcimeR music (;0 • •1"1,,

B. .k of Celti. 111151. for ....paladdaa Ihd_"r

by Mark Nelson. A significanl coUection 01 dance music, harp tunes, airs, and

popular melodies. In notation and tablature with the author's suggestions on inlerpreting the music. Book (95530) $19.90. CO (9553OCO) $15.98. _«UII Airs " Ballads f.r .....aIacItI. . Ihd_... by Mark Nelson. This coUection 01greal Scottish songs includes examples lrom a variety or sources - contemporary singers, old manuscripts, broadside ballads, and recordings. Written in notation and tablature. Book/CDsel (96022BCO) $22.95. TIl" lIasl. of I... SIId"r. for 1I .....Iaha DaI.Ia"r by Neal HeUman. Simple and unpretentious, the diatonic music orthe Shakers lies weU on O,e mountain dulcimer. The author provides historical insights and program notes ror the 32 tunes included here. Written in notation and tablature. Book (96468) $11.95. AaerIeaa fiddle _ for 1I_\ala DaIcbaer by Lois IIornboste/. This book contains melodious and energetic music arranged ror the novice to experienced pl~r in lraditional keys. Written in notation and tablature with accompaniment chords. Book (95527) $11.95. CD (95527CO) $15.98. flrUJl add $5.00 for shipping and Iwndliltg.

- Publishing the Finest in Music for Over 50 Yearst -

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Visit us on tire Web at Irttp:llwww_melbay_com • e-mail usatemail@lnelbay.com

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Winter 200l â&#x20AC;˘ 15

specimen appears in Allen Smith's book, page 102, bearing the pencilled date "2-21.49." I think that the date is authentic. Like the instrument illustrated here, it has a small upper bout. It has a long, narrow curve running from the upper bout to the peghead, resembling old West Virginia hourglassshaped dulcimers. The instrument illustrated here has a short, convex curve running from the upper bout to the peghead, resembling old Kentucky instruments. The upper sound holes of the "2-21.49" instrument consist of a pair of small squares; its lower soundholes are S-shaped. Both are rare for hourglass-shaped instruments. The instrument was formerly in the collection of Anne Grimes of Granville, Ohio. A couple of years ago, her collection was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution. Even if the dates 1814 and 2-21.49 are authentic, there is no guarantee that instruments with small upper bouts were ever seen by Charles N. Prichard of West Virginia or James Edward "Uncle Ed" Thomas of Kentucky, who began production of fully recognizeable types of hourglass dulcimers after the Civil War, or that such instruments functioned as models or prototypes. It is obviously possible to invent something like this more than once. What a frontier! Somewhere in the mists of the pre-Civil War ti mes, there are answers, if we are lucky enough to find them. The mountains are being stubborn about giving up their secrets. 0

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o.l

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and over. After the second week I had two songs and so on. I still remember every one of them," she laughs. As her skills increased, so did her appetite for new mateby Jim Brooks' Cox's Creek. Kentucky rial, and Alice was always on the lookout for new songs to tackle. Her talents didn't go Thelma, Louise-& Alice unnoticed. When Nancy Barker needed additional instrumental orne twenty-five years ago, transas well. "I tend to play with my elbows backing for an album she was recordplanted Kentuckians Alice and ing, she asked Burton to play. Nancy Rick Burton were visiting the Siloutward, and I've learned that I have to had also recruited Ken Baldwin, a ver Dollar City theme park near constantly remind myself to keep my friend and guitarist to back her and a 'wings' in. That makes a big difference Branson, Missouri. They had settled in in reducing fatigue." nearby Springfield, and the park was a sort of synergy evolved among the trio. Burton believes that as a musician "It sounded so good and got such a frequent destination for the pair. Rick good response, we kept it together," had worked therb during its construcdispensing advice to fellow performers tion some years earlier. Burton said. Tbe group became known she has a unique advantage over the The park was hosting a folk music as The Kentucky Standard Band. average physical therapist. "I know the Burton's musical career took off as festival on this particular visit when problems performers face. Fatigue is a common problem artists face," she said. her interest in physical therapy also Alice says she heard it for the first time. "I heard this distinctive instrument and "For any moment you can rest while took flight. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a BA in performing-even a few seconds-do I thought. 'Wba~ is that?' It was totally Physical Therapy in 1993. For Burton, it. Let your posture rest. It can make all different from anything I'd ever heard before." She followed the music to its music is both therapy and a hobby, and the difference in the world between source and that turned out to be a hamit wasn't long until fellow musicians getting hurt and not getting hurt," Burmered dulcimer played by Jay Round. were seeking her advice. Not advice ton said. Burton's plans for the near future " I have to have one of those'" she said. regarding hammered dulcimers or music; these were questions on how to include devoting more of her talents to That was in 1973. Alice's enthusiasm and interest in reduce fatigue, treat sore muscles, treating and helping performance folk music remained high, but for tbe aching backs and other performanceartists and musicians. One goal she's next dozen years and three states, her related ailments and injuries. pursuing is to spend time in her employer's outpatient clinic in Floyds focus was on home, family, and jobs. Nancy sent a lot of people her way at She had little time to devote to pursuKentucky Music Week, an annual folk Knob, Indiana, working with artists, ing music. music program organized by Nancy, providing both therapy and education By tbe mid-1980s, Alice rediscovered that's part educational and part festivai. on avoiding injuries. the hammered dulcimer quite by acciThe inquiries helped focus Burton's In the meantime, she's got plenty of dent. A newspaper notice for mountain attention to the idea of specializing in irons in the fire between family responsibilities, recording time in the studio, treating performance-related injuries. dulcimer classes attracted her interest. She packed up her decade-old mounAt last year's Kentucky Music Week, performing with tbe band, and therapist tain dulcimer and took it to the class Burton set up a booth to help educate roles. She's got a full plate-but one fellow musicians to the benefits of theroffered by Nancy Johnson Barker. In that leaves her happy. She recently began playing a bowed discussing the class with her prospective apy and exercise to avoid injury, pain dulcimer-named Louise-and awaits students, Nancy mentioned that Blake and strains. She also put together a 30minute presentation called "Prevention delivery of a larger, five-octave hamBarker was also a musician who played the hammered dulcimer. "That's what T of Injuries to Musicians," complete mered dulcimer that' ll feature birdseye maple and flam ingo-shaped soundwant to learn," Alice told Nancy, who with exercise tips and a discussion arranged for Alice to get five two-hour holes. The new dulcimer's name? "It's about cumulative trauma and Carpal lessons. gotta be 'Thelma.' I've already got Tunnel Syndrome. She has since joined Alice purchased a used kit-assemthe Performing Artists Special Interest Louise." 0 bled hammered dulcimer for her Group with the American Physical lessons, which featured one new song to Therapy Association, the national orgaAlice Burton 497 Plum Run Rd. learn at each session. "I had to learn nization for therapists. Bardstown ICY 40004 the songs by heart," she said. "The first During this time, Burton learned to Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com week I ani had one son to lav over 502/348-0599 â&#x20AC;˘ Lilpt aoi.com take her own medicine as a performer

22 â&#x20AC;˘ Dulcimer Players News

Contributed by Ed Trickett and Sandy and Caroline Paton

one of the first performers on WFMT's ' Midnight Special' when it was a live program hosted by Mike Nichols, and she guest hosted many times after Norm Pellegrini took over. My great regret is that Gerry did not do more solo recording." Studs Terkel was quoted in the Chicago Tribune as saying: "Gerry had a voice of soaring purity. If you needed to cast someone to sing the role of the Virgin Mary, it would have to be Gerry."

hen Gerry Armstrong died in August, 1999, she left us a legacy of songs, stories, and appreciation for traditional music continuously created and recreated for over fifty years. Through the decades she shared her beautiful and true soprano voice, singing ballads of the McPeake's, songs learned from Frank Proffitt at his North Carolina home, or from wandering friends such as the Beers family. erry and George passed on their profound love of tradition and music to tbeir daughters, and, through them , She was a radiant and beautiful person and a loving and to their grandchildren. Gerry is still a warm and living deeply treasured friend . She was also a gifted singer and musipresence in tbe lives of all who knew her. cian (playing guitar and mountain dulcimer), a wonderful At Dave Para and Cathy Barton's Big Muddy festival in story-teller, and a talented craftsperson,who made cornhusk Boonville, Missouri in April, 1998, she did a wonderful dolls and other mountain crafts. She was a gracious and natural hostess. She hosted the first " Golden Ring" weekend in evening concert set of stories, ballads, and lap dulcimer play1963 and, without a doubt, hundreds of other folk gatherings ing, including Golden Ring's ')<\round My Susan Girl." It was over the years. She was the warm center of them all, never too busy or too tired to open her home and her heart to friends and traveling folk musicians. With her husband, George, and daugbters, Rebecca and Jennifer, she provided a folk haven in From a musician's hand Wilmette, Illinois, for many people over the years. Ed Trickett writes of his first visit to Gerry, almost forty years ago, in the company of Howie Mitchell. She had song words pasted over the sink in the kitchen, a tape recorder ready to be activated at the sound of a song, and a cheerful Fine lnstruments from demeanor to face whatever happened. These things remained Dulcimettes to Baritones since 1970 throughout her life. Joel Mabus wrote: "The Golden Ring was a group of friends who recorded several albums for Folk-Legacy. These CAPOS: were landmark recordings in the folk movement. Folk music was reclaimed from tbe big names and hyped record compaWalnut or Cherry, $12 Ebony or Rosewood wI nies and all the boo-ha. It was real people, with human talPearl Snowflake. $16 ents singing real songs with no pretense of stardom nor any Gold or Black bookish claim of authenticity. It set the tone for a whole genAluminum, $20 eration of singers in the 1970s who kept the flam e alive when All Prices Postpaid commercial folk music retreated to the corners of church basements and America went disco. It inspired countless lovers of song to try their own voices on for size. The Golden Ring was un-hyped then and remains so today. But it still shines. Maybe that's why I am so sure it is real gold. Gerry Send SAS E for brochure was a lovely lady and she is missed." Rich Warren, of WFMT in Chicago, wrote: "The beauty of Gerry Armstrong was not only her voice, but her attitude, 224 E. Maynard, Columbus, OH 43202 that the song was more important than the singer. She did www.ronewingdulcimers.com do notin reprint or redistribute dpn@dpnews.com the Chicago area,without permission. Contact614-263-7246 everything possible to fosterPlease folk music . .

