Alex_Lubet

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Location: St. Paul, MN
Country: United States

My Latest Followers:

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Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 5 days ago • comments: 7
Posted a new Comment on December: Deer and the Moon:
"Beautiful"
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 5 days ago • comments: 7
Liked a youtube item created by @carol-h: December: Deer and the Moon
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 weeks ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "A review of my new album":
"Hi All, I hope you're doing well in all ways. Here's the latest review of my new album:..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 3 weeks ago • comments: 3
Posted a new Comment on Willafjord Reel (Milford Blevins 8-String Dulcimer):
"Great.  Would like to know more about the 8 string dulcimer, please."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 3 weeks ago • comments: 2
Posted a new Comment on Click Old Hen (AAC Dulcimer Tuning):
"Really interesting and enjoyable."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "A track from my new album":
"Hi All, I hope you're having a great week.  Here's "At a Dinner Party," a track from my new album, Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss .  Victoria Vargas is..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "jubilee":
"Jean Ritchie's version, with an unusual, non-dulcimer accompaniment."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Amy Levy: Songs of Love and Loss is now streaming":
"Hi All, I hope you're all having a great day and looking forward to a great weekend. As of today, my new album,  Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "A review of my new album":
"Hi All, I hope you're doing well. Here's a review of my new album, Amy Levy:  Songs of Love and Loss.  It will stream starting this Friday on nearly all the..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month ago • comments: 5
Posted a new Comment on Brian Boru's March:
"Beautiful."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "Jewish Music":
"You might also find  Gates of Song  useful...."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 4
Posted a new Comment on "Whiskey Before Breakfast" on Mountain Dulcimer:
"Really nice and nice to meet you.  Congratulations of a beautiful performance. My wife is Japanese American and a taiko musician.  I really began my dulcimer..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "Jewish Music":
"Hi, Thanks for your email. As far as I know, there's no collection of Jewish music for dulcimer, but I'd love to see one.  I know Jessica Comeau is among..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "New album":
"Thanks so much, Robin, again!   At the risk of hubris, there's not a whole lot in the classical world that's written for mountain dulcimer, beyond what I've..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Review of my album":
"Thanks again, Robin.  You're very kind.  I hope I'm making a contribution to the dulcimer world as well.  As you can probably tell, I make some different..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Minnesota":
"Hi, I hope you're all doing well. I haven't noticed anyone mentioning being from Minnesota (like me) and I'm wondering if anyone else is.  I know there are..."

Latest Group Discussions

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Alex_Lubet

4 versus 3


Hi All, I hope you are well and I wish you a good week. For about the...
@Alex_Lubet 4 months ago - Comments: 4
Alex_Lubet

Waves by Iris Shiraishi


This piece was composed for me by my wife Iris Shiraishi, who joins me...
@Alex_Lubet 4 months ago - Comments: 2
Alex_Lubet

Gunung Singgalang


Hi All, This piece was written for me by one of my former students,...
@Alex_Lubet 4 months ago - Comments: 2
Alex_Lubet

Alex Lubet At a Place Far Away


Hi All, I suspect this is pretty unusual, as is everything I do...
@Alex_Lubet 5 months ago - Comments: 6

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Comments

Alex_Lubet
04/18/25 04:56:46PM @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.


Alex_Lubet
04/13/25 05:14:26PM @alex-lubet:

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.


Ben Barr Jr
04/11/25 08:48:39AM @benjamin-w-barr-jr:

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


Richard Streib
04/10/25 01:43:33PM @richard-streib:

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.


Ken Longfield
04/09/25 10:41:44PM @ken-longfield:

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."