Wally, thanks for the link on Pennsylvania Dutch - German - American and American English Dialects. I noted the mention of C. Richard Beam's The Comprehensive Pennsylvania German Dictionary. A big problem in studying that language had been the lack of common spelling of words among the various groups of PA Dutch. A friend of mine spent a few years after retirement teaching PA German to the English (the term the Amish use for non-Amish folks) in our community. Beam was an excellent and helpful resource as my friend prepared a textbook for his course. I never mastered the language but can sometimes pick up on some words my Amish neighbors use.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

While the term Pennsylvania Dutch (from Deutsch or German) is primarily used to describe the Amish today, the term has broader traditional meaning.  It covered many Americans who grew up speaking German as their first language. The website below says

"Throughout the 19th century, most Pennsylvania Dutch-speakers lived in rural areas of Pennsylvania and were of Lutheran or German Reformed affiliation. They are known as nonsectarians, “Fancy Dutch,” or “church people,” as opposed to the “Plain people,” the term for traditional Anabaptist sectarians. With the dramatic demographic changes of the 20th century, which led to greater mobility and the loss of rural isolation, maintenance of Pennsylvania Dutch by nonsectarians declined sharply."

The Amish do not play any musical instruments and are outside the dulcimer traditions.

Most of America's first professional  "truckers" were Pennsylvania Dutch who worked the National Road (now US 40 or I-70) starting about 1820 with 6-horse wagons carrying up to about 6 tons over distances of several hundred miles.

https://language.mki.wisc.edu/essays/pennsylvania-dutch/

I have family scattered around the mountains in North Carolina. We often visited the area known as Little Switzerland. this is a small town on the Blue Ridge, near Spruce Pine. There are several areas around the mountains that give a hint to Swedish and German settlements. That explains the well frequented event, Scottish Highlands Games held each year near Grandfather Mountain. Even as far as Gatlinburg, Tenn. there is a hint of German and Scottish influence especially in the architecture (Most prominently by Moravian settlements}. This information puts it all into perspective, Now add the popularity of the mountain dulcimer in all those areas and it all make sense.

I guess that depends on how you define "Pennsylvania Dutch." As I understand it from a sociological point of view, Pennsylvania Dutch applied to people of Germanic origin while the Amish were primarily Swiss who had moved to Holland before emigrating to the United States. Dutch, as applied to Pennsylvania Germans is a mispronunciation and spelling of Deutsch. An excellent book on this is Amish Society by John Hostetler (now in a fourth edition). Another good source of information on the Amish is Donald B. Kraybill. We have some Mennonites in our area who are now playing the mountain dulcimer. The Amish here in Mifflin County, Pennsylvania, still do not permit the playing of musical instruments

The Germans who moved into the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia were mostly Lutheran, Moravian, and Reformed. There were Germans in North Carolina as well in two primary areas; along the east coast and in western NC. It appears that former came directly from Germany and the latter were part of the migration down the Great Wagon Road. A theory as to the origin of the mountain dulcimer is that the zitter played by Germans wasn't quite suitable to the musical repertoire of the Scots. A raised fret board seemed to solve that problem. Also mounting the zitter on top of a larger box amplified the sound of the instrument. Eventually the shape of box evolved into a more pleasing shape, either single bout or double bout. All of this is just speculation.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Yep,most of the Pennsylvania Dutch are Amish.Some are from other religious groupings,most notably "Dunkerds" of various persuasions.I recall passing through Winnipeg airport and seeing a Hardanger fiddle under glass.Very cool.No such documention in Canada for the Germans.Perhaps the Palatines and the Pennsylvania Dutch were Americanized whereas the Germans who moved into the Appalachians retained some aspects of their culture and the odds of being absorbed were less,they blended with the Scots-Irish....and came up with something new.

You raise an interesting question for which I have no answer. Perhaps the Pennsylvania Dutch who emigrated to Ontario were members of the plain folk (Amish and conservative Mennonites) who prohibited the playing of musical instruments. Although there is documentation of a least one Mennonite who made zitters, playing the instrument seems to be left the church people (Lutherans, Moravian, and Reformed). Some of my ancestors are of Palatine German descent and they came to the United States through Canada. None of them played the zitter as far as I know. At least there weren't any handed down through the family.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Very interesting dialogue,I enjoyed everyone's comments.That said,I've been a guitar/ fiddle player for years and never delved into the instruments' origins, only the history of the musical traditions I play.Dulcimer is different,I AM curious.Being of Palatine German descent(1709) and also aware of the many Pennsylvania Dutch that emigrated to Ontario in the 1800's I wonder why zither like instruments are unknown in Canada...Perhaps the Appalachians provided the perfect environment for the development of this uniquely American instrument.

