Friends,

International Appalachian Dulcimer Day is coming-- always the last Saturday in March.  This year's date is 29 March 2025.  Let's all celebrate the spread of the Appalachian dulcimer around the world!  

Thanks, @phil-myers, but I can't take credit for the tune.  I found a short fiddle demo of the tune online, with an indication that it was written by Susan Reid.  I found a few videos online of the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra playing songs by her, so I wrote a letter to her c/o the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra, and included the dulcimer tab I had created.  I heard back about a month later.  She gave me permission to teach the song to my dulcimer group and also to post it online.  It's a cute tune indeed, and fits perfectly on the dulcimer from the open middle string to the seventh fret of the melody string in a 1-5-8 tuning.

Dusty, I'm a little late for IADD but that tune of yours works for any day! Love it!

KenL, if you didn't have time to make a recording, you should've taken a picture of your workbench to post for IADD!  I believe you worked on the dulcimers yet photographic proof may be needed.    

From observing and listening to the IADD posts on Facebook, I say that the movement to celebrate our beloved instrument is gaining ground.  Thank you to all who posted offerings for this day. I celebrated by working on a few dulcimers I have in my shop for repairs. I did play a few tunes.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I think I've listened to music from 4 countries on this International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.   In addition to friends who shared audio or video here, there was more participation on Facebook than I might've imagined.  The spread of the love of the Appalachian dulcimer around the world is, truly, a beautiful thing.    

I hope y'all have nice weather for your 20 April music circle, Leo!  

Yay Dusty for so nicely imagining a sunny day today in California!! If only. 

So many involved in a potential jam today were going to be busy - and maybe they were prescient as things have turned out. The delayed music event will be on Sat April 20, noon-3, in Shelton Park, Claremont, with Doug Thomson leading the songs-and-tunes circle. Bring chair and instruments! All instruments welcomed of course, even hammered dulcimers, lol.

Happy Mountain Dulcimer Days!!

Happy International Appalachian Dulcimer Day If We Never Meet Again This Side Of Heaven played on a 3 string baritone mountain dulcimer (youtube.com)

Happy IADD, everyone!  Here is a short rendition of "Tune for a Sunny Day" written by Susan Reid of the Vermont Fiddle Orchestra.  I found a simple demo of the tune on the fiddle and wrote a letter to Susan at the asking permission to share it on the dulcimer.  I was delighted about a month later to hear from her.

Happy International Appalachian Dulcimer Day, friends!  

I just listened to the first offering to celebrate from @macaodha and it's a jewel.  I haven't uploaded a tune yet, yet will soon.    

Yay, @dusty!  I hope lots of folks do the same, too!   

We have an audio recorded and uploaded and will make it "Public" on IADD.  

I just recorded a video. I'll be sharing it with y'all this Saturday. I hope lots of you do the same.  Happy IADD!

1 week from today is International Appalachian Dulcimer Day!    

Feel free to share any work you create (music, photography, embroidery, jewelry, poetry, etc.) which celebrates the Appalachian dulcimer and its spread around the world!  

Today, it's the first Saturday in March.  The last Saturday in March will be International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.  

Indeed! Including Christ the Lord Is Risen Tomorrow...!  (tada-bump)

Actually that would make a beautiful chord melody piece.  : - ) 

Indeed, the last Saturday is 30 March and Easter is the following day.  Perhaps some may wish to celebrate the Appalachian dulcimer on IADD with a hymn or two.  

It also happens to be Easter weekend this year, but since it's Saturday vs Sunday one hopes that doesn't affect too many people. Anyone hosting may be a bit too busy to make it to the park, but jellybeans for those who do! 

You're welcome, @wildcat !  Hope you'll enjoy the day strumming your Warren May mountain dulcimer!  

@ken-longfield , Yes, it falls late in the month this year.  Happy strumming! 

Which this year is March 30th, the fifth Saturday.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

@robin-thompson 😀 thanks for the info!

Hey, friends-- our special holiday is approaching!  Always the last Saturday in March.  

There were several folks who participated in International Appalachian Dulcimer Day on Facebook.

Thanks for your supportive comments, @robin-thompson and @ariane.  I just love the fact that we are making IADD a way to celebrate our love for this humble instrument.

@nate, there is no doubt that dulcimer has a very bright, clear tone. Perhaps extra volume, too, although that's hard to gauge through the internet.  I look forward to hearing a full test run.

