At modern mountain dulcimer, we understand that the mountain dulcimer is the center of the folk music universe and that all other folk instruments were created to enhance and accompany the mountain dulcimer. David, you did a good job in restoring the keith young dulcimer. It functions perfectly well as a 3string dulcimer, but if you would like to replace the 4th peg and add the string, we will split that repair cost with the buyer. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Inexpensive appalachian mountain dulcimers and easily assembled dulcimer kits designed for beginning players, schools, and amateur instrument builders. Jenny lind polka roscoe russell galax dulcimer and keith young early virginia model ben seymour as galax builder an interview with don neuhauser terry burchams. Its neat to find tunes that fit on the dulcimer outside of the standards that a lot of people play. Another alternative is to do what blue line does with their soprano teardrop walnut model with 20 inch string length by keeping the higher pitch and tuning to the key of g. I glued the other cheek to the scrollhead first thing in the morning and took care of some chores and came back when the glue was dry.
This book covers tools, materials, resources and suppliers. Irlo bronson memorial hwy, kissimmee, florida 34747 rated 4. I had acquired a book, the autoharp book, which had been published in 1983, and i was in the market for a new, custombuilt autoharp. Young 19292012 keith young, known to many in the traditional music community as a fine instrument builder, musician, teacher and friend, died at inova fairfax hospital on thursday, february 9. Provides easytofollow, stepbystep instructions on the construction of a 1514 floating soundboard hammered dulcimer. As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of young ad.
Folk music in the time of vermeer essential vermeer. Jan 25, 2008 as you get to 17 inches such as builder keith youngs youngster model and below you can go an octave up and not break the melody string. Gallier dulcimers are on the forefront of this innovation, not in just the way they look, but also in the fundamental physics of how they reproduce sound. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the. Construction process when i first started building dulcimers, i anticipated a sharp but brief learning curve. Keith put the wooden bead fine tuners on all of the strings. Ruth met her first dulcimer at a performance of the local mill run dulcimer band in 1983, a group which is still very active today. The large harps found in symphony orchestras have complicated pedal mechanisms which allow the player to sharpen or flatten the pitch of a group o. Mountains dulcimer handcrafted by keith young in 2007. It has a lifetime guarantee to the original owner on construction and playability. Jan 27, 20 i first became aware of keith young around 1984. Please update your address books and stay in touch.
Its leader, keith young also the luthier who made her first dulcimer is responsible for organizing more than 30 years of spring and fall classes for mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer and guitar, held at a. To commemorate hmts 45th year in business 2017, david commissioned carl gotzmer of june apple dulcimers to create a 45th anniversary dulcimer based off the original musical traditions designs. Please subscribe to dulcimer players news at it is only through the continued support of current subscribers and advertisers that we can offer our entire archive of outofprint. In the middle east and india its called a santoor or santouri. The instrument is about 75 to 90 cm long, its width varies according to the shape of the soundbox. The book contains a complete list of tools used to build the dulcimer with explanations of how and why they are used and helpful descriptions of all materials required. This is a list of developers of the mountain dulcimer who were especially active during what is called the mountain dulcimer renaissance defined here as roughly beginning in the 1950s thru the early 1980s. As you might just see in this photo, i used screws outside the lines of the scrollhead profile to keep the parts in line while clamping.
Mailing address cedar creek dulcimers 408 river bluff dr. Similar instruments include the banjammer mike clemmer, the banjimer keith young and the banjmo folk. In the back of the book were several pictures of artists playing autoharps, and one was described as keith young, playing an autoharp of his own construction. However, bonnie carol dulcimers look and sound more like each other than like others, so if you like one, chances are you will like the others.
Books and plans dean kimball, constructing the mountain dulcimer chet hines, how to make and play the dulcimore. Andy youngs virtuosic hammered dulcimer takes the spirited gypsy swing of django reinhardt in an exciting new direction. Kimballs blueprints are for authentic, fullsize dulcimers. David had a dual career as sales trainer and cabinet maker, before in 1994 discovering a way to combine his woodworking skill and musical knowledge in a new career as a luthier. Mountain dulcimers by kentucky woodworker warren a. The first capritaurus dulcimer had a walnut body, a spruce top, and a carved gargoyle peghead. It is marked keith young 3815 kendale road annadale. Keith young obituary washington, dc the washington post. The construction and playing technique of the appalachian dulcimer is similar to that of the hommel. These were dulcimer builders, playing technique developers, well known performers and recording artists, authors of books about dulcimers, and wellknown teachers.