'Ron owing 1Julctmers

Winler 2000 â&#x20AC;˘ 23

pure Gerry, wrapped in the wo rld of fa iry tales and fantasy, spinning ballads of untoward happenings, making the foot tap to the dulcimer. She was doing what she did best and with great joy. Bob Dyer had just written a song called "One Last Time," which he sang after hours. His last verse can help us think of Gerry. "They say that there's a dancin' place we go to wh en we die,

And we know it when we get there, and we'll dance there one last time. And we' ll feel the earth release us, and we'll spread our spirit wings, And our voices will remember how to sing the

song we're singin' one last time." In October, 1999 a Memorial Concert was held for Gerry. What better way to say farewell to a beloved friend than to sing her o n her way? For, truly, her life Haws on in endless song. 0

Gerry Armstrong with her husband George and daughters Rebecca and Jennifer. Circa late 19605.

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24 â&#x20AC;˘ Dulcimer Players News

If you are meeting Malcolm Dalglish for the first time, welf like to tell you that Malcolm Dalglis!!. along with Grey Larsen and, later, Pete Sutherland, was a great influence on a generation of dulcimer players in the 1970's. In the ensuing years Malcolm's work has diversified into theater and compositionyet the hammered dulcimer remains a primary focus of his music. What was your perfoming experience before you got into dulcimers? Mostly theate r, except for an early fifth and sixth grade experience with the American Boychoir in New Jersey, which was very formative. We performed all over the world, working with major orcbestras, and powerful directors like Leonard Bernstein and E ric Leinsdorf. We went through a lot of repertoire, and I was good at learning by ear, so the mu ic really became a part of me. The voice is an instrument you can't just put away, like a trum pe t after your high school band days are over. It stays with you. The re wasn't much music wbere I went to high school so I became more involved in theater. At Oberlin College, I joined a really exciting experimental th eater group. We did a lo t of stuff th at was very obtuse and not what you'd call " for the audience." We experimented a 101 with vocalizations that went beyond words and language. These emotive so unds were inherently musical. Well, the experience opened up a desire to do something more "for the audience"" . something with roots, and something with sound. That's when folk music and the hammer dulcimer came along.

You encountered the dulcimer In ,our undergraduate wears?

Must be hard to keep that _ In tw.! So you just saw one, n then bull your first dulcImer? It wasn't that easy. I went back to Oberlin, and I drew up a lot of plans, actually multiple, optional, versions of plans, all from memory. Then I sent them to Guy Carawan, Bill Spence, and o ther people I knew who played dulcimer. I had little blanks for them to fill in the measurements. " Do the strings go this way or this way?" J was trying to make it easy for them. We ll, to sit down and sort thro ugh those illustrated conjectures would easily have taken up the better pan of an evening. Maybe some of those dimensions didn 't eve n exist. Nobody filled out the fo rm. I did get some replies and some tips o n where to go for more info. I found Howie Mitchell's book How /0 Bu;ki a Hammer Dulcimer, describing the building of something like fifteen dulcimers, eacb one having problems. I found this process of "how no t to build a dulcimer" coupled with a pamphlet by Sam Rizzetta on how to build one in two hours; just what I needed to design my first o ne. Whicb I did for a month-long winter term project at Oberlin College. I didn't know how to use woodworking tools very well, so some of the joints I made with a hacksaw. It was huge and way overbuilt, with five strings per course, and a soundboard donated by the Baldwin Piano Company. One thing led to another. I dropped b ut of Oberlin. Got fired from my gig as a night time manager of a chili joint in Cincinnati, started building dulcimers for a living, and built about sixty of them in a period of three or four years, experimenting with different designs. Pretty soon I got a job playing one in a pizza joint. Finally, I did a recording of Irish tunes witb Grey Larse n called Banish Misfortune. Eventually, we had a record ing and performing career happening, and I didn 't have enough time to build anymore.

f no

~N INlfRVlfW WITH N.~[on R08IN~ON â&#x20AC;˘

What . . . JIIU back to sIngIng? When I began performing and going to festivals, I'd hear different singing groups using differe nt kinds of vocal textures. I was attracted to the Word of Mo uth Chorus from Vermo nt, led by Larry Gordon. They sang in a ve ry pure style, not classica l and not pop, but with a very hard-edged sound. It was a non-blended type of texture, really gutsy. I was moved by this kind of folk choir sound with its raw musicality and a personality that really seemed to Hes h out the vast poetry of those early hymns. I enjoyed the use of the voice as an instrument, drawing inspiratio n from Bobby McFerrin, and other singers who play with a broad pa llette of vocal sounds.

Yes, I was working as a carpenter in Tennessee o ne summer, a nd I saw Guy Carawa n playing a hammer dulcimer at a music fes tival. As an acto r, I felt that I was going to be spending a lot of time wai ting for a part, possibly literally waitHow dId you learn tunes on the dlKImer? ing on tables, so I tho ught, "What betI'd listen to recordings, mostly o f te r way to cope with a life o n ho ld than to have a really fun instrument to filJ Irish tunes, a nd slow them down, maybe Were JIIU sIngIng with Met..a at thIs ....1 those empty moments." D idPlease you know draw some dots to grab th e contour of do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com Yes. Grev Larsen. Pete Sutherland. and I Whoopi Goldben! keeps a hammer dul- the tune. but I'd alwavs sine them out a

路

_ .

cimer in her bathroom?

little bit.

liked to sing in our concerts. Hymns, folk

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Winter 2000 â&#x20AC;˘ 25

HMMfR: MRlCDlM

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HlOOMIN6TON, INOIRNR

before I can work it out. In one sense, it's kind o(a crippling feeling, but in another sense, it's a process that renders something that's really organic, connected, and alive because it's born out of play. The tools of our modem communication technology, things like tapes, videos, and digitized information, are in many ways better suited to the transfer of these structures than the written page. Folk music looks way too complicated when you try to capture its essence on a page. It's hard to read through my scores and get the true fun of the music. My songs are like playground equipment, you can't be holding a piece of paper with instructions.

How did you deIeIop your technique 0II1he hammer dulcimer?

songs, original singer-songwriter stuff, and some ballads, but we were known mostly as an instrumental group.

DId you ever study composition ... U-y? Once I was out gigging with the dulcimer, I decided to get serious abou t a career and applied to the Conservatory in Cincinnati. The admissions guy carne to my gig at the restaurant and accepted me on the spot. I studied some theory there bu~ never composition. The composing grew out the way I learn music which is very imitative, monkey see monkey do. By the time I'd figured out a bunch of tunes, usually from other instruments and newly arranged for the dulcimer, the process of invention was underway so it was a short leap to coming up with original tunes. I learn in a tactile way; I like to have something in my hands, or in my voice, or in my imagination,

Mostly through imitation and improvisation. When 1 imitate other instruments on the dulcimer I fail but in that failure 1 discover new sounds that are inherently dulcimer. The dulcimer is set up so that it's easy to recognize arpeggiated patterns. I found Irish tunes very accessible on the dulcimer because the melodies are constructed of very danceable arpeggios. The trick of embellishing the melodies improvisationally was difficult to do with the freedom of a fiddler. I learned some wonderful techniques in that process though. The more I played, the more I wanted to explore the possibilities of the dulcimer as a percussion instrument; playing things on it that were easy to do on this instrument, that were more difficult to do on other instruments. I tried to find the true voice of the dulcimer; what it does that's easy, yet extremely musical. I think the most important thing on any instrument is to discover what it wants to sing.

So what's the Inherent sound of the hammer dulcimer, and how do you ~0II1t?

It's a drum with a high end, a very bright ringing attack, and a mysterious and long decay. It's really fun to let these left-right mallet feet go hog wild, but what's fun to play is not always fun to listen to. Fast melody leaves a trail of sustain that can be pleasing but if you get too busy with your melody and har-

mony and rhythm you lose that mystery. You're kind of thunking around in a big wash of sustain, trying to collect your saliva. I developed a way of visualizing the instrument through what I call "constellations." When you look at the stars, you see this chaos of twinkles up there not unlike the chaos of strings on a dulcimer. I pick out the points of impact that create a chord or sonority and connect the dots. I then have a constellation shape. 1 play on that constellation shape as though it were a drum. I simplify the harmony in order to intensify the rhythmic story, or I simplify the rhythm in order to bring out the purity of the melody. It's all a give and take with the wonderful limitations of the instrument. Its also nice to leave some holes where that mystery of decay and clarity of attack can be enjoyed. Imagine the mirrored surface of a lake. Too much thrashing around and you never experience the amazing visual of geese landing or taking off. I love these dulcimer metaphors. Some of my favorites come from dulcimer haters who liken the sound to a wild and abandoned set of rusty bedsprings or the sound of a birdcage falling down the stairs!

How do you compose music 011 the dulcimer? I deal with the terrain of what's available on the instrument, and corne up with voices and ideas through discovery on the instrument. It's a process not unlike when you want to build a fire; going out into the woods and collecting kindling, you say, "Oh, this'll work, 1 could use this, this is good," and you bring it back. You don't know how you're going to use it, until you build something out of it. It's a gathering process, rather than one where you invent right out of your head. Most of my pieces I arrive at through improvising. When I improvise I try to create moments with those new discovered sounds, moments that can later be found in full-blown compositions. I keep tapes of my improvisations. When I'm looking for a way to start a tune, I will listen to some of them. In perhaps

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conanued on next page

26 â&#x20AC;˘ Dulcimer Players News

Winter 2000 â&#x20AC;˘ 26

an hour or so, of just playing around on the dulcimer, I'll find a way to connect these moments or at least a context for creating new material. Pretty soon I will have constructed a tour with scenic viewpoints, returnings, developments,

and all that compositional stuff that transports a listener.

