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International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I have emailed Fiona regarding the DPN article.

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I can Zoom if we can find a mutually acceptable time. Like Robin, I don't know that I have much to add.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I'm willing to Zoom yet don't know that I have much to add. 

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Just as a thought ... with all this discussion, you guys might want to do a Zoom and talk it all through in real time: More efficient, reaches better conclusions, and you'd get to see each other face-to-face.

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

International also allows us to celebrate the Appalachian Dulcimer’s European roots.

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I, too, like the juxtaposition of international and Appalachian. When one looks at it geologically, the range begins in the southern United States and travels northeastward through maritime Canada, Ireland, Scotland, and Norway. The mountains were originally part of Pangea, actually the central Pangean mountains. A significant feature of these mountains is the presence of coal. The mountains also include costal areas in Greenland, France, Spain, and Northern Africa.

And today is National Banjo Day! (according to the Deering Banjo Company, April 8th)

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

@dusty I, too, like that juxtaposition!  Yes, all embraced the worldwide aspect wonderfully!

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

We did all embrace the word "international."  The reason it was even a discussion was because of my initial question, which stemmed from having learned of National Guitar Day (probably from a Sweetwater ad) and wondering whether we should have a National Dulcimer Day.  I don't recall any resistance to Robin's suggestion of "international."  It is both more inclusive and also appropriately celebratory regarding the dulcimer's spread beyond the hills and hollows of Appalachia.  (And I personally love the juxtaposition of "international" and "Appalachian.")

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

No apology necessary as I didn't think you were implying that anyone was against it. I thought we all embraced it enthusiastically.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

@ken-longfield My apologies-- I never meant to imply anyone was against "International".  I just remember my thinking at the time was it would be helpful for it not to just be "National".  Again, my apology for creating misunderstanding!   

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Robin, I don't recall there being any objection to "international." It seems to me that we all embraced it. Marg had asked a question as to whether it would conflict with celebrations in other countries. I'm not sure if we ever considered "worldwide" rather than "international."

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I haven't yet looked at the threads to refresh my memory.  I recall when we were kicking around thoughts, I wanted all FOTMD members to feel welcomed to participate in the day, so advocated for "International".   

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

The conversation started, I think, in January and we launched in March. I made a flyer I think for that year, you can see it on the Positive thread, I tried too post it here but they say the file is too big, funny it wasn’t four years ago.  I probably had to downsize it then too.  The date is on it for that year. 

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Upon first glance at the positive thread, it seems the conversation started with Dusty suggesting that there ought to be a national dulcimer day, as there is a national guitar day, which was quickly expanded by community feedback into international Appalachian dulcimer day. Is that a fair summation?

updated by @nate: 04/07/25 08:58:22PM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Here on FOTMD, Ireland and the US were represented this year.  If there were other countries, please, someone point me to music I may have missed.  On fb, the US, England, Ireland, and Australia were represented yet there may have been others-- I hope so!   There were folks who shared still photographs of instruments to celebrate, too. 

I shared other photos of Dusty's sticker from a couple different dulcimer cases on fb.  Dusty, your sticker may not be as famous as you are yet it is working to catch you!  

updated by @robin-thompson: 04/08/25 08:04:46AM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I'm not a graphic artist, but maybe we could come up with logo for the day. I was thinking of something like a globe with an Appalachian dulcimer across it or perhaps a mercator map of the world with a dulcimer across it. Anyone want to submit some logos for consideration?

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song.

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Dusty is correct in his explanation. The first event was year one. I have the sticker. I could use a few more to share with dulcimer friends to promote the day, so I'll be sending you a PM Dusty. I didn't get involved as much as I would have liked at the beginning as I was recovering from open heart surgery at the time.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

@nate, the discussion did indeed start on the Positive Thread, but my memory is that once we decided on a date and a name, I started this discussion here.

This year was year 4.  But remember that year 1 was not at the end of the year (like a birthday) but at the beginning. So one year in was year 2, etc.  Next year will be year 5.

Earlier in this thread I shared the image of a sticker I had made.  I just got some more, so if anyone wants a couple, send me a PM.  I also made the banner that Robin used to advertise the day here at FOTMD back when we had those banner ads. I'd be happy to offer those images for a DPN article if we want to go that route.

Here is the sticker:

And here is the banner:

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hey folks I'd love some clarity about the exact nature of the origins. It seems to me that the discussion in the positive thread started when @dusty brought it up 4 years ago, and this thread was started 3 years ago, but others are saying the holiday is 5 years old. Did this all start with Dusty's suggestion of having a National Dulcimer Day in the positive thread?

updated by @nate: 04/07/25 05:50:38PM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I'm typing this here so I'll remember:  Dean Robinson and Dan Geddes both made nice graphics for posting on fb to promote the day.   Dean's may have been made last year or the year before.  Dan made a couple graphics this year, I believe.  Very nice of them to have done so!  

