Alex_Lubet

Hi All,

I hope everyone is doing well.

I've done a lot of recording and, at the risk of hubris, gotten some good reviews, though these are from beyond the dulcimer community.  Here's a link to "At a Place Far Away," my take on a Chinese folk song that I wrote for a concert in China.  It's from my album, "Three Strings and the Truth:  New Music for Mountain Dulcimer."  Would love to discuss and share more music if folk are interested.

Have a great weekend and a Happy Easter to those who celebrate.

Thanks for your kind words, everyone.  It's great to be here.

I think my dulcimer journey might be a bit unusual.  I started on guitar almost sixty years ago and have played most every fretted instrument in the American-Western European music sphere, largely self-taught.  I started on mountain dulcimer about ten years ago and it's now my main instrument for playing and composing.

But I'm also a classically trained composer and have taught composition at the University of Minnesota since 1979 (and will retire next year).  For a long time, I've mostly composed for instruments of American folk music, which I play myself.  I got seriously into dulcimer when my wife Iris Shiraishi composed a work for her Japanese music fusion group, Ensemble Ma.  Dulcimer was the closest she could come to an instrument we didn't have.  Since then, I've performed in China and South Korea, including works written for me by composers from those countries (and Indonesia).  Despite its distinctly non-Asian history, dulcimer lends itself to Asian aesthetics.  My Asian friends have really enjoyed it and few if any had ever seen or heard one before, which made it especially interesting.  I have to admit that another reason I love dulcimer is that it fits in the overhead bin on planes.  Traveling on planes with a guitar had been a major headache (plus foreign audiences all know what it looks and sounds like).

I've had lots of other influences as well, including Jewish music and even free jazz.  My entirely self-taught technique is quite non-standard and sometimes includes some unfamiliar, but totally acoustic, sounds.I've made quite a few albums (including earlier ones on other instruments.    They stream on lots of platforms and I'll be posting links in the Rockin' in the Free World group.  I'm pretty sure you'll find them unusual and I hope you'll give them a chance and might even enjoy them.  I'm not trying to sell any of my music, just share it, as well, of course, as listening to and learning from you.

I know this was a long post and I thank you for your kind consideration and time.  I'll be posting links to some music soon.

Happy Easter and Passover (and any other holidays I've missed).  Have a great week.

Hi Alex, and welcome to the wonderful world of the Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer.  It's a good place to come, spend some time, learn about the dulcimer, and to meet some good people.

Ben

Glad you joined Alex_Lubert. Welcome to Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer. There is a lot of information here and a lot of great folks with much expertise and experience. I am sure you will enjoy being a part of our little family.

Welcome to FOTMD, Alex_Lubet. It's good to have you aboard. I look forward to your participation here.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."