You rely on an Intuitive approach? I really do, and on falling down and picking myself up again. I guess it's the art of capturing an idea and developing it. You ask yourself, "Why did I like that? What was it? What was it that made that work?" You put it together and then you use it somehow. When I was building dulcimers, I can remember spending four weeks building six dulcimers that pulled apart, and never amounted to anything. I tried a new idea, and that idea was a total flop but I learned in the process.

Jogging the Memory Is a pretty Innovative CD of Instrumental pieces for solo hammer dulCimer, what was the process In creating that? Jogging tire Memory was a process where I was just experimenting with the sounds that the dulcimer could make. Playing some of the Irish tunes on the dulcimer was fun, but I wanted to expand on that a little bit, and make a theatrical experience that was fun to listen to, and where the dulcimer could take you on a journey. Working with multitrack, I would record something I really liked, improvise until I came up with the next phrase, and then connect them. I look at improvisation as not so much a thing that I enjoy listening to; I like doing it. It's a wild forest of ideas that you can walk into, and get lost in, and have a good time. I like the tension and release of structure and lack of structure that occurs in music. I get an idea, and I set that down, get another idea, and set that down. When it's an actual performance, you're telling a story live, and a lot of other things can come into play. People are watching people; they're seeing someone transformed from a human being into a storyteller, or a clown, or a zombie, or a bad guy. In performance, that happens,

and it captivates us. I always feel great when the music is transforming. An improvisation can be used in a lot of different ways. It can be used as a leaming technique. You discover something, perhaps dampening one string while plucking another. It might be very awkward, and perhaps not musical. So you work on it. It can be just an impressive technique that never gets musical but in the process you might learn some new ideas about the instrument. But you will never find it unless you go through this process of searching.

What are your sources of Inspiration? I listen to everything from The Beatles to Igor Stravinsky, Vaughn Williams to Egberta Gismonti from Brazil, Alex De Grassi on guitar. I listen to vocal groups like Zap Mama, Sweet Honey in the Rock; fiddlers like Kevin Burke, Martin Hayes, singer-songwriters like Greg Brown, and musicians who are household names in my own community of Bloomington, Indiana. J like music that creates a living theatrical world, not just an atmosphere. I think we're moved not necessarily by technical prowess, but by the music's poetry, how it draws some connection between our lives and the world, between our feet and the floor, between our experiences and what we recall later.

How did you arrive at working with choirs? It seems like an out-of-the-ordlnary combination, dulcimer and choir. I like hymns and what hymns are about; getting a community of people singing in a group about the big stuff that's important to them. J also liked the pure straight sound I remember from the Boychoir. I thought it would be really interesting to write some vocal music calling for those sounds and that texture. J thought it'd he very spiritually rewarding. I didn't have any other expectations. Hymnody of Eartlr was the first choral work I did. First, I went through all my records and CDs, those where I really liked the singing. I made a tape that had different sacred styles of singing, from Georgia Sea Island singers to Bulgarian and Balkan women's choirs, Georgian men's choirs,

Word of Mouth Chorus to Irish singers. I had nothing to go on, in terms of the text, until I read some of Wendell Berry's poetry. I thought that his poetry had a formal eloquence that could easily take flight into hymn song. So I set to work putting his poetry to music. This was quite a different process from arranging chords behind a folksong and quite a dramatic and personal way of experiencing poetry. I would read the poem into a tape recorder, in a way that seemed to have the most meaning to me. I would then morph these spoken rhythms and the pitch fluctuations into an improvised song that I might later color with harmonies or fragment their syntax with counterpoint. Each song had a different recipe. Some of the songs were settings of Shaker hymns. One song, " How Long the Watchman," a song about the apocalypse, borrows from two different sources; a Sea Island African-American tradition and a Southern white spiritual.

You didn't actually compose, or write the music of these songs down? No, I recorded them, with multiple retakes and overdubbing. I started off just singing, creating a melodic line. Then I would add another voice, weaving a melodic musical idea around each section. I slowly worked the sections together, and the sequencing. The actual writing down was the final step. I had the initial batch of songs transcribed by Peter Strickholm, here in Bloomington. I then, through a process of proofreading and imitation, started transcribing the tapes myself, which was exhausting for the harely literate musician that I was. Hymnody of Earth, which is a cycle of nineteen songs, was completed in 1990. I've just made a new revised recording of it with my group the Ooolites. We recorded a second CD of choral works called Pleasure at the same time.

How did Pleasure come about? I decided that I wanted to make another choir recording using songs born out of folk music. Pleasure has story ballads, mouth music, lullabies, laments, old hymns, and dance songs. I

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Winter 2000 â&#x20AC;˘ Xl

brought together some of the most powerful young folk singers I'd ever worked with to record it. That's how the Ooolites came into being.

What is an ''OooIlte?'' An oolite with two a's is a spherical particle with concentric layers found in the famous bedrock limestone of southern Indiana. Add another a on the front and you have a singing sound. That would be us.

=: :e.::c:n;?

Pleasure

No, maybe a third of them were written frofll scratch, like the title cut, but they all have folk connections and stories like "Quil '0 Quay," the scary tale of a monster wild boar that I learned from Nimrod Workman, an Appalachian coal miner, who learned it from his Cherokee Indian grandfat~er, who fought in the Civil War. He Malcolm with members of the Ooolites. sang the song in this real hard nasal tone, that high and lonesome Roscoe Holcomb kind of Is "Pegasus" an original foIkÂˇbased song? sound. The Ooolite girls bring this real Well, there's a little scrap of melody chesty hard sound of a Balkan women's there from a fourteenth-century laude, chorus into the song and it really works. which was a kind of Italian folk song. Then there is my story based on a ScotMany of my songs launch the singers tish legend, "The Selchie and the Fishinto free-style Celtic-sounding mouth erman,u in which a seal assumes the music as in the title cut, "Pleasure," or form of a wild and beautiful woman. She the French-Canadian "Reel a Bouche." marries and eventually rescues her lover "Pegasus," a song about rising from the before returning to the sea. At one point depths of despair in dreams of flying, in this song the melodic line morphs takes off from this dark and modal into the vocal imitations of seals barkmelody of the laude and closes with an ing. A similar hound dog-barking thing ethereal flying carousel of horses in air, happens in "Bushy Thil." I try to make it with voices pulsing close to your ear on like a visual illustration rather than a the word air. The original laude was cutesy thing. There's an Ohio River sung in Latin. I liked the open vowels of roustabout song, "Bayou Sara," about a Latin but also enjoyed not knowing river boat disaster. [ use a detuned dulwhat the words meant, so [ went for cimer to mimic an old hanky-tonk piano instrumental sounds by using invented on that one. The finale turns this old syllables. "Swifts" was commissioned to American tune, "Sail Away," into a song be sung by a multi-generational festival of liberation ending in a big improvised choir in Naperville, Illinois. It had to be jam of voices, fiddle, flying feet, and easy, fun, and thematically connected to family. Using folk elements was a natuscrambling dulcimer notes.

ral. [ can remember going on hikes brainstorming lyrics into a mini-tape recorder, or

sitting in a school library where I was performing, combing through a thesaurus making lists of words related to flight.

Is any of this choir IIIIslc available? It's published with Plymouth Music in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Also, Boosey and Hawkes has three pieces. I've got my own publishing company, Ooolitic Music. Eventually, I hope to have every piece that I've written available in my dulcimer constellation tablature. I'm also going to make tapes of the dulcimer parts soloed out. What about your theatrIcal side

and the oneÂˇman show you do? The Wild, Wild Word Show, that I do in schools, is a celebration of imagination, language, and the connection between words and music, words and rhythm, and storytelling. I begin by juggling three tennis balls and drop them all so it's a total failure. r pick up the balls and say, "Maybe r can juggle with two balls on my arms, like this." My arms become a frog, and that develops into a story. We do things the kids can do; playing spoons and bones, making mouth music, and doing body percussion. The show explores the process of working out ideas, of being a little weird. I tell the story of writing "Jogging the Memory," where I'm working on the dulcimer, developing musical patterns. I get bored and drift into the kitchen, to look in the refrigerator for something good to eat. Then I go outside and fresh ideas come to me when I'm running and not even thinking about the music. I want to show the kids the way ideas come to you. The idea comes and you grab it, you dance it out

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con~nued

on next page

28 â&#x20AC;˘ Dulcimer Players News

..........

SELECTED RECORDINGS AND VIDEOS BY MALCOLM DALGLlSH

IIIIiI:DIm DB/f1IIIII , fny I.8I18II Banish MisfrJrtune (COt 1977, June Appal The Rrst of Autumn (LP11978, June Appal Thunderhead (COt 1982, Flying FISh Metamora (Malcolm Dalglish, Grey Larsen & Pete Sutherland) Root Crops and Ground Cover (cassette tape) 1984, TarQuel Music Metamora (CD), 1985, Sugar Hill The Great Road (COt 1987, Sugar Hill Morning WBlk (COt 1988, Windham Hill

IfIIII:DIm o.Jt//IIII Jogging tire Memory (COt 1986, Windham Hill Hymnody of Earth: A Celebration of Songs for ChOir. Hammer Dulcimer & Percussion (CD), 1990, Music Masters Pleasure (CD), 1997, Ooolitic Music Hymnody of Earth (Revised) (CD), 1997, Ooolitic Music

Malcolm with Glen Velez or you write it down, oryou work with it; you don't let it just go away. So many kids are in a mode where they' ll collect stamps, or baseball cards, or coins, but they won't collect ideas, songs, or poems. I'm just trying to get them interested in the process of collecting these things. Once, when I was in Aspen, Colorado, a dog was charging at me. I opened up my coat, and I squealed really loud. It freaked the dog out; he turned around and took off. I thought, "Weirdness is a defense mechanism," I tell that story just so kids can see that it's okay to be different, just seeing things slightly differcntly, and holding on to new ideas that may seem silly in their embryonic stages. The whole idea of The Wild, Wild Word Show is tbat, this is what you do to entertain people, and move them in some way. This is not necessarily to impress people, but to move them, somehow. When you get into the idea of impressing people, that's when kids feel as though they have to do something difficult, rather than something that's poetic; something phenomenal rather than something that just makes a cunnection. ] use a whole potpourri of stories, rhyme, and rhythm. I show them how to play the spoons, bones) the dulcimer, and do body percussion in the context of a story.

