1978-03, Dulcimer Players News Vol. 4 No. 3

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Vol.4 No.3 Summer 1178

P e o p l e S h a r i n g T n p r m a t i o n A b o u t D u l c i m e r s a n d -their M u s i c

John cMcGufcbeon

©

1978

PUBLISHED BY THE BLUE RIDGE DULCIMER SHOP, FRONT ROYAL, VIRGINIA Please address a l l correspondence t o : THE DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS P.O. BOX 157 FRONT ROYAL, VA 2263O PHONE: (703) 635-3811

E d i t o r s : P h i l l i p Mason & Madeline MacNeil Mason •IHHHHHHm MWaWKMMICMMMIIMMHWMIIWMWII

Secretary: Ruth Anne MacNeil

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DEADLINE DATES Each issue o f the Dulcimer Players News i s normally mailed out d u r i n g the f i r s t week o f the month f o r which t h a t issue's term begins. The manuscript, copy, and a d v e r t i s i n g deadline f o r each issue f a l l s on the 1 s t o f the month p r i o r t o i t s p u b l i c a t i o n . For example, the deadline f o r the Spring 1978 issue i s March 1 s t and i t w i l l be mailed A p r i l 1 s t .

The f o u r q u a r t e r l y issues are set up as f o l l o w s : WINTER ISSUE -- January, February & March SPRING ISSUE — A p r i l , May & June SUMMER ISSUE — J u l y , August & September FALL ISSUE — October, November & December

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A l l a d v e r t i s i n g r a t e s are based on camera ready black & white copy. There i s an e x t r a charge f o r advertisements which incorporate photos f o r screening. Copy may be prepared f u l l - s i z e d on the basis o f our f i n i s h e d page size ( t a k i n g margins i n t o account) or prepared on 8 l / 2 by 1 1 t y p i n g paper f o r eventual r e d u c t i o n by our p r i n t e r t o the f i n i s h f u l l size page o f 5 1/2" by 8" PLEASE LET OUR ADVERTISERS KNOW THAT YOU FOUND THEM THROUGH THE D.P.N. ****************** mm mm*mi mi « mi * ***** » mi ***** * * m-ihuhh

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I t ' s f e s t i v a l season! Each year there are more f e s t i v a l s r e v o l v i n g a r o u n i the mountain and hammered dulcimers. One can a t t e n d the Southern Appalachian Dulcimer F e s t i v a l i n Alabama, the Cosby, Tennessee dulcimer g a t h e r i n g , the Summer F e s t i v a l o f the P r a i r i e Dulcimer Club i n M i s s o u r i , the O r i g i n a l Dulcimer Players Club's f e s t i v a l s , the Kindred Gathering i n the West, the Northeastern Cranberry Hammered Dulcimer Gathering i n Binghamton, New York, Dulcimer Days i n Coshocton, Ohio and more. I n a d d i t i o n , dulcimers have taken a more prominent place i n many important f o l k f e s t i v a l s such as the N a t i o n a l F l a t p l c k i n g Championship F e s t i v a l i n W i n f i e l d , Kansas. What a change from even f i v e years ago! Those o f us who p l a y , b u i l d and love the dulcimer are c o n t i n u a l l y d i s c o v e r i n g we are not alone. The DPN w i l l t r y t o keep you informed o f what's happening. We encourage you t o t e l l us o f f l e d g l i n g dulcimer clubs needing t o disseminate i n f o r m a t i o n , e s t a b l i s h e d clubs announcing a c t i v i t i e s or f e s t i v a l s o f i n t e r e s t t o dulcimer people. I f you send us a n o t i c e w e ' l l include i t i n the events column. Please l e t U3 know e a r l y , and be aware o f the p u b l i c a t i o n dates f o r each issue. The m a t e r i a l goes t o the p r i n t e r one month before the issues are mailed out on January 1 s t , A p r i l 1 s t , J u l y 1st and October 1 s t .

A change i s i n the wind - and perhaps a b i t o f h i s t o r y should preceed an announcement.

P h i l began the DPN i n Bangor, Maine d u r i n g the f r e e z i n g days o f January, 1975On a balmy June day i n 1976, P h i l married Maddie MacNeil and the DPN and P h i l moved t o enjoy the more moderate weather o f Northern V i r g i n i a . Now, i n an e f f o r t t o cover t h e e n t i r e East Coast and sample t r o p i c a l breezes, Maddie, P h i l - and the DPN - are moving t o Cudjoe Key, F l o r i d a , 18 miles n o r t h o f Key West. I n our i n f i n i t e good wisdom, we have decided t o move i n November j u s t i n time t o dabble our toes i n the A t l a n t i c o r the Gulf o f Mexico instead o f shoveling snow. We'll t e l l you more i n the F a l l issue and give you the new address.

SPECIAL THANKS go t o Michael Legare f o r the many p i c t u r e s enhancing t h i s issue o f the DPN and t o K e i t h , Mary and L i z Young f o r the f r i e n d s h i p - f i l l e d hours we spent c o l l a t i n g and f o l d i n g the Spring issue.

Summertime i n V i r g i n i a i s b e a u t i f u l - e s p e c i a l l y i n the Shenandoah V a l l e y . Come see us t h i s Summer i f you can. We always enjoy meeting dulcimer f o l k s and seeing f r i e n d s o l d and new.

Happy f e s t i v a l going!

P h i l and Maddie MacNeil Mason

You wouldn't leave your dulcimer behind, so why leave your DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS languishing i n the wrong mailbox or i n the m a i l sack heading back t o Front Royal?

TIME, TV GUIDE, PSYCHOLOGY TODAY and other magazines must know weeks i n advance about a new address. You can t e l l us one day before the DPN goes i n the m a i l i f you must, but please t e l l us.

In order t o have 3rd class m a i l forwarded you must s p e c i f i c a l l y note so on the card you f i l l out a t the l o c a l Post O f f i c e when you l e t them know where t o forward your 1st class m a i l . The DPN i s mailed 3rd c l a s s . I f i t comes back t o us, we must pay the postage again, and worse luck, we don't know where t o send your DPN. We have a small c o l l e c t i o n of l o n e l y , unclaimed DPNs on a s h e l f . Perhaps the owners t h i n k the DPN went out o f business or t h a t we l a c k some r e s p o n s i b i l i t y . Not t r u e ! Don't f o r g e t us when your address changes, and your DPN w i l l f o l l o w you t o your new home.

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Dear P h i l and Maddie, ALL POINTS BULLETIN: I would r e a l l y appreciate hearing from anyone w i t h i n f o r m a t i o n about Appalachian dulcimers or t h e i r close r e l a t i v e s and about dulcimer makers i n New England p r i o r t o World War I I .

There i s not much evidence o f dulcimer a c t i v i t y i n e a r l y New England, but then I'm not sure i f people have been t r y i n g t o seek i t out.

Roger Nicholson w i l l be v i s i t i n g the United States t h i s F a l l , and perhaps DPN readers w i l l be i n t e r e s t e d i n h i s schedule o f appearances: Sept. 22nd - 2 t i t h Eisteddfod (a f o l k f e s t i v a l a t Southeastern Mass. U n i v e r s i t y i n North Dartmouth, Massachusetts) Sept. 2 5 t h Old Songs Concert, G u i l d e r l a n d , N.Y. (near Albany) Sept. 3 0 t h Cambridge, Massachusetts - a concert f o r Peter Johnson Oct. 1 s t Cambridge, Massachusetts - a dulcimer workshop a t The Music Emporium Oct. 6 t h - 8 t h Old Dominion F e s t i v a l , Old Dominion U n i v e r s i t y , N o r f o l k , V i r g i n i a Lorraine Lee 23^ E l i o t Street S. Natick, Mass.

(617)

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653-8290

Dear Mr. Mason, That short a r t i c l e on the dulcimer reproduced i n the Hammered Dulcimer Pages o f DPN Spring 1978 i s not j u s t from "some encyclopaedia". I t ' s from THE encyclopaedia ( i n E n g l i s h , a t any r a t e ) - GROVE'S DICTIONARY OF MUSIC AND MUSICIANS ( 5 t h e d i t i o n , I 9 5 U , V . 2 , p. 7 9 9 ) .

As f a r as musical reference sources i n E n g l i s h , t h i s work i s t h e grandfather o f them a l l .

The signature on t h e a r t i c l e , "A.J.H.rev), r e f e r s t o A l f r e d James Hipkins ( 1 8 2 6 - I 9 0 3 ) , an English a u t h o r i t y on musical instruments and t o t h e f a c t t h a t t h e a r t i c l e was r e v i s e d f o r the 5 t h e d i t i o n . The appearance o f the 6 t h e d i t i o n i s eagerly awaited by l i b r a r i a n s a l l over the country, e s p e c i a l l y as the new e d i t i o n hopes t o compensate f o r the d i s t i n c t l y B r i t i s h bias o f previous e d i t i o n s .

With a l l t h e best t o you and your enjoyable p e r i o d i c a l , I am Tish Brennan 1*08 B e n e f i t Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 Dear P h i l l i p , F i r s t o f a l l , l e t me say thank you f o r w r i t i n g THE HAMMERED DULCIMER INSTRUCTION BOOK. I t ' s s t r a i g h t - f o r w a r d , clear and e n t i c i n g . By t h e by, I have another name f o r the hammered dulcimer, t o add t o your l i s t : here i n Saskatchewan i t ' s known t o the many Ukrainian-descended people as t h e cembala ( s o f t "c", accent on second s y l a b l e ) .

David G. M i l l e r Sub Post O f f i c e 13 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7H 0R0 CANADA

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Dear DPN, I am a newcomer t o the mount a i n dulcimer and can i d e n t i f y w i t h the l e t t e r w r i t t e n by Gerry Ruecker o f A l b e r t a , Canada which appeared i n the Winter, 1978 issue.

I , t o o , have had my t r i a l s w i t h holding the darn t h i n g w i t h o u t i t s l i p p i n g o f f my l a p when reaching f o r those low notes.

My s o l u t i o n i s as f o l l o w s : S i t t i n g down, cross the r i g h t l e g over the l e f t and hook the t u n i n g peg(s) between one's toes (when barefoot) o r on the sole o f one's shoe.

Since my playing thus f a r i s f o r my own amusement, I u s u a l l y play barefoot and f i n d t h i s method to work t o my s a t i s f a c t i o n .

B i l l Wickman lOUs Oakway Road Eugene, Oregon 97^01

Dear E d i t o r s , This l e t t e r i s t o inform you o f the formation o f the L o u i s v i l l e Dulcimer Society. The purpose o f our s o c i e t y , as stated i n the by-laws, i s the "advancement and enjoyment o f d u l cimer a r t s " . We have had three monthly meetings, and our membership grows w i t h each meeting.

We now have about s i x t y - f i v e standing members who pay dues, and many more associates, who are made up o f f a m i l i e s o f members. We t r y t o b r i n g a guest a r t i s t t o each meeting, and b r i n g dulcimers t o compare, t a l k , play and l i s t e n t o music. We are astonished a t the i n c r e a s i n g i n t e r e s t i n dulcimers and dulcimer b u i l d i n g i n the L o u i s v i l l e area, which includes a l a r g e part o f southern Indiana, as w e l l as Kentucky.

Two events are coming up: the KENTUCKY MUSIC WEEKEND on August Uth - 6 t h a t Iroquois Amphitheater i n L o u i s v i l l e and the DULCIMER CONVENTION on September 2 9 t h - October 1st a t Pine Mountain State Park, P i n e v i l l e , Kentucky.

The L o u i s v i l l e Dulcimer Society Betty Stuedle, Secretary Nancy Johnson, President Box 14221 L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky U021U

You are probably aware o f the hike i n r a t e s f o r f i r s t - c l a s s postage! T h i r d - c l a s s postage was also a f f e c t e d - but instead o f 2i e x t r a , i t costs 6tf e x t r a t o send out each copy o f the DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS. Your DPN, however, w i l l probably not reach you any sooner. Sigh.

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Dear P h i l and Maddie, For the b e n e f i t o f readers who don't have access t o a c a l c u l a t o r which w i l l do roots 12 J 1/2 = 0.94387U3127 ( r e f e r t o Dan Rich's note i n the Spring, 1978 DPN). The s t r i n g lengths can thus be ground out on t h e simplest o f c a l c u l a t o r s very q u i c k l y .

J. W. M i l l a r d U.S. Naval Magazine F P0 San Francisco, CA

9663O

7th National Flat-Picking C h a m p i o n s h i p Folk Arts & Crafts Festival 3 BIG DAYS AND NIGHTS — SEPTEMBER 15, 16, 17, 1978 WINFIELD, KANSAS FAIRGROUNDS see and hear in concert . . .

NORMAN & NANCY BLAKE — DAN CRARY — THE RED CLAY RAMBLERS — BRYAN BOWERS HIGHWOODS STRING BAND - RED RECTOR & BILL CLIFTON - THE McLAIN FAMILY BAND SPARKY RUCKER & JOHN DAVIS — OUTDOOR PLUMBING CO. — CATHY FINK & DUCK DONALD DON LANGE - CATHY BARTON - COUNTY LINE - NEW CACHE VALLEY DRIFTERS - ART THIEME PHIL MASON & MADELINE MacNEIL - MARY FAITH RHOADS & THE DOBBS BROTHERS MALCOLM DALGLISH & GREY LARSEN - ROSY^S BAR & GRILL - EAST CREEK HARVEY PRINZ & LILAH GILLETT ... and others offered in Prizes. Cash and trophies including custom crafted instruments by the following master craftsmen: • 72 Special Guitar by J. W. Gallagher & Son • HD 18 Special Guitar by C. F. Martin Co. • Winter Wheat Special Guitar by S. L. Mossman • Hammered Dulcimer by Phil Mason • Hammered Dulcimer by Dr. Harvey Prinz • Hammered Dulcimer by HERE, Inc. • Mountain Dulcimer by Lynn McSpadden • Mountain Dulcimer by Keith Young • Mountain Dulcimer by Mark Blair • Juggernaut Jr. Silver Chime Banjo by OME • Osborne Special Model Mandolin by Unicorn CONTESTS Walnut Valley Fiddle Championship, Sept. 15 Walnut Valley Mandolin Championship, Sept. 15 National Flat-Picking Championship, Sept. 16 National Mountain Dulcimer Championship, Sept. 16 National Hammered Dulcimer Championship, Sept. 17 Walnut Valley Banjo Championship, Sept. 17 WORKSHOPS Humor In Song — Old Time Banjo Styles — Train Songs Traditional Mountain Dulcimer Styles — British Ballads Hammered Dulcimer — Bluegrass Banjo — Mandolin — Guitar Blues — Gospel Sing-along — Fiddle — Children's Songs . . . and others . . .

