T.J. Garrison
Jeff Vitols
Jarrod Hunt
Different Types
•Appalachian
•3 to 8 strings
•Usually 4 strings
•Hammered
•Bass
Shapes
• Different shapes
– Most Popular
• Hourglass
– Rich Bass Sound
• Tear Drop
– Lighter Tone (Bluegrass)
How to Play
• Tuning
– Ionian
– Mixolydian
– Dorian, Aeolian
• Playing
– Lap
– No-armed chair
– Strummed, Picked or Fingered
– Chords, single notes
History
• Ancestor the scheitlot
– German descent circa 1618
• Appalachian Dulcimer circa 1830 – 1871
• Oldest folk instrument of American creation
More History
• Belongs to Fretted Zithers
class of instruments
• Latin prefix means “sweet
sound”
• Traditionally played with a
quill, which is a feather
Jean Ritchie
• Born 1922 in Viper, Kentucky
• Album None But One won Rolling
Stone Critic’s Choice Award in 1977
• Started what is now known as the
“Dulcimer Revival”
• Unique style of performance
– Strumming the main beats toward
herself
– Singing Style
Other Musicians
• Joni Mitchell
– Bought Joellen Lapidus’s first made dulcimer
• Joellen Lapidus
– Idolized Joni Mitchell
• Ruth Barrett
– Dianic high priestess
• Dwain Wilder
– Mountain Dulcimer maker
Questions
1. How many strings does the Appalachian
dulcimer usually have?
2. How does the musician normally hold the
Appalachian dulcimer?
3. What does the word dulcimer mean in Latin?
4. How long has the Appalachian dulcimer been
around?
5. What was traditionally used to play the
dulcimer?
Answers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
4
Laying the instrument in his/her lap
“sweet song”
Mid 19th century
A feather quill
References
• http://mama.essortment.com/whatisadulci_
rkfn.htm
• www.sci.edu/classes/ellertsen/dulcimer2.ht
ml
• www.gilamountaindulcimers.com
• www.templeofdiana.org/ruth.htm
• http://www.pbs.org/ket/jrs/
• http://www.museum.appstate.edu/christma
s2002/pages/dulcimer.shtml
References
• http://www.jonimitchell.com/jonihome.html
• www.bearmeadow.com