VIIIIe IIIIiI:DIm DIIIf1/I$t Hymnody of Earth (Revised) (videot 1993, KET Enterprise The Selchie and the FISherman (videot 1997, Live Multimedia, Inc. SI nab Tuck Everlasting (video11981, Live Home Video The Story of Naomi Uemura (TV film), 1986 Raising Crane (video t 1988, Ooteck Productions A Souk Family Almanac (video), 1989, Ooteck Productions In Search of Angels (videot 1994, Perpetual Eucharistic What would you say is the message In your show? I like to spark kids to be expressive, and to follow the inclinations of their imaginations, I try to show that there is talent in the joy and love of doing something and one's tenacity to move and please an audience. Talent and genius do not reside in "sudden flashes of brilliance." I've had my sessions in schools with some of what would be conside red the rowdy crowd, or tbe kids that aren't into music, or those who can't maintain their attention span, or ones who don't conform to the teacher's rules of being quiet. I've had those kids light up to music, sometimes more instinctively to the things that I do, than some of the quicker and more accomplished "good music students." When you work with folk music, you work with music that's traveled the corridors of the oral tradition for a long time, and you're working with a material that kids want to be a pan of. They want to be a part of some kind of family, some ethnicity, some

place, some way of going about things. The sounds, textures, rhythms, dances, and shapes of things that occur in the structure of folk music have worn themselves into an accessibility that presents a dependable ride for the soul. 0

A graduate of Rutgers University, N. Scott Robinson performed on the Grammy Award winning CD, Harlem Renaissance with the Benny Carter Big Band He has also perlormed or recorded with Glen Velez, Marilyn Horne, Paul Winter Consort, Malcolm Oalglish, and Gerald Alston. He has studied with Peter Erskine, Glen Velez, William Moersch, Nana ihlsconcelos, Malcolm Oalglish and Keith Copeland, and was a faculty member of the Conservatory at Shenandoah University in Winchester. Virginia in 1996. He currently teaches at the Center for the Study of World Musics at Kent State University in Ohio. Contact Malcolm Oalglish at 1111 East Wylie Street, Bloomington, IN 47401. Phoneifax: BI2-333-0838. maldal@bluemarble.net.

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30 • Dulcimer Players News

HN INHRVI[W WITH liND" ~RD[KINTDN by Angela Oberkfell • Richmond Heights, Missouri " I have always marched to a different drummer and sometimes I find it hard to keep up with my music." This is the opening line to Linda Brockinton's book of verse, and a doorway to understanding her love of music and writing. In college Linda was a flute major. Although he still plays the flute, the magic of the mountain dulcimer captured Linda about nine years ago, when her husband bought her a dulcimer kit during their honeymoon at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. " For twenty years I played no music at all, so when I got my dulcimer, it was great! It was like a bottle of champagne tbat had been corked fo r twenty years. The music spewed forth and it is still coming! " If you thi nk you recognize Linda from her picture, per-

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haps you saw her at the Dulcimer Jamboree held each April in Mountain View, Arkansas. She loves the place and is quite the regu lar there. As you might have read in DPN, Linda placed second in the mountain dulcimer competition in April 1998 and she and her group placed in the ensemble contest that same year. In 1999 Linda plaeed first in the mountain dulcimer competition. Linda is not only a playe r and writer; she teaches dulcimer, too. Because she loves the sound of fingerpicking on the dulcimer, that's how she primarily plays her arrangements and teaches them to her twenty eager students. She enjoys the process of gathering together people of varied backgrounds and lifestyles a nd seeing what they bring to tbe music. She encourages them to push themselves to the next level instead of staying at their present "comfon level." In addition to teaching, Linda has formed a group called Heartstrings [formerly the Cotton Pickin' Dulcimer Pickers]. The group released their first recording in December, 1997 with the title, Quiet Reflection. "The recording is a collection of songs from the heart to soothe the soul. It's a soft blend of five mountain dulcimers, bass, flute, harp, mandolin and fiddle, playi ng a combination of Celtic, gospel and old-time favorites. I play the flute, dulcimer and Irish harp." While Linda enjoys Celtic tunes and hymns, she has been busy writing poem and ongs for a book called My Life in Vefle. " I play and write music just about every waking moment I'm not working. Many of these poems have songs to go with them; I hope someday to hear somebody else playing one of my songs." The tablature for morc of her works are

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"in the works." To purcbase her book of verse and music, or the cassette tape of Quiet ReflectiollS, you can contact her directly at: 3343 Wise Road, Alexander, Arkansas 72002, 501-316-2055. 0

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Winter 2000 • 31

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The SONGBIRD 16/15 WHIPPOORWILL

Simply a Great Dulcimer

Ask your retailer

Call for dealer nearest you 417-932-5140

Congratufations ! Larry Conger 1998 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion Thanks for playing and promoting McSpadden Mountain Dulcimers.

Larry joins a long line of National champions who have played McSpadden Dulcimers. For performances. workshops. books. recordings; Contact Larry at TNDulciman@aol.com call him at 901·642·6100 or write to PO Box 131 Paris. TN 38242 For the latest information about our dulcimers. improvements, and new products,

website; mcspaddendulcimers.com email;mcspadden@mvtel.net phone; 870.269·4313 fax; 870.269·5283

McSpaaaen Musica{ Instruments PO Box 1230 DPN • Mtn. View. AR 72560

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Eurotunes ished writing it down, a loca l fiddl e r identified my tune as a va riation on a lovely traditional Finnish waltz called " Me tsakukkia." Incidentally, the name, "Waltx," comes from a worki ng title that I used while passing the tune a round to a few frie nds; the name stuck. We'll explore the o riginal tune in a nothe r column late r in the yea r and then you'll have a tune and a variation to play for all yo ur waltzi ng fri e nds. I play this waltz using four equidista nt strings tuned D-A-d-c. However, it ca n be played using a D-A-c tuning as

by David [ Moore

We begin the last yea r of the century and the (real) yea r befo re the new millennium with a new tunc. The beginnings o f "Waltx" emerged from my dulcime r one cold January day. I knew I'd heard pa rts of the melody before but couldn't re me mber whe re. Bits and pieces fe ll into pl ace over the next few weeks and shortly after I fin-

we ll : simply ignore the notes on the lowe r inside tablature line. I have a 1+ fret on my du lcimer a nd use it in this tune. Again, this is an optio n. Although chords with the I + are richer sounding they can be adapted. In general if the 1 + is on eithe r th e 'D' o r 'd' strings , using the 4th fret will provide a substitute chord . If the 1 + is on the '.A: string, try using the open string instead. Please experiment with the chords and their positions. If wha t yo u play sounds good it is good . We'll meet again in the spring. 0

Waltx Metsakukkia Variation

D-A-d-c (1-5-8->7)

. ... ~

0 6 0 6

I I 17

4 10 10 15

0 10 10 13

I I I

4 0 0

4 0 3

I I I

â&#x20AC;˘

, t

Arrangement and Tablature: David r Moore

0 10 10 II

4 10 13 15

â&#x20AC;˘

5 I 6+ I 0 I

Arrangement and Tablature ÂŠ Copyright 1999, David T Moore Thank you for not photocopying this tune. (All Rights Reserved) Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

5 16+ 10 13

I I I

Winler 2000 • 35

I 0 I

-------

I 0 I 2

• 6+

T T T8

9 8

0 0 S

v 0 0 0 8

7 0 0 8

I I

SIS

. I

9 7

6 6

Ii Iii Iii

I_t;

. 4 0 4 5

4 0 0

I I

, 0 0 0 10

I SilO

-r

T T TS

4 10 14 7

....

3 4

I 0

3 2

Arrangemenl and Tablalure © Copyrighl J999, David T. Moore Thank you for not pholocopying this tune. (All Rights Reserved) Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

music continues on next page

36 • Dulcimer Players News

• 1+

3 15

.. A

-------

5 6+

0 3

• 5 6+ 0

10 10

I I 14

10 10

1 2

Ij"II-

~...

•

I I I

(JO

t 0 0 0

0 0 0 I

I I I

I 0 0

0 0 0

•

"f'"

...

