Marcy Prochaska: Hammered Dulcimer

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I am moving to Plymouth, IN at the end of June; once I get a bit more familiar with my new home, I’m sure I’ll be revising these links to include more local and regional stuff. If you have suggestions, please let me know!

Hammered Dulcimer Information

Find general information and resources here:

• Instruments . . . A brief description
• The Official WWW Hammered Dulcimer Pages . . . Worth a look, but no longer updated
• EverythingDulcimer.com . . . Information and resources plus a discussion forum
• Email list . . . To subscribe, send an email to hammered_dulcimers-subscribe@lists.fmp.com.
• Chris Peterson . . . Several useful articles including a buying guide

Dulcimer Builders and Dealers

These are my favorite extended-range chromatic dulcimers:

• Song of the Wood . . . Grande Concertmaster (Hear one here.)
• Dusty Strings . . . D600 (Hear one here.)
• Nick Blanton . . . Forte; Nick also makes compact and Sam Rizzetta designs.

These folks also make wonderful dulcimers:

• Chris Foss . . . Bright and affordable; student models available
• Cloud Nine . . . More bright than mellow; on the heavy side
• James Jones . . . Half bright, half mellow; student models available
• Whamdiddle . . . From small to extended range; kits also available.
• MasterWorks . . . More mellow than bright; quite popular

Regional sources:

• Folk Notes (Fort Wayne) carries Songbird, Rick Thum, and T. K. O’Brien’s dulcimers.
• Mountain Made Music (Columbus) carries William Berg dulcimers.
• Front Porch Music (Valparaiso) sometimes has hammered dulcimers in stock (and also has a teacher on staff).
• Simple Sounds (Shipshewana) carries MasterWorks dulcimers.

Dulcimer Accessories

Chromatic tuners, alligator tuner clips, Blitz string cloths, and soprano saxophone swabs (for dusting) are available at most music stores. Get replacement strings from your dulcimer builder. Here are my favorite sources for other accessories:

• James Jones . . . Music stand
• Sam Rizzetta . . . The ergonomic 45° angled, cimbalom-grip, flexible shaft hammers I’m currently using
• Bob Bedard . . . My favorite hammers
• Whamdiddle . . . A variety of hammers
• Kattywompus String Band . . . A duster that slides under the strings
• Elderly Instruments . . . The “Dandy Duster” brush with long, soft bristles

Dulcimer Events

Festivals, jams, and other events.

• Gebhard Woods Dulcimer Festival (Morris IL)
• Dulcimer Society of Northern Illinois (Wilmette)
• Upper Potomac Dulcimer Fest . . . (Harpers Ferry, WV, well worth the drive)
• Chattanooga Dulcimer Fest . . . (Also worth the drive, in Tennessee)

Dulcimer People

Other dulcimer folks in the region:

• Malcolm Dalglish (Bloomington IN)
• David James (South Bend)
• Phil Passen (Chicago)
• Heartstrings (New Albany)

These are just a few of my dulcimer friends in other states:

• Rick Davis . . . Performance and instruction

  I met Rick at the UPDF one spring. He was the 2002 Fiddler’s Grove Hammered Dulcimer Champion, and now performs and teaches in Chattanooga TN as well as at the Causeway Dulcimer Fest in Ireland. His focus is Old Time and Celtic music, with a few originals mixed in; check out his new HD-only CD, Of Things To Come…

• Timothy Seaman . . . Performance, instruction, and recordings

  Tim was my dulcimer teacher and mentor when I lived in Virginia. We also got to play together some before I moved. He has a bunch of excellent CDs available, with classical, original, and traditional music on dulcimer, flutes and whistles, guitar, and more. If you’re ever in Virginia, try to catch one of his performances.

• Tom Abernethy . . . Climb With Me CD

  Tom and I played together as WoodSong when I lived in Richmond, along with flute player Carolyn Huff. He’s got a wonderful CD out with hymns, folk tunes, and original pieces, featuring hammer dulcimer with classical guitar, Celtic harp, cello, and other instruments.

Information | Dulcimers | Accessories | Events | People