@dusty What a great online gathering y'all had on IADD!  And your play of "La Promeneuse" is wonderful! 

@nate The strums you gave on that conceptual instrument sure sounded good-- lots of punch.  I'm guessing with your dowels, footed bridge, and false bottom the instrument will project nicely on whatever tune you choose to put up to demonstrate its sound.  

Happy IADD, y'all!   

@Dusty - this is a lovely song and you played it so laid-back and formidable - I would love to learn "La Promeneuse"

@Nate - the dulcimer you have built looks great and very interesting and the sound is wonderful - I am looking forward to hearing you playing it when it is finished (and to hearing your wonderful deep voice again )

It was so cool to wake up on the west coast and catch up on the photos and videos already posted celebrating IADD.  My monthly online dulcimer club met today and I want to thank @Lisa-C for catching a screen shot before everyone left.

We played the American fiddle tune "Hollow Poplar," the Irish air "Bright Quiet Eily O'Carroll," and the Jimmy Rodgers tune "Waiting for a Train."

Then I also posted a tune on my own: "La Promeneuse," by the Québécois accordionist Réjean Lizotte.

@lisa-c I love your photo!  As you wrote, we celebrate the sweet music and the community of caring players-- truly, a wonderful community. 

Celebrating the sweet music and its growing community of caring players. Thank you, fotmd, for this special #internationalappalachiandulcimerday.

@ariane Your music & your friendship bring joy to us!  I'll keep my eyes open for postings from around the world for IADD!  

@Alegre1 - Thank you so much for this lovely video - I have just watched it and enjoyed it very much.

@Robin & Mark - I am very much looking forward to hearing your video - your music is always balm for my soul and ears

Many greetings from Germany over the pond

This Saturday-- the last one in March-- is International Appalachian Dulcimer Day for 2023!

Mark & I have a video uploaded to YouTube (it took hours!!!) and it will publish at 12:00AM, 25 March in celebration of #internationalappalachiandulcimerday .

I look forward to seeing how you all mark the day to celebrate the mountain dulcimer and its spread around the world!   

@hugssandi , so good to see you post again here on fotmd! 

@hugssandi I'll be looking for a video from you on International Appalachian Dulcimer Day!

I would so love for folks to friend me on fb and flood my page with vids of you playing on that day!  --Sandi Lowery

Thank you Dusty for the kind words! Linda

That is mighty kind, Nate, but I'd call myself like the person you describe rather than an ambassador. I had given up hope of ever being able to play an instrument until I found the dulcimer in my late fifties and then it was love at first sound.  I like that it will challenge me for the rest of my life but, as it does so, I still get to play songs!  Best regards, Linda

Aw shucks, thank you! I had fun making it with these friends and for the new Tn. club

Wonderful video, alegre1. Thank you for creating and sharing it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

really terrific @alegre1 . One of my absolute favorite things about the dulcimer, that a couple people brought up in this video, is the low barrier of entry. So many people who don't consider themselves to be musically inclined find joy in making music with a dulcimer. Many times folks have expressed to me that they don't consider themselves musical and as soon as they learn to put enough pressure on the fret to get a clean note, they're enjoying playing music. It's cool to have an ambassador such as yourself for our lovely instrument. 
-Nate

That's a sweet video, @alegre1.  Thank you.

@alegre1 I enjoyed your "Why Play the Dulcimer" very much!  I imagine it will help attract new people to mountain dulcimer because of the joys of doing so expressed by the folks in the video.  

Hi Robin and everyone who might be interested for International Dulcimer Day,

Hi Everyone, In case anyone might be interested in a "Why Play the Dulcimer" promo for your club, I've attached a link to a five minute video I made for a friend who is launching a new club in Middle Tennessee to help her attract new members.  The file is too big to attach here, but here's a link from her library's Facebook page, and so I think you can save the video that way if you'd like to use it. 

Happy Playing!

(Looks like you might have to cut and paste it into the URL space)

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iiSRd9TtCUnwz5y2AwnEGp5j7MiTWpv6/view?fbclid=IwAR2qO49okapHt1G_C8pq6foVvjKYUUByAgSpQ_Xaknm5SBwleXxbrJr3qQU

It will be a delight to see how you all celebrate the day!  @dusty-turtle will be with a group and, perhaps, other friends will be, too.  I'll be at my usual playing location (home) with my usual playing partner (Mark).

My online dulcimer group meets the fourth Saturday of the month, so we'll be celebrating IADD together.  Cant' wait!

