Things Are Moving Along
Good Morning, Y'all & Happy Friday!
I hope this has been a good week for you? And that you're already planning on when you'll be playing your dulcimers this weekend. This time of year - between Thanksgiving and Christmas - can be really hectic. Be sure to give your dulcimers some attention, so they don't become lonely.
We've been super busy in the shop, lots of instruments going out the door, and we've started physically moving some tools from the Indiana shop to the Michigan shop. Here's our showroom as of yesterday afternoon:
See the three thin strips of white - running the full circumference of the slatwall - up near the ceiling? They used to hold the "museum" part of our showroom. Dulcimers from our workshop going back to the 1960s, with sample models up to the present production of instruments. We've donated most of our museum pieces to the American Folk Music School/The National Dulcimer Museum. Run by Vickey Sasser, and located near Cincinnati, Ohio, you need to check out the museum's collection. CLICK HERE to visit the museum's website.
The rectangular wooden boxes you see on the slatwall - over 100 of them - used to hold the sheet music we had on display in our showroom. That music has all been moved back to the warehouse area of our building:
The warehouse area of the building (pictured in the photo above) isn't as pretty, but it is exceptionally efficient at storing all of the books, straps, strings, cases, wood parts, kits, and other goodies that we ship all over the world. We've been moving these "small items" (everything but finished instruments) from the showroom to the back of the building for the past few weeks. That job is nearly done, now.
I've moved enough shelving to the Michigan workshop to get us started up there. Here's our trailer (the same one I've taken to dulcimer festivals all over the country!), full of shelves for the trip up north:
We just shipped a somewhat unusual dulcimer. It has a walnut body with butternut top, so nothing unusual there - but it's a six-string dulcimer. With Bigfoot sound holes! Something a little different to check out on a Friday morning. Enjoy!
Closeup of the sound holes at the upper bout:
I just had to check our sheet music collection, and YES we have a book with a song title that includes "Bigfoot." I know that John Keane has written at least one other Bigfoot-themed song, but this is the one that's in print. Here's the book:
IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOAD, IF YOU'D RATHER
Thank you for reading this week, Y'all. Have a great weekend!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-is-now-singing-"Bigfoot-Got-A-Whoopin"-by-John-Keane
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: VICKEY SASSER
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Vickey: I have been playing since 1983. WOW! Over 40 years! Where has the time gone?
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Vickey: Raising kids was expensive. But I saved up my money & bought my first Folkcraft instrument in 2016.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Vickey: Anywhere that will let me play! Especially at nursing homes and memory care centers.
Folkcraft: What other hobbies, or interests, do you have besides playing the dulcimer?
Vickey: I'm the founder of the American Folk Music School - a non-profit to preserve the legacy of Appalachia & its instruments.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE INTERVIEWS & STORIES OF OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE VICKEY & YOU!
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!!!
We don't have a new Folkcraft Player to welcome to our wonderful online dulcimer community this week. But we're delighted to re-feature Vickey Sasser - founder of the American Folk Music School near Cincinnati, OH, today. Y'all need to take a trip and check out the museum some Second Saturday!
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!
YOU COULD ALSO JUST WRITE A LETTER TO THE LUTHIER (by replying to this email.) NO QUESTIONS TO ANSWER, NO PHOTO REQUIRED. WE JUST LOVE HEARING FROM Y'ALL!
This Week's Featured YouTube Video:
This week is an intro to the baritone dulcimer. How to play it with standard dulcimers - in two ways. Part Two is next week. 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.
HUGO'S SING-A-LONG DULCIMER CHRISTMAS SONGBOOK
by Mike Anderson
Just in case you need one more book of Christmas songs to get you through the rest of this month, here's a great one to prepare you to lead your friends and family in singing Christmas songs. Full of unique children's Christmas songs - this songbook is a must-have for Christmas music fans and dulcimer players! Mike Anderson has arranged a fine selection of classic, and beloved, Christmas songs, plus an array of unique children's songs for any instrument that can play chords. All songs are in DAD tuning - with dulcimer chord diagrams - with chords above the lyrics of each song.
Make your Christmas season memorable with Mike Anderson's "Hugo's Sing-A-Long Dulcimer Christmas Songbook." (30 pages)
This book is published by Fingers Of Steel, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SONGS INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:
For Auld Lang Syne • Away In A Manger • The Big Red Sleigh • Deck The Hall • Eight Little Reindeer • Here We Come A Caroling • Jingle Bells • Jolly Old St. Nicholas • Joy To The World • Over The River And Through The Wood • Silent Night • This Christmas • Up On The Housetop