ADVANCE TICKETS Adults—3-day Weekend Ticket $15.00 Daily (specify day) $6.00 (Children under age 12 FREE with adult)

SOUND SYSTEMS by SAWTELLE & WILSON Littleton, Colorado Hello.

We hope you will come and share in a unique musical experience which is designed to be entertaining and educational for the entire family.

Features include: Beautiful, all-weather facilities, concerts held rain or shine, contests, workshops, huge 120-booth Arts & Crafts Fair, concessions, door prizes, camping on grounds (with current day ticket), 3 stages offering over 100 hours of music. Starts 9:30 a.m. each day and runs to midnight Friday and Sat-urday and 9 p.m. on Sunday: some open stage time for anyone wishing to perform, well policed grounds, string bands, old time country, folk, bluegrass and other forms of acoustic music, plus lots of shade tree pickin'.

Dogs, drugs, motorcycles and alcohol are not permitted on the grounds. Violators wHI be removed from the festival site. Proper dress required.

This Walnut Valley Festival will be hosting "The National Convention For Acoustic String Musicians" as well as the "5th Annual Guild of American Luthiers Convention." It's all happening at Winfield, Kansas. Y'ALL COME!II For more info, call or write:

By purchasing tickets in advance you will be guaranteed admittance Advance ticket orders and money must be received at Walnut Valley office no later than September 5. After that day plan on hnving tickets at the gate — NO REFUNDS —

'Not the biggest but possibly

ivalnut association, Box 245

inc.

117E. 9th Phone (316) 221-3250 Winfield, Kansas 67156

the best festival

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of all'

THE GOODFELLOW CATALOG OF WONDERFUL THINGS - and wonderful they are. I t ' s q u i t e an experience d i p p i n g i n t o t h i s d e l i g h t f u l book and seeing some o f the f i n e items c r a f t e d by some o f the most c r e a t i v e people i n t h i s country. The catalog i s designed f o r d i r e c t order from the i n d i v i d u a l craftspeople and t h a t i n f o r m a t i o n i s presented along w i t h photographs, b i o g r a p h i c a l m a t e r i a l and other d e s c r i p t i v e m a t e r i a l . Y o u ' l l a l s o f i n d a d i r e c t o r y o f p u b l i c a t i o n s , a l i s t o f schools, centers, g u i l d s and people who teach c r a f t s k i l l s , a l i s t o f government a r t s o r g a n i z a t i o n s , a l i s t o f c r a f t s o r g a n i z a t i o n s and much more. This book o f more than 1+00 pages can be purchased i n your l o c a l book s t o r e f o r $ 7 . 9 5 . Ask f o r THE GOODFELLOW CATALOG OF WONDERFUL THINGS, e d i t e d by Christopher W e i l l s , Berkley Windhover Books, 2 0 0 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016 (SNB: lt25-03"+02-X).

I t can a l s o be ordered d i r e c t l y from the GCWT a t Box U52O, Berkeley, C a l i f o r n i a 9U70*t f o r $ 7 . 9 5 Plus $ . 8 5 shipping.

PAID MY DUES Beginning w i t h the Autumn, 1977 i s s u e , t h i s magazine moved t o Chicago w i t h a new s t a f f and a new format. But i t s t i l l remains the o n l y j o u r n a l devoted t o t a l l y t o women and music. The growth o f the magazine i s evident i n even the past two issues and there promises t o be more good t h i n g s t o come. The magazine i s s e n s i t i v e t o a l l f i e l d s of music and such subjects as women i n c h o r a l music, working i n N a s h v i l l e , g u i t a r r e p a i r , and a p o r t r a i t o f a woman dulcimer maker have been explored. Each issue a l s o contains music composed and arranged by women. PAID MY DUES i s another t o o l f o r sharing s k i l l s and resources and should be examined i f you have not y e t seen i t . Single copies are $ 2 . 2 5 , subscriptions f o r the q u a r t e r l y magazine are $ 8 . 0 0 and can be obtained from C a l l i o p e Publishing, I n c . , P.O. Box 6 5 1 7 , Chicago, I l l i n o i s 60680.

PICKIN' Perhaps you have seen t h i s magazine around f o r f o u r years or so. But there have been gradual and good changes. I n the March, 1978 i s s u e , e d i t o r , Don K i s s i l , spoke o f PICKIN': " F i r s t o f a l l , PICKIN' w i l l not be j u s t another country music magazine but i t w i l l have some "country" i n i t . PICKIN' w i l l not be f o r readers o f rock-pop music b u t i t w i l l contain some a r t i c l e s on very modern music. PICKIN' magazine i s f o r people INTO the "down-home" kinds o f s t r i n g e d instruments l i k e the banjo, mandolin, f i d d l e , g u i t a r , dobro, dulcimer and s t r i n g e d bass. No matter what s t y l e o f music these instruments make..." I t i s good t o see a "general" magazine a v a i l a b l e on newsstands everywhere p r o v i d i n g informat i o n about and f o r the dulcimer. I f you've seen past issues, you'Ve probably n o t i c e d t a b l a t u r e s f o r the mountain dulcimer and reviews o f hammered dulcimer records. PICKIN' o f f e r s a l o t o f good t h i n g s , and we encourage you t o p i c k one up t h i s month. B e t t e r s t i l l , i n v e s t i n a s u b s c r i p t i o n . Subscriptions are $ 1 2 . 0 0 per year,(12 issues) from North American B u i l d i n g , hOl North Broad S t r e e t , P h i l a d e l p h i a , Pennsylvania 19108.

Two books have been w r i t t e n f o r mountain dulcimer players by J e r r y Rockwell i n Vermont.

TWELVE TRADITIONAL TUNES FOR DULCIMER explores several d i f f e r e n t approaches t o p l a y i n g tunes i n a simple melody-with-drone fashion using the Do Sol Sol t u n i n g . The reader i s introduced t o t a b l a t u r e immediately - and i n a d d i t i o n t o strumming, i s aquainted w i t h f i n g e r p i c k i n g methods ("pinch-middle" and double-thumbing).

Each o f the twelve tunes i s presented w i t h varying ways t o play them - a l l very simple w i t h the melody on the melody s t r i n g . Because I enjoy s i n g i n g w i t h the dulcimer, I wish more o f the verses were given w i t h the songs - but should you desire words, they won't be d i f f i c u l t t o f i n d . I t i s a nice book f o r beginners because i t stresses the v a r i e t y a v a i l a b l e t o a dulcimer p l a y e r .

CHORDAL EXPLORATIONS FOR 3-STRING DULCIMER i n I o n i a n Tuning was published i n January.

This 52 page booklet would be a good purchase e s p e c i a l l y f o r those dulcimer players who are e x p l o r i n g chords t o play w i t h other instruments - or simply want t o understand chord s t r u c t u r e . So many people confuse t u n i n g s , t h i n k i n g t h a t i f you are tuned Do S o l S o l , f o r example, you can play o n l y i n the Ionian mode. This i s not t r u e - and t h i s book w i l l help you play chords i n other modes w h i l e tuned Do Sol S o l . The p r i c e s o f these books are great.

TWELVE TRADITIONAL TUNES costs $ 1 . 5 0 and CHORDAL EXPLORATIONS costs $1-95. They can be purchased from the Dulcimer Players News or d i r e c t l y from J e r r y a t the Green Mountain Dulcimer Horizons Press, Box 6 2 2 , Essex J u n c t i o n , Vermont O5U52.

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RIK

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»» J« ROUS AVL DALLAS. I l l l l 7310* (214) 027-0674

Dear P h i l : To get the most accuracy from a c o r r e c t f r e t p a t t e r n , I use a separate bridge f o r each s t r i n g . I f the same gauge s t r i n g s are always used, marking the bridge p o s i t i o n s f o r d i f f e r ent tunings can be very h e l p f u l . The higher the s t r i n g i s tuned, the closer t o the nut the bridge must be moved.

A problem I've seen on several dulcimers i s buzzing. This u s u a l l y comes from e i t h e r the nut or the s t r i n g v i b r a t i n g against f r e t s between the nut and the f r e t where the s t r i n g i s pressed.

I f you f r e t the s t r i n g somewhere i n the middle o f the f r e t b o a r d and pluck i t on the side where the nut i s , you should have a muted sound i f any. I f you c l e a r l y hear a note, the nut i s too high or the f r e t s aren't l e v e l . On dulcimers where the nut has a groove cut f o r the s t r i n g , you u s u a l l y end up w i t h a buzz. F i l i n g a t r i a n g u l a r notch works best f o r me.

Most o f my experiments have been p r e t t y f a r fetched, but here are some t h a t worked.

When using a scalloped f r e t b o a r d , make sure there i s p l e n t y o f contact between the f r e t board and the soundboard. I n other words, you can e i t h e r have many scallops or a few long scallops w i t h some long areas glued t o the f r e t b o a r d . This does s l i g h t l y decrease the volume, but i t makes the tone f u l l e r and i t i s s t i l l much louder than a channeled f r e t board glued the e n t i r e l e n g t h o f the soundboard. A l l the fretboards I've worked u n t i l now have been three piece f r e t b o a r d s .

I've been doing a l l my work w i t h the bare minimum o f t o o l s on a t a b l e w i t h wobbly l e g s , and necessity has made me devise some very simple t o o l s t h a t make work much e a s i e r .

A s i n g l e edged razorblade screwed to the end o f a block o f wood makes an e x c e l l e n t scraper.

The edge o f the blade should hardly protrude the bottom o f the block. I use i t p r e t t y much l i k e a plane. I t ' s a l o t easier on my hand and seems to make f i n e scraping go f a s t e r .

Make sure you round the edges o f the blade or y o u ' l l scratch the wood.

Sandpaper i s a t o o l . I use d i f f e r e n t grades glued t o d i f f e r e n t sized dowels t o shape s c r o l l s , carve sound holes and l o t s o f other t h i n g s . I use them l i k e rasps. When f i t t i n g wooden pegs, I use a tapered reamer from a hardware s t o r e , but t h i s i s not accurate enough.

A f t e r reaming the hole, wrap a piece o f 220 g r i t sandpaper around the peg, s t i c k i t i n the hole and give i t a few l i g h t t u r n s . This should make i t f i t q u i t e w e l l . When I glue my three soundboard braces, clothespins work q u i t e w e l l . I found t h a t bracing the back heavier a t the points where i t rests on your legs helps prevent the sound from being dampened. I could go on and on.

A l l these ideas came t o me when a j o b had t o be done and I d i d n ' t have the t o o l t o do i t .

I hope t h i s helps and encourages beginning dulcimer makers. I'm sure W i l l Singleton and Jethro Amburgy d i d n ' t have a bandsaw and a j o i n e r . A pocket k n i f e can do p l e n t y !

Doug Berch 1685 East F i f t h S t r e e t Brooklyn, New York 11230 Dear P h i l and Maddie: David made me two dulcimer racks which came out r e a l neat. We had run out o f w a l l studs i n the den f o r hanging my dulcimers v e r t i c a l l y and got the idea f o r the rack from looking a t gun racks (same p r i n c i p l e ) . This rack i s very handy i f you have several dulcimers t o put up.

DULCIMER RACK 7 ) * ( h o l e s d r i l l e d so as t o be a t center of wall

studs)

- r x 4 " x 40' I glued f e l t s t r i p s t o the Inside o f the wood brackets t o p r o t e c t the dulcimers. One bracket 1s p o s i t i o n e d so the dulcimer 1s angled up s l i g h t l y when placed h o r i z o n t a l l y on the brackets. (Note: bottom o f L must be longer than depth o f d u l c i m e r ) .

Eileen Raines 333 F a y e t t e v i l l e S t r e e t #U10 Raleigh, North Carolina 27601

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FESTIVALS PAST A p r i l 22nd - The Southern Regional Dulcimer Contests were held i n Mountain View, Arkansas i n conjunction w i t h the second weekend o f the 1 6 t h annual Arkansas Folk F e s t i v a l . The contests were sponsored by the Walnut V a l l e y A s s o c i a t i o n and were hosted by the Ozark Folk Center.

Players from e i g h t states entered the c o n t e s t s , and the winners were: MOUNTAIN DULCIMER David Schnaufer ( 1 s t ) , Bonnie Carol ( 2 n d ) and David Peterson ( 3 r d ) .

HAMMERED DULCIMER David Peterson ( 1 s t ) , Esther Kreek ( 2 n d ) and Richard Krueger ( 3 r d ) .

May 7 t h - The F i f t h Annual Southern Appalachian Dulcimer F e s t i v a l was held i n Birmingham, Alabama w i t h an e n t h u s i a s t i c but rain-dampened crowd. Attendance has grown a t t h i s f e s t i v a l which i s a n i c e g a t h e r i n g o f dulcimer p l a y e r s , b u i l d e r s and e n t h u s i a s t s .

May 2 0 t h , 2 1 s t - Dulcimer Days i n Coshocton, Ohio a t t r a c t e d even more dulcimer e n t h u s i a s t s t h i s year. The f a c i l i t i e s were expanded and there was p l e n t y o f room t o play music under the t r e e s , v i s i t booths or hear the dulcimer contests. The winners were: CHILDREN Brenda W i l l e y ( 1 s t ) , Kimmy Shy ( 2 n d ) and Cheryl Jean Schroer ( 3 r d ) . WOMEN L a u r i V i b b e r t s ( 1 s t ) , Kendra Ward ( 2 n d ) , Andrea Mayle and Madeline MacNeil ( 3 r d ) .

COURTING Dana and Cathi V i b b e r t s ( 1 s t ) , Andrea Mayle and A r t Nicholas ( 2 n d ) and Linda Rusk and Kendra Ward ( 3 r d ) . MEN Dana Vibberts ( 1 s t ) , Leo Kretzner ( 2 n d ) and Paul Rowland ( 3 r d ) . MIXED J.D. LaBash and Alan Freeman ( 1 s t ) , A r t and Margie Nicholas and Andrea Mayle ( 2 n d ) , Leo Kretzner and Jay L e i b o v i t z (3rd).

HAMMERED DULCIMER Dave Taylor ( 1 s t ) .

VOCAL Dana V i b b e r t s ( 1 s t ) , Andrea Mayle ( 2 n d ) , Alan Freeman ( 3 r d ) . OPEN B i l l Stevens and Connie.

NOTICE: NOTICE: Information about the Kindred Gathering came i n a f t e r the F e s t i v a l s page was pasted up. The Kindred Gatherings are s p e c i a l and you should attend one i f you can.

This year i t w i l l be held August 18th - 2 0 t h , 8 m i l e s west o f Salem, Oregon i n a l a r g e f o r e s t c l e a r i n g c a l l e d "Magic Meadow . You w i l l be able t o camp i n the meadow, but b r i n g your own good and water. The cost i s $6 per person f o r the weekend. For f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n , send a self-addressed, stamped envelope t o A.D. "Dee" Green, 8 6 l Bieber S t r e e t , N.E., Salem, Oregon 9 7 3 0 1 ,

(503)

36U-3U68.