Razyn's article is well worth reading. He has excellent photographs of the instrument, but the most interesting part is the narrative. It is an excellent article on the some of the history of the mountain dulcimer. If you have a copy of the February, 2026 issue of DPN I encourage you to read it.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Thank you for popping in and bringing us all up to date, Razyn!  Such a fascinating tale concerning the inspirations from your old dulcimers and your own journey intertwined as well.

Since you mentioned them -- my antique dulcimer collection (that I laid out on a table in the Pry Barn at an Antietam Early Banjo Gathering) has spent most of the time since I acquired them, one at a time over about sixty years, packed away in closets, attics, basements and occasionally garages, wherever I happened to be living.  The next time I had most of them in one place, it was to compare mine with similar examples in the very much larger collection John Hallberg has been assembling for display.  And Ken Longfield came down to Sperryville VA the same day, by prior arrangement so we could put our heads together.  Anyway, I got a bee in my bonnet about trying to display five of them; and I started a chat here on FOTMD to get some ideas about how to do that.  I had them on the wall in our new home in Black Mountain, NC just barely in time to be seen by the guests at our wedding in August, 2024.

After they were hanging on the wall here for some months, I decided they could tell a story, like Ralph Lee Smith's display of three versions that was his cover illustration on The Story of the Dulcimer (first edition, that was published by Jean and Lee Schilling).  But as I got my act together enough to write the actual article for DPN, I decided I was really telling "The Story of the Zitter."  Or, responding to the same set of facts (and artifacts) from a different perspective.  Not so much, "Where did our lovely American folk instrument come from?" but "Where did the Zitter go, after Germanic emigrants crossed the Atlantic with Zitters in their hands, or at least their heads?"

So anyway, I did write it, and it's been out since February.  

I triple agree! I have gone to several 'early banjo' gatherings far from me, and even I often would skip out on a few historical presentations in favor of getting in just one more jam with friends. And that's despite my having great interest in the history of it all.
Ken, your idea for a display in the vendor area to sneak in some history is pure genius .

One time years ago Dick ( @Razyn ) brought some old dulcimers to one of the early banjo gatherings I attended down south (Antietam?), and he displayed them on a table in the barn where the banjo vendors were. It definitely caught my attention!  

Dusty, I think you make a very good point about festivals and clubs. My experience is that people go to and get together to play music. They aren't interested in attending a lecture. One way I have used to sneak in dulcimer history is to set up a display in the vendors' area at festivals.

Best wishes on your move to new venue. Have fun introducing non-members to our wonderful instrument.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Best wishes Dusty on your new club meeting venue.

You are welcome to move it to central Florida. As far as I know there are no dulcimer groups close by. I'm on my own here as far as dulcimer is concerned.

In an unrelated but relevant development, my in-person dulcimer group will be moving from a music store (which closed ) to Sutter's Fort State Historic Park .  We will be gathering in the old distillery, and we had to agree to allow anyone visiting the Fort to come and listen.  Naturally, I'll have to hone my dulcimer history lessons.  The Fort was first built in the 1840s, which seems perfect for telling the story of the dulcimer. 

Here's my take on that. A history lesson on the dulcimer may not interest everyone. I believe it "should" be available and encouraged. The more a person knows about an instrument the more the dulcimer may become more popular. Two common questions I often get, Where did this come from as in what country? and surprisingly, What's it made of, as in,  what kind of wood makes if sound different? That right there delves into some history and it doesn't take a history class to do that. Just a few statements to answer the simple questions we are asked. Of course many ask how much does it cost? Since I have built or restored every one of my dulcimers I get some different questions unrelated to history. 

Its great that you include a little history as you teach, Dusty.

Well stated Dusty. We are all wired differently. Some just want to make music. Others find great interest in delving deeper into the music we make, whether it be theory or history or tradition or instrument makers.

My concern is that over time we totally forget the roots of the mountain dulcimer.

I have trouble answering Ken's initial question, though my guess is that nearly everyone contributing to this discussion is interested in the history of the dulcimer and can't imagine people not sharing that interest.  The trouble I have is with the word "should," as in "should clubs and festivals be encouraged to include dulcimer history and traditions in their gatherings?"  Dulcimer clubs should do whatever they want.  There are so few dulcimer players and even fewer dulcimer clubs that we need to encourage them all.