9 A

0 10 0

10 0

Arrangement and Tablature © Copyright 1999, David T. Moore Thank you for not photocopying this tune. (All Rights Reserved) Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

II II II

Missigman Music

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Hammered Dulcimer Tales and Traditions by Paul Gifford

The Romanian Tanbal (continued) he Romanian tzambal is relatively uniform in design. It resembles the Ukrainian and Belarusian instruments in its thin base board and its lengthwise rails mortised into the pinblocks. Often tbe rails, which act as side walls, are inversely bowed. Sound holes are usually the center hole with six concentric holes, although ones with four concentric holes also exist. Bridges are normally of the chessman type, although composite bridges of the Hungarian type also occur. The older, "Romanian," tuning system utilizes the g#l/c#1 course which precedes the gl/cl course. Nine or ten courses go over the treble bridges, while eight to eleven courses go over the right-hand bass bridges. The older instruments often had five and even six strings per treble course and four strings for the upper eight or nine bass courses, but newer instruments use four strings per treble course. Brass wire is still used for both treble and bass strings. However, unlike Ukrainian instruments, the bottom two to four bass courses on the right and one to three bass courses over bridges on the lower left have two (rarely three) overspun strings per course. Because of the brass wire, Romanian instruments are shorter than Ukrainian ones, approximately 31-33 and 22-24 inches long and 14-16 inches wide. The strings are commonly dampened by the use of pieces of leather inserted at the point where they rest on the bridge rods and nuts, or by felt or cloth interwoven between the strings. Hammers are of the Hungarian type, with an upper notch at the handle and cotton wrapped at the playing ends. Shorter hammers are used for the small tzambal than those used on the large instrument. As on the instruments of the Ukraine and Belarus, a neck strap is usually attached to the instrument, which

/lie Alecu, Bucharest, 1998

allows musicians to play in the processions around the village before and after wedding ceremonies. One could purchase the small tzambal in music stores in the 1930s; during the Communist period, the "Doina" factory in Bucharest manufactured them. As the Hungarian cimbalom gained in popularity and availability during the mid-twentieth century, most players converted the tuning on the smaU instruments to "Hungarian" tuning. Thday the small instrument, although still in use, is no longer manufactured, although there are individuals who can make it.

he "Doina" factory also manufactured the Hungarian-style cimbalom, although it is said that Romanian players preferred either Hungarian-made instruments, or ones made by some of the factory workers who took parts and materials home to produce instruments of a higher quality. In Kishinev, Moldavian Republic, a factory manufactured copies of the Bohak cimbalom during the Soviet years. By the tum of the century, Romanian music had become fashionable in Lower

East Side restaurants and wine cellars catering to Jewish immigrants. I traced the career of one player, Joseph Moskowitz, born in 1879 in Galati, Romania. He learned the tzambal from his father, Moyshe Thimbler, who also taught him to read music. From the age of fourteen, he began to tour, accompanying a Jewish singing group. He played in a tavern in Lemberg (Lviv), then toured until 1906 with Osher Feierstein and Moyshe der Blinder through Galicia, Romania, Hungary, and Constantinople. In 1907 or 1908, he came to America with the Matus "Gypsy" ensemble, playing in hotels on a Schunda cimbalom he had purchased in Budapest. In 1914, he opened a restaurant in the Lower East Side, at which he played regularly. This restaurant, which, in the early 1930s featured a sign depicting the cimbalom, became an establishment well known for its Gypsy music and Romanian atmosphere. He sold out his share in 1936 and in the early 1950s played in Michel's Restaurant in Washington, D.C., with the resident Gypsy orchestra. Moskowitz made several recordings: with piano accompaniment, in 1916 for Victor; in 1927 for Columbia; and in 1954 on a long-playing record.

Winter 2000 • 39

Nicolae Fe;r'a:ru:,

:;~:;,.with Pavel Cedzan, taragot, and Romica Andras, accordion, Okemos, Michigan, 1990

Immigration of ethnic Romanians to the United States has heen mostly from Transylvania and Banat, where the tzambal is rarely played. Nevertheless, some players, mostly from Muntenia, have heen active in Romanian communities. For example, Selvestru Chercbel came to Detroit in the twenties and played his cimbalom, made in 1924 in Detroit by a Greek named Stratos Vatsardis, in a Romanian tavern. In Indiana Harbor, Indiana, the Transylvanian fiddler Nicu Hanzi played as a duo with his daughter, Victoria, on cimbalom. lancu "Borcea" G:arlig came to play at the 1939 New York World's Fair, and stayed in New York, Detroit, and Chicago, before returning to Romania in the 1950s. Nicolae Feraru, a virtuoso from Bucharest, came to Detroit in 1988 and still plays for Romanian weddings and dances in Chicago. 0

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g#1

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B1 (e1 = middle e on the piano)

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fifteen Hngerplcked songs Indudlng St. Louis Blues, Sweet Home Chicago, &. Maple Leaf R.3s arranged for four equi distant strings. CD· $15.00: Tab Book $15.00

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Sixteen songs Indudlng fiir Elise, The Entertainer, &. Cilreless Love arranged for three and four equidistant strings Cassette- $10.00: Tab Book· $10.00

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Songs And Tunes Of The Wilderness Road by Ralph Lee Smith with Afa3eUne MacNeil In 1775, Daniel Boone laid out the Wtlderness Road through southwestern Virginia, across fabled Cumberland Gap. and into Kentucky. For at least one hundred years, travelers in both directions laid down a nch sediment of song along this most famous of American trails. This book describes the Wilderness Road, complete with maps and a portfolio of photos, and provides music, guitar chords. and dulcimer tablature for sixteen old ballads and songs that have been found in the vicinity of the Road.

Book, $15.00

You Can Teach Yourself Hammered DulCimer The book begins at' the beginning. Maddie MacNeil carefully guides you through exploration of the instrument and some beginning tunes. Each of the twenty-five arrangements (for beginning to intermediate players) is illustrated with playing suggestions and instructions.

Book, $ 10.00 Book with CD, $18.00

Video, $30.00 Tape, $ 10.00

You Can Teach Yourself Dulcimer This book by Madeline MacNeil is a comprehensive learning experience with playing instruction for mountain dulcimer. Maddie takes the beginner from the basics to intermediate level playing.

Book, $10.00 CD, $16.00

MADELINE. MACNE.IL

AS liME GOES By

Video, $30.00 Tape, $10.00

As Time Goes By A lieU' CD by AfaiJewu: MacNeil Relea.Je Date: Afid-Fehrunry, 2(}()(} With Ralph Gordon (string bass, cello), Seth Austen (guitar), Guy George (soprano saxophone), Steve Schneider (piano, accordion), Janita Baker (mountain dulcimer), and Rob Brereton (mountain dulcimer) Somewhere Over the Rainbow, As Time Goes By, My Shing Hour, In the Wee SmalJ Hours of the Morning, Just One of Those Things, When I Fall In Love, Stormy Weather, Takes My Breath Away, The Urge for Going, My Father, Here's That Rainy Day, Autumn Leaves

CD, $15.00

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Shipping (U.S.), $2.50.50. for each additional item. Ask us about overseas shipping rates.

Phone: 540/678-1305

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Mail: Roots & Branches Music, PO Box2164,Winchester, VA 22604 Our mailins li.t it u.ed solely by Root. it BranchH Mu.ic for catalog and performance mailings only. Name. an never told or shand in anyway. Please lel us ImOON if you wi.h your name removed from our litl.

Roots(\. Bral1ll11" j,

Oil till' \\

t·!.

\\U,il .It:

\\ \\ \\ .dplll·" '.l om / .-iHlll1sil

~**~~****~**~~**~~~~* Maureen Sellers ~

* * * * ~

* ~ ~

* ~

** * * * ~

presents

~ ~

Simply Gospel Three ~ A Mountain Dulcimer Tablature Book- $10.00

Simply Gospel One Simply Gospel Two $10.00 each My Teaching Book- $10.00 Book & companion tape- $18.00 (The book I teach from at the universities.)

Simply Remembered- $10.00 Songs ofthe Civil War- $12.00 Fretboard Companion- $5.00 Chord Chart- $2.00

~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~

Maureen, Stella & the boys- cassette only-$1 0.00

Send $2.00 each lor shipping & handling plus $1 .00 lor each additional item. IN residents add 5% sales tax . Maureen SaUers, LLC 4708 Corydon Pike. New Albany. IN 47150 E-Mail- MaureenSel@AOL_com For wor1<. ~opslperformance.(812)945-9094 htlp:/lwww.webpub.com/jhagee/maureen.hlm

~ ~

* ~

Hammered Dulcimer: Cloud 9, Masterworks, Dusty Strings, Chris Foss, & Rick Thurn. Mountain Dulcimer: McSpadden, Hill Country, Keith Young, Ray Chittum, & Blue Lion. Harp: Triplett, Dusty Strings, & Stoney End. Autoharp: Oscar Schmidt & Keith Young. Bouzouki & Ci/fern: W.A. Peterson. Clawhammer Banjo: Deering, Chanterelle Banjo Company, & Wunder Banjo Company. Lots of Recordings, Instructional Books Cases Stands, Tuners, Hammers, Pennywhist1~s etc. ' WWW.RIVERSONGMUSICSHOPPE.COM melbarb@bright.net TOLL FREE ORDER NUMBER 1-888-382-9274 Free UPS ground shipping on orders over $]00.00 Soutbem Obio Dulcimer Festival May 27 & 28, 2000 New Location ••. Elementary Scbool

Hymn. of Faith 21 tunes - book only S7.95 book/lape combo S15.50

September On The Mississippi 18 Innes - book only $6.95 Fiat-picked Fiddle Tune. For Mountain Dulcimer 32 tunes - book only S9.95 book/lape combo S18.50

Spiritual. From Black America 28 Innes - book only S8.95 book/lape combo S16.50

professionally arranged and typeset including lablature, slandard musical nolation and guitar chords please add SI.OO per item for shipping send orders to