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Hard to believe we are turning five…if we are going to do a DPN article of the IADD history, we need to do it sooner than later. Our DPN editor has recently accepted my recent article for the November issue.  It would be nice if we can be a feature for the first issue of 2026.  If all of you who were involved in the initial conversations that brought about this grassroots celebration of the Dulcimer would write up a paragraph to share your take on how this all began, I will create an article with those paragraphs and send it on to Fiona. I will go ahead and contact her in the mean time to try and secure a place for the first issue of next year.

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

IADD is ready for kindergarten at 5 years old.  

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I guess that makes our 5th anniversary March 28, 2026. 

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song"

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It's good to chronicle this stuff for the historical record.  Thanks, @robin-thompson.  So next year will be the 5th year! Maybe we can plan something special for then.

At the heart of this day are the sentiments Robin shared a few posts back: "it's a grassroots celebration of the spread of the Appalachian dulcimer from the Appalachians to countries around the world.  And no one is in charge.  Any creative endeavor featuring mountain dulcimer is welcome for sharing."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

We first celebrated in 2022.  So, we just had our fourth International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.  Here's the video I put on YT to announce the day to those outside of FOTMD: https://youtu.be/9IeJbS_tb48?si=hSZaLYHOaGasBtGV

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

It has been the third year of International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.  A five year celebration could be a great idea. Might give us all enough time to share our ideas and put together something really nice. 

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

After reading some of the recent posts here, I went back and read the posts in The Positive Thread. Steve, I think you should go ahead and write up something about the beginning of International Appalachian Dulcimer Day. Am I correct in thinking that this was our fourth celebration or was it the third. Perhaps for our fifth anniversary we could put Steve's article about the origin of the day in that year's DPN; probably for the issue that usually comes out in February. Or we could all get a cupcake, put 5 candles on it, play Happy Birthday on our dulcimers, and blow the candles out.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I made a video announcement back in 2022 and it got quite a few views on YT-- I'd shared it to FB.  I started hash-tagging posts that same year, I believe.  The photo you see to the left of this posting is one I began sharing a few years ago, after Dusty sent a few stickers he designed, my way.  On fb, if anyone asks questions, such as "Is there a fb page" or "Who runs it/is in charge, etc." I let folks now it's a grassroots celebration of the spread of the Appalachian dulcimer from the Appalachians to countries around the world.  And no one is in charge.  Any creative endeavor featuring mountain dulcimer is welcome for sharing.     

Mystery or public-- each is a good choice!  

updated by @robin-thompson: 04/05/25 08:39:15PM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

 

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I think we should not rush to take credit, it might slow momentum.  A mystery is far more interesting and people are running with it.  I belong to a large dulcimer group here and the newsletter person asked me if I knew anything about it, I didn’t try to hide the fact of its origin, but I was informed that there has been a great deal of talk and enthusiasm for the Day.  There will be a time when we should share the history of it in a formal way, but I think that for the moment the “obscure origins” is working for the event and the event matters most.  I do think that Dusty you should document its history, especially since your post set us all on this journey.  It will be important later.  But, I always live by the code, that we can do a great deal of good in this world as long as we don’t care who gets the credit.  

updated by @steve-c: 04/05/25 07:22:14PM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Personally Dusty, as someone who has struggled from a lack of definitive information on many dulcimer topics, I'd love for you to put it in black letters

updated by @nate: 04/05/25 06:56:16PM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Well, everybody, it appears our efforts to create International Appalachian Dulcimer Day has been a success, if we define success as the growing awareness of others of this special day to honor a special instrument.  People who know nothing about our efforts here are now referring to this day and it is becoming part of dulcimer lore.

The question before us now is whether we want the origin of IADD to remain "an unofficial holiday of obscure origin," much like the instrument itself, or whether we want to assert the role of FOTMD in creating the day.

One of us (I would volunteer) could easily write up a few sentences on the creation of IADD here at FOTMD and insert those lines into the Wikipedia entry on the mountain dulcimer.  The evidence (first in the Positive Thread and then here) is clear.

Should we assert our role as the originators or is it best to leave things "obscure"?

updated by @dusty: 04/05/25 06:37:00PM

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

Unfortunately, my IADD video has been postponed too long to matter :(. Lesson learned, and next year i will make a point to prepare a video ahead of time so that its already ready on IADD

updated by @nate: 04/05/25 01:57:03PM

Amplification of an acoustic dulcimer

Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

For what its worth, I have used one of those under bridge pickups that i took off an electric acoustic guitar and put it on a dulcimer, and did not trim the excess of the braided wire, but instead just drilled a small hole at the edge of the fretboard under the bridge for the excess wire to be tucked into. It sounds great and in the future i might be glad i kept the bit of extra length

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day (with all its "nicknames") is, indeed, an unofficial holiday of obscure origin.    

Amplification of an acoustic dulcimer

Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

> but also anything that touches your dulcimer like your hands, picks hitting the fret board, and the sound waves hitting it from nearby instruments

Yeah, this is kind of what I was afraid of

> It does take "some skill," but not a whole bunch. My kit came with paper templates for the holes. Other than a drill, I used only hobby/craft hand tools. The wiring is all plug-in, and the holes you cut for the tuner/controller and battery/jack boxes allow you to pass the wires for hook-up.

