We've Got Over 300 Dulcimer Titles In Stock & All For You!
Good Morning, Y'all - Happy Friday!
We've been hard at work this week, finishing off instruments. It is exciting to see so many weeks of work, all being passed off to UPS at the same time!
You know that it never ends. We make parts and build instruments. About the time that we think "we're gaining on it!" another rush of orders comes in. We've been at a 4-month backlog of orders for years now. I'm very, very, very appreciative of your trust, but time to take a breather would be good, too.
Here's Dad's project this week - a continuation of last week's work:
Pam's been working on (you guessed it!) cases. This week's work is a big batch of rigid cases. Our rigid cases have five layers - fabric, foam, plywood, foam, and then fabric. So there's a LOT of padding, and structure, with our rigid cases. They end up being pretty heavy - about six pounds, but they give a dulcimer great protection. (Protection for normal use, not safe for "flying on an airplane" use.)
More Great Dulcimer Books Added To Our Catalog
I spend a lot of time thinking about sheet music. I love sheet music, to the degree that my first business (before Folkcraft) grew to become the third-largest seller of sheet music in the United States. All I can say is that printed music is a big part of my life.
For Folkcraft, I think it is important to carry a great selection of music books for Y'all. With that said, over the past few weeks I have added another 13 books of printed dulcimer to our catalog of mountain dulcimer music. One of these books was first published in the last couple of months, so it is new to all of us. The other 12 books are "classic" books. They've been around for a few years, but mostly out of print. Until now!
We have a couple of books by Ralph Lee Smith with Madeline MacNeil, plus a few by Neal Hellman (one of my favorite dulcimer people), Lois Hornbostel (another of my favorites!), Lorinda Jones (yet another of my favorites), and more.
To see the complete list of all 301 dulcimer titles we carry, simply click on either (or both) of the two links below. The first 13 on the Newest-To-Oldest list were added in the past couple of weeks.
I hope you all enjoy music books as much as I do. I know that there's nothing better than learning a traditional tune by sitting in a jam with folks that already know the song, but for most of us it is difficult to attend a jam, at least regularly. Books are a great choice.
Time to get back to work, Richard! There's so much to get done, and so little time to make it happen.
Thanks for reading, Y'all - have a great weekend. Go make some music!
Richard Ash - luthier-who-hasn't-yet-figured-out-how-to-safely-play-his-dulcimer-while-driving-his-van-and-steering-with-his-knees
P.S. As always, our staff has next Thursday and Friday off from work, to enjoy spending time with their families. No newsletter next Friday.
FOLKCRAFT® DULCIMER PLAYER OF THE WEEK: JOYCE WILSON
Folkcraft: How long have you been playing the dulcimer?
Joyce: I have been playing the dulcimer since the 1970s, but I really got back into it during the pandemic.
Folkcraft: When did you get your first Folkcraft dulcimer?
Joyce: I bought my first Folkcraft dulcimer in 2022. I like the extra frets and accurate tuning pegs, plus the many designs and options, and the beautiful hardwoods.
Folkcraft: Where do you enjoy playing your dulcimer?
Joyce: I just found a congenial group in Manomet (part of Plymouth, Massachusetts), a half-hour away, that urges acoustic instruments to come to their Saturday jam every month. My dulcimer holds its own with guitars and mandolins. This walnut dulcimer gets a sweet sound that resonates! We're working on...
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF JOYCE'S INTERVIEW & ABOUT OTHER FOLKCRAFT PLAYERS LIKE JOYCE & YOU!
FOLKCRAFT® PLAYERS - WE LOVE HEARING FROM YOU!!!
We are overjoyed to welcome new Folkcraft Player, Joyce Wilson, to our wonderful online dulcimer community today. "We're glad you're here!"
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, Mandy gifts you with a free dulcimer lesson: "Greensleeves" (also known as "What Child Is This") 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.
CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
by Judy House
Among our extensive catalog of dulcimer songbooks, nearly two dozen of them are Christmas songs. What makes this book by Judy House so special? I'm glad you asked!
It's one of the best-ever books of Christmas (plus a few holiday tunes!) for mountain dulcimer, because of Judy's fine arranging skills. She's put enough harmony and interesting stuff on top of the melodies to make your performances sound rich and full. These aren't "over the top" arrangements, too difficult to play for most people, but they're far more than the "here's a melody line with chord symbols" approach that many arrangers take. Many of the tunes include a harmony arrangement, too.
The right balance of holiday tunes and Christmas tunes, the right balance of easy and difficult. All around, the right choice for most of us. Enjoy! (66 pages)
This book is published by Judy House, and is made available here as an authorized, licensed download.
SOME OF THE SONGS INCLUDED
All Through The Night
Angels From The Realms Of Glory
Angels We Have Heard On High
Auld Lang Syne
Away In A Manger
Boar's Head Carol Arrangement
Bring A Torch, Jeanette Isabella
Deck The Halls
Ding Dong! Merrily On High
The First Noel
Go Tell It On The Mountain
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Good Christian Men, Rejoice
Good King Wenceslas
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
The Holly And The Ivy
In The Bleak Midwinter
It Came Upon A Midnight Clear
Jingle Bells
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Joy To The World
Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming
O Christmas Tree
O Come All Ye Faithful
O Come Little Children
O Come, O Come Emmanuel
O Little Town Of Bethlehem
Rise Up Shepherd And Follow
Silent Night - Melody
Silent Night - Harmony
There's A Song In The Air
Toyland
Up On The Housetop
We Three Kings
We Wish You A Merry Christmas
What Child Is This?