~ ~ ~

el)\I" /:(1'\ 111)\

~~~~~~~*~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~

River Song Music Shoppe nd 7 North 2 Street Ripley, Ohio 45167 937-392-9274

Chri.tma. with the Dulcimer 20 tunes - book only $6.95 book/lape combo S13.50

i:r

by Larry Conger 1998 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion

\11

SII"

I' () I:, \ I (I I' I '\ ' \ ' I '

Six models available from $20· $35, including the new Ebony EdJ.'c hammer which features a strip of ebony on one striking edge, and leather on the other.

Five woods to choose from_ Custom hammers made from your choice of any wood. DM(" inquiries invited. Send for free details

alii photos to:

Joyful Noise Music 6141 Wildwood Drive. Rapid CilY. SO 57102 PH r605) 355 9883 E-mail: Jcwlulnolsemuslc@Juno_com

42 â&#x20AC;˘ Dulcimer Players News

Adoramus Te ChrLste ~

Th Dubois Arr. NAM Arranged by Donna Missigman

Adagio G

A 3;

D A A# D

1p 2m 2

ra - mus

Chris

2 0

1m 1 1 l'

be - ne - di

ci-mus 3

1p 1m 1 2m 2 13 3 1 1 31

bbbdUbUJU

"' ~

0 0

0 1m

bi,

3 1p 1 2m 2 2 31 3

0 2m

1 2

fa - mus

2 1

2 2

Chris

"' ~

.......

tJ et

be-ne-di

ci - mus 3

0 1m 1

2 1

2 3

bi,

Qui

a per sane - tum 0 1 1 1 5 1 1 1 2p

Dsus4

U::b:JU~U

"" ~

F .L

, ern

1m 0

cern

4p 4

4 6

re 1

de - mis

1 3

2 3

dum,

mun

2 2

2 3

3 1 2 2 3

Winter 2000 â&#x20AC;˘ 43

do 3

2 3

.....

2 3

.....

te 2

------bi, 0

3 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 1m 2m 2 2 3r 2r 3 3

1 1

1':\

-,j

-t V

ra - mus

Chris 3i

-,j

1':\

-,j

1 1

Largo -,j

ci - mus

0 1

be- ne-di

te 2

2 2

Chris 3 3

---- -

ti 1i

ra - mus

2 3

teo 3i

by Donna Missigman Laporte, Pennsylvania

IWhile

leafing th rough the St. Gregory Hymnal in preparation for the Good Friday liturgy, I found Th. Dubois' setting of ''Adoramus Te Christe," a rranged by Nicola Montani for keyboard instruments. In the Roman Catholic tradition, Good Friday is the only day of the year when the mass is not celebrated. Instead, the Passion, from the garden at Gethsemane to the crucifixion, is read , the cross is venerated, and the service begins and ends in silence. During the ve neration several songs can be sung. Two of the most common are "Were Yo u T here" and ''Adoramus Te." A quick transla tion is: We adore you, 0 Christ, and we praise you because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world. This arrange ment for 4-string fretted dulcimer tuned to DAA#D is mostly fi ngerpicked wi th an occasional strum across all strings. A 3-string a rrangeme nt wit h a guitar fi lling in the chords also works, but a 4-stri ng arrangemen t offers more harmonic possibilities fo r a soloist. If you sing, you may want to play less of the melody line and do the chordal backup to your voice. T he chords are from Montani 's arrangement, which is now in the public domain. The tempo is adagio (slow) followed by two measures of largo (very slow, usually with great expressiveness). My goal

when performing this piece is to play the melody as clearly as possible and to flow smoothly from one chord to the next. A lot of sliding from one chord to the next is necessary, so try to move the left ha nd without lifting it. I hope that the fin ge ring I've suggested will he lp. If you're comfortable wi th barre chords, the Cm chord can be barred with the little finger at the 1st fret, leaving the index finger to play the 3rd fret on the bass string. This is just an option, and if you don't have the finger strength to barre the melody note clearly, then stay with the traditional fi ngering. Aside from being an important liturgical composition, this is an example of ancient music that works very well on fretted dulcimer. I hope you find it both challenging and rewarding to play. 0

Donna Missigman has released four recordings for hammered dulcimer: Lullaby, Old Grey Stones, Wanderings, and Snow on the Mountain. Donna Missigman Box 6, Laporte PA 18626 ddulcimcr@aol.com

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The Dulcimer Shop 444 West 4th Street Bo", 1005 Capit<ln. New Mexico 88316-1005

505/ 354-2086 www.ciulcimershop.com e-nud!: ke

alcln@zianet.c:om

(616) 853-6371 HARPMAKING MADE SIMPLE - A timeless

'\Pooci

:It.

And SOll/

leann;e Tomanlca 8250 MI. Garfield NuniciiJ, MI 49448

Ql1lmerma.\c.et

CATALOGUE AVAILABLE

book about harpma~ing. ( 92 pgs.) FUll-SIZE plans for al 3 harps. Easy to follow with almOst 100 photos. Using just a jig saw , fouter , and drill press, you can build a harp in 1I~20 hrs. Min.. mal WQOdworking skills required . You can buy read lty avallabte lumber loca lly, we can supply sllings, precision-geared tunefs, and hardware. You can buUd the largest 36 siting harp for about $200 com::r. Concert tone and superb design . "you like to with wood, this Is it . A fun and easy project. $25 + $3 S&H. JOHN KOVAC, HARPMAKER , 148 E. HIGH SPRUCE RO .. FRONT ROYAL, VA 22630. Visa and MC acce ed.

Winter 2000 • 45

*' UCfE!E IEtnU(LIUCfE!E IMUciC ~ I I by Kim Murley Plymouth, Michigan lOUring a few months of the time I lived in Taipei, Taiwan, I rented space In a second-story apartment on East Nanking Road. The people in the apartment below repaired pachinko ga mes. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, pachinko is a kind of Japanese pinball. The machines stand vertically and the player pours a cup full of small metal balls in at the top. Using control knobs, the player affects how the balls fall through the machine. Pachinko parlors are bright noisy places-ftuorescentlights, bright colors, metal balls hitting machine

parts, and music. Each game plays a simple melody. The hypnotic effect is evident in the players who sit for hours

staring at the machine in front of them and moving only their hands. In the evenings, the repair folks downstairs would fire up these games. Since the games were broken, I often heard one tune fragment over and over. Sometimes a machine would get stuck on a si ngle note for minutes (which could seem like hours) at a time. Since this was usua lly going on when I turned in for th e night, this jumble of sounds served as a kind of crazy Taiwanese lullaby for me. The fragments worked themselves into my head and one afternoon came out on the dulcimer as a complete piece in North American fiddle 'tune format. I used to play with the Starry Night Ramblers String Band and we found it worked great for contra dances. In concert, I usually do one time through one B part as a drone on

the C note to mimic the stuck note idea. The finished tune was a gem for busking. I played in the tunnels under Taiwan's major intersections and pachinko addicts would respond to the melody by reaching deeply in their pockets and tossing me spare change. 0

•

Digital 8 - 16 track recOfd~

•

Digital eciting and post -production

•

On·location recOfding available

• SpeClalzrg'" acoustic rrusic

Foe more nformation: Seth Austen 3 Pork Hi! Road

WatecV.age Ossipee. NH 03864

603-539-8301

bOBgOBlfn-st:one;y er.1O Makers and sellers of fine musical instruments

Ac_ BB Hammers .......................... 29 Colorado Case Company .... . ....... . ... l 7 J ames M . Rolph (Dulcimer Pickups) .. .. .. 46 J oyful Noise Music . ... ... ... ...... . .... 4 1 Main Street Case Company .............. 46 Timeless Glass ..... ... ... ... ....• .... .. 29 Val-Ewe Crafts ................. . • . ..... 39 Wood and Soul .................. . . .. .. 44

.. MagazI.... - . Anna Barry . .... ... .. .... ..• •..••. . . . .. 37 Bernie Stalls ............•...•........•• 1.8 Congergation Music ....••. • • • •••••..... 4 1

Debbie Porter .........•.. . .•...• . ..... 47 Don Pcdi ... . ......... . .... . ...•...... 1.7 Doofus Music ...•...... • •... • ...•...••• L8

Hogfiddle Press ........................ l7

J anita Baker ........ . .... . ............ 40

We make: Folk harps Mountain dulcimers Mountain banjos Bodhrans We provide: Flutes Pennywhistles Bagpipes Hammered dulcimers Mandolin family Free reed instruments How-to-play books Tune and song books

Karen Mue ller ..............•.... . ..... 33 Unda Thomas .............. . ..•••..... 13 Maide n Creek Dulcimers .....•...•...... 32 Malcolm Dalgl ish .. . ................... 29 Ma rk Wade ................. • ..•••..... 11 Ma ureen Sellers ............•....•..... 4 1 Mel Bay Publications .... .. ..•...• . ..... 14 Michael Shull .......................... 37 Missigman Music ... . ..... . ..... . . . ..... 37 Off·The-Wall Dulcimer Society ..... . ..... 44 Owl Mountain Music ............. . ..... 19 R ick Thurn ............................ 16 Roots & Branches Music ............. Insert Shelley Stevens ... .. ............. . .... . 29 Steve Schneider ............... , ........ 13 Sue Carpente r ...... .. ••. ... ... Inside Back Susan Trump ..... .......... , .......... 20