I even appear to have all the tools needed. It's till terrifying!

updated by @pux0r3: 04/05/25 12:45:34AM

Amplification of an acoustic dulcimer

Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

Ukulele fret boards are essentially the same width as those on dulcimers- about 1 1/2 inches. Guitar pickups are wider, but they say they can be cut. That's why I pointed to the ukulele version. 

The piezo element itself looks sort of like a black match stick with a wire on one end. As I recall, I think I just cut the height of the "bone" (probably plastic) saddle down, slide the pickup into the slot, and put the saddle back on top. Some ukulele people appear to put it along the outer edge of the bone saddle, probably raising the strings be a tiny amount.

The rest of the procedure is covered reasonably well in a number of YouTube videos. I think this one is pretty good.

Installation of ukulele pickup system

If you are doing it for the first time, you might want to do it on a cheap instrument.

It does take "some skill," but not a whole bunch. My kit came with paper templates for the holes. Other than a drill, I used only hobby/craft hand tools. The wiring is all plug-in, and the holes you cut for the tuner/controller and battery/jack boxes allow you to pass the wires for hook-up.

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day

General mountain dulcimer or music discussions

I laughed out loud when I read this post from Buttermilk Junction, some of it is AI I think. At least it is being noticed. Though all of us are “of obscure origin.” The first paragraph is what tickled me, the rest is Wikipedia I think.

☞Buttermilk Junction wishes all of our Facebook fans a Happy National Appalachian Dulcimer Day!

☞Today, Saturday, March 29, 2025 is National Appalachian Dulcimer Day, a.k.a. International Mountain Dulcimer Day, an unofficial holiday of obscure origin that is celebrated annually on the last Saturday of the month of March in honor of the traditional stringed musical instrument that is variously known as the Appalachian Dulcimer, the Mountain Dulcimer, & the Lap Dulcimer. It is noteworthy that, despite the similarity in name, the Appalachian Dulcimer is unrelated to the ancient stringed instrument known as the “Hammered Dulcimer.”

☞According to Wikipedia: The Appalachian dulcimer (many variant names; see below) is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings, originally played in the Appalachian region of the United States. The body extends the length of the fingerboard, & its fretting is generally diatonic.

☞Although the Appalachian dulcimer first appeared in the early 19th Century amongst Scotch-Irish immigrant communities in the Appalachian Mountains, the instrument has no known precedent in Ireland, Scotland or Northern England. Because of this, & a dearth of written records, the history of the Appalachian dulcimer has been, until fairly recently, largely speculative. Since 1980, more extensive research has traced the instrument’s development through several distinct periods, & its likely origins in several similar European instruments: the Swedish Hummel, the Norwegian Langeleik, the German Scheitholt, & the French Épinette des Vosges. Folk historian Lucy M. Long said of the instrument’s history:

Because few historical records of the dulcimer exist, the origins of the instrument were open to speculation until recently when Ralph Lee Smith & L. Alan Smith reconstructed the instrument’s history by analyzing older dulcimers. The organological development of the dulcimer divides into three periods: transitional (1700 to mid-1800s), pre-revival or traditional (mid-1800s to 1940), & revival or contemporary (after 1940).

☞In the mid-20th Century, the dulcimer was brought out from relative obscurity by noted American Folk Music singer, songwriter, & Appalachian dulcimer player Jean Ritchie (1922-2015), “The Mother of Folk Music,” who was born at the village of Viper in Perry County in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Jean Ritchie’s dulcimer playing led directly to the “Dulcimer Revival” of the 1950s & 1960s.

☞According to Wikipedia: The Appalachian dulcimer achieved a renaissance in the 1950s urban folk music revival in the United States through the work of Jean Ritchie, a Kentucky musician who introduced the instrument to New York City audiences.  In the early 1960s, Ritchie & her partner George Pickow began distributing dulcimers made by her Kentucky relative Jethro Amburgey, then the woodworking instructor at the Hindman Settlement School. They eventually began producing their own instruments in New York City. By 1965 the instrument was a familiar presence in Folk-Music circles.

☞The undated photograph depicts Jean Ritchie, “The Mother of Folk Music,” with her Appalachian dulcimer.

updated by @steve-c: 04/04/25 10:07:11PM

Amplification of an acoustic dulcimer

Playing and jamming difficulties...HELP ME!

The problem with a stick-on pickup is that it will not only amplify the strings, but also anything that touches your dulcimer like your hands, picks hitting the fret board, and the sound waves hitting it from nearby instruments. While the example shared by Wally is attractive, it will take some skill to cut holes in the side of your dulcimer. Not knowing the width of your fret board you need to be careful about the length of the pickup. One thing that would discourage me from using it is where the wire comes off of the pickup. It seems to me if it fits the fret board the wire would be exposed. L.R. Baggs makes a nice bridge pickup for mountain dulcimers in two widths, but it is over 12 times the price of Wally's example. Plus you would have the expense of an end pin jack. Of course, with any pickup, you will an amplifier and cable. This is all food for thought.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."