LARK IN THE MORNING Box 1176 Mendocino, C a l i f o r n i a 95*+60

N e i l Hellman a t the 3 r d Kindred Gathering, 1977

(707) 937-582U

(707) 964-5569

Photo by Bonnie Carol

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Dear P h i l and Maddie: Here's a l i t t l e dulcimer-making p r o j e c t t h a t DPN readers who work w i t h c h i l d r e n might find interesting.

With some s t r i p s o f pine board and p l e n t y o f cardboard, my f o u r t h and f i f t h graders and I constructed 3 1 dulcimers. Each k i d had h i s own dulcimer and a l o t o f fun making i t .

We s t a r t e d w i t h the o n l y wood i n the instrument - f r e t b o a r d and endblocks. Both can be cut from 1/2 inch pine or harder wood i f desired. The f r e t b o a r d i s c u t 1 3/U inches wide and 25 inches long, the end blocks are 2 inches by 2 inches. The f r e t s are s t a p l e gun-type staples hammered o r stapled i n t o place. Following i s the f r e t scale from the nut: F i r s t f r e t : 2 11/32" Second f r e t : U 10/32" Third f r e t : 5 12/32" Fourth f r e t : 7 8/32" F i f t h f r e t : 8 25/32"

Sixth f r e t : Seventh f r e t : Eighth f r e t : Ninth f r e t : Tenth f r e t :

9 18/32" 10 3 1 / 3 2 " 12 2/32" 13 U/32" 13 2 3 / 3 2 "

Eleventh f r e t : Ik 1 9 / 3 2 " Twelfth f r e t : 15 9 / 3 2 " T h i r t e e n t h f r e t : 15 26/32' Fourteenth f r e t : 16 17/32" Bridge: 21 20/32"

The bridge and nut can be cut from e x t r a stock, notched w i t h a coping saw and glued i n t o place. Three wood tacks are d r i v e n i n t o the bridge end t o hold the s t r i n g s . Three eyeb o l t s are used t o a t t a c h and tune the s t r i n g s . D r i l l three holes s l i g h t l y smaller than the b o l t s i n the nut end and s t u f f them w i t h paper or something f o r the time being.

For the dulcimer body, s t a r t w i t h two cardboard s t r i p s 2 inches by 26 inches which a r e glued and s t a p l e d ( w i t h a s t a p l e gun) t o the end blocks. Two brace s t r i p s a r e then used t o spread the sides a p a r t . They a r e placed a couple o f inches apart and glued toward t h e middle. L i t t l e 2" by 2" s t r i p s glued t o t h e sides where the braces j o i n w i l l help provide a curve instead o f a bend i n the sides. This spread form can now be placed on a sheet o f cardboard and the t o p and bottom t r a c e d and cut out. Cut a l i t t l e bigger than the sides t o allow f o r some overhang. Sound holes can now be c u t i n the t o p and the t o p and bottom glued on. A few books stacked on t o p w i l l guarantee a good contact f o r the j o i n t s .

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Next the f r e t b o a r d i s glued on and the v a r n i s h can i s opened. The whole t h i n g now gets a couple o f coats o f a good, hard, wood-stain v a r n i s h . The v a r n i s h gives i t a wood-like f i n i s h and p r o t e c t s against the e f f e c t s o f dampness. Also, the v a r n i s h hardens the cardboard and makes i t q u i t e r i g i d , thus improving the tone o f the instrument.

A f t e r the v a r n i s h d r i e s , i t i s ready t o be strung up. Use banjo f i r s t s t r i n g s ( l i g h t gauge). Do not t r y t o tune t o standard p i t c h . These instruments sound best tuned w e l l below standard p i t c h and the low t u n i n g w i l l also produce less s t r e s s . Simply f o r g e t about notes. Tune the f i r s t s t r i n g t o a pleasant p i t c h and b r i n g the o t h e r two up t o match it.

Remove the s t u f f i n g from the holes and screw the eye-bolts about l / 3 t o 1/2 way i n . T i e the s t r i n g s on and t u r n the b o l t s t o b r i n g the s t r i n g s up t o p i t c h . Here good judgement and patience are r e q u i r e d . This i s one t h i n g t h a t w i l l probably have t o be done f o r the k i d s . How many o f the other operations you do w i l l depend on t h e age and m a t u r i t y o f the k i d s . Very small c h i l d r e n w i l l need a l l o f the c u t t i n g done f o r them. Older c h i l d r e n may o n l y need you t o cut the wood f o r them, w h i l e some k i d s may be able t o do a l l o f the c u t t i n g themselves.

I've used one o f these dulcimers i n teacher workshops which one o f my students made t h r e e years ago, and i t i s s t i l l i n e x c e l l e n t c o n d i t i o n . They are q u i t e strong and playable instruments. I hope someone w i l l enjoy t r y i n g t h i s p r o j e c t . The k i d s w i l l !

Jim Gaskins (Ed. Note: Jim Gaskins, a 3rd-Uth grade teacher, b u i l d s and plays the dulcimer along w i t h other f o l k instruments.)

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- • f i "Sumer i s icumen i n " i s a round arranged f o r recorder and dulcimer, but works e q u a l l y as w e l l w i t h dulcimer and voice or w i t h two dulcimers. The small numbers over the words are f o r those of you who would l i k e t o play the round w i t h two dulcimers. Recorder, dulcimer and voice can be used, w i t h the voice coming i n two measures a f t e r the recorder. We haven't decided whether we l i k e i t b e t t e r w i t h soprano or tenor recorder, but since they're both based on the C major scale, e i t h e r works. We've had t r o u b l e blending dulcimer w i t h the a l t o recorder, because the l a t t e r i s based on F, and my s t r i n g s e i t h e r break or go too slack i n t h a t key.

"Sumer i s icumen i n " i s one o f the o l d e s t known songs i n E n g l i s h , I've spelled the l y r i c s semi-phonetically, t o help i n pronunciation o f the Middle English a l l "u's" are pronounced as the "oo" i n "look". The "oo" i n cuckoo and "coo", o f course, :> pronounced as i n "boot", "Ludely" - l o u d l y ; "mead" - meadow; "wud" - wood; "coo" - cow; "si • r t e t h " - leaps; " t r o v e r t e t h " - f r o l i c s . Here's the more a u t h o r i t a t i v e s p e l l i n g o f the OXFORD ] Sumer i s icumen i n , Lhude sing cuccu!

Groweth sed, and bloweth me, And springth the wude nu — Sing cuccu!

Awe b l e t e t h a f t e r lomb, Lhouth a f t e r calve cu; Bulluc s t e r t e t h , bucke v e r t e t h , Murie sing cuccu!

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Cuccu, cuccu, w e l l singes t h u , cuccu: Ne swike thu naver nu!

Carrie Crompton I5OO 1/2 Simpkins S t r e e t Raleigh, North Carolina 27606

Ed. Note: Carrie was one o f those lucky c h i l d r e n whose mothers sang around the house. Carrie and her s i s t e r were taught t o counter melodies by some obscure process and t h a t a b i l i t y has carried over t o her work w i t h the dulcimer today. Having completed her Master's Degree i n Crop Science a t NCSU, she begins her PhD work i n H o r t i c u l t u r a l Science i n J u l y .

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"Cold Frosty Morn" i s an American f i d d l e tune and can be traced t o t h e r e p e r t o i r e o f a Kentucky f i d d l e r named Henry Reed. I t i s an i n t e r e s t i n g tune f o r the hammered dulcimer because o f the changes from t h e minor key t o t h e major.

(Ed. Note: Ron, an e x c e l l e n t hammered dulcimer p l a y e r , teaches g u i t a r , autoharp, both dulcimers, dobro and "anything else w i t h s t r i n g s " . Look f o r an e x c i t i n g album by Ron t o be released before t o o long.)

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By DOROTHY MAY

The modes as we use them today i n dulcimer music are derived from t h e a n c i e n t Greek theory, the Gregorian chant, and - would you b e l i e v e - f o l k music i t s e l f . For "what" modes are, see Bonnie Carol's a r t i c l e i n DPN Volume 3> Number 1 . The Greeks named t h e modes a f t e r c i t i e s and areas i n t h e i r country, and the mode i s supposed t o r e f l e c t the p e r s o n a l i t y and c u l t u r e o f the people o f t h a t c i t y . Four o f t h e e i g h t Greek modes are recognized i n dulcimer music: Dorian - simple i n form, grave, but y e t e n e r g e t i c and v i r i l e , proper f o r the p e r f e c t c i t i z e n . Phrygian - m y s t i c a l , b u t makes people headstrong. Lydian - s o f t , g e n t l e , e f f e m i n a t e , induces slack morals. M i x o l y d i a n ( a f t e r a people speaking a " h a l f - L y d i a n " d i a l e c t ) - a n g e l i c . These modes and t h e i r derived forms - Hypodorian, Hypophrygian, e t c . - were t h e basis f o r Medieval church music as w e l l . There are some subtle v a r i a t i o n s between the Medieval and Greek modes which we needn't worry about.

Conspiculously absent from our l i s t are t h e two modes which we use t h e most. They were added i n 15^7 by a Swiss scholar named Glareanus. He recognized t h a t t h e r e were two other modes found i n f o l k music. A f t e r the manner o f t h e Greeks, he named them t h e Aeolian - l i k e the wind, and Ionian - wanton and l a s c i v i o u s ! He also named the Locrian mode, but recognized t h a t i t i s o n l y o f t h e o r e t i c a l i n t e r e s t . The i n t e r v a l from the Locrian f i r s t tone t o i t s f i f t h tone contains two h a l f steps and two whole steps.

(Try p l a y i n g i t on your dulcimer from t h e 2nd f r e t t o the 6 t h f r e t . ) A l l o t h e r modes have only one h a l f step and three whole steps. I n the Locrian mode, t h e r e f o r e , t h e f i f t h tone forms the d e v i l ' s i n t e r v a l w i t h t h e f i r s t tone. Because t h i s i n t e r v a l was believed t o be o f the d e v i l , music on such a scale as t h e Locrian would be f o r b i d d e n .

The Locrian mode doesn't sound good, e i t h e r . You w i l l n o t i c e t h a t both attempts i n former DPN a r t i c l e s t o use Locrian t u n i n g involve use o f the 6 1/2 f r e t . Probably the tunes used are r e a l l y i n t h e Phrygian mode. I couldn't f i n d any references as t o what s o r t o f people the Locrians were!

Dorothy May 732^ Canterbury Prairie Village, Kansas 66208 (Ed. Note: Dorothy, a previous c o n t r i b u t o r t o the DPN, i s a f i n e dulcimer player and an a c t i v e member o f the P r a i r i e Dulcimer Club i n the Kansas C i t y area.)

3000 T o o l s Woodworking and M u s i c a l I n s t r u m e n t Making Books, F i n i s h i n g P r o d u c t s and Tools o f t h e highest q u a l i t y Catalog

50C

Woodcraft Supply C o r p o r a t i o n D e p t . DP 313 M o n t v a l e A v e n u e Woburn, M a s s a c h u s e t t s 01801

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BEST OF THE FARINAS ( d o u b l e album)...7.95 FARINA BOOK by Neal & S a l l y

Hellman..4.95

" T h i s book oontaine a goodly number of h i s songs arranged for the dulcimer ...my w i f e . . . t e s t e d the songs i n the book and pronounced the t a b l a t u r e method q u i t e usable.

The book i s a l s o f u l l of decent a r t work. Recommended f o r dulcimer players..."

- P i c k i n ' November 1 9 7 7 -

P A C I F I C RIM ALBUM by F o r c e , d ' O s s c h e , C a r o l , Hellman, Rugg & Hubbert 5.95 " P a c i f i c Rim Dulcimer P r o j e c t is one of the f i r s t i f not the f i r s t recording adequately t r e a t i n g the mountain dulcimer as a complex musical instrument worthy of being featured on an e n t i r e record album covering many musical styles."

- P i c k i n ' December 1 9 7 7 -

P A C I F I C RIM SONGBOOK by t h e above

3.95

"...there'e a gorgeously l a i d - o u t and i l l u s t r a t e d book to go with the record, the best of i t s kind we've ever seen...Together, the book and record make a t e r r i f i c l e a r n i n g t o o l , as everything in the record is l a i d out i n t a b l a t u r e t h a t ' s a c t u a l l y readable, with spacious margins and those t o p - q u a l i t y i l l u s t r a t i o n s , as w e l l . Pine work, a l l around."

-The F o l k L i f e , Nov. 1 9 7 7 , B l o o m s b u r y , Pa.-

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JEAN'S D U L C I M E R S H O P P.O. B o x 8, H w y . 3 2 Cosby, Tenn. 37722 Finished dulcimers and kits by several makers in stock. Other instruments, too.

The widest selection of books, record albums, and accessories on mountain and hammered dulcimers available anywhere. We distribute to other dealers, too.

Catalog: 35?, refundable with order.

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A REVIEW AND MUSINGS BY John McCutcheon

JIMMY COOPER - DULCIMER PLAYER Spoot Records (FTS 30009) Tisbury, W i l t s h i r e , England

The great hammer dulcimer r e v i v a l o f l a t e has y i e l d e d scores o f energetic young f a n a t i c s beating out e v e r y t h i n g from f i d d l e tunes t o I r i s h a i r s t o ragtime and c l a s s i c a l music on the once seemingly extinction-bound instrument. Almost every major f o l k f e s t i v a l i n America i s sure t o include a t l e a s t one hammer dulcimer player - sure t o b r i n g admiring crowds t o t h e i r feet i n awe o f t h i s new phenomenon. And t h e record i n d u s t r y has, l i k e w i s e , reaped the b e n e f i t o f t h i s r e v i v a l . Many f i n e recordings o f , again, young new players are f l o o d i n g the market. Yet, as one o f these young new hammerers, there i s no one player or one record t h a t e x c i t e s and i n s p i r e s me more than Jimmy Cooper o f England and h i s record.

A vast r e p e r t o i r e i s a f f o r d e d on t h i s record, each tune presented w i t h equal s k i l l and excitement. The l a c k o f v a r i e t y i n dulcimer s t y l e s has long been an alarming void i n t h e vast wealth o f s k i l l e d new-comers t o the instrument. But Jimmy d i s p e l s any f e a r t h a t t h e dulcimer i s a s t y l i s t i c a l l y l i m i t e d instrument. Beginning w i t h a medley o f t r a d i t i o n a l hornpipes, he swings i n t o J. F. Wagner's "Under the Double Eagle", from there t o t h e "Third Man Theme" and on t o a medley o f cha-chas, waltzes, j i g s , s c h o t t i s c h e s , reels and songs thereby rounding out an i n c r e d i b l y d e l i g h t f u l and astounding record. Even "Strangers on the Shore" and "Schon Rosmarin" are remarkably b e a u t i f u l on the dulcimer.