Festivals C hestnut Ridge Dulcimer Festival ......... 5 Common Ground on the Hill ..... . ........ 9 Dulcime r Association of Albany ........... 5 Heartland Dulcimer Camp ....... , .. , ..... 9 Mardi Gras Dulcimer Festival ............. 4 Northeast Dulcime r Symposium ........... 8 Nonesuch Dulcime r Club ................. 8 Old Capitallfaditional Music Festival ..... , 3 O ld lYmc Music Festival ........ Inside Back Ozark Folk Center ...................... 3 Roscoe Village Dulcimer Days .... . ....... 7 Shady Grove Dulcimer Camp ............. 9 Southe rn Ohio Dulcimer Festival .......... 4 Southwest Dulcimer Festival .............. 6 Thnnessee Mt Dulcimer Championship ..... 4 U pper Potomac Dulcime r Fest ........... , 4 Western Ca rolina Dulcime r Festival .. ..... 10

Hobgoblin-Stoney End Music 34000 205" Ave, Red Wing , MN 55066

Phone: 1-651-923-4709 Toll Free: 1-US-Stoneyen(d) 1-877-866-3936 Fax: 1-651-923-5333 Web: http://www.stoneyend.com E-mail: stoney@stoneyend.com

q?tabli~hed for 17 years

c,reaung custom cases and protecting beloved dulcimers througout the world. Call, write or fax for free brochure.

BOX 1104 • DRIGGS, IDAHO . 83422 VO ICE AND FAX . 208-354-8636

Inslnlnettts Backyard Music ........................ 32 Blue Lio n Musical Instrume nts .... . ... 13, 16 Burl Updyke ................... ... .... 32 David's Dulcimers .................. . ... 29 Dusty Strings .................. Back Cover Elk River Dulcimer Music ........... , .. , 32 Fo lkcraft Instruments ................ 16, 17 Hampton Music Shop ................... 44 High Country Dulcimers . .. Inside Back Cover Hobgoblin·Stoney End .................. 46 Jere my Seeger Dulcimers ...... .. .. . ..... 20 John Kovac, Harpmake r ... . .. . .. ... . .. .. 44 June Apple Instrume nts ...... • ..••...... 18 Keith Young ................ . ... . ...... 15 Luthie rwoods . .... . .. .. .... . . .......... 32 McSpadde n Musical Instruments ......... 33 Omega Strings ......................... 20 Ron Ewing Dulcime rs ....... ... .... .. ... 22 Simerman Dulcimers .............•..... 40 Songbird Dulcimers .................... 33 Taylo r Made Dulcimers . . ... .. . . ...... . . 30 TK O 'Brien's .................. Back Cover Whamdiddle ........ . ... .. . ......... 32 Wooel' N Strings .................... Insert

Services Bonnie Carol ............... _...... , ... 11 Computer Lyrics and Thnes ... _. .. ••..... 32 Se th Auste n .......................... ,45 Whistlepig ............................ 44 SItops Elde rly Instrume nts .........•. . _... . ... 11 Family Tree Music ...................... 32 Folk Notes _.. , .. ,., ........• . . . •...... 44 Jean's Dulcimer Shop . ... . . .. . . ... . .. . .. 23 Mountain Music Shoppc ..... . .......... 11 Music Folk Inc, ........................ 19 River Song Music Shoppe ............... 4 1 Simple Sounds ... .............. .. .. . ... 40 Southwind Dulcime r Shop ............... 19 Steward MacDona ld's Guitar Shop Supplies 37 Stringfellows ... .... __ . __ .. ___ __ .. . .... 18 Sweet Sounds Du.lcime r House .. _..... ... 17 The Dulcimer _........... __ . __ . Back Cover The Dulcime r Shop ..................... 44

by Neal Waltem

High Ladies, Lincoln and Libeny, and several more.

Peace Is FlowIng • Family Tree Dulcimer Pass'd Tmes· Maynard and Sara Johnson, 449 Hidden Valley Lane, Cincinnati, OH 45215, 513-761-7585, http://members.aol.com/lcitchiegaV (CD) • The Johnsons' latest CD features all fifty tunes from the latest book in Sara's longstanding Kitchen MLlsician series,A FLlrther Collection 0/ Dances, Marches, MinLletts and Due/Is o/lhe Later 181h Century. Sara and Maynard playa variety of instruments appropriate to the period, including hammered dulcimer, cinerns, recorders, flageolet, guitar, pipe and tabor. They are joined by The Rogue's Consort- Michael Thompson and Courtney Maxwell on violins, Nancy Bick Clark on Celtic ha(Jl, and Frank Clark on bodhran. The CD has a playing time of over 70 minutes and the tunes include Peas Upon a 'frencher, Bob and Joan, Planxty ConnerlBumper Squire Jones, March in the Battle of Prague/Marquis of Granby's,! Belisle March, America, Durang's Hornpipe, Lads of DunseiSt. Patrick's Day in the Morning, Song for a Linnet/Lord Dunmore, and many, many

Band, c/o Don Ross, 50 Whispering Pines, Springboro, OH 45066, 513-7480304 (CD/Cassette) • The Family Tree Dulcimer Band is drawn from the ranks of the Springboro (Ohio) Dulcimer Group, which was formed about three years ago. This is their first recording and was partially underwritten by the Springboro Area Historical Society. Some 23 mountain dulcimer players are featured on the album along with guitar, harmonica, flute, autoharp, hammered dulcimer, washtub bass, spoons, and vocals. They've chosen a number of traditional tunes to showcase their love for the dulcimer and this recording should serve as a good example for other clubs seeking ideas on how to present their music. The tunes include Peace Is Flowing Like a River, Southwind, Soldier's Joy, Precious Memories, Road to Boston, Unclouded Day, Whispering Hope, Boatman, Rosewood Casket, Grandfather's Bam, Shaker Square Check, Red River Valley, Mississippi Sawyer, How Can I Keep from Singing, Life's Rai.lway to Heaven, and Amazing Grace.

more.

'Ibu'W Bean a Friend to Me • Orrtanna, c/o Thm Jolin, 596 Orchard Road, Ornanna, PA 17353, 717-642.:so53 (CD/Cassette) • Ortanna consists of Catherine Roth on vocals, mountain dulcimer, autoharp, and guitar, and Tom Jolin on vocals, hammered dulcimer, banjo, button accordion, and harmonica. They hail from the village of Ornanna in the rolling hills of southcentral Pennsylvania and this is their fifth recording. Previou~ incarnations of the band date back to about 1972 as, first, the West Ornanna String Band and then the Ornanna Mountain Steamers. Now a duo, Thm and Catherine perform traditional music from the British Isles to the Southern Appalachians to the American Midwest. Includes Barlow Knife/Kingdom Coming, Pretty Saro, The G1endy Burk, Mississippi Sawyer/FIop Eared Mule, From Jerusalem to Jericho, Hunter's Waltz, There's a Good Tune Coming, Poor Boy, Sail Away Ladies/Hop

Noel • Donna Missigman, Missigman Music, P.O. Box 6, Laporte, PA 18626, 888-9467841, ddulcimer@aol.com (CD/Cassette) • Donna and her husband, Joe Missigman, own and operate Missigman Music, selling dulcimers, instruction books, and accessories. Donna's fifth recording features both hammered and mountain dulcimer on some unusual and very old Christmas tunes with accompaniment by oboe, keyboard, piano, and harp. The tunes range from the very traditional to the contemporary and come from the British Isles, Germany, Sicily, Holland, and America. Includes 0 Christmas 'free, Shepherds What Fragrance Ali-Perfuming, The Wexford Carol, The Carol of the Bagpipers, King Jesus Hath a Garden, The Sussex Carol, The Gloucestershire Wassail, We Wi h You a Merry Chri tmas, Let Us Be Merry, Down in Yon Forest, The Babe of Bethlehem, Of the Father's Love Begotten, Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming, and more. 0

.2',1111;,

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Instructional Videos for Fretted Dulcimer Debbie Pornr tuube.. FntaIJ Dukinur For absolute beginners to novice level, this 90 minute video and tab book teaches J I songs us in g "bird 's eye view" ca mera angles. (DAD tuning) Enjoy participating in a 20-mi nut e jam session at the end . Only 520 + S& H

BuiUJing Your Repertoire on PretteiJ DuLcimer - 20 tu nes for $20 doll ars. 90 minute noviceli ntermediate video/tab (DAD tuning) also uses "bird's eye view" camera angles and reatu res a jam session with a real du lcimer club to assist you in playing the tu nes up to speed. New Release:

"Grace is Amazing" A wonderful collection or traditional hymns and spiritu a l son gs. Fea tures Debbie's vocal s and dul cimer along wi th Stephe n Bennett on Harpgu itar. David Schnaurer, Neal & Coleen Wall ers, Madd;e MaeNe;!, Sue Carpenter, Steve Siefert and others. Also available:

'a dulcimerfor you, Darli,,'" a collection or thirtee n old and new love songs all played on Fretted dulcimers with vocals. Received excellent review in DPN.

fretted dulcimer a"d vocals" 13 songs with Debbie's vocals accompan ied by fretted dulc imer. Tab is available for this recording.

N ew easy ordering with toll free num ber and Visa/Me (877) 856-27 14

E-mail orders: ly ricsmama@ao l.com CO's- $15. Tape ... $ 10. Video with Tab- $20. IncllKk $3.20 for SIn All onkrs ,hipped Prioricy M.atL Te.K&I ruKlenll include 8.2596. ...Jes !lUI . Lyric', Mama MU'K, RI. 6. Oox 89B. Pillsburs. TX 75686. Phonelf'u (903}856-271~.

Unc/assifieds

Visa to: Lisa Glenn Tho mpson , PO Box 153, Sugar Grove, NC 28679.823-297-3028. Fax: 328297-9566.

_ _ 8aok/VIdOOI

Unclassified ads are 45, per oollt payable in advance. There is a 20% discount for pre-pakJ (4 issues) unclassified ads running unchanged in 4 or more consecutive issues Chi .... Hag BrtsIIe -....over 4" stat ic free brist les set in a hand turned hardwood handle. Ideal for hammered dulcimers and othe r stringed insLrume nts, computer keyboards, and a ny delicate items. S 15 plus S I sh ipping. Special 6 for $75 with free shipping. Cliff's Custom Crafts, 43 Yo rk St., Bay City, MI48708. 517-892-4672.

'*:

Far Dulcimer made in 1972. Birdseye maple body, red cedar top. Pearl inlays. Outstanding sound and appearance. Hard case. $600.540-858-271 1. MountaIn _ _ lor sale. Sam Rizzetta 1985. Grover tuners,

