Dulcimer People Are Amazing!
Good Morning, Y'all, and Happy Friday!
This has been a busy, busy week! We got a slew (half-a-dozen) instruments out the door, as various "in progress" dulcimers were finished off. That's a bit more than our weekly average, but not anywhere near a record number. Some weeks we finish zero instruments, as we're making parts for - and assembling - other dulcimers. Then some weeks, we finish a good number of instruments, but don't spend any time making parts.
Or hand sanding. Ugh.
Final Second Saturday Clinic Of 2024
Last weekend, we hosted John Keane and Karen Keane, two of the most amazing dulcimer people you'll find anywhere, as they led our Second Saturday Clinic series jam/clinic/concert.
From left to right, John Keane, Richard Ash (me!), and Karen Keane
They put on a well-received class, and then did an amazing concert, with a mix of mountain dulcimer, pennywhistle, cajon, Native American flute, and voice. Many of their songs are tongue-in-cheek humorous, and the lyrics are always great fun to follow.
Here's a photo of the concert:
Like the "bigfoot holding a dulcimer" shirts?
Our Second Saturday Clinic concerts are informal, with introductions from the artists, and questions from the audience, interspersed with the music. No sound system, no mics, just great acoustic music.
John and Karen are both trained musicians, and they've written a slew (there's that word, again) of songbooks, plus an instruction book. And as of last week, Folkcraft is now the exclusive publisher of all seven of the Keane books.
Three of the books are for mountain dulcimer/Native American flute duets (the DulciFlute series), two of the books are for solo mountain dulcimer (one book of originals by John, one book of originals by Karen), one book is for dulcimer/pennywhistle duet, and one book is for the cajon (a variety of hand drum, which is very popular among folk musicians).
John & Karen Keane Books Going On Sale
I'm going to put one of their books on sale each week, for the next several weeks. We'll start with John's cajon book. The book comes with a CD, and some time next week, I'll have the MP3 files available for free download at Folkcraft.com. (I know some of you prefer the disc, and some of you prefer the downloadable audio, so you'll have both options available, at least until we sell out of the CD, then it'll be MP3 files only!)
Here's a link to the cajon book, on sale now for $10, discounted from the usual $25.
So many of our favorite dulcimer artists are closing down their book printing/warehousing/selling/shipping jobs, so they can focus on other activities (like actually making music!), and I totally understand. With our acquisition of John and Karen's catalog, Folkcraft is now up to sixty books of music - fifty-seven specifically for mountain dulcimer. We have books by many of your favorite artists, including Bing Futch, Stephen Seifert, Neal Hellman, Dana Gruber, Mike Anderson, Aaron O'Rourke, Shelley Stevens, John Keane, and Karen Keane.
And they're all available for download, too, at our DulcimerDownloads.com website.
I should have been a librarian, but my dual career as a professional basketball player and water ski acrobat got in the way...
Thanks for reading, Y'all - Have a great, music-filled weekend!
Sincerely,
Richard Ash, luthier-who-has-actually-never-been-a-pro-basketball-player-and-I'll-let-you-decide-about-the-water-ski-acrobat-career
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: CALEB MORRIS
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Caleb: I started playing in 2020. My grandpa gave me one after I became interested in them. I loved the sweet melodic sound I heard. I mainly listened to Bing Futch - playing and teaching. He made the dulcimer so accessible and straightforward. I was able to quickly learn noter/drone style. With Bing's videos on chord shapes, I was able to learn to play harmony and chords as well. I started playing 1-5-5 tuning due to one of his videos on it. I encourage others to look up his videos on the topic and try out that tuning if they haven’t yet.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Caleb: My first Folkcraft dulcimer was bought by my grandpa at a yard sale. He didn’t know what it was and neither did the lady who was selling it. She had $5 on it. My grandpa said, “Being as we both don’t know what it is, I’ll give you $3.” So, he ended up with a teardrop Folkcraft dulcimer built in 1985. In 2020, he learned what the instrument was after I showed him pictures of mountain dulcimers. He let me take it home, and after learning to play it that year, I tried playing alongside other instruments. The dulcimer was sweet but quiet. It was hard to be heard over even a single guitar. So, I temporarily attached a piezo pickup to the top and ran it to an amp. Finally in 2024, I upgraded. I bought a custom walnut MaxDAD with a Galax performance back and Fishman pickup. I highly recommend the Fishman pickup with a preamp. I use a Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge so I can take it camping or to other outdoor venues and be heard right alongside the banjo.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Caleb: I love playing outside listening to the birds while I play. It’s very peaceful. I also play with friends and family. They play the usual bluegrass instruments. The dulcimer run into an amp blends well into the mix. No one else plays the dulcimer. It’s just me. But my 6-yr-old son is interested, so maybe I can pass the fun of dulcimer playing on to him.
Folkcraft: What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing the dulcimer?
Caleb: I've played piano since I was a little kid. I also played the saxophone as a teenager. Now, I’m trying to learn to play a Dobro. The banjo is next on my list. I have the mountain banjo plans from Folkcraft. I love woodworking and have made a few odd things, including a tongue drum tuned to C. I hope to make a fretless mountain banjo. I love the mellow sound from those banjos. The problem is there never seems to be enough time to do it all.
CLICK HERE TO READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE CALEB & YOU!
HELLO OUT THERE - FUTURE FEATURED FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS
WE HOPE TO HEAR FROM MORE OF YOU SOON!
We are delighted to welcome Caleb Morris to our global online dulcimer community today.
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep This Thing Going?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Reply to this newsletter email
2) With answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to hearing from you and featuring you in our newsletter real soon!
1. How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
2. When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
3. Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
4. What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing dulcimer?
FOR JUST A LITTLE WHILE LONGER WE'RE OFFERING A $25 FOLKCRAFT GIFT CARD TO ANYONE WHO ANSWERS THE FOUR EASY QUESTIONS LISTED ABOVE, AND SENDS IN A PHOTO (OF YOU WITH YOUR FOLKCRAFT DULCIMER)
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
In this mini lesson, Mandy Tyner (of Banjo Lemonade) teaches you three beginner chords and gives you a couple of great tips on fretting! (TAB is below) Just click on the image below to watch.
We have a slew (that's a fancy luthier word for "bunch") of videos for you to watch on our YouTube channel. Click here to see the full list. Be sure to comment on a video, and subscribe to the channel - either action helps us a LOT with YouTube's suggestion algorithms.
WALTZES
by Dana Gruber
Dance along to the enchanting sounds of waltz music from around the world with Dana Gruber's "Waltzes" book. Arranged specifically for mountain dulcimer, each piece is presented in both standard notation and dulcimer tablature, making it accessible for players of all levels. Elevate your music repertoire with this captivating collection from one of the dulcimer world's finest arrangers. (40 pages)
This book is published by Folkcraft Instruments, under the Fingers Of Steel imprint, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SOME OF THE SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
El Coyote • Elie's Waltz • Life In The Finland Woods • Oh My Little Dutch Girl
Peek-A-Boo Waltz • Slumber My Darling (Stephen Foster) • The Old Man Waltz • Waltz Of The Hills (Melody, Harmony & Bass parts) • White Rose Waltz