He i s a dulcimer player - and t h i s i s what I p a r t i c u l a r l y l i k e about Jimmy Cooper and h i s music. He doesn't n e c e s s a r i l y present himself as a t r a d i t i o n a l musician, though, i n h i s own way, he decidedly i s . " T r a d i t i o n a l i s t " , " r e v i v a l i s t " and whatever l i e s between and beyond are b a s i c a l l y meaningless pigeonholes invented o f l a t e t o capsulize musicians and t h e i r music. Older musicians l i k e Jimmy, now i n h i s e a r l y 70*s, have l i t t l e time f o r such c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s . They are too busy l e a r n i n g , p l a y i n g and t r a n s m i t t i n g music t o bother w i t h excluding c e r t a i n types o f music because those types don't f i t t h e i r s t a t u s . Jinny plays the music he l i k e s and grew up w i t h . He learns and plays his music as " t r a d i t i o n a l " musicians have f o r hundreds o f years, w i t h i n the context o f the c o n s t a n t l y changing times, by i n c o r p o r a t i n g c u r r e n t l y popular tunes, whether these tunes come from f i d d l e r s , from singers or from the r a d i o . Jimmy Cooper's music comes across seasoned and a l i v e . So a l i v e , i n f a c t , t h a t a f t e r one hearing o f the record I decided I had t o meet him.

Therefore, i n January o f 1977 Malcolm D a l g l i s h and I t r a v e l l e d t o the B r i t i s h I s l e s t o meet Jimmy and some half-dozen other dulcimer players around England and I r e l a n d . Jimmy proved t o be, as we expected, the h i g h l i g h t o f our three-week j a u n t . Jimmy and h i s w i f e , Sadie, l i v e i n a s m a l l t r a i l e r i n Dorset, i n the southwest o f England. He was raised near Glasgow, Scotland and moved south a f t e r h i s r e t i r e m e n t . I n the course o f h i s l i f e he has seen employment as a Wis d r i v e r f o r a c h i l d r e n ' s home, d r i v e n trucks and ambulances, and has run a dance band. He's a remarkably t h o u g h t f u l and p o l i t i c a l man: we spent as many hours p h i l o s o p h i z i n g world government and economy as w i t h music. But such music t h e r e was!

A generous and s k i l l e d teacher, Jimmy p a t i e n t l y demonstrated some o f h i s vast r e p e r t o i r e of tunes f o r us, laughing and cheering w i t h each b i t o f progress we made. His dulcimer i s tuned s i m i l a r l y t o those popular today i n America, but w i t h the bass s t r i n g s ( t o the r i g h t ) tuned an octave below t h e i r corresponding s t r i n g s on the t r e b l e bridge. There i s an odd course a t the t o p o f the t r e b l e b r i d g e . He b u i l t the two dulcimers he owns, each w i t h nine t r e b l e and e i g h t bass courses, f o u r s t r i n g s per course.

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Unlike some English players who pluck the dulcimer w i t h plectrums as w e l l as play w i t h hammers, Jimmy only uses wooden hammers. His p l a y i n g incorporates a l o t o f tremelo, achieved w i t h a t i g h t l y held hammer and i n c r e d i b l y f l e x i b l e w r i s t along w i t h a r o c k - s o l i d sense o f rhythm and unerring accuracy.

I n a d d i t i o n t o t h i s tremelo, Jimmy plays n o t e - f o r note tunes ornamented w i t h single-handed r o l l s and two-handed t r i l l s .

He a l s o harmonizes w i t h a keen sense of chords and arpeggios. I n "Under the Double Eagle", f o r example, the second and t h i r d p a r t s i m i t a t e a brass band - the melody being played by the r i g h t hand on the bass s t r i n g s w i t h the l e f t f i l l i n g i n p i c c o l o p a r t s on the upper t r e b l e bridge. This i s a remarkable f e a t f o r anyone who bothers t o t r y i t !

Aside from h i s sheer t e c h n i c a l prowess, Jimmy's music i s s e n s i t i v e w i t h a breadth not o f t e n associated w i t h dulcimer players. 50 years o f s t r e e t music ( b u s k i n g ) , dances, and p l a y i n g f o r love and a l i t t l e money teach one more about music than j u s t about the dulcimer.

He doesn't j u s t play the dulcimer; he plays music on the dulcimer.

Believe i t or n o t , t h i s began as a review! Let me close by r e i t e r a t i n g my o p i n i o n t h a t JIMMY COOPER - DULCIMER PLAYER i s , by f a r and away, my hands-down, number one f a v o r i t e dulcimer record and a must f o r anyone i n t e r e s t e d i n hammer dulcimer music o r j u s t good music i n general. I n t h i s country, JIMMY COOPER - DULCIMER PLAYER i s a v a i l a b l e from Andy's Front H a l l , Route 1 Wormer Road, V o o r h e e s v i l l e , N.Y. 12186.

John McCutcheon Route 1 Dungannon, V i r g i n i a 2k2k5

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We are making an e f f o r t t o cut down on the s i x pages u s u a l l y used f o r the D.P.N, book and record l i s t i n g s i n order t o be able t o add more content i n the l i n e o f music and a r t i c l e s . Each reader i s u s u a l l y sent a copy o f our Blue Ridge Dulcimer Shop catalogue which l i s t s these m a t e r i a l s i n d e t a i l so on these pages we w i l l j u s t l i s t the t i t l e s , authors, and p r i c e s f o r these dulcimer m a t e r i a l s . Those wishing more d e t a i l s about these items are urged t o w r i t e and request our complete c u r r e n t catalogue or ask t o be put on the l i s t f o r f u t u r e catalogs (a new one w i l l be coming out s h o r t l y ) .

These dulcimania m a t e r i a l s are made a v a i l a b l e through the D.P.N, i n an e f f o r t t o be a s e r v i c e and resource f o r you the reader. The proceeds from these go t o help d e f r a y the costs (always r i s i n g ) o f p u b l i s h i n g the D.P.N. A l l books and records l i s t e d on these pages may be ordered from: THE DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS P.O. BOX 157 FRONT ROYAL, VA. 22630

PLEASE be sure t o add a b i t o f postage t o a l l orders. THANKS! MOUNTAIN DULCIMER INSTRUCTION AND SONG BOOKS

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"SINGING WITH THE APPALACHIAN DULCIMER" Madeline MacNeil Mason.

$3-95

"BEST LOVED HYMNS ARRANGED FOR THE DULCIMER" Mark & Carol B l a i r .

$3-95

"THE DULCIMER BOOK" Jean R i t c h i e "DULCIMER PEOPLE"

Jean R i t c h i e .

"PLAYING LEAD DULCIMER"

$2.95

(Oak Record E d i t i o n $U.95)

$U.95

Dr. Richard W i l k i e .

$**.95

"FOUR AND TWENTY" Lynn McSpadden & Dorothy French.

"BRETHREN WE HAVE MET" McSpadden & French.

$2.95

$2.95

"MERRILY STRUM: MOUNTAIN DULCIMER FOR CHILDREN" Mary Catherine McSpadden.

$2.50

"PLAY THE DULCIMER BY EAR & OTHER EASY WAYS" Len & Su MacEachron. $ 1 - 5 0 "NONESUCH FOR DULCIMER" Roger Nicholson. $3-50 "MUSICKS DELITE ON DULCIMER" Roger Nicholson.

$j.95

"MOUNTAIN DULCIMER PLAYING TECHNIQUES: A STUDENT WORKBOOK" E i l e e n Rains.

"IN SEARCH OF THE W I U DULCIMER" Bob Force & A l d'Ossche.

$2-95

$U-95

"THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAIN DULCIMER BOOK" Paul Pyle. $ 2 - 9 5 "TUNING AND PLAYING THE APPALACHIAN DULCIMER" A.W. J e f f r e y s .

$3.00

"MOODS OF THE DULCIMER" V i r g i l & Norman Hughes. $U.5Q "THE APPALACHIAN DULCIMER BOOK" Michael Murphy. $U.95 "THE PLUCKED DULCIMER & HOW TO PLAY I T " John F. Putnam. $ 1 . 7 5 "AN ELIZABETHAN SONGBOOK" Lorraine Lee.

$3-95 CONTINUED

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MOUNTAIN DULCIMER BOOKS CONTINUED: "PICTURES, POEMS AND DULCIMER PIECES"

Kevin Roth.

$14.95

$3.95

"THE BEST DULCIMER METHOD YET" A l b e r t Gamse.

"THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER (How t o Make & Play i t ) Howie M i t c h e l l . $ 3 . 9 5 (BOOK & RECORD SET $ 8 . 9 5 ) $2.95

"SIMMONS FAMILY SONGBOOK" Tommy & Jean Simmons.

"DULCIMER SONGBOOK" Neal Hellman. $ 4 . 9 5

"THE RICHARD FARINA DULCIMER BOOK" Neal & S a l l y Hellman. $ 4 . 9 5 "FUN WITH THE DULCIMER" V.E. Hughes. $ 2 . 0 0 "PACIFIC RIM DULCIMER SONGBOOK" Hellman, Rugg, Carol, Force, d'Ossche, Hubbert. $3.95 "LIFE IS LIKE A MOUNTAIN DULCIMER" Neal & S a l l y Hellman. $U.95 (Contains r e c o r d ) "THE CRIPPLE CREEK DULCIMER BOOK" Bud & Donna Ford. $ 4 . 9 5 "TWELVE TRADITIONAL TUNES FOR DULCIMER" J e r r y Rockwell.

NOW ONLY $1.50

"CHORDAL EXPLORATIONS ( f o r Mtn. Dulcimer)" J e r r y Rockwell. Now only $ 1 . 9 5 "A FANCIFUL HISTORY OF THE DULCIMER" V.E. Hughes.

$1.00

"THE DULCIMER TUN UK? BOOK" Randy Christopher Rain.

$3.95

"HOW TO PLAY THE DULCIMER" Margaret Winters" $ 2 . 0 0 MOUNTAIN DULCIMER CONSTRUCTION BOOKS

C^SUD

"CONSTRUCTING THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER" Dean Kimball. $ 8 . 9 5

(Hardback)

"TO BUILD A DULCIMER" Paul Pyle. $U.OO $3-50

"MAKING AN APPALACHIAN DULCIMER" John Bailey.

"NOTES ON DULCIMER MAKING" Rodger H a r r i s . $ 5 . 0 0

"CONSTRUCTION OF A MOUNTAIN DULCIMER" W i l l i a m M. Schmitt. $ 1 . 7 5 ( 1 0 page plana) HAMMER DULCIMER BOOKS O S ^ _ ?

"HOW TO BUILD A "HAMMERED" DULCIMER" P h i l l i p Mason.

$3.50

"THE HAMMERED DULCIMER INSTRUCTION BOOK" P h i l l i p Mason $ 3 . 9 5 "THE HAMMERED DULCIMER: HOW TO MAKE & PLAY" Howie M i t c h e l l . $ 3 - 9 5 (BOOK & RECORD COMBO $8.95) "HAMMER DULCIMER COMPENDIUM" From Mugwumps Magazine.

$2.00

"D.P.N. HAMMER DULCIMER REPRINTS" Dulcimer Players News. $ 2 . 5 0 MOUNTAIN DULCIMER STRINGS (Jean S c h i l l i n g )

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3-STRING SET ( 2 p l a i n . 0 1 3 " s t e e l & 1 bronze wound . 0 2 2 " )

$ 2 . 0 0 set

DOUBLE-MELODY U-STRING SET ( 3 p l a i n . 0 1 3 " & 1 . 0 2 2 " bronze wound) $ 2 . 5 0 set BOOK & RECORD LIST CONTINUED — - t >

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"DULCIMER. OLD TIME AND TRADITIONAL MUSIC" Ralph Lee Smith & M.L. H o l l o w e l l . $ 6 . 9 5 w/book "DULCIMER, MORE OLD TIME & TRADITIONAL MUSIC" Ralph Lee Smith.

$ 6 . 9 5 w/book

"STRAWBERRY FAIR" Madeline MacNeil Mason. $ 6 . 9 5 w/booklet 'OLD TRADITIONS" Jean S c h i l l i n g .

$5.98

'PORCHES OF THE POOR" Jean & Lee S c h i l l i n g . $ 5 . 9 8 'HOWIE MITCHELL" (Folk-Legacy)

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$6.95

'THE RUSSELL FAMILY" Roscoe, Roy, & Bonnie Russell. $ 5 - 9 8 'LIVING IN THE TREES" Rick & Lorraine Lee. $ 6 . 9 5 it.

"WANDERING THROUGH THE RACKENSACK" The Simmons Family. $5.98 "LORRAINE LEE"S DULCIMER ALBUM" Lorraine & Rick Lee. ( a v a i l a b l e August) $ 6 . 9 8 "APPALACHIAN ECHOES" George & Mary Williamson. $ 5 - 9 8 "GREENSLEEVES: A CLASSICAL DULCIMER RECITAL" Robert B r i c k . $6-95 "RED WING" I.D.Stamper, Letcher County, Ky., dulcimer player. $ 6 . 9 8 "PACIFIC RIM DULCIMER PROJECT" Hellman, Carol, Force, d'Ossche, Hubbert. $ 6 . 9 5 "DULCIMER FAIR" Leo Kretzner & Jay Leibowitz. $ 6 . 9 5 "THE BEST OF MIMI & RICHARD FARINA" Two record s e t .

