Tell us about your VERY FIRST dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
My first dulcimer was built for me by Lucky Diamond in Silver Springs, MD. on March 10, 1976. I was first exposed to the dulcimer by Kevin Roth in 1975 at a tiny music fest in the suburbs of Philadelphia, where he was performing. I was really taken by the sound and his skill, but I was nervous about talking to him about the dulcimer, since I knew nothing about the instrument. He was nice enough to chat and suggest Diamond Dulcimers. So I called Diamond and I think he sent me some info, but I ended up ordering their 6-string, which I think they referred to as a church dulcimer, since it's loud. It has wooden tuning pegs. I drove to Silver Spring in my old Fiat Spider and it was a house in a residential section. I was expecting a music shop. Anyway, I recall next to nothing about the actual transaction, but it felt like I was there for 5 minutes and was back on the road to Pa. I recall trying to strum it while driving, but it was too large, so I placed in the floor of the passenger seat and leaned it vertically and would occasionally strum the strings on the way home. I was soooo excited. I played it for about 2 years, while working a 40-hour week and attending college. It was my stress relief, with my only instructional materials being what came with the dulcimer and my copy of "In Search of...". My younger brother was trying to be funny and do his Jimmy Page imitation with the dulcimer and snapped the headstock. I was heartbroken. Anyway, I carried the pieces of my dulcimer around for over 35 years until I joined FOTMD and decided see if anyone could help me repair it. First, I did try a local music shop that did repairs, they told me my dulcimer was junk and could not be repaired, and would happily sell me a McSpadden. That made me angry, like someone making fun of your kid. It went downhill from there with me having no intention of leaving my dulcimer with him, even if he could repair it. After some discussion on the builders page, I met Ken Longfield who is relatively local and willing to take a look at my "kid", I mean dulcimer. Ken is fantastic, he repaired my dulcimer and the broken heart from 35+ years ago. I'm so grateful. Anyway, that's my first dulcimer story.
