Sawdust Artist Daydreams
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
Growing up in the 1970s, I recall Mom and Dad taking me to a lot of craft shows. There were a lot of cool things to see there. Dad enjoyed the woodworking booths (and took great mental notes for nice designs, which he then made at home), and Mom liked looking at everything.
I remember one show, a big one, that we went to every year. It was in Northwest Arkansas, and there was always a booth where they sold mountain dulcimers and limberjacks. In hindsight, it was probably McSpadden dulcimers they were selling, since that part of the state is really close to the McSpadden workshop. But at the time, I didn't pay that much attention. I wonder if the booth was selling Folkcraft Instruments dulcimers, too? It was in the late-1970s, so by then, Folkcraft (under the leadership of its founder, David Marks) was one of the larger national dulcimer making companies.
I also recall sand art. Really cool artwork made with colored sand, often times placed in layers inside glass jars and bottles. Layer upon layer, painstakingly assembled.
Something like this, but even fancier. At least to my teenage memory:
(photo from SandArtSupplies.com)
A Secret Art Gallery Uncovered
This morning, I was cutting big pieces of wood (12-foot long planks of walnut, 18 inches wide and two inches thick) into little pieces of wood (3-inch chunks, which were then cut down into backs, sides, tops, fretboards, and heads). One of the side effects of doing wood processing is the creation of sawdust. Lots of sawdust.
At one point, I opened up one of the band saws to change the blade, and found this:
The top layer is brown, so that one's easy - black walnut. The red layer underneath the walnut? Padauk. The yellow layer? Don't cringe - it isn't for dulcimers... Plywood. (Dad was making a fixture to hold pieces for assembly.)
A Sawdust Side Venture
Maybe I should get a trademark on this word combination? These are both common words, so I might have to come up with a fabricated word for the trademark application. Something like "S-AWW-dust Art®"?
Maybe I could bottle different colors of sawdust, and sell them for the S-AWW-dust Art® project? Black would be from ebony lumber, yellow would be pine, white would be Sitka spruce, purple would be purpleheart, brown would be walnut, red would be padauk. I don't know of any vibrant green or vibrant blue woods, though. Sometimes we can get poplar with some green color, but it isn't very vibrant - it's pretty pale, usually.
It's a fun project to think about, while I'm spending hours doing low-brain activity work (like cutting big pieces of wood into small pieces of wood). But I can't think too hard about things like this - I have to focus on keeping my fingers away from the band saw's blade. It slices through walnut like a hot knife through butter, and wouldn't have any problem going through my hand in a tiny fraction of a second.
If you know of any blue woods (not dyed or colored, but naturally vibrant blue) let me know?
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend. Go make some dulcimer music, please.
Richard Ash - luthier-who-is-now-dreaming-of-his-career-as-a-"S-AWW-dust Art®"-creator
P.S. Not really. I would rather be making dulcimers for y'all, not sawdust for strangers to put into jars!
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: KAREN STOLDT
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Karen: Since August 2023. I played the cajon for 1.5 years before purchasing my Folkcraft dulcimer and wanted to switch to a stringed instrument.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Karen: In August 2023. I jumped in head first. I have been taking in-person lessons weekly in Taos, New Mexico, for 2-1/2 years. Every Tuesday I have a lesson with a contemporary music teacher. Every other Friday I have lessons with a mandolin teacher with a genre of folk and old-time music. I also subscribe to Bing Futch.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Karen: I play at home daily. The lessons have quickly expanded my skills. We have an annual student concert as well. I have been to...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF KAREN'S INTERVIEW AND READ ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE KAREN & YOU
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!
Well, Yippee-ti-yay, we have a brand-new player (though she has been playing for three years now) to welcome to our online dulcimer community today. Great to have you join us, Karen!
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 will learn how to use a capo to easily play with other instruments, or in different keys. 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.
The songs in the two books below bring a lot of history and tradition with them. The majority of the Shaker tunes in Shelley's book date back to the 1800s or before. While Larry's book of spirituals also hail from that same era. There are arrangements to many familiar songs, but you may learn a few "new" ones, too. (Just click on either cover to download.)
BAKER'S DOZEN #4 - SHAKER MUSIC
by Shelley Stevens
We're proud to bring you this Shelley Stevens' "Baker's Dozen" book. This is Volume 4 in the series, and it is full of traditional Shaker melodies. You probably don't know many of these tunes, but you should. They're important to our musical traditions, and likely had a significant influence on later pieces that you do know.
All songs are in DAD tuning, and a surprising number of them are in E minor (capo 1). Each piece includes both standard notation and dulcimer tablature. (19 pages)
AMERICAN SPIRITUALS
by Larry Conger
This is one of those "classic" Larry Conger books that you'll really enjoy. Pretty easy to play, and absolutely amazing repertoire pieces for your enjoyment! (29 pages)
These books are published by Fingers Of Steel, and are made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED:
Come Dance And Sing (From 1838)
Come Life, Shaker Life
Holy Order Tune (Late 1700s)
Hop Up And Jump Up (From 1847)
Love Is Little (Circa 1834)
My Carnal Life I Will Lay Down (From 1838)
My Robe Is New
Now My Dear Companions
Pleasant Walk (Circa 1857)
Quick Dance (From 1811)
Shaker March #7
Square Check Tune (From 1837)
Treasures Of The Gospel (Post 1844)
SOME OF THE SONGS INCLUDED:
Balm In Gilead
Children Go Where I Send Thee
I Got A Home In That Rock
I Want Jesus To Walk With Me
Keep Your Hand On The Plow
Lord, I Want To Be A Christian
Nobody Knows The Trouble I See
Peace Like A River
Steal Away
The Old Ark's A Moverin'
Those Bones Gonna Rise Again
We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder
We Shall Walk Through The Valley
Were You There