Dulcimer Friends

January 20, 2023

Good Morning, Everyone!

Last week, I asked y'all to share your stories about friends you've made because of your dulcimer playing. It seems to be the same story over and over. You sit next to a stranger in a class, or at lunch. Strike up a conversation. And keep the conversation going after the festival/jam/clinic is over.

Here's just one of many such stories that you've shared with me:

From Maryland to Michigan and Back (Again & Again)

"I first met my dear friends, Tom & Jeanne, at IDF 2011. It was first my Folkcraft® festival, but for some crazy reason I decided to take a turn in the open mic segment, even though it made me super nervous. Richard introduced me, mentioning that "she lives in Maryland, but is originally from Michigan" and small segment of the audience immediately cheered - which eased my nerves quite a bit! Tom & Jeanne came to me up after the open mic, introduced themselves, and we've been friends ever since. Whenever I travel home to see my family, I always try to get together with Tom & Jeanne, too. One of our greatest delights is to sit around and play our Folkcraft® dulcimers together."

My dog, Finnegan, with his dog/godparents, Tom & Jeanne

I've seen this effect with other activities - book clubs, knitting groups, etc. - but not to the level I see it with dulcimer activities. Why is that? I suspect that, for some reason, dulcimer-people are friendlier than average.

No telling why, really. I suppose that "why" doesn't matter, anyway. I'm just going to enjoy the time I spend with you.

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend!

Richard Ash, typically-friendly-dulcimer-player