inlay, unique shape. sweet sounding. S400. 540-338-6484, Leesburg, VA. Flnel, Desig.... Hand-Clafted Folk 1IVS- Limber Jack, Dog, Pony, Bear, Frog, Rooster, Lamb, Unicorn and Dinosaur. $ 12.95 each includes shipping. Jean 's Dulcimer Shop, P.O. Box 8, Cosby, TN 37722.

New Alan: Pass'd Times; Popular Music Of The Revolutionary Era. 50 tunes, all the music in the new Kitchen Musician # 16, CD only, with Sara and Maynard Johnson and The Rogues' Consort, with hammer dulcimer, citt erns, guitar, fiddles, kit, harp, recorders, etc. $ 15.00. NeweSl lOtchen_ Book.: # 16 Fu rthe r Collection of Dances, Marches, Minuets and Duets, Later 18th Century, 20 pages, 50 tunes, from 18th century personal copybooks. Dance, Irish, Scottish, Carolan tunes, many still popular today, $8.00. # 15 Music of the Ohio River Frontier 17881825, 16 pages, 39 tunes, S5.00. #14 Songs, Airs & Dances ofthe 18th Century from Playford, Baroque recorde r pieces, etc. 20 pages, 36 tunes, S8.00. Also, lea rning series: Square One # I H am· mer Dulcimer for Absolute Beginners, 16 page method book at very basic level. Simple exercis· es for hamme r control, pattern playing, octave patterns, duplicate notes, S5.00. Square One # 2

Exercises for Hammer Dulcimer (Playing Patterns). Exercises to develo p visual ski lls, muscle mem· ory, strengthen weak hand, $5.00_ Shipping S1.00 o ne item, 40 cents each additional. Sara Johnson, 449 Hidde n Valley La ne, Cincin· nati, OH 4521 5. 5 13-76 1-7585. Email: kitchiega l@aol.com. lick ~,. Sample his lively, bouncy, energetic hammered dul· cimer style on David Mallett's "' I Knew this Place," sung by Clare Wettemann o n he r cassette 0 Come Sing. Other selections a capella o r accompanied by various instruments including MacKenzie· type psaltery, mountain dulcimer, and guitar. $11.50 ppd. Clare Wettemann, 319 Summit Hill Rd., Jordaoville, NY 1336 1. Folk _ - - . , 2329 Curdes Ave., Fo rt Wayne, IN 46805. We carry Hudson, Songbird, and Dusty Strings hammered dul· cimers. A great selection of quali . ty mo untain dulcim ers: McSpadden, Simerman, Folkcraft, Jeff Gaynor, North Country, Chittum, Black Rose, Folkroots, and Folk Notes_ Also, folk harps, Native American flutes, bodhrans, tinwhistles, Iris h flut es, fo lk & mountain banjos, auto harps, psalteries, and more. Mounta in dulcimer and autoharp lessons, teachers available for hammered dulcimer and ha rp. Open Monday -Friday & Saturday AM . This is prim arily a o ne person sho p, so call first to avoid conflicts with scheduled lessons or perlor. mances. We shi p wo rldwide. 2 19· 484-9078. www.folknotes.com. Acc_ WIJrtd's Flnestl G lenn family handmade instrume nts. Known for their fine musical quali ty and craftsmanship. Traditional dul· cimers and banjos. Selling since 1952. Doe hundred yea r family tradition. Send for free color brochure. To hear instrument being played, send $ II for cassette. For " It Still Lives" album including Leonard & C lifford G len n duets and booklet, sent $15. To receive a seventy song tra· ditional mountain dulcimer instruction book, send S I1. For accompanying tape, send S II. Everything postpa id and gu amn· teed! Se nd check, money order o r

Cassette. For beginning to inter· mediate hammered du lcimer p lay. ers. Twenty·five tunes and arrangements. Also, book/Videol cassette for mountain dulcimer. Mel Bay Publications by Madeline MacNeil. Book: $ 10.00; Video: $30.00; Cassettes: S IO.OO. Shipping: $2.50 (I item), .50 for each add. item. P.O . Box 2 164, Winchester, VA 22604. 540-678- 1305_ E·mail: dpn@dpnews.com. VisalMC. _

Players _

back issues

specia l 4 for S12 ppd: Vol. 24, No. I, 2, 3, 4. Vo l. 25, No. 1,2, 3. Recent back issues S6 each. Dulcimer Pl ayers News, P.O. Box 2164, Wiochester, VA 22604. 540-678-1305. E-mail: dpn @dpnews.com. Visa/MC. Sharing songs since 1950, Sing Out! Tho Folk Song MagazIne continues to

hill Productio ns, PO Box 336, New Manchester, WV 26056· 0336. a harper@weir.net, www.fmp.comJaq Instrurneat Buildors: Our respected quarterly journal American LUlherie is entirely devoted to building and repairing dulcimers, guitars, mandolins, lutes, violins, and other string instruments. We also have instrume nt plans includ· ing a hammer dulcimer. Write for complete info, o r send $39 for membership. GAL, 8222 S. Park, Theo ma, WA 98408. www.luth.org.

Inta1nediat8IAdYanced PIayersExclusive & intensive week·long hammered dulcimer wo rkshop with Steve Schneider in July, 2()(x). Covering musicality, arranging. backup, performance, new reper· toi re, and your pankular needs. Individual and group lessons in exquisitely beautiful setting near Sault Ste. Marie in southern Ontario. For inquiries call 9 14-268-7102, o r email HDPlayer@aol.com.

cover the broadly d efined world of traditional and contemporary folk music. Each 200·page issue includes articles, news, tons o f reviews, festival and camp listings, instrumental "teach·i ns" and com· plete lead sheets for twenty songs. Subscribing Membersh ip: S22 ( I yr_) $40 (2 yrs_) S54 (3 yrs.); Basic Membership: $30 (I yr.) $56.50 (2 yrs.) S81 (3 yrs_); Sustain ing Membersh ip: $50 or $ 100 per year. Sing Out! , Box 5253-0, Bethle hem, PA 180 15-0253_www_singout.org.

Wonderful Prices at WlItIwuod Music_

ThllIIawrItI PsaIt6q IIIsIrucIiDll And SDng _ , by Jean Schilli ng_

mered dulcimer with pedals. New and reconditioned . Various prices. Alex Udvary, 2 11 5 W. Warner, Chicago, IL 60618. www.cimbalo m· master.com.

Beginners' playing instructio ns, care of the psaltery and bow, tun· ing, string replacement, and sev· enty·six songs, with chordsAm erican, English, Scottish, and Irish favorites. hymns, carols, and O 'Carolan tunes. $ 12.95 postpaid from Crying Creek Publishers, P.O. Box 8, Cosby, TN 37722.

loti' .....ntaIn duIcinw not loud enough? Try our five o r six string Classic Mountain Dulcimers. Very reasonable. Also, have hammered dulcimers. Plays in six keys. Send stamped e nvelope to: South ern Highland Dulcimers, 1010 So. 14th St., Slaton, TX 79364.

AulDIwp QurtMJ, the internatio nal magazine dedicated to the auto harp enthusiast. Subscrip· tions: US-$20, Canada-$22, Europe-S24, Asia/South Pacific$26. US currency, please . Stone-

We have over 600 new acoustic instrume nts in stock. Mountain and hammered dulci mers by Kurt Simerman, Dulci mer Factory, Jeff Gayno r, Blue Lio n, Masterworks, Lost Valley, Cbris Foss, Michael Allen, McSpadden, and Dusty Strings. Books, tapes, CDs, and accessories. Wildwood Music, His· toric Roscoe Village, Coshocton, OH 438 12. 6 14-622-4224. www.wildwoodmusic.com.

CinbaIoms. Large chromatic ham·

CUstom AppaIacItlan 1IuIcImersstandard, baritone, and bass dul· cimers made to order. Choice of 25" o r 28-1/2" string length on standa rd dulcimers. Baritone and bass du lcimers have a 28· 1n,H string length. Send for brochure. Jo hn Stockard, 3686 Sussex Drive, Milledgeville, GA 31061. 9 12-452-5713. E-mail: jstockard@geocities.com.

.. Sue Ca enter's NEWEST Book!

HELIOTROPE BOUQUET TUNE BOOK - $12 :JleCiotTope • 12 of Sue's best arrangements 'Bouquet

for 4-equidistant strings • Instruction for 3 stri ng versions of the arrangements

• IncludesHeliotrope Bouquet, 011 Suzanna/I, Dixie, Hallelujah Hoedown L...,;=.;";:;';;";";""'"

,..«0 .

• Tablature is ' note for note' as recorded on the album

'J'Y' HEliOTROPE BOUQUET CD - $15 Cass. - $10 An elegant collection of mountain dulcimer instrumentals

PATTERNS AND PATOIWORK

Book - $20

More than a year's worth of step-by-step lessons in fingerpicklng

$12(Ppd)

DULCIMER STRAPS Adjustable - Quick release buckle

Black. rambow, red, wine, blue, green, purple, brown Available from: Sue Carpenter S&HS2 'I 't 2160 Hideaway Lane Add $1 f or each a dd I em Quinlan TX 75474 TX residents add 8.25 % sales tax '

OLDE TYME

~ @

Saturday. April 8, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. Sunday. April 9, 1 p.m. -5 p.m. Rain or Shine

FREE Workshops (Saturday only): Lap & Hammer Dulcimer· Banjo ·Guitar ·Fiddle Mandolin· Autoharp Prizes for Best Olde Tyme Costumes Best String Band Costume: $100 Best Single Costume: $25 Second Prize Single: $15 Thrid Prize Single: $10

Jan Hranek (828) 692-8588 . 200 Sweet Lane · Hendersonville, NC 28792

Two finge.r s will carry the

MINI HAMMER DULCIMER 9 Trebles, 8 Bass ~

Book, hammer, tuning wrench, and case included

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1200(}(} + ~8 12

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The Dulcimer 137 Windy Gap Rd . Blowing Rock, NC

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Folk Instruments

• • • • • • •

Mountain Dulcimers Hammered Dulcimers Lap Harps Bowed Psalteries Door Harps Dulcimer Stands Cases and more

Call for a dealer nearest you. 828-456-7502

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MAKERS OF HAMMERED DULCIMERS AND FOLK HARPs celebrating twentyyears of fine instrument building • Our new D600 four-octave chromatic • Eight other dulcimer models • Six models of folk harps • Tri-Stander System, stands, dampers, cases, videos, books & ham mers

i', .. ~ Dusty Strings Co. (206) 634-1656 3406 F«mon t Ave. N. Fa (206) 634-0234 Seanle, WA 98 103