# Marcy Prochaska: Hammered Dulcimer

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## Corning market jam

The Corning Farmers Market is a small gathering of vendors with canopies set up on both sides of a brick sidewalk lined with trees and flower beds, in a park between the river and a street.

We set up between an organic produce farmer the washtub bass player knows and a representative from a winery near the border of Canada (their Vignoles was lovely). A fellow who plays harmonicas, autoharp, mountain dulcimer, and some percussion joined us a little later.

We managed to find enough things we all knew or could sort of follow along on, so musically we had a pretty good time, and the vendors and customers seemed to enjoy it as well.

I got a little nervous and insecure on things I didn’t know, because sometimes it’s hard for me to hear what the chords are and sometimes even when they’re changing (one tune was all Am and Em and for some reason those two chords sound too similar to me). Sometimes it was also hard to hear clearly when the autoharp or mountain dulcimer was taking the melody. (Jam etiquette requires that when one instrument is taking the melody, the others should back off and play supporting parts.)

Most interesting was a group of three teenage boys who kept coming back to watch and listen. One of them, wearing a Rage Against the Machine shirt, said he couldn’t believe how much he liked this stuff, since it was far outside his usual listening repertoire. It’s exciting to see younger folks enjoying this music.

Posted on Friday, July 8th, 2005 at 8:57 am in the Performances category.
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### One Comment on “Corning market jam”

1. If only more young people would get interested in “our” music!! The entire genre is so calm, laid back, and uplifting (even the reels) that I’m sure they would then find other things to become interested in besides TV and video games. We might even get some budding players among them.

   Amy
   July 8th, 2005 at 11:42 am

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