$7-95

"EDNA RITCHIE OF VIPER, KENTUCKY" (Folk-Legacy) $ 6 . 9 5 "DULCIMER SONGS AND SOLOS" Paul Clayton. $ 6 . 9 8 NEW MOUNTAIN DULCIMER ALBUMS BEING OFFERED THROUGH D.P.N . OUR SUPPLIER CAME UP WITH SOME GOOD ONES WE HAVE LONG WISHED TO BE ABLE TO CARRY. "CLEAR WATERS REMEMBERED" Jean R i t c h i e . $7.98 ''THE RITCHIE FAMILY OF KENTUCKY" $7.98 "JEAN RITCHIE AT HOME" Jean R i t c h i e . $7.98 "BRITISH TRADITIONAL BALLADS IN THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS" (Vol. l ) Jean R i t c h i e $7.98 "BRITISH TRADITIONAL BALLADS IN THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS" (Vol. 2 ) Jean R i t c h i e $7795 "JEAN RITCHIE & DOC WATSON AT FOLK CITY" (Folkways) $7.98 "PRECIOUS MEMORIES" Jean R i t c h i e . $7-98 "JEAN RITCHIE & OSCAR BRAND AT TOWN HALL" $ 7 . 9 8 "CHILDREN"S SONGS & GAMES FROM THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS" Jean R i t c h i e . $ 7 . 9 8 "NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAIN FOLK SONGS & BALLADS" Artus Moser. $ 7 . 9 8 "SEEDS OF LOVE, DULCIMER BALLADS" $7 98 "KEVIN ROTH SINGS AND PLAYS DULCDMER" Kevin Roth. $7-98 "THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN" Kevin Roth. $7.98 "SOMEBODY GIVE ME DIRECTION" Kevin Roth. $7.98 "DULCIMER INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM" Kevin Roth. $7798 "ALL IN ONE EVENING" Kevin Roth, Ola B e l l e & Bud Reed. $ 7 . 9 8 MORE NEW ALBUMS (Not Mountain Dulcimer) / ^ / "GENTLY DOWN THE STREAM OF TIME" Ed T r i c k e t t & Friends $ 6 . 9 8 "A CAMP OF PLEASURE" The Berkeley S c o t t i s h Players (Ancient & modern dance) $ 6 . 9 8 "flLD TIME AMERICAN HARMONICA, BONES, & HICKORY LEAF PLAYING" S. K e l l y & R.L. Smith "HOWDAYADO! FROM JANETTE CARTER" w/Help From Brother Joe Carter $5.98 $6.98 "THE MAN WITH A RHYME" Archie Fisher w i t h "The Ladies o f the Lake" $6.98 "SHENANDOAH SPBING" Madeline MacNeil. (Tad o f Dulcimer) $5.98

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HAMMER DULCIMER RECORDS "TROUBADOUR" Dorothy Carter. $ 5 . 9 8 "AMERICAN HAMMER DULCIMER" O r i g i n a l Dulcimer Players Club o f Michigan. $ 6 . 9 8

v/booklet

"BANISH MISFORTUNE" Malcolm D a l g l i s h & Grey Larsen. $ 6 . 9 8 "GREEN ROCKY ROAD" Guy Caravan & Friends. $ 6 . 9 8 "MORE PATH RENT" Doug Ecker & Friends. $ 6 . 9 8 "MOTHER"S FAVORITE HYMNS" Charles Maxson & Karen Skidmore. $ 6 . 9 8 "THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY" John McCutcheon. $ 6 . 9 8 "THE HAMMER DULCIMER" Played by Chet Parker. $7-50 "TRAPEZOID" Sam R i z z e t t a & The Trapezoid Hammer Dulcimer Band. $ 5 . 9 8 "THE HAMMERED DULCIMER ALBUM" Jay Round & Friends. $ 5 . 9 8 "COLUMBUS STOCKADE BLUES" Jay Round & The Williams Family. $5_i2ยง "ONE TIME FRIEND" Jay Round. $ 5 . 9 8 "THE HAMMERED DULCIMER" B i l l Spence & Fennig's A l l - S t a r S t r i n g Band. $ 6 . 9 8 "SATURDAY NIGHT IN THE PROVINCES" B i l l Spence & Fennig's A l l - S t a r s . $6.98 "THE HAMMERED DULCIMER STRIKES AGAIN" B i l l Spence & Fennig's A l l - S t a r s . $6-98 "ALEX UPVARY PRESENTS THE CIMBALOM" Alex Udvary. $ 6 . 9 8

ALBUMS WITH SOME MOUNTAIN OR HAMMERED DULCIMER MUSIC (Many cuts I n most cases) "PROM THE HEARTLAND OF WEST VIRGINIA" Charles Maxson, Karen Skidmore. $ 6 . 9 8 "SONGS TRADITIONALLY SUNG IN NORTH CAROLINA" Betty Smith. $ 6 . 9 8 "FOR MY FRIENDS A SONG" Betty Smith. $ 6 . 9 8 "SITTING ON TOP OF THE WORLD" Guy & Candy Carawan. $ 6 . 9 8 "HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING" John McCutcheon. $ 6 . 9 8 "THE OLD SONGS" Margaret MacArthur. $ 6 . 9 8 "A SAMPLER OF FOLK MUSIC" M i t z i e C o l l i n s " $ 6 . 9 8 "WHISKEY BEFORE BREAKFAST" Arkansas Shieks. $6.98 "LIGHT ALONG THE HIGHWAY' B o t t l e H i l l . $6.98 "A RUMOR IN THEIR OWN TDME" B o t t l e H i l l . $ 6 . 9 8 1

NOTE: Due t o the k2$, hike i n postage rates r e c e n t l y imposed on us the postage f o r books and records ( i n c l u d i n g packing) i s 60^ f o r the f i r s t book or record and 15^ f o r each a d d i t i o n a l book or record.

ALL BOOKS AND RECORDS ON THESE PAGES MAY BE ORDERED FROM: THE DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS P.O. BOX 157 FRONT ROYAL, VA. 22630

FOR A COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF ALL THESE BOOKS AND RECORDS AS WELL AS MANY MORE SELECTIONS IN THE FOLK MUSIC FIELD, WRITE FOR OUR COMPLETE "BLUE RIDGE DULCIMER SHOP" CATALOGUE. ITS FREE. (SAME ADDRESS).

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CONTRASTS ARTISTS: Rick and Lorraine Lee LABEL: Front H a l l (FHR - OlU) CONTRASTS i s t r u e t o i t s name. The music on side one i s mostly a n g l o - t r a d i t i o n a l . "Lady Owen's D e l i g h t " , " C i n c i n n a t i Hornpipe" and "Three Babes" are examples. Side two presents mostly o r i g i n a l m e t e r i a l - several o f the songs were w r i t t e n by Rick and Lorraine. Other a r t i s t s appearing on the album are Winnie Winston (pedal s t e e l ) , George Wilson (basses), Jack Hume ( e l e c t r i c g u i t a r ) , B i l l Spence (hammered dulcimer) and Connie Hume ( r e c o r d e r ) .

Folks lucky enough t o have heard Rick and Lorraine i n concert w i l l f i n d t h a t CONTRASTS capsulizes the f i n e and v a r r i e d music they present. They are e x c e l l e n t musicians: Lorraine s i n g i n g and p l a y i n g Appalachian dulcimer; Rick p l a y i n g banjo, piano and s i n g i n g . I f i r s t heard Rick perform "Tam L i n " i n Washington, and I was d e l i g h t e d t o f i n d i t on t h i s album.

I f I had t o choose a f a v o r i t e cut from CONTRASTS, I would choose the medley o f "Now i s t h e Month o f Maying", "Radstock", "Star o f the County Down" and "Gathering Peascods". I t i s beautiful.

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THE DULCIMER PLAYERS ARTISTS: Roger Nicholson, Stefan S o b e l l , L i z S o b e l l , Pete Coe and H o l l y Tannen LABEL: T r a n s a t l a n t i c (LTRA 5 0 2 ) We've been w a i t i n g some time f o r the release o f THE DULCIMER PLAYERS. I t i s a c o l l e c t i o n of music performed by several people l i v i n g i n England - and t h e r e f o r e i s a l s o a c o l l e c t i o n of d i f f e r e n t dulcimer s t y l e s . The back cover i s a wealth o f i n f o r m a t i o n about the diverse s t y l e s , t e l l i n g b a s i c a l l y how each tune was played and how the dulcimer was tuned. Some o f the t i t l e s are: "The South Wind"/"Sellinger's Round" (Roger Nicholson), "Love Minus Zero" (Stefan S o b e l l ) , "Hardiman the f i d d l e r " / " A n o t h e r J i g w i l l do" ( L i z S o b e l l ) , "La b e l l e de Charenton" (Pete Coe) and "Lord Thomas and F a i r E l l e n d e r " ( H o l l y Tannen). C r e d i t should also be given t o other f i n e musicians who a s s i s t e d w i t h t h i s album: Jake Walton (hurdygurdy, voice and g u i t a r ) , Steve Morrison (voice and g u i t a r ) , Chris Coe (voice and hammer dulcimer) and M a r t i n Simpson (resonator g u i t a r ) . Roger Nicholson w i l l be g i v i n g several concerts i n the eastern United States d u r i n g l a t e September and October - see Lorraine Lee's l e t t e r i n the Feedback s e c t i o n . For now, most o f us must be content w i t h hearing the o t h e r dulcimer players v i a t h e i r album. THE DULCIMER PIAYERS w i l l make a nice and i n t e r e s t i n g a d d i t i o n t o your record l i b r a r y .

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ALEX UDVARY PRESENTS THE CIMBALOM ARTIST: Alex Udvary LABEL: P r i v a t e Label (AU - 1 3 0 0 ) I f you are i n t o the hammer dulcimer sound you w i l l love the a l i v e , v i b r a n t and warmly s t i m u l a t i n g sound o f i t s b i g cousin the cimbalom. Alex Udvary i s considered one o f the world's most accomplished cimbalom players and t h i s album c e r t a i n l y brings out h i s musical a r t i s t r y . Alex i s q u i t e well-known i n Europe and when European a r t i s t s a r e on t o u r i n t h i s country, they f r e q u e n t l y ask him t o accompany them i n t h e i r concerts. Alex learned cimbalom p l a y i n g from h i s f a t h e r and i s one o f only a handful o f p r o f e s s i o n a l cimbalom players i n America today. He plays r e g u l a r l y a t a Hungarian n i g h t club i n Cleveland, Ohio c a l l e d t h e S e t t l e r ' s Tavern. He began h i s musical career studying the piano and theory a t the Cleveland I n s t i t u t e o f Music and i s a l s o an accomplished p i a n i s t . Some o f the cuts on t h i s f i n e album are: Theme from "Love Story", "Hava Nagila" Lara's Theme from "Doctor Zhivago", excerpts from the "Roumanion Rhapsody", " A l Di La", " I am a Shepherd Boy a t Tarnoca" and more. Contact Alex about h i s records (he has made several) a t 1923 West Wtth S t r e e t , Cleveland, Ohio W+113 or see the DPN record l i s t .

-IW

<0> Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

Q u i l t e d m a t e r i a l i s s o l d a t most e v e r y f a b r i c s t o r e r a n g i n g i n p r i c e f r o m $2.98 t o $ 4 . 9 8 .

I t i s a v a i l a b l e i n a wide s e l e c t i o n o f p r i n t s and s o l i d c o l o r s .

To p u r c h a s e m a t e r i a l f o r a q u i l t e d d r a w s t r i n g d u l c i m e r b a q t u r n t h e d u l c i m e r o v e r and m e a s u r e i t s l e n g t h . Add 5" t o t h i s and y o u w i l l h a v e t h e t o t a l l e n g t h o f m a t e r i a l n e e d e d .

E x a m p l e : D u l c i m e r m e a s u r e s 3 7 " i n l e n g t h , p l u s 5" â&#x20AC;˘ t o t a l o f 4 2 " . Thus y o u w o u l d 1-1/4 y d . o f m a t e r i a l .

Since t h e m a t e r i a l i s a p p r o x i m a t e l y 44" i n w i d t h , you w i l l a l r e a d y have the necessary w i d t h o f m a t e r i a l .

While you a r e p u r c h a s i n g your m a t e r i a l , buv m a t c h i n g t h r e a d and 1 y d . o f c o r d i n g - s i z e a n d c o l o r o f y o u r c h o i c e .

P r e - s h r i n k m a t e r i a l by w a s h i n g a n d d r y i n g b e f o r e c u t t i n g .

Q u i l t e d m a t e r i a l does have l % - 2 % s h r i n k a g e so t h i s s t e p i s very important.

To c u t m a t e r i a l , f o l d l e n g t h w i s e w i t h ' r i g h t s i d e s t o g e t h e r .

Measure d u l c i m e r on back a t w i d e s t p o i n t .

Add 2"-3" t o t h i s amount d e p e n d i n g o n d e p t h o f i n s t r u m e n t .

Examole: I f d u l c i m e r i s v e r y s h a l l o w , add 2 " - 2 - l / 4 " .

I f i t i s d e e p , add 2-l/2"-3".

You h a v e a l r e a d y d e t e r m i n e d t h e l e n g t h when purchasing the m a t e r i a l .

Mark o f f t h e l e n g t h a n d w i d t h o f bag o n y o u r m a t e r i a l .

The b o t t o m may e i t h e r b e c u t s q u a r e o r on a c u r v e .

Using

5/8" seam a l l o w a n c e ,

stitch

s i d e seams and b o t t o m

o f bag.

A t t o p o f b a g t u r n m a t e r i a l i n s i d e 3" a n d t u r n r a w e d g e u n d e r a g a i n 1/2".

Stitch.

To make o o e n i n g f o r d r a w s t r i n g a b u t t o n h o l e c a n be made a b o u t 1 " f r o m t o p o f b a g o r a c a s i n g c a n b e p u t on t h e o u t s i d e o f b a g a n d c o r d i n g p u l l e d t h r o u g h .

To make c a s i n g , measure a p i e c e o f f a b r i c t h a t w i l l f i t a r o u n d t h e t o p o f y o u r b a g p l u s a s m a l l seam a l l o w a n c e .

The w i d t h o f t h e c a s i n n s h o u l d be e n o u g h f o r y o u r c o r d i n g o l u s a seam a l l o w a n c e .

T u r n under a l l raw edges and s t i t c h c a s i n g t o bag l e a v i n g o p e n i n g a t b o t h s i d e s . Draw c o r d i n g t h r o u g h and k n o t a t e a c h e n d .

Your comoleted g i v e vou vears

bag i s machine w a s h a b l e and d r y a b l e and of service.

Kathle Clark 7923 Bainbridge Road Alexandria, V i r g i n i a

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(Ed. Note: Kathle, a dulcimer player and f i n e seamstress, has a most i n t e r e s t i n g c o l l e c t i o n o f Appalachian dulcimers - o l d and new.)

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YOU

CAN'T PLAY THE THEME FROM STAR WARS ON A DULCIMER AND

OTHER COMPLAINTS

I l i v e w i t h a Centaur. Not l i t e r a l l y , o f course—man/horse creatures went out w i t h Magic.

No, t h i s c r e a t u r e — C h i r o n I I I c a l l h i m — j u s t shares many o f the same s e n s i t i v e q u a l i t i e s of h i s namesake and g e n e r a l l y s t i c k s out i n Pop Culture l i k e a n u d i s t i n a Senate session.

Homer's ILIAD informs us t h a t the h i s t o r i c Chiron taught A c h i l l e s and Aesculapius music as w e l l as medicine. This modern Centaur i s also a t e a c h e r — o f TV-raised kids and s t a t i s t i c ridden a d u l t s . But the f l i p - s i d e o f h i s l i f e i s given over t o a b i z a r r e passion: he plays the dulcimer. No, not by p u t t i n g on a d i s k , t u r n i n g a d i a l , f l i p p i n g a switch, or even by heaving one through the a i r l i k e a f r i s b e e . I t ' s p o s i t i v e l y subversive...he makes MUSIC with i t .

