Alex_Lubet

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Location: St. Paul, MN
Country: United States

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Strumelia

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Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 3 days ago • comments: 2
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 days ago • comments: 2
Posted a new Comment on Click Old Hen (AAC Dulcimer Tuning):
"Really interesting and enjoyable."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 weeks 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 • 3 weeks ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "jubilee":
"Jean Ritchie's version, with an unusual, non-dulcimer accompaniment."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 3 weeks 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 • 3 weeks 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 • 3 weeks ago • comments: 5
Posted a new Comment on Brian Boru's March:
"Beautiful."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "Jewish Music":
"You might also find  Gates of Song  useful...."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • one month 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 • one month 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..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Review of my album":
"Thanks so very much!  You're the best, Robin. I hope I'm humble enough to refrain from calling my work "groundbreaking," but I'm delighted that you did.  I..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "A Review of my album":
"Streaming soon on all your favorite platforms: STORIES NOT FOR THE..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 6
Posted a new Comment on Autumn's Farewell - Original Composition:
"Beautiful"
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "Jean Ritchie and her ballad repertoire":
"Thanks, John, very insightful. I listened to her rendition of Barbry Allan this morning and was taken by her ending every verse on scale step 2.  I kept..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "Jean Ritchie and her ballad repertoire":
"Hi, A good week to you all. I've been doing a deep dive into Jean Ritchie lately, for the dulcimer of course, but also for the words of the ballads.  What..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Farewell":
"Thanks!"
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Farewell":
"Good to know, thanks so much.  I think much of what I do is grounded in being entirely self taught (on dulcimer), at some distance from the mainstream..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Farewell":
"I usually play with four equidistant strings these days and use many different tunings.  But I really enjoy tuning three or even all four strings to low D...."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Farewell":
"I would say Jean Ritchie.  It's more obvious in other pieces.   But I would say it's really the drone and not the noter that has been the influence, as I..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "tambourin à cordes":
"Hi All, A medieval instrument that looks a lot like a dulcimer but serves a very different role as accompaniment only to melodic instruments, sort of like a..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Farewell":
"I enjoy your work, too.  I really appreciate the noter-drone style.  It's been an influence. Best,"
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Posted a response to "A Farewell":
"That's so kind of you to say.  I really appreciate it.  I also appreciate the great contributions you make to this community.  This is not just a great place..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 0
Created a new forum topic "A Farewell":
"Hi All, I hope everyone is well and enjoying life. This is,  A Farewell , a song I composed for my friend and colleague, mezzo soprano Victoria Vargas.  The..."
Alex_Lubet
@alex-lubet • 2 months ago • comments: 6
Posted a new Comment on Alex Lubet At a Place Far Away:
"Thanks.  Much more (including a few other instruments) on most of the major streaming services and a new album (with operatic mezzo soprano Victoria Vargas)..."

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 3 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 4 months ago - Comments: 6

Latest Audio

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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."