My experience with the dulcimer club that I founded and the gatherings to which I've been invited is that people really want to play music.  There is some interest in short history lessons, but playing music is what people want to do.  I lead an in-person and an online dulcimer club each month, and we only have 90-120 minutes together.  That's not a lot of time to work on songs and also offer lessons on the history of the instrument.  I include a few drone tunes (mostly in DAd, DAA, or DAC) but some folks are not interested in those traditional sounds and just tolerate it in the interests of inclusion.  A lot of people pick up the dulcimer because they want to play the songs they heard as a kid or adolescent and think the guitar is too hard. A lot of people just want to strum chords and sing "Hard Times" and "Country Roads."  My fear is that if we impose too much history and tradition, we will lose those folks.  The dulcimer community is small enough.

As someone who teaches dulcimer playing, I do indeed explain the origins of the instrument and the logic of the diatonic fretboard, but too much of that and people's eyes gloss over.  The same is true of music theory.  I don't understand how someone can play an instrument and not understand basic terms such as note, interval, chord, key, and so forth.  Yet a lot of people don't know those terms and don't want to.  I don't think it's up to me to say what they should or shouldn't learn on their dulcimer journey.

But I am also hopeful in this regard.  When I was a teenager, I became really interested in traditional blues music.  I became obsessed with Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson and Son House and Mississippi John Hurt and the like.  But I discovered those blues pioneers because I was listening to the Rolling Stones and Eric Clapton. I wanted to understand where that electric rock music came from, and it led me to the traditional, rural blues.  I think the same is true of the dulcimer.  I'm sure there are people who have discovered our beloved instrument because of Sam Edelston's dulcimer cover of Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love" (over 350,000 views!).  If they make any effort to understand the instrument, they will inevitably discover Jean Ritchie and her cousin, Uncle Ed Thomas.

On the membership application:

"I first saw/heard a mountain dulcimer: ______ "

Would you expect an adult to remember when they first saw a keyboard, violin, trumpet or guitar?

( Maybe today a pipe organ or piano... )

For most people, at their first encounter, an Appalachian Dulcimer is as much a curiosity as a musical instrument.

What a history lesson in itself Richard. I was also introduced to the dulcimer at Disney Village a few years prior. I was tempted with the kit he had for sale. Your story has much more spark as I let it go longer before my first dulcimer. You painted a mental picture that should inspire anyone to dig deep into the history of the dulcimer.

Ken, I am in the process of buying another car. I won't purchase one until I am familiar with the past history of the manufacturer and the vehicle itself. I think we can all agree that the more people know about the past the more interest will be generated for the future of the dulcimer.

Kenl, in answer to your first question, yes, there is significant interest in the history, and even more in the culture of the mountain dulcimer for this dulcimer player. Learning the history, culture and traditions of the mountain dulcimer greatly enhanced my appreciation for the mountain dulcimer and the sweet song of this wonderful instrument.

    Perhaps sharing my personal journey with the mountain dulcimer will explain what I mean, and lead to the answer to the second question.  