Now, I'm a graduate student studying Mass Media and am steeped i n Pop Culture l i k e any normal American. Every day I brush w i t h U l t r a b r i t e , am nourished by Kellogs, McDonalds, and Mortons. I spend the evening w i t h Kojak, B a r e t t a , or a Bionic Whatever, and r e t i r e to my B u r l i n g t o n sheets w i t h my N y t o l t o dream o f sequals t o STAR WARS. Chiron however, seems o b l i v i o u s t o Rock s t a t i o n s , the Tube, and PEOPLE Magazine. A f t e r work he c l a t t e r s home on h i s hooves o f ectoplasm and heads d i r e c t l y f o r h i s dulcimer. Eight rounds o f "Old Joe C l a r k " and he's u s u a l l y able to stop shaking and focus h i s eyes, but I hate t o t h i n k what would happen i f he a c c i d e n t a l l y locked himself out one n i g h t . The only reason he doesn't take the t h i n g t o work i s t h a t he hasn't found a way t o d r i v e and play simultaneously. ..yet.

I t ' s i n t e r e s t i n g , f o r the most p a r t , l i v i n g w i t h a Centaur. He's gentle and q u i e t and cherishes simple, n a t u r a l t h i n g s . When people meet him f o r the f i r s t time, they are as p l e a s a n t l y s u r p r i s e d as i f they had found a Unicorn i n downtown P i t t s b u r g . I n f a c t , Chiron I I himself seems almost m y t h i c a l . He doesn't seem t o belong i n 1978 or i n a country where ROLLING STONE, the Fonz, and Andy Warhol dominate the c u l t u r a l scene. He won't go to Rock concerts or Abstract A r t e x h i b i t s and sees few movies. He won't take h i s dulcimer to p a r t i e s anymore because everyone i n s i s t s on s i n g i n g a l o n g — t o p volume.

Chiron has unnerved some people who don't know about dulcimers. Folks stare when he d r i f t s outside w i t h picks f a l l i n g out o f h i s pockets, a turkey q u i l l stuck behind one ear, humming "Shady Grove" w h i l e h i s f i n g e r s j i g i n m i d - a i r a t b e l t l e v e l . He o f t e n wanders through town m u t t e r i n g sequences o f numbers t o himself and c a r r y i n g on a oneCentaur dialogue about mixolydians—whatever they are. P e r i o d i c a l l y , Chiron attempts t o e x p l a i n things or t r i e s t o teach me how to play h i s dulcimer, i n s i s t i n g t h a t i t ' s easy.

I t i s n ' t . The machine always v a u l t s o f f my l a p or I get upwards o f s i x f i n g e r s simultaneously stuck i n the s t r i n g s . I t h i n k I ' l l s t i c k t o my W u r l i t z e r . Recently Chiron has acquired a few f o l l o w e r s who may someday be worthy p u p i l s : whenever he relaxes out back w i t h h i s dulcimer, the neighborhood kids creep up and s i t close t o him, entranced and s i l e n t . Sometimes they even give up afternoon TV t o j o i n him. I t ' s a strange l i t t l e scene—the kids and Centaur a l l i n t e n t on something unheard from a distance. They might a l l have been displaced i n h i s t o r y , s l i p p e d through Time from a l l those e a r l i e r eons when the singer-poet was the guardian and teacher o f a c i v i l i z a t i o n ' s h i s t o r y and knowledge.

I can't say t h a t I understand t h i s semi-mythical -creature I l i v e w i t h , but I've come t o suspect t h a t there have always been, and perhaps are now, other Centaurs l i k e him.

Jeanne A. Landis 128 East Green S t r e e t Westminster, Maryland

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Handmade D u l c i m e r s & B a n j o ' s .

A l l S o l i d Wood. L i f e t i m e G u a r a n t e e L a k e f r o n t Music 7012 N . G a l e n a Rd. Peoria, 111. 6 l 6 U j

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Tuning. Ah - there's the rub. This column i s dedicated t o those o f you who are a f r a i d t o venture out o f I o n i a n *" (or some o t h e r ) t u n i n g . And to you who hope f e r v e n t l y that a dulcimer tuned by a f r i e n d w i l l stay i n i t ' s c u r r e n t c o n d i t i o n . And t o you whose dulcimer hangs on the wal"_ w i t h two s t r i n g s f l a p p i n g i n the breeze and another gone t o r e p a i r a screen door when no other w i r e could be found. To most o f us, t u n i n g i s d i f f i c u l t e s p e c i a l l y a t f i r s t - but i t i s NOT impossible.

What are the current c a p a b i l i t i e s o f your dulcimer? Study i t a moment. We'll discuss the three s t r i n g dulcimer or a four s t r i n g dulcimer w i t h double melody s t r i n g s and hope you can adapt our discussion t o your dulcimer should you have more s t r i n g s . Perhaps you have never changed the o r i g i n a l s t r i n g s or have not much idea o f what s t r i n g s are there. Feel the basa s t r i n g and compare i t w i t h the middle and melody s t r i n g s . You probably n o t i c e a d i f f e r e n c e i n s t r i n g s i z e . The lower pitched (bass) s t r i n g s are l a r g e r . Run your f i n g e r n a i l s down the bass s t r i n g . Do you f e e l t i n y " r i d g e s " and hear a "screech" sound? That s t r i n g i s wound.

(Wound means t h a t a core wire was wrapped w i t h another w i r e . ) I f the bass s t r i n g f e e l s smooth l i k e the other s t r i n g s , i t ' s unwound.

Your dulcimer maker probably suggested gauges o f s t r i n g s f o r you to use f o r replacement.

He or she i s your best source f o r s t r i n g i n f o r m a t i o n f o r your dulcimer. But l e t ' s assume t h a t you don't have t h a t source or t h a t you wish t o experiment.

I suggest t h a t you become a l i t t l e wise about s t r i n g gauges. I t ' s not d i f f i c u l t t o understand and w i l l b r i n g you one step closer to harmony w i t h your instrument. Besides, i t ' s nice t o walk i n a music s t o r e , lean on the counter and say, I'd l i k e one wound .022 s t r i n g and two .013 s t r i n g s w i t h loop ends, please" rather than, "Got any dulcimer s t r i n g s ? " f o l l o w e d by q u i e t panic when the c l e r k says, "What's a dulcimer?".

The gauge o f a s t r i n g i s simply i t s s i z e . The l a r g e r the number, the l a r g e r the s t r i n g . deciding the s t r i n g gauges to t r y , you should consider the f o l l o w i n g : 1.

What i s the v i b r a t i n g s t r i n g l e n g t h o f your dulcimer? To determine t h i s , measure from the nut t o the b r i d g e . An i n s t r u c t i o n book w i l l help you f i n d these parts should you need help. I n other words, we're t a l k i n g about t h a t part o f the s t r i n g which i s f r e e t o v i b r a t e a f t e r i t ' s stopped by the nut u n t i l i t ' s stopped by the b r i d g e . I f the v i b r a t i n g s t r i n g l e n g t h i s short (say, 2U"), a p a r t i c u l a r gauged s t r i n g w i l l give you a d i f f e r e n t range o f pitches than a s t r i n g l e n g t h o f l e n g t h o f 28" f o r example.

2.

Do you wish to play your dulcimer alone or w i t h another instrument such as a f i d d l e or g u i t a r ? I f you want t o play w i t h other instruments you should search out s t r i n g s t h a t w i l l permit you t o play i n keys comfortable t o you and t o them. This i s a subject i n i t s e l f and w i l l be t r e a t e d i n d e t a i l another time.

In

I t would be nice t o have a chart f o r you, complete w i t h what gauge s t r i n g provides you w i t h what p i t c h . But there are so many v a r i a b l e s . The d i f f e r e n t v i b r a t i n g s t r i n g lengths on dulcimers i s most important. Also, d i f f e r e n t s t r i n g manufacturers don't always use the same density o f s t e e l f o r the same size s t r i n g . Brand X and Brand Z might give you s l i g h t l y d i f f e r e n t p i t c h p o s s i b i l i t i e s . Therefore, once you f i n d s t r i n g s you l i k e , stay w i t h the same brand.

Instead o f a c h a r t , l e t ' s speak o f pitches and s t r i n g s i n general terms. The l a r g e r the number, the lower the p i t c h . A .028 gauged s t r i n g w i l l give you lower pitches than a .011 gauged s t r i n g - i f the v i b r a t i n g s t r i n g l e n g t h i s the same. You might be i n t e r e s t e d t o know that according t o the v i b r a t i n g s t r i n g l e n g t h o f a dulcimer, there i s one t r u e p i t c h f o r each gauge o f s t r i n g . Each time you retune your dulcimer above or below the p i t c h the s t r i n g i s designed t o g i v e , you are s a c r i f i c i n g something tone-wise, whether or not your ear can hear i t . So, even though your dulcimer s t r i n g can give you s e v e r a l p i t c h e s , o n l y one p i t c h i s the t r u e one.

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I f you simply want t o change the s t r i n g s on your dulcimer w i t h o u t a l o t o f fancy t a l k , here's a suggestion. Try a .022 wound s t r i n g f o r the bass and .013 f o r your remaining s t r i n g s .

L i s t e n c r i t i c a l l y t o the sound they produce. Feel the s t r i n g s under your f i n g e r s . Most dulcimers strung t h u s l y w i l l p l a y e a s i l y i n the keys o f C, D and E i n the Do Sol Sol t u n i n g .

Do you want lower pitches and a sound heavy on the bass side? Then t r y a heavier bass s t r i n g , say .02U. Would l i g h t e r s t r i n g s f e e l b e t t e r on your f i n g e r s and would you l i k e higher p i t c h e s Next time t r y , perhaps, a wound .019 on the bass and .009 on the other s t r i n g s . Most d u l c i mers s t r u n g t h i s way w i l l play e a s i l y i n the keys o f F, G and A i n the Do Sol Sol t u n i n g .

F o r t u n a t e l y , i n d i v i d u a l s t r i n g s aren't t e r r i b l y expensive, so you can a f f o r d t o experiment.

When t u n i n g your dulcimer, there are a few general r u l e s : 1.

DO NOT tune under pressure. I f you're asked t o demonstrate the instrument or your a b i l i t y , your dulcimer's out o f tune and you're having d i f f i c u l t y tuning up, you should e i t h e r d e c l i n e f o r now or go o f f by y o u r s e l f t o tune.

Even the most seasoned performer can have t r o u b l e r e t u n i n g an instrument i f he/she i s on 3tage w i t h an audience becoming r e s t l e s s .

2.

Tune i n a q u i e t spot. I f there are other sounds around you - such as a stereo or r a d i o i n o p e r a t i o n - concentration on your tuning w i l l probably be more difficult.

3. Take your time. I f you wind a s t r i n g t i g h t q u i c k l y , you might be rewarded w i t h a s t i n g i n g nose where the snapped s t r i n g h i t you.

4. Your voice can p o s s i b l y help you. w i t h pitches.

5.

Try humming o r s i n g i n g l a - l a t o help you

DON'T LET YOURSELF BECOME FRUSTRATED. This i s so important. I f you can't get your instrument tuned, stop. Think o f your a b i l i t y , the beauty o f the day and the j o y o f music. Breathe deeply and walk away f o r a few minutes.

Probably your second attempt w i l l be more successful.

I encourage you t o t r y the dulcimer tunes i n t h i s issue. They are l o v e l y and not d i f f i c u l t .

Be sure t o read the p l a y i n g h i n t s f o l l o w i n g each arrangement.

Of course each tune i s notated i n a p a r t i c u l a r key and that key i s suggested by the tune's arranger f o r the dulcimer. You, however, can tune your dulcimer t o Do Sol Sol o r Do Sol Do i n p i t c h e s good f o r your i n s t r u ment. You may be i n t e r e s t e d i n the dulcimers played by the people who submitted the tunes.

"Haste t o the Wedding" Arranged by Doug Berch Tune D A D (Do Sol Do)

"Haste t o the Wedding" Arranged by Lois Hornbostel Tune D A D (Do Sol Sol)

"Sumer i s icumen i n " Arranged by Carrie Crompton Tune C G G (Do Sol Sol)

No. o f s t r i n g s : 3 Vlb. s t r i n g length: 2?"

Bass s t r i n g : .026W Middle s t r i n g : .012 Melody s t r i n g : .012

No. o f s t r i n g s : k Vib. s t r i n g l e n g t h : 28" Bass s t r i n g : .0l8w Middle s t r i n g : .010 Melody s t r i n g s : .010

No. o f s t r i n g s : 3 Vib. s t r i n g l e n g t h : 27" Bass s t r i n g : .026W Middle s t r i n g : .014 Melody s t r i n g : .OlU

Your p r a c t i c e tune i s "Lovely Joan", an E n g l i s h melody. The tune i s i n the Dorian mode and t h a t scale runs from the Uth f r e t t o the 11th f r e t , (Skip the extra 6 1/2 f r e t , should your dulcimer have one.) Play the scale on the melody s t r i n g several times and get the f e e l o f i t . Nice, huh? When I p l a y "Lovely Joan", I use the f o l l o w i n g dulcimer: Tune E B A (Do Sol Fa) No. o f s t r i n g s : 3 Vib. s t r i n g length: 27" Bass s t r i n g : .022 Middle s t r i n g : .013 Melody s t r i n g : .013 But - you can tune your dulcimer by ear, as we've mentioned before. Tune the bass s t r i n g t o a comfortable p i t c h . Put your f i n g e r a t the Uth f r e t on the bass s t r i n g and tune the middle s t r i n g t o t h a t p i t c h . Now put your f i n g e r a t t h e 3rd f r e t on the bass s t r i n g and tune the melody a t r i n g ( s ) t o t h a t p i t c h .

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As you play the tune, you might discover t h a t some o f the chords f e e l "strange" i f you always play i n the Do Sol Sol t u n i n g . Play " l o v e l y Joan" g e n t l y and t r y using three f i n g e r s o f your r i g h t hand instead o f a pick. I love the melody and hope you w i l l a l s o .

There's something important I ' d l i k e t o leave w i t h you. Please remember t h i s above a n y t h i n g else i n t h i s a r t i c l e . A TUNING IS SIMPLY A TUNING - nothing sacred. I f you wish t o play a song i n the Ionian mode, don't f e e l you must tune Do Sol Sol. You can make up your own tunings. You can tune however you want t o the l i m i t s o f your s t r i n g s . A f t e r a l l , your goal is t o make your melody sound good and chords, should you use them, easy t o form. Some c l o s i n g thoughts: I want t o thank P h i l , Woody Padgett and K e i t h Young f o r a l l the moments we've talked s t r i n g s and gauges. They were a great help w i t h t h i s a r t i c l e . I hope you experiment with tunings t h i s Summer. Have a l o v e l y , sunny day!