A comprehensive handbook for building the dulcimer. Keith is survived by his wife of 61 years, mary m young as well as. Shapes, ornamentation, choice of woods the maker has a lot of flexibility with dulcimers. The print is very readable, the book is wellindexed, the arrangements are well conceived, and accompaniment chords are included. That is the reason we build them with big sound so that they may take their rightful place when played solo or with accompanying instruments. I had acquired a book, the autoharp book, which had been. Our kits have solid wood fretboards, geared tuning machines, and sound boxes made of extra strong corrugated cardboard. Harps are the bestknown members of the lyre family of stringed instruments, having numerous unfretted strings running at a moreorless perpendicular angle to the soundbox.
Keith was born on july 8, 1929 in lafayette, indiana. Appalachian dulcimer project gutenberg selfpublishing. Virginia nov 1998 no 1199 on the tag on the inside. The birth of the starsong design has been a 40 year incubation of experimentation, research, and testing, resulting in an instrument that literally stands alone in the dulcimer world. Historicunusual dulcimers revels music mountain dulcimers. He fell in his workshop and suffered a fatal head injury. Boker do, on banjo youtube limberjack accompanying simple gifts on mountain dulcimer and guitar duration. Technical dulcimer sam rizzetta so, you want to build a dulcimer. I went east first, and met the wonderful traditional music scene and the dulcimer players there maddie macneil, keith young, etc. Nevertheless this complete, professional looking guide is not for the dabbler with a few spare sunday afternoons. Keith passed away unexpectedly this year, but his kind influence will carry on. Keith young electric acoustic lap dulcimer up for sale is a neat lap dulcimer. Many of the playing, building and teaching techniques we know now first happened in that lively.
See more ideas about mountain dulcimer, dulcimer, appalachian mountains. Featuring mountain dulcimer, autoharp, and other traditional instruments, the mill run dulcimer band plays an infectious mix of songs and tunes, ranging from carter family favorites to more contemporary material by writers such as bill staines and kate wolf. The dulcijo is a banjo dulcimer hybrid with a thumb string like a clawhammer banjo, 3 strings and a diatonic fret pattern, shaped more like a banjo and played upright, and built by michael fox of nc. Longer scale lengths often give better tone, but playing is a little more difficult because the string tension is higher and fingers have to stretch further. Tab books by joe collins dealer inquiries welcome all books are printed on high quality paper with ring binding that allows you to open the book without fear of it closing on you in the middle of a song. For 20 summers he taught dulcimer building at the augusta heritage folk. Make sure you understand exactly what youre getting and reasonably understand the instructions as well as tools needed to complete the kit. Includes registration access to a special builders resource web site for help in the building process. Constructing the mountain dulcimer by dean kimball kirkus. Music out of archives into the airr the new york times. So when i designed a small ellipse dulcimer for my granddaughter, i was stumped when my wifes electronic tuner showed sharps and the dulcimer couldnt be tuned to itself. A dulcimer builders doityourself guidebook for the. Ive been learning my way through jean ritchies book and was struggling with.
Heres my keith young dulcimers i should have had my keith young limberjack added to the photo as well. Modern mountain hourglass dulcimers dulcimers from david mckinneys modern mountain dulcimer workshop, batesville, arkansas. There are two kinds of instruments commonly called dulcimer here in the u. The 10 dulcimers ive made are all hour glass with 26. A little technique can go a long way towards grasping these musical instruments tones, and you neednt be a master to get started. This was built as a 4string dulcimer, but one of the wood friction pegs is broken. Keith young, known to many in the traditional music community as a fine. He taught dulcimer building at elkins college augusta days for many years. Instructions for making a bass pentatonic flute from pvc plumbing pipe. The book is uptodate with the latest information on hammered dulcimer suppliers, resources and publishers including web sites, emails, and other contact information. Supports musicians playing hammered dulcimers in the washington dc. Simple tunes for the ordinary talent the subtitle says it all this is a music book for anyone with a desire to play music regardless of your musical experience. Constructed by luthier keith young, annandale, virginia the construction and playing technique of the appalachian dulcimer is similar to that of the hommel. Building a dulcimer by preston woodruff brevard, nc click on any picture to see a larger version.
