Posted on February 1, 2026March 3, 2026 by Dale Phillips Origins of the Mountain Dulcimer Origins of the Mountain Dulcimer by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #34, 1993 Note to readers: The following history was the product of a research grant. However, the granting institution had a falling out with the author and refused to publish the work it had paid for. The author, for his part, had spent all the money and really didn’t care if the paper was every published. Such wastefulness shouldn’t be tolerated in a free country. Since the author is a good friend of mine, I stole it from his care and present it to you here, much condensed and free of bothersome academic footnotes. I hope you find it informative. — John Calkin I was surprised and pleased to receive this grant from the ____ Foundation, since I was on the very verge of looking for a job. At once I moved my headquarters to a bench outside the Hunterdon County Public Library, where I spent the days doing research. Evenings I spent at Frank’s Tavern, ruminating over my days’s work. My Foundation advisor tracked me down there, and, upon learning of my progress, invited me to get out of town to finish my research. In under an hour I was packed and rolling toward the Southern Appalachian Mountains. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on January 13, 2025May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Meet the Makers: Sue and Ray Mooers of Dusty Strings Meet the Makers: Sue and Ray Mooers of Dusty Strings by Jonathon Peterson Originally published in American Lutherie #77, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Over the past two decades, Ray and Sue Mooers’ company, Dusty Strings, has become a major player in the folk-music scene in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. Their urban-basement store in Seattle has become a regional hub, not only supplying musical tools to beginner and expert alike, but serving as a meeting place for musicians; a place for folk-music aficionados to get information about concerts, festivals, and regional events. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and their expertise, inventory, and reputation has grown over the years. They have probably built and sold more hammered dulcimers than anyone, anywhere, and they have recently moved their folk-harp and hammered dulcimer production into a new, thoroughly modern facility not far from their retail store. I spent an afternoon talking with them and walking through the plant, and was massively impressed not only by the scale and sophistication of what they are doing, but by the two of them. They are warm, welcoming, and down to earth, and they have wonderfully clear and direct attitudes toward their lives and their business. After all these years they are still in love, and despite big changes in the scale of their enterprise and the incumbent responsibilities, they still seem to be having fun. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on July 7, 2024May 19, 2025 by Dale Phillips Monochord Enthusiasts “Dig” Colo. Monochord Enthusiasts “Dig” Colo. “14,000 Feet and Beyond” Proclaims Participant by Bonnie Carol Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Newsletter Vol. 4, #4, 1976 Note: The following is a report on the “In Search of the Wild Dulcimer, Kindred Gathering II”, held August 13, 14, 15, 1976. We dulcimer players got together at a 130 acre homestead in the Colorado Rockies near Fort Collins. It all began with the arrival of Janette Gould, Robert Force, Albert d’Ossche, Ian, Neal, Sally and Shilo Hellman, a week or so in advance. We all fixed trucks, dug outhouses, hiked into snowstorms at 14,000 feet and beyond, ate meals prepared by professional cooks, Neal and Sally, and even played dulcimer on occasion. The festival included workshops of “Rhythm” (Albert d’Ossche), “Fingerpicking” (Bonnie Carol and Roger Harris), “Mode within Modes” (Neal Hellman), “Moving with Voice” (opera as learned in Southwestern New Mexico from an Italian opera singer by Robert and Janette), “Blues Dulcimer” (by some California folks with chromatic dulcimers with guitar-like necks, Robert and Susan Cole and Mark and Julie Warner), “Building” (Roger Harris and Bonnie Carol), and probably others that I didn’t hear about. Many impromptu jams and occurrences — including a banjo (played by Blind Boy d’Ossche), fiddle, kazzo, and even dulcimer reveille on Sunday; square dancing with a live Colorado caller, Connie Baker; and a Saturday night fireside song swap. What more could we want? ◆
Posted on July 7, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Smokies Dulcimer Convention Smokies Dulcimer Convention by Vicki Runnion Originally published in Guild of American Luthiers Quarterly, 5, #3, 1977 My good friends at the Folk Life Center of the Smokies, in Cosby, Tennessee, got together with some folks (now new friends from the Guild of American Luthiers and the publishers of Dulcimer Players News, and co-sponsored what I hope was the first of many annual dulcimer conventions there. The beautiful wooded Folk Life Center land n Cosby was the site for a weekend (June 10-12) full of music and other delights. Players, builders and lovers of both the plucked mountain dulcimer and the hammered dulcimer came from near and far (Florida, New York, Michigan, Ohio, Colorado, etc.) to celebrate the dulcimer. Performer Bonnie Carol won the understanding laughter of the audience late Saturday evening, with a song (composed by friends of hers) that poked gentle fun at people who still manage to hold on to the view of the dulcimer as merely an uncomplicated traditional instrument capable of only the simplest style of playing. Had any of these people been with us this weekend, I’m sure they myth would have been exploded. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on June 30, 2024May 14, 2025 by Dale Phillips Dulcimer 101 Dulcimer 101 by John Calkin Originally published in American Lutherie #98, 2009 There's a good reason why dulcimers get no respect. They are most often judged by their worst players. No one faced with a no-talent, beginner guitarist says, “That instrument isn’t worth a damn.” But when confronted by someone trying to strum the dulcimer and warble through “Amazing Grace,” that’s exactly the attitude that most of us adopt — “That instrument isn’t worth my time.” But if you’ve ever heard the likes of Marks Biggs, Leo Kretzner, Harvey Reid, or Janita Baker, just to name a few, you know that the instrument is only limited by the ability and imagination of the player. So please leave your attitude at the door. I quit building dulcimers after about eighty pieces. When I ran out of market I moved on to other instruments. Guitars and banjos may be more complicated, but I never felt that I had outgrown dulcimers. Recently I met dulcimer teacher Dinah Ansley. Teachers of obscure instruments often become hubs of like-minded people. After examining and playing a couple pieces I had left after a decade of nonbuilding, Dinah told me that if I would make dulcimers again she would recommend them to her students. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 3 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
