David Bennett

👍

Hi there,

I have been playing a dulcimer exactly zero days. 😆

I ordered one that should be here Friday. I've previously played around with both guitar and cello, but I ran into the problem of just not having the finger dexterity to get the complex fingerings correct. Music has always been more of an aspiration than a reality. For this next 5 weeks or so I have some time to kill, so I decided to give it a whirl. I've watched video of people playing dulcimer and it seems that the finger positions are not nearly so challenging as other things I've tried.  

This is a friendly reminder to tune your dulcimores forward tonight.

A friend of mine asked me to help him find the tabs for " Big John McNeil " aka " John McNeil's Reel " a Scottish dance tune written by Peter Milne (1824-1908).

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

sheet music:

Big John McNeil - Traditional Tune Archive

The Internet Archive of traditional Irish, Scottish, British and North American tunes with annotations and free sheet...

Traditional Tune Archive

I'm not really big on Halloween but I ran across this this morning and posted it to Steve Carney's FB page, so I figgered I'd post it here too

Old Talon by Seth Boyden
A Tennessee creature story about a mysterious monster named Old Talon terrorizing a remove Appalachian community. An Appalachian dulcimer figures prominently in the story

Old Talon: Tennessee Creature Story

Tennessee creature story about a mysterious monster named Old Talon terrorizing a remote Appalachian community....

The Moonlit Road.com

Old Talon

Last week I wrote and illustrated a short folk story called Old Talon, which was just published by The Moonlit Road....

Dulcimer images from the story
https://i2.wp.com/themoonlitroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/old-talon-tennsessee-mountain-dulcimer-creature-monster-story.png

https://i2.wp.com/themoonlitroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/tennessee-mountain-dulcimer-creature-monster-story.png

Rugg and Jackel dulcimer (see attached photos)

I don't own this and wasn't sure where to post it (or if I should) and I don't know if this is something anyone would have any interest in or not. A little while ago my niece sent me a message with these photos of a dulcimer she saw at an antique mall with a $40 price tag. I asked her to look for a label and she told me it read, "Rugg and Jackel Music Co Folkroots".

She told me the wood is "a little loose on the back".  See the second photo.

If this is something you are interested in and are in the Pensacola area you can find it at

Miles Antiques, 5109 Bayou Blvd, Pensacola, Fl, 32503, 850-607-6560

https://www.milesantiquemall.com 

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See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

Just out of curiosity this morning I did look up Appalachian New Years traditions:

New Year Traditions from Appalachia | Blind Pig and The Acorn

New Year traditions observed in Appalachia

Blind Pig and The Acorn

New Year’s Tradition: The Origins of Eating Black-Eyed Peas

There are few memories I cherish as much as visiting my grandmother's house in the coalfields of West Virginia on New...

Ringing in the new - Appalachian History

Lang may your lum reek. May the fire on your hearth burn on. —Scottish New Year toast Dropping a possum at the stroke...

Appalachian History

Lang may your lum reek.

May the fire on your hearth burn on.

—Scottish New Year toast

Some of us have noticed that the U.S. has never (so far as we know) ever had a stamp featuring the Appalachian Dulcimer. It's a long shot but if anyone (I'm not able to at this time) wants to take this on as a project there is a way to at least suggest the US Postal Service consider it:

Want to make a formal suggestion to the U.S. Postal Service?

www.usps.com/communications/organization/csac.htm

Then mail your suggestions to:

Stamp Development; US Postal Service

1735 North Lynn St., Rm 5013, Arlington VA 22209-6432

How do I suggest a postal stamp design?

www.govspot.com/ask/suggestastamp.htm

Our friend Jake Hisaw (1918-2019) passed today. For years he camped and played with dulcimer groups from Virginia to Texas. He last yodeled for us in May and was active u to the end. See 

Jake Hisaw passed today

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Jake Hisaw August 30, 1918-July 22, 2019 Service information...

Today In Mountain Dulcimer History: April

04 April

Compiled by David Bennett (c) April 1, 1897 Virgil Leon Sturgill (1897-1981) was born in a log cabin in Carter...