[quote="Ariane"]

@Alegre1 - Hi Alegre, I have just seen that I did not sent you an answer to your kind post...I am very happy that you like my last year's Appalachian waltz and look forward to this year`s International Appalachian Dulcimer Day - it is just such a lovely initiative from Robin

[/quote] [quote="Ariane"]

No worries, Ariane ... your music says everything!

I cannot take credit for International Appalachian Dulcimer day-- it sprang out of a discussion of which I was just one of the voices here at FOTMD.  

@Alegre1 - Hi Alegre, I have just seen that I did not sent you an answer to your kind post...I am very happy that you like my last year's Appalachian waltz and look forward to this year`s International Appalachian Dulcimer Day - it is just such a lovely initiative from Robin

Thank you so much for this reminder!

The last Saturday of this month!

My bad. It is the last Saturday in March which is the 25th. Note; the 25th not the 28th. I will go back and edit my post.

Ken

The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Yes, the 'official' International Appalachian Dulcimer Day in 2023 is Saturday 25 March.  In a thread here at FOTMD, we landed on choosing the last Saturday in March as the day.   

Yep. So you're also saying the 'official' day is the last Saturday of March, right?

@ken-longfield & @leo-kretzner I just checked my calendar and the last Saturday in March in 2023 is the 25th.  

Yes, better to plan ahead than plan behind, always.

I was trying to remember if it's the last day of March or the last weekend - but the 28th is a Tues, so I remain confused on that. 

In any event, there will definitely be an open jam in Claremont, probly on Sun the 26th, to be finalized.

Dulcimer Day rocks!  

@ken-longfield I'm happy you gave this thread a bump!  I need to plan a tune to celebrate.

Just giving everyone a heads up on IADD which will be on March 25th this year. It's not too early to begin planning both your music and fun for International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

I just found your piece and absolutely love it.  Thank you for such beautiful work!  

How wonderful to see the way this all took off!  I'm just sorry I missed it somehow.  I'll put this on my calendar for next year!  Clearly I need to stay on top of things with fotmd. 

As far as I know, there were folks from 5 or 6 different countries who participated in IADD-- yay!  It has been a joy to see so many deriving joy from playing Appalachian dulcimers.  

Well done everybody! Greatly enjoyed the videos. 

@macaodha Val, I hope you had opportunity to make music to celebrate International Appalachian Dulcimer Day!  

Best wishes to all on this International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.

Wow, @dusty-turtle you had a great group for IADD!  And your cover of Lucinda Williams's Lake Charles is so good!

@slate-creek-dulcimers Your Hand to the Plow is just right on that pretty instrument you made!  And your singing sounds old (you know I mean that in a good way).

@steve-c So good you could share the good word of the joy of Appalachian dulcimer music-making!   

It was so fun to wake up here on the west coast and find so many people had already been posting such good music on the first ever IADD. Thanks @robin-thompson, @ariane, @gordon-hardy, and @slate-creek-dulcimers, for sharing good tunes on our favorite instrument.

My online dulcimer club met today. We were over 20, and several mentioned that they had already posted something for IADD. We played 5 songs together: Green Grow the Lilacs, Harlequein Air, Marche Nuptiale, Rickett's Hornpipe, and Southwind. 

And separately I also posted a cover of a Lucinda Williams tune: Lake Charles .

Here's a screen shot one of the participants sent me:

My little contribution to dulcimer day:

https://www.reverbnation.com/virginiahogfiddler/song/33226972-hold-on-keep-your-hand-to-plow

Just finished playing dulcimer at our local antique store.  Introduced the dulcimer to people wha have never met her…😊

This is good music folks! Thanks for sharing you talent on IADD.

Ken

"The dulcimer (and its players) sing a sweet song."

How I enjoy seeing music from lovers of the Appalachian dulcimer from places near and far!  Wonderful music, friends!  

To mark International Appalachian Dulcimer Day here is my version of The Leaving Shanty

In celebration of the today's #internationalappalachiandulcimerday please find my original composition called "Waltzing in the Appalachians" - I would be happy if you enjoyed it (best listened to it with headphones).

The journey with this special musical instrument started for me in 2018 - and the magic is not only its sweet sound and beautiful look but also all the very kind dulcimer players one can meet all over the world

Happy dulcimering!

Ariane

Nice.

Dear Robin and Mark - I enjoy your wonderful music so very much! (...and what a nice t-shirt you are wearing, Robin