Pam Is On The Case
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
Since we moved the workshop from Indiana to Michigan our long-time employee, Pam, has been working from her home. Evidently, Michigan's Upper Peninsula has too much snow for her liking. Pam is still making our cases, but she's no longer helping in our shop - order packing, string winding, and all the other things she did to keep things going for us in Indiana.
This means she has time on her hands that was previously tied up with miscellaneous jobs around the shop.
Pam's Newest Sewing Project
She's branching out from just the usual "black cases with a green logo" that so many of you have. We've ordered tan fabric, zipper stock (kilometers of it!), zipper heads, thread, hook-and-loop fastener (similar to Velcro® but not that brand!), and all the other bits and pieces she needs to make cases - in tan.
Maybe we could have come up with a cool name for this color - "Dusky Dulcimer Beige" - maybe? Or "Sawdust"? Might still do that. Let me know if you have any super ideas. "Tan" is pretty descriptive, though, and it's easy to type. I'll share a few of your replies with next week's newsletter, so let me know what you come up with! (We have a long tradition of asking for help with naming things - John Keane came up with LAP-JO (our dulcimer/banjo hybrid) - it stands for Loud And Played JOyously. Bing Futch came up with DulciVox, and I'm pretty sure that MaxDAD (Maximum DAD for our 5-string DADAD dulcimer) was my idea.
Here's Pam in her new sewing room:
And look what's sitting on the sewing machine in front of her - a tan-colored dulcimer case! She's working on the full lineup of cases - foldover cases, rigid cases, Native American Flute/pennywhistle cases - in the new tan color. This color isn't replacing our black cases, it will be offered as an option alongside the black cases we've been making for years.
I don't have all of the tan cases in stock in Michigan, yet, and I'm missing photos on the rigid cases, but you can get the idea what they're going to look like.
Here's the Folkcraft foldover (soft, gig bag) case:
Pam chose a variegated (mostly brown) thread for the embroidered logo. It looks really sharp.
Here's the FolkRoots foldover (soft, gig bag) case:
We're very excited about the new option for cases. I look back at the very first cases we had - imports from overseas, with the lower cost, but also the lower quality. Then I see the first cases we made at Folkcraft - Steve and I working together, figuring out the new sewing machine, learning about different thread weights, and (between the two of us) making a few utterly awful cases. Then I got smart, and started hiring people who actually knew how to sew. After we got Pam on board (back in 2016) the quality of our cases took big leaps forward.
And There's More!
So, what's Pam's next project? Once we have a good supply of tan cases in stock, of course. She's going to design some accessory bags/pouches that can hang from the D-rings we have on our foldover (soft, gig bag) cases. If you look closely at one of the above case photos, you'll see two D-rings on each side of the pocket. Here's a close up:
Pouches to hold picks? That's probably obvious. Maybe a pouch to hold a tablet (so many of you are downloading your books from DulcimerDownloads.com, and going to jams with your device, not a stack of books!), so a tablet pouch will be on the list.
What Other Kinds Of Pouches Should We Make?
What are we missing? What would be helpful for you all? Let me know your ideas, please.
I'm going to go back to the shop and make some more sawdust, now. Maybe I'll roll one of our black cases in the sawdust, see if I can turn it into a tan-colored case? Probably not. Too messy.
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-is-always-open-to-your-ideas
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: KNOX WELSH
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Knox: I have been playing the dulcimer for a number of years.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Knox: I purchased a Folkcraft dulcimer in 2017. It is beautifully made with a lovely tone. It has four strings, a butternut top, and walnut back and sides. I think it is my most treasured instrument.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Knox: I enjoy playing the dulcimer on my own and...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF KNOX'S INTERVIEW AND READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE KNOX & YOU
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
No new player (sad, sad, sigh) to add to our online dulcimer community today, but we are happy to re-feature New Zealander, Knox Welsh. Knox first joined the Folkcraft family in September of 2024. Kia ora, Knox.
There's still plenty of room for more of you, folks! Maybe we could feature you and your Folkcraft dulcimer(s) next week?
Who's Going To Write In Next? Keep The Family Growing?
It really is super-easy to join our online dulcimer community. Just three easy steps:
1) Send an email to: newsletter@folkcraft.com
2) With the answers to the four questions below
3) Attach a photo of yourself with your Folkcraft dulcimer(s)
We look forward to receiving your submission & 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?
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). IT'S REALLY SO EASY TO DO!
WE JUST LOVE HEARING FROM Y'ALL!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week we have a fun note separation exercise for you. We will work on defining certain notes while strumming. Mandy will walk you through it step-by-step. This technique will greatly improve your overall sound. Give it a try with the songs you are currently working on. Have fun! Click on the image below to listen & learn.
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.
With school starting next month - I know, right?! - we have a couple of songbooks full of children's songs for you today. Your newsletter editor learned many of these tunes in elementary school herself. They're classics for a reason! (Just click on either cover to download.)
MOUNTAIN DULCIMER MOTHER GOOSE
by Don Pedi
Don's done it again! This time it is children's songs, arranged for solo mountain dulcimer (and voice, of course). Easy tunes, fun to play, and guaranteed to be enjoyed by your favorite audience member, especially if under the age of 10 - or over the age of 50. Either way, you'll have fun with the songs in this book! (All tunes in DAD tuning - 68 pages)
This book is published by Don Pedi, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS FOR KIDS
by Mike Anderson
Mike Anderson is one of those musicians who can say "Been there, done that" to practically any musical situation. From a hoedown show at the Grand Ole Opry, to a serious classical performance at Carnegie Hall, it is easy to imagine him in pretty much any musical environment.
Well, here's another venue that he totally owns - the early elementary classroom. From his decades of teaching kindergarten, he knows what songs kids like, and like to sing. This amazing collection has a slew of young-person favorites. Learn them yourself (easy arrangements!) and teach them to your children and grandchildren! (68 pages)
Don's done it again! This time it is children's songs, arranged for solo mountain dulcimer (and voice, of course). Easy tunes, fun to play, and guaranteed to be enjoyed by your favorite audience member, especially if under the age of ten. Or over the age of 50. Either way, you'll have fun with the songs in this book! (Tunes are in DAD, DAA, and DGD - 59 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
Baa Nanny Black Sheep
The Fox
How Old Are You My Pretty Little Miss
Little Bitty Man
My Little Rooster
The Old Man Below
Rock A Bye Baby
Say Darlin' Say
Sheepy And The Goat
Yankee Doodle
Cluck Old Hen
In Come The Owl
Come Up Horsey
Ducks In The Mill Pond
The Farmer In The Dell
Frog Went A Courtin'
Groundhog
Hush Baby Don't You Cry
It Ain't Gonna Rain No More
Jenny Jenkins
The Old Grey Mare
Old Macdonald
Sing Song Kitty
Sow Took The Measles
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
All Through The Night
Baa Baa Black Sheep
Brother John
Daddy Shot A Bear
Down By The Station
How 'Bout A Moose
I Dropped It
The Itsy Bitsy Spider
I Wish I Was A Mole In The Ground
Late Last Night
London Bridge Is Falling Down
Mary Had A Little Lamb
Old Blue
Old MacDonald Had A Farm
On Top Of Spaghetti
The Rabbit And The Eagle
Rain, Rain, Go Away
The Riverboat Song
Row, Row, Row, Your Boat
Skip To My Lou
Tell My Ma
This Old Man
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star
Who's That?