A traditional Irish tune for Saint Patrick's Day

The Bard of Armagh

Lyrics attributed to Patrick Donnelly (1650–1716).

Oh, list to the lay of a poor Irish harper

And scorn not the strains of his withered old hands

Remember his fingers, they once could move sharper

To raise up the memory of his dear native land

When I was a young lad King Jamie* did flourish

And I followed the wars in my brogues bound with straw

And all the fair colleens from Wexford to Durrish

Called me Bold Phelam Brady, the Bard of Armagh

How I long for to muse on the days of my boyhood

Tho' four scores and three years have flitted since then

Still it gives sweet reflections, as every young joy should

For light-hearted boys make the best of ould men

At a pattern or fair I could twist me Shillelagh

Or trip through the jig with me brogues bound with straw

Whilst all the pretty maidens around me assembled

Loved Bold Phelam Brady, the Bard of Armagh

Although I have travelled this wide world over

Yet Erin's a home and a parent to me

Then, Oh! Let the ground that my ould bones shall cover

Be cut from the soil that is trod by the free

And when Sergeant Death in his cold arms shall embrace me

Oh, lull me to sleep with sweet 'Erin Go Bragh' **

By the side of my Kathleen, my young wife, oh place me

Then forget Phelam Brady, the Bard of Armagh

Today In Mountain Dulcimer History: JANUARY

01 January

Compiled by David Bennett (c) January 1917 – Article by Josephine McGill (1877-1919) published by The Musician in...

I'm guessing around ten, but I'll let you know as soon as they finalize the schedule!

Hey David, you like this sort of thing?

Great Appalachian Fiddle Competition - The Museum Of Appalachia

The Great Appalachian Fiddle Convention is on November 10, 2018 at Museum of Appalachia!

The Museum Of Appalachia

Jake Hisaw will be 100 years old on 30 August. We'd like to encourage anyone who'd like to to send a birthday greeting to him do so at the address below. Over the years Jake has played with many campers and jammers between Virginia and Texas. Jake still sings, yodels and plays his guitar. He knows more songs than anyone I know. The last couple years he's been a regular with the Athens Dulcimers. 

Jake Hisaw

 Room 8

 The Madison Village & Assisted Living

 6016 Wall Triana Highway, Madison, AL 35757

Today I received the FOTMD buttons I ordered to wear at the now cancelled Hindman Dulcimer Homecoming. The good news is I'll still get to wear them that weekend in Berea and Hindman when I meet some of the other droners from FOTMD that have nothing else to do tht weekend.  Anyway, in trying to explain the significance of the  rare and elusive Lesser Hairy Toed Fotmd on the one button to Karen I was unable to find the post about the moth here on fotmd.com (maybe I just missed it). However, I did find it on the older dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com site and thought some of the newer member might be interested in the story.

The rare and elusive Lesser Hairy Toed Fotmd
https://dulcimer-noter-drone.blogspot.com/search?q=moth

Long, Long Ago

Here's a new old tune I'm learning. Dave Holeton's video is excellent for learning the tune
https://athensdulcimerclub.wordpress.com/2018/01/16/long-long-ago/

With the total solar eclipse coming up Monday I was trying to think of some tunes that might be appropriate so after thing of some off the top of my head I went through my tab books looking for promising titles. Some of these might be a stretch. Feel free to add your own:

Monday Night Waltz (The eclipse on Monday)
Keep On The Sunny Side
Rising Sun Blues (House of the)
Sunshine In the Shadows
When This Evening Sun Goes Down
You Are My Sunshine
Meet Me By the Moonlight, Alone
Black Mountain Rag (?)
Bring a Torch, Jeannette Isabella
Give Me Oil in My Lamp
Lamp Lighting Time In The Valley
Meet Me By the Moonlight, Alone
Old Aunt Jenny with Her Nightcap On
Sunshine In the Shadows
Three Blind Mice
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Wake Up Susan
What a Day That Will Be
When the Stars Begin to Fall
When This Evening Sun Goes Down
Worried Man Blues