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Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

Arrangements f o r "Haste t o t h e Wedding" were submitted by two f i n e dulcimer players - Doug Berch and Lois Hornbostel. We thought i t would be i n t e r e s t i n g t o p r i n t both arrangements since each one r e f l e c t s i t s own character. Both are w r i t t e n i n the key o f D (tune D A D or Do Sol Do). Playing t i p s by Doug and Lois f o l l o w t h e i r arrangements.

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Right hand f i n g e r i n g : I play the f i r s t s t r i n g w i t h the thumb, middle s t r i n g w i t h the f i r s t f i n g e r and the bass s t r i n g w i t h the second f i n g e r . The l e f t hand f i n g e r i n g i s t r i c k y a t f i r s t , but seems more confusing than i t r e a l l y i s . I f you s l i d e , hammer on and p u l l o f f , i t a l l comes together. I've only noted the low D drone i n p a r t B where i t ' s most pleasing i n order to keep the tab u n c l u t t e r e d . Throw i n drones or harmonies wherever they f i t ; they r e a l l y add t o the sound o f the tune.

Doug Berch I 6 8 5 East 5th S t r e e t Brooklyn, New York 1123U Playing ideas f o r "Haste t o the Wedding"

(Ed. Note: I n a d d i t i o n t o p l a y i n g the dulcimer, Doug b u i l d s the instrument. He a l s o plays t i n w h i s t l e and autoharp and has been known t o play a l i t t l e s t r e e t music d u r i n g the Summer.

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A r r a n g e d : Lois Hornbos-teI

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Tune your dulcimer D A D (or Do Sol Do). The tune i s i n 6 / 8 time and the melody i s obtained from a l l three s t r i n g s . Strum across a l l s t r i n g s except where you hammer-on (HO), p u l l - o f f Play the A p a r t twice and the B p a r t t w i c e .

Playing ideas f o r "Haste to the Wedding" (PO) or s l i d e (SL).

Lois Hornbostel 115 Mark Twain Drive Apt 16 River Ridge, Louisiana 70123

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(Ed. Note: Lois began p l a y i n g dulcimer w i t h some o f New York C i t y ' s t r a d i t i o n a l I r i s h musicians, i n c o r p o r a t i n g many o f t h e i r p l a y i n g techniques i n her dulcimer arrangements.

Since moving to Louisiana, she has been a c t i v e teaching dulcimer i n the New Orleans area.)

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Sohtj McCutcheon AN INTERVIEW by MADELINE MACNEIL

I had never spoken w i t h John McCutcheon except over the phone and my knowledge o f him came from other f o l k s and o f course from h i s albums. So, i t was a new adventure t o meet and t a l k w i t h him one recent morning i n Washington, D. C. I enjoyed our conversation, f o r i t showed him t o be a s e n s i t i v e , a r t i s t i c young man.

I l i k e John McCutcheon. I l i k e what he i s doing and I l i k e h i s music. We spoke o f the dulcimer and o f June Appal - but more than t h a t , we shared ideas and philosophies about the music which we both love.

John grew up i n Wisconsin and attended North West, a small college i n Minneapolis, Minnesota. He played g u i t a r , performed a l i t t l e and was l e a r n i n g the banjo and the mountain dulcimer when a series o f events brought him t o hear a Clarence Ashley album which was i n the school l i b r a r y . This l e d t o more albums o f more o l d - t i m e musicians. The p i c t u r e s on the covers t o l d him these f o l k s d i d n ' t play i n Carnegie H a l l . The music i n s i d e t o l d him they should have! He kept going back f u r t h e r and f u r t h e r u n t i l the next step was the people themselves. His school advisor was i n t r i g u e d w i t h h i s a c t i v i t i e s and went out on a limb f o r him. Soon John found himself h i t c h h i k i n g around the Southern Appalachians, working on a unique i n - t h e - f i e l d degree i n American Folk Studies. He was l e a r n i n g how to r a i s e tobacco, t o k i l l a hog, t o cure warts, t o p l a y the banjo and how t o be a person.

He was l e a r n i n g more than music and i t a l l made sense when he r e a l i z e d he was happy.

For a year he taught i n a college i n Southwestern V i r g i n i a and set up an old-time music and dance program. Each Summer he teaches music and dance a t the Augusta H e r r i t a g e A r t s Workshop i n E l k i n s , West V i r g i n i a . Right now he's teaching a class i n Sacred Harp singi n g a t a community college near h i s Dungannon, V i r g i n i a home.

The basis o f John's musical l i f e i s l e a r n i n g t r a d i t i o n a l music from t r a d i t i o n a l musicians.

He enjoys contact w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l musicians because they are the ones l e a s t bound w i t h the idea o f being f o l k a r t i s t s or t r a d i t i o n a l musicians. John spoke c f h i s respect f o r hammer dulcimer player Jimmy Cooper. "Jimmy Cooper looks a t himself as a dulcimer p l a y e r , arid as a dulcimer player he has no bounds. He can do anything w i t h the instrument.

Jimmy's album goes from a polka t o a f i d d l e tune t o a medley o f I r i s h tunes t o "Stranger on the Shore" and thereby captures the s p i r i t o f the i n d i v i d u a l , the spontaneity o f his music and the p e r s o n a l i t y o f the dulcimer."

As we taped our conversation, Roscoe Holcomb and other f r i e n d s o f John's were p l a y i n g music u p s t a i r s . They, along w i t h I . D. Stamper, were t o perform a t the Smithsonian I n s t i t u t i o n t h a t n i g h t w i t h another concert scheduled the next n i g h t under the auspices o f the Washington F o l k l o r e Society. John t o l d me t h a t they had enjoyed a wonderful jam session the n i g h t before, s h o r t l y a f t e r a r r i v i n g i n Washington. The f i d d l e r was leading them w i t h f i d d l e tunes, then he broke i n t o some swing tunes and f i n a l l y d i d a N e i l Diamond tune he had learned from the r a d i o . No bounds, i n d i v i d u a l i t y , spontaneity and good times.

John and I discussed w r i t t e n music a t l e n g t h . We both agree t h a t w r i t t e n music and t a b l a tures are important and u s e f u l - but they should be considered jumping o f f places f o r the player's own p e r s o n a l i t y and sense o f music. "The l i n e s , spaces, notes, sharps and f l a t s are t o o l s t o help you. They are not the music. The music i s out there f l o a t i n g i n the ozone somewhere. Someone has w r i t t e n down h i s i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f what the music i s - the bare bones. You take i t from t h e r e . You can l i s t e n t o Vladimir Horowitz p l a y a piece o f Rachmaninov on the piano. Then when you read the music y o u r s e l f you r e a l i z e the a r t i s t r y .

But the a r t i s t r y i s simply not reading something o f f a piece o f paper, but i n j e c t i n g your own p e r s o n a l i t y and musical philosophy i n t o t h a t music."

I can e a s i l y see John w i t h the musicians he meets and lo ve s, p i c k i n g up tunes f i r s t - h a n d .

He t o l d me o f an attempt t o put a t w o - l i n e Roscoe Holcomb tune i n t o banjo t a b l a t u r e one time. A f t e r working two days t r y i n g t o r e l a t e nuances and t h a t s p e c i a l sense o f rhythm through t a b l a t u r e , he wrote out the melody and said t h a t one had t o hear i t played t o r e a l l y l e a r n how t o p l a y i t . There's so much you can miss o f the syncopation and i n t a n g i b l e i n t e r p r e t a t i o n o f a musician when you must r e l y on musical n o t a t i o n or t a b l a t u r e alone.

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Anyone who knows o f knows of John McCutcheon soon learns o f h i s i n t e r e s t and hard work with Appalshop, the Kentucky-based, n o n - p r o f i t media c o l l e c t i v e , o f which June Appal Records i s an important p a r t . He t o l d me o f i t ' s beginnings as a dream f a n t i s i z e d by several people f o r a period o f f i v e years or more. These people wanted t o take the good Southern Appalachian music they were hearing and i n some cases making themselves and record i t , having some c o n t r o l over the r e s u l t s i n the process (good sound and Southern Appalachian c i r c u l a t i o n ) . A t the same time, John was searching f o r a way t o show h i s g r a t i t u d e t o a l l the f o l k s who had helped him. " I was making a l i v i n g o f f them and they weren't g e t t i n g anything from i t . I f e l t a r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o these f o l k s and wanted t o repay them somehow.

When I performed, almost t o the p o i n t o f being obnoxious, I'd say t h a t I learned t h i s tune from so and so - or make some comment or t e l l some s t o r y . One day I was p l a y i n g the f i d d l e and thought o f the f o l k s who taught me. One f i d d l e player stuck out i n my mind someone I was so g r a t e f u l t o . This f i d d l e player had never been recorded w e l l . He was a wonderful player and everyone around loved h i s p l a y i n g . I decided to take h a l f o f everything I earned a t concerts and make a record o f h i s p l a y i n g . I thought I could eventually earn my money back through record s a l e s . " While t h i s idea was becoming a r e a l i t y f o r John, June Appal, through f e d e r a l grants and elbow grease, was g e t t i n g i t s s t a r t . Soon everyone was working on t h i s p r o j e c t and more.

Today, twenty or more albums have been completed, preserving the music o f such f i n e musicians as Guy Carawan, Betty Smith, I . D. Stamper, Tommy Hunter, Grey Larsen, Malcolm Daglish and others. John i s on the board o f Appalshop and he says i t i s i n t e r e s t i n g t o face the r e a l i t y o f t h e i r o r g a n i z a t i o n , " i t ' s g e t t i n g b e t t e r . The q u a l i t y o f the records grows as we l e a r n and grow."

John has played hammered dulcimer f o r about three years and c u r r e n t l y i s b u i l d i n g i n s t r u ments t o s e l l . His f i r s t dulcimer was the g i f t o f a f r i e n d t o celebrate h i s b i r t h d a y and he j u s t began p i c k i n g out tunes on i t . The f i r s t tune he learned was "Over The W a t e r f a l l " .

I spoke o f h i s arrangement o f "Jesu, Joy o f Man's D e s i r i n g " , one o f my f a v o r i t e cuts on WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY. John explained t h a t some f r i e n d s asked him why he put a Bach piece on an album f i l l e d mostly w i t h t r a d i t i o n a l music. He included i t because he l i k e s i t on the dulcimer - pure and simple. I t was his f i r s t r e a l experiment s t a r t i n g w i t h a basic melody and then adding a l l kinds o f accompaniments. He's i n t r i g u e d w i t h c l a s s i c a l music on the dulcimer and wants t o do more i n the f u t u r e .

In the l i n e r notes o f John's June Appal record, HOW CAN I KEEP FROM SINGING?, Rich K i r b y says, "...He's been a l l over the Southern mountains... l e a r n i n g tunes, f i n d i n g o l d musicians, organizing music f e s t i v a l s , teaching school, c a l l i n g square dances, l e a d i n g Old Harp s i n g ing, hammering h i s dulcimer, p l a y i n g i n l i v i n g rooms, parking l o t s , bars, Harlan County p i c k e t lines...and g e n e r a l l y making f o l k s f e e l good. He has g o t t e n a l o t from the mount a i n s , and I t h i n k the mountains have g o t t e n a l o t back..."

G u i l d of A m e r i c a n Luthiers Guild of American Luthiers 5th Annual Convention &

EXHIBITION

of 20th century makers & their instruments

September 12 thru 16 Southwestern University Winfield, Kansas th

Diverse Handmade Instruments Concerts - Lectures

Guild of American Luthiers 8222 South Pak.TacOTa.WIK 98408

th

No other organization serves the specific needs of American luthiers as completely as the Guild of American Luthiers. The annual G.A.L. convention is rapidly gaining momentum and the 1977 gathering proved to be unprecedented in American history. The QUARTERLY magazine features letters, reviews, nevs, pictures, interviews, fact and opinion aimed expressly at the maker and repairman of a l l types of stringed instruments, and a l l freely donated by the G.A.L. members who are motivated by a sense of community to participate in this important non-ptofit forum. The Guild also publishes a series of technical articles in an 8i x 11" punched format known as DATA SHEETS. Sixty of these informative publications have appeared in the Guild's f i r s t five years, and that number should double in the next two years.

The G.A.L. i s a team effort, and we invite you to join us.

To gain 1978 membership and thereby receive the four issues of the GALQ, Volume Six and a l l 1978 Data Sheets, as well as the opportunity to vote and exhibit at the 1978 G.A.L. Convention in Winfield, Kansas and to appear in the 1978 Membership Directory, simply send $10.(U.S.) to: Debra Olsen Guild of American Luthiers 8222 South Park Ave. Tacoma. WA 98408

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TIE MLeiMEB SIOPPE Handcrafted Musical Instruments By McSpadden RECORDS

FOLK CRAFTS

BOOKS

Drawer E - Highway 9 North M O U N T A I N V I E W , A R K A N S A S 72560 Phone 501-269-8639

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PLANNING YOUR JULY, AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER WEEKENDS

July 1 5 t h There w i l l be a dulcimer competition a t t h e Ohio H i l l s Folk F e s t i v a l i n Quaker C i t y , Ohio during the afternoon. Dulcimer enthusiasts are encouraged t o enjoy each other's t a l e n t s and ideas on Thursday and Friday evenings, J u l y 1 3 t h and l U t h . Ohio abounds w i t h f i n e dulcimer f o l k s . Y o u ' l l probably meet many o f them a t t h i s f e s t i v a l . Contact Mrs. Arthur ( G a i l ) Reed, 60 West Main S t r e e t , Quaker C i t y , Ohio 1+3773 ( 6 l l + ) 679-2485 f o r i n f o r mation.

July l ^ t h I f you're i n the New York/New Jersey area, t r y t o a t t e n d t h e 2nd Annual Blueberry F e s t i v a l a t Bayview Park on Water S t r e e t i n Perth Amboy, New Jersey from 1 1 A.M. u n t i l dusk.

This f e s t i v a l i s sponsored by the Central Jersey Clearwater Legacy and w i l l have e t h n i c and t r a d i t i o n a l f o l k music and c r a f t s and o f course Pete Seeger and t h e s a i l i n g sloop CLEARWATER. Our DPN f r i e n d Cathy Sroka i n v i t e s you t o v i s i t t h i s f i n e f e s t i v a l and says i f you want f u r t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n t o c a l l Rick P a l i e r i i n Perth Amboy a t ( 2 0 1 ) 2 3 8 - 5 7 6 9 .