The hammered dulcimer is familiar in the british isles as a dulcimer and in a different form in ireland as the tiompan. Price includes packing, insurance and shipping by ups. Keith young notice washington, dc the washington post. The tuning keys are grover geared in gold or silver. She published the first important instruction book for the dulcimer in 1963. Even more than i toured with others, i performed solo. Contact us about the company profile for keith young construction, inc. This book shows how to make a masterpiece dulcimore, but the large, violinshaped dulcimer is relatively rare and hard to make. He apprenticed under zeke eltzroth in mountain view, arkansas. It also includes music and lyrics for 16 songs from the ritchie family of kentucky. Jody marshall hammered dulcimer, teaching, instruction. Buy constructing the mountain dulcimer by dean kimball online at alibris. Instrument has been lightly cleaned and seems to have no cracks or other physical issues.
Several factors keep that curve lively and dynamic. In any case, buying and perhaps customizing a kit will give you the experience to step through the dulcimer construction process in a reasonable amount of time and effort. Folkcraft folkroots timeline, from 1968 to the present. Hank built dulcimers for jean ritchie and authored the chapter on dulcimer building in her famous dulcimer book. This book started out as a repertoire workshop that i was teaching, but i enjoyed the international folksongs so much that i made a small book songs 20 pages. Oct 01, 2002 the book is uptodate with the latest information on hammered dulcimer suppliers, resources and publishers including web sites, emails, and other contact information. Right now im finishing two dulcimers that are an homage to m. Jean ritchies the dulcimer book has an old photograph of mrs. Keith young 19292012 from annandale, virginia was a highly respected dulcimer craftsman who made innovative and unusual instruments throughout a long career. Constructed by luthier keith young, annandale, virginia. Andy young s virtuosic hammered dulcimer takes the spirited gypsy swing of django reinhardt in an exciting new direction.
This is a listing of developers of the mountain dulcimer who were especially active in this time period and had impact on todays dulcimer players. These classes were initiated and organized by the one and only keith young, a longtime folk musician, builder of fine instruments, and friend who helped countless people of all ages experience the joy of music for themselves. Known for their beautiful sounds and unique designs, harps and dulcimers make great instruments for the aspiring musician. See more ideas about mountain dulcimer, instruments and dulcimer music. Each dulcimer s construction is guided by the particular piece of wood as well as artistic and acoustic design considerations. Includes several dulcimer books, bag and pitch pipe. Beall mark shelton keith young matt lindenfelser steve and. A standard set of dulcimer strings should work just fine. Traditional style and historicunusual dulcimers note on jargon. The mountain dulcimer renaissance 1950s1980s, by lois hornbostel, 2004 editors notes. After my first trip to the cosby dulcimer gathering, i began touring with david schnaufer, later with larkin bryant, and even later with mark nelson. Constructing the mountain dulcimer by dean kimball alibris. Modern mountain hourglass revels music mountain dulcimers.
The appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or. Follow the step by step instructions for putting together the dulcimer kit. Each dulcimer has four strings with a double melody string for optimum noting qualities. Keith young 3string lap dulcimer used house of musical. I now realize that that learning curve goes on forever. The notches on the nut are for setting the dulcimer up in one of two ways. Death of keith young 2812 northern virginia hammered.
Young and soon became a member of the dulcimer disorganization of greater washington, an informal group of several hundred duclimer players and fans, many. This book teaches beginners how to tune a play the dulcimer, and features illustrations, drawings, and recollections of the dulcimer s local history. First, there is an incredible amount of knowledge to be gained. In his writings on dulcimer construction, he suggested that making cuts in the soundboard at the tail and allowing the fretboard end to float would allow for a more resonant transfer from the vibrating strings to the rest of the instrument, resulting in a richer sound.
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