Courting Dulcimers, Stick Dulcimers & Old Crates

Usually when I'm building instruments in the shop, I try to do batches of similar instruments. This week I do have several regular mountain dulcimers, but I also have a slew of oddball instruments.

I'm sure you've all heard of courting dulcimers. We don't build tons of them, so I don't make big batches when I do. These dulcimers have been around quite a while, and are intended for two people to play at the same time (facing each other). The story goes that if you could hear two different parts being played, you knew that no one's hands were doing anything "naughty".

Richard Ash and Lorinda Jones playing a duet on a courting dulcimer when Lorinda was at Folkcraft teaching a Second Saturday Clinic.

Also in the shop is a stick dulcimer. Stick dulcimers are held like guitars but have just 3 strings, are tuned Dad and played like a dulcimer. With the small body, they are quieter than a normal dulcimer, but you can't beat the mobility.

This is one of my previous stick dulcimers.

Then to top things off, I have a couple of old crates with 1/2" thick sides made out of an unidentified pulp wood, metal strapping, rusty nails, and big gaps everywhere, and I was told to make two nice dulcimers out of them. I'm guessing I'll have pictures of these for next week!