B i l l Spence a t the 1 9 7 7 Northeastern Cranberry Hammer Dulcimer F e s t i v a l

(photo courtesy o f Bob Wey)

July 2 1 s t - 2 3 r d Well, by g o l l y , they're going t o do i t again t h e Second Northeastern Cranberry Hammered Dulcimer Gathering a t the U n i v e r s a l i s t U n i t a r i a n Church i n Binghamton, New York. Yes, workshops and performances w i l l a l s o i n c l u d e the mountain dulcimer. On Friday evening there w i l l be a coffee house-type concert w i t h an "open mike". A concert w i t h several f i n e performers i s planned f o r Saturday evening. Folks who attended t h e f i r s t gathering expressed great enthusiasm f o r t h e music they heard and f o r t h e musicians they met. Change any previous plans f o r washing the car during t h e weekend and go t o Binghamton.

We'll see you t h e r e ! Contact Bob Wey, Breed Hollow Road, Route 1, Horseheads, New York 11+845 f o r more i n f o r m a t i o n , and hurry! .—..

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July 21st - 23rd You can't complain t h a t nothing i s going on t h i s Summer. Here's another choice f o r the weekend o f the 21st - 2 3 r d : the O r i g i n a l Dulcimer Players Club Summer Fun Fest i n Evart, Michigan.

So much has been said about t h i s marvelous group, so you can probably imagine what good music y o u ' l l hear. The Fun Fest w i l l be held a t the 4H - FFA Fairgrounds on U.S. 10 (east o f Reed C i t y ) . Camping i s a v a i l a b l e a t reasonable r a t e s and concerts w i l l be given on Saturday afternoon and evening.

J u l y 2 9 t h , 30th A f t e r Binghamton or Evart, stay i n the area f o r awhile so the f o l l o w i n g weekend you can attend the 1st North Country Dulcimer F e s t i v a l (and Contest) t o be held on the grounds o f the North Country Music Store i n Wexford, Pennsylvania.

Mountain and hammered dulcimers w i l l be represented i n the contests and i n the Saturday evening concert.

Contact the North Country Music Store IMMEDIATELY so y o u ' l l have ample time t o make your weekend plans. There's a very i n f o r m a t i v e f a c t sheet w i t h a map t o Wexford and d e t a i l s concerning the contests. You can o b t a i n one by c o n t a c t i n g Bob Hutchinson a t the North Country Music Store, Chapel Drive North, Wexford, Pennsylvania I509O (412) 935-1330.

August 4 t h - 6 t h As t h i s column i s being w r i t t e n , i n f o r m a t i o n i s sketchy about a f e s t i v a l sponsored by the L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky Dulcimer Society. We understand i t w i l l be held i n Iroquois Park and t h a t i t i s free t o the p u b l i c . This sounds l i k e a good one. Try cont a c t i n g Nancy Johnson, president o f the Dulcimer Society f o r i n f o r m a t i o n . Her address i s Box 14221, L o u i s v i l l e , Kentucky 40214.

August 10th - 12th I f you haven't been t o the Old F i d d l e r s Convention i n Galax, V i r g i n i a you have missed something! There are contests f o r old-time bands, g u i t a r p i c k e r s , banjo p i c k e r s , f i d d l e r s , f l a t - f o o t dancers, dulcimer players and more. The camping i s on the f e s t i v a l grounds ( F e l t s Park on Main S t r e e t ) so you can imagine a l l the good music going on a t a l l hours. This f e s t i v a l has been happening f o r more than 40 years. For i n f o r m a t i o n concerning contest e n t r y (you must enter contests two weeks or so p r i o r t o the f e s t i v a l , but e n t r y i s f r e e and encouraged even i f you cannot u l t i m a t e l y a t t e n d ) , contact Oscar H a l l , 328-A Kenbrook D r i v e , Galax, V i r g i n i a 24333 ( 7 0 3 ) 236-6355September 15th - 17th - What f i n e r way t o end the Summer than by a t t e n d i n g the W i n f i e l d , Kansas f e s t i v a l . Each year finds more dulcimer (hammered and mountain) players t r a v e l i n g to the e x c i t i n g , yet wonderfully laid-back f e s t i v a l to enjoy performances, contests and parking l o t p i c k i n g . Dulcimer enthusiasts w i l l be able t o hear Mary F a i t h Rhoads and the Dobbs Brothers, Cathy Barton, Malcolm D a l g l i s h and Grey Larsen, Rosy's Bar and G r i l l , Harvey Prinz and L i l a h G i l l e t t , P h i l Mason, Madeline MacNeil and many more f i n e dulcimer players. The National Mountain Dulcimer Championship contest w i l l be held on September 16th and the N a t i o n a l Hammered Dulcimer Championship contest on September 17th. There w i l l be cash p r i z e s , t r o p h i e s and custom c r a f t e d instruments by Dr. Harvey P r i n z , Here, I n c . , P h i l Mason, Lynn McSpadden, Keith Young and Mark B l a i r f o r the winnera. You shouldn't miss t h i s f e s t i v a l ! For i n f o r m a t i o n , contact the Walnut V a l l e y A s s o c i a t i o n , I n c . , Box 245, 117 East 9th, W i n f i e l d , Kansas 67156 (316) 221-3250.

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DPN

Back Issues

List

The f o l l o w i n g l i s t comprises a l l the D.P.N, back issues which are s t i l l a v a i l a b l e along w i t h a l i s t i n g o f the featured a r t i c l e s and tunes o f each issue. We are running short on some o f these so you'd b e t t e r p i c k up those you are i n t e r e s t e d i n as soon as possible. Dulcimer Players News Back Issues are $1.50 each postpaid.

VOLUME 1, NO. 6 (Sept-Oct 1975) Cover: Dave & Linda Taylor. Lots o f i n f o r m a t i v e l e t t e r s i n t h i s issue along w i t h a great a r t i c l e by Roger Nicholson t i t l e d "Bach and the Dulcimer*. Two songs f o r mountain dulcimer: "The Three Ravens" and "Black Jack Davy". Hammer Dulcimer tunes: I r i s h Washerwoman, Arkansas T r a v e l e r , Wearing o f t h e Green, and Fisher's Hornpipe.

VOLUME 1, NO. 7 (Nov-Dec 1975) Cover Story: Roger Nicholson. A r t i c l e s : "The Unexplored Locrian Mode by Neal Hellman, Appalachian Dulcimer Tuning Chart" by Lorraine Lee, "Kevin Roth Column", "Soldier's Joy" a r t i c l e & tune by Roger Nicholson, "Basic Tips for Beginning Dulcimer Players" by H o l l y Tannen, "Quick Tune Chart f o r Various Four S t r i n g Dulcimers" by Neal Hellman, " S w a l l o w t a i l J i g " a r r . Neal Hellman, Bonnie Carol Dulcimer Shop photos. For Hammer Dulcimer: "Hammered Notes" by David Taylor,"American Folk Instruments: The Hammered Dulcimer (Part l ) by Charles Faulkner Bryan, "Hammered Dulcimer I n f o " by Jim Gregory.

VOLUME 2, NO. 1 (Winter 1976) Cover: Bobbie Wayne. A r t i c l e s : "Chords" by E i l e e n Rains, Notes on Minor Dulcimer Recordings from the B r i t i s h I s l e s " by Bob Rodriquez, " B u i l d i n g a Bending I r o n " by Bob Godfried, "The D u l s p i n e t " by Roger Nicholson, "An Old Dulcimer Has Surfaced" by Doug Murray. Tunes: "Song From a Porch" by Bobbie Wayne, "Shady Grove" tab sent by Ned Landis, "June Apple" tab by Neal Hellman. For Hammer Dulcimer: "The Hammered Dulcimer i n Asia" p i c t u r e / a r t i c l e feature by Geoffrey B. Samuel, "American Folk Instruments: The Hammered Dulcimer (Part 2)" by Charles Faulkner Bryan.

VOLUME 2, NO. 3 (Summer 1976) Cover: P h i l & Madeline Mason. A r t i c l e s : "Two Finger Style Picking f o r Dulcimer by Kathy Reid, "An I n t e r v i e w w i t h Howie M i t c h e l l " by Kevin Roth, " C a l c u l a t i n g Fret Placement" by B.O. Lowery, "More on F r e t Placement"

by Ed Meyers, "The Doubleback" by Nick Engler, "Aeolian Mode" by E i l e e n Rains. Tunes: "Southwind" a r t i c l e & tab by Roger Nicholson, "Red-Haired Boy" tab by B o f f i e Holder, "Mood Piece #2" a r t i c l e & tab by Roger Nicholson, "Korobushka" t a b by Simon Spaulding.

For Hammer Dulcimer:"Hammer Dulcimer Bass S t r i n g s " by Paul Gifford,"Hammer Dulcimer I n f o " by Bryan Mumford, "Hammered Notes" by David T a y l o r , "Hunting & Taming the Native American Hammer Dulcimer" by Richard Hulan.

VOLUME 2, NO. k ( F a l l 1976) Cover: Kate & Dan Luke. A r t i c l e s : "Chart f o r Transposing Music f o r Dulcimer' by B i l l Schmitt, Simple Shaped Dulcimer Plans" Ed Myers, "An Interview w i t h Ray Melton" by Madeline MacNeil Mason,- "More About Fret Placement"

by Woody Padgett, "Fret Placement Feedback" by Simon Spaulding, " F r e t t i n g the Dulcimer"

by Glen Branham, "Tuning" by Bonnie Carol. Tunes: "Almain" tab by Roger Nicholson, "The Old Man & The Old Woman" tab by Susie R o t h f i e l d , "The Wraggle-Taggle Gypsies" tab by E i l e e n Rains & Diane Nobles, "Apple Seeds" t a b by Chuck B i e h l , "Drowsy Maggie" & "Soldier's Joy" tabs by Simon Spaulding.

VOLUME 3, NO. 1 (Winter 1977) Cover: E i l e e n Rains. A r t i c l e s : "Some Chromatic Thoughts from Sweden Ken Ryan, The Mixolydian Mode E i l e e n Rains, E l e c t r i c Dulcimer, "Unstrung: Aid f o r the Sick Instrument" by R.C. Rohwer, "More on F r e t s " Woody Padgett, "What i s a Mode" Bonnie Carol, " I n t e r v i e w w i t h Robert Mize" by Maddie MacNeil Mason, "Notes from the Record Rack" by Bob Rodriquez,"3 Easy Rules f o r Chording" by K e i t h Young. Tunes: S i l l y B i l l , Scotland the Brave, Eamonn An Chnuic, F i d d l i n g Bagpipes, Golden S l i p p e r s , Three Kerry Reels, O'Rourke's Reel, Planxty George Brabazon. Also a l o n g l e t t e r from Doug Ecker on various aspects o f Hammer Dulcimer making & p l a y i n g .

VOLUME 3, NO. 2 (Spring 1977) Cover: Russell F l u h a r t y . A r t i c l e s : "How t o B u i l d a Soundboard Clamp Robert Dixon, McSpadden Mountain Dulcimer K i t Review, "Harmonica for Dulcimer Players" by Harris Smart, "King Henry" a r t i c l e and tab by H o l l y Tannen, Tunes: "Greensleeves G a l l i a r d " t a b by Roger Nicholson,"Flop-Eared Mule" t a b by Lorraine Lee, "Amazing Grace" tab by Ron Penix. For Hammer Dulcimer: "Hammer Dulcimer H i s t o r y "

by P h i l Mason, "J.E. Matheny: An E a r l y Hammer Dulcimer Player" by David T a y l o r , "Hammer Dulcimer I n f o and Tune (Austrian Melody) by Dorothy Carter.

ÂŽ Please do not reprint or redistribute without permission. Contact dpn@dpnews.com

t Continuedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;*

VOLUME 3 , NO. 3 (Summer 1977) Cover: Jean R i t c h i e . A r t i c l e s : Two Great Mode Finder Charts, M i n i Record Reviews, Dulcimer K i t Review (Green River K i t ) , M i t z i e C o l l i n s Hammer Dulcimer C o l l e c t i o n , Jean R i t c h i e Cover S t o r y , and Many, Many informative t i d b i t s scattered throughout t h i s issue. Tunes: The Water i s Wide, Never Weather Beaten S a i l , Planxty I r w i n . Resources f o r B u i l d i n g your own Hammer Dulcimer.

VOLUME 3 , NO. U ( F a l l 1977) Coyer Drawing by Michel LeKarg. A r t i c l e s : "How t o Make a Dulcimer Capo"by Dave M o l l i s , "Roots and Branches" column f o r beginning dulcimer players by Madeline MacNeil Mason, "The Diatonic 'Do' Fretted Dulcimer" by Glenn Branham, "Shape Notes & The Dulcimer" by Dorothy May. Tunes: The Ash Grove, Margaret's Waltz, Old M o l l y Hare, The Willow Song, Home Sweet Home, Jamie A l l e n , B a r r e l o f Sugar.

Also l o t s o f tunes and i n f o on Hammer Dulcimer.

VOLUME U, NO. 1 (Winter 1978) Cover: Bonnie Carol. A r t i c l e s : "Roots and Branches" a column f o r beginning d u l c i m i s t s by Madeline MacNeil Mason, "Reviews", "Tablature: A Need f o r S t a n d a r d i z a t i o n " by Chris White t Barbara Truex, "Notes from the Hammer Dulcimer Record Rack" by Bob Rodriquez, and much more i n f o . Tunes: "Joellen (by Bonnie Carol", "Wind That Shakes the Barley", P r e t t y Saro", "South Wind", "Blackberry Blossom", "There w i l l be a Happy Meeting i n Gloryland", hammer dulcimer i n f o (some).

The D.P.N, has i n stock a few a r t i c l e r e p r i n t s from some past issues which are now out o f p r i n t . These r e p r i n t s are a v a i l a b l e a t 50^ each postpaid.

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f S U B S C R I B E 1 TO THE DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS The Blue Ridge Dulcimer Shop i s the publisher o f "THE DULCIMER PLAYERS HEWS',' a quarterly p u b l i c a t i o n o f Uo pages founded by us i n January o f 1975 f o r the purpose o f spreading a flow o f information and resource m a t e r i a l f o r dulcimer players, dulcimer makers, and others who share a special love f o r these i n struments o f "sweet song". We have been growing s t e a d i l y ever since and now reach about 2,000 dulcimer people throughout the world.

ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: EDITORS: P h i l l i p Mason Madeline MacNeil Mason

THE DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS P.O. BOX 157 FRONT ROYAL, VA. 22630.

PHONE (703) 635-3811

PLEACE SEND ME A ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION TO "THE DULCIMER PLAYERS NEWS" $ 6 . 0 0 ENCLOSED ( 1 YEAR IS k ISSUES - QUARTERLY) NAME ADDF.ESS CITY.

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