Janice Kincaid

My introduction to the dulcimer began when my husband bought a Paul W. Pyle dulcimer built in the late 60's or 70's. Neither of us knew anything about dulcimers. He was busy with work and quickly lost interest in playing. I played guitar and was experiencing numbness down my left arm and fingers whenever I played more than a few minutes.

Frustrated, I turned to my husband’s dulcimer and was hooked. The dulcimer had a long VSL and was difficult for me to play. I began to search for other dulcimers and dulcimer players on YouTube. There, I found Bing Futch on Dulcimerica. Through him, I was introduced to the dulcimer community and Folkcraft Instruments. I ordered my first Folkcraft dulcimer which was the Folkroots H Series with walnut body and butternut top. I bought Bing’s beginning dulcimer book and later joined his Patreon page. Through his lessons, I became a dulcimer player and was introduced to dulcimer festivals.

I attended my first festival at Black Mountain NC in October 2019. Would you believe it, there, I fell in love with a Folkcraft Custom Series with the walnut body and butternut top and galax back. I love the sustain and rich mellow sound. This one became my 33rd Anniversary present from my husband. I am very grateful to Folkcraft for the beautiful instruments and for the musical education and community that it supports. I, also, thank Bing Futch for the teaching and encouragement.