Tell us about your VERY FIRST dulcimer
General mountain dulcimer or music discussions
My "very first" dulcimer was actually six dulcimers. I spent a summer in West Virginia many decades ago and heard my first dulcimer played on an old front porch by an equally old and delightful lady who was regarded as the matriarch of the town (the name of the town and her surname were the same - it was founded by her ancestors). She played noter/drone style, and simple melodic sound of the thing just fascinated me - it had an appealing singular plainness about it, but she had some techniques as well where she could make it seem to warble, chirp and sing. Our families kept in touch, and not long after the day came when she eventually passed a carton was delivered to me - 6 of her dulcimers, all wrapped so they would survive the postal transit in an old bed coverlet.
I came to learn that two of the instruments qualify as "ancient," according to the luthier that looked at them, as they were made before the Civil War. One, I was told, was either owned by (or made by, I can't remember exactly) Jean Richie, two were made in Walton West Virginia, and the newest one is a walnut McSpadden that is maybe 30 or so years old. I've cared for, but not much attempted to play, all these instruments for years, but recently have picked up the walnut one and started practicing again, as even just hearing the sound of the thing transports me back to a far less complicated time in my life.