        My first exposure to the mountain dulcimer was at Walt Disney World Epcot Center in 1991. Walnut Valley Dulcimers out of Burns, Kansas, had a wheeled kiosk exhibit outside of the Americana section. I had never heard, nor heard of, a mountain dulcimer. The salesperson demonstrated some simple tunes noter drone style. I thanked him, picked up a brochure and continued on my visit. In 1993, I contacted Walnut Valley Dulcimers wanting to purchase a dulcimer. I had picked out the Wild Mountain model in their brochure and asked about it. They did not have one in stock but would build one for me.     
    When I received that first dulcimer, I attempted to play it with the instructions provided, but being new, I did not do too well. I would “play at” it from time to time but I never fell in love with the music. I really did not know what it was supposed to sound like, but it just did not resonate with me. Because of this, I did not play consistently.  Over the ensuing years I took some lessons from a couple of different instructors but that did not make my dulcimer sound like I thought they should.
    It was a really odd phenomenon in those years of my dulcimer journey. I had an idea in my head about what I thought the mountain dulcimer should sound like. At that time, the only times I had ever heard a mountain dulcimer was at the display table at Epcot and a few sound clips on internet sites selling dulcimers. The Walnut Valley Wild Mountain model sounded good to my ears, but somehow not just right. 
    As time went on, my thinking became, “surely there has to be a dulcimer that sounds like I think it should.” I acquired 14 different dulcimers from makers such as Blue Lion, David Lynch, Warren May, Ron Ewing, June Apple, Cabin Creek, and McSpadden, eight being commission builds. 
    During these years, I attended many dulcimer festivals. I came away with lots of tab, dozens of chord charts, and all sorts of instructions about how to finger pick, do slides, bends, and pull offs. During the “talent show” part of the festivals on Saturday nights I heard a lot of great music. Invariably, as I drove home on Sunday, I would think over the festival weekend and wonder where was the dulcimer sound that I thought was supposed to be there. Granted it was good stringed instrument music I heard, but had I listened to a recording, my ears may not have identified the music as mountain dulcimer.
    It was about 2015, if my memory is correct, when I purchased some books by Jean Ritchie and by other writers which mentioned not just the history of the dulcimer but the culture that defined the early mountain dulcimer. I was fascinated about the development of the mountain dulcimer in the hills of Appalachia and the integration of the dulcimer in the culture of those mountain folks. These people lived hard, lean lives, many times barely scraping by. They found comfort, peace, connection, hope, and resilience in the music of the mountain dulcimer. This dabbling in the history and especially the culture, of the dulcimer renewed my interest, as quite honestly, I had all but given up on the mountain dulcimer as the instrument for me.
    In this setting in 2016, having tried 14 different mountain dulcimers all of the more modern design, a new-found friend suggested I try one of his “traditional mountain dulcimers.” He told me it had staple frets, 3 strings made of music wire, no 6.5 fret, had some of he design features of dulcimers built by James Edward Thomas of Kentucky, and had a hand rubbed oil finish. So more out of desperation than desire, I accepted his offer to build one for me.
    When I received that dulcimer in the mail at a cost a good bit less than I had paid for any of my prior dulcimers, I was honestly not expecting much. Opening the box, right away I noticed it was feather light. And, it just felt like it was destined to make music. Wow! Was I ever surprised. I laid it on my lap and strummed it a bit; the sound immediately resonated with my heart. It sang with the sound I had long sought. At once I felt a connection to the culture of the dulcimer which I had been reading about.
    I was a member of a club which has a wonderful blend of Mixolydian and Ionian mode dulcimers with tab written to accommodate both modes. When I showed up at the dulcimer club with this new “primitive” dulcimer, the expressions on the faces of the club members said it all; “What has happened to Richard?”  They were accustomed to me playing the beautiful Blue Lion Jean Ritchie model or the graceful Ron Ewing aorell dulcimer at our weekly club meetings. After their initial shock, they could not believe the quality of sound that came from the all poplar Betty model.
    Over time, all of my modern design dulcimers have found new homes. I have acquired a number of additional traditionally designed mountain dulcimers, all but one with staple frets. Now when I pick up one of my dulcimers to play, I am back in the hills and hollers of the Appalachian Mountains in the midst of the culture where it all began, enjoying the music they played and enjoyed.
    For me, the turning point was understanding the culture which in turn opened wide the music of the instrument to me. I think this would have happened if my heart had been happy with the more modern style of the mountain dulcimer music. The culture made the difference for me in my dulcimer journey.

    So for question 2, I would say yes. Clubs and festivals just may find, as I did, that the history, culture and traditions of the dulcimer may enhance the  dulcimer experience and journey of the members or attendees.

Both #4 and $9. The similarity of the Jews harp is amazing in pic 9. Interestingly, it refers to a Swedish Jews harp.

I'm curious about the position of the stringed instruments. When did someone decide it was better to play it with the head and tuners up instead of the box. The bone recorder is very intriguing. The talent lies in the design and craftmanship then again in learning to play it. As an amateur paleontologist, the inside of any bone is far from symmetrical. Getting the correct pitch would be difficult.

Scripture mentions several of these instruments pictured. The harp is very common as well as the psaltery and various horn instruments.

This has been a very educational thread. thanks for getting it rolling and Thanks for all the additional comments from others. 

I just read this paper the yesterday. Shopdad, you might be interested in photo #4 in the paper.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Identifying_popular_musical_instruments.pdf  •  1.7MB

Wow! Ken, loads of info in your past. I hope it's all on record to pass on. 

Nate, I believe that is one of the first questions I get too. "From where did it originate"? Even questions like, "is this something new"? So many people never heard of a dulcimer. 

I play the Jaws Harp. Now there is an instrument with some background. Some consider it a reed instrument while others just see it as a kids toy. But what a great background instrument even with a dulcimer. Strum patterns, pitch, even some tuned for lower key. It looks simple until a person begins to build one (experience speaking) My homemade harp looks great, too bad it doesn't work. Like all other failed projects, an old engineering tip, keep asking "why" until there is nothing else to ask.

I find that a lot of people, especially younger people, are not aware of the dulcimer existing. For many, the idea of an "old time" instrument is automatically romanticized, and people are very interested in the history of the instrument. I only know a decent little bit about dulcimer history, most of which I've learned on this forum, so I'm not in a position to explain all the nuances of everything, but I have definitely encountered a lot of people with a lot of curiosity about the dulcimer, where it came from, and why it looks and sounds the way it does. As far as players, I have noticed that nearly everyone who gets interested in the dulcimer ends up finding the history really interesting. 
I'm not sure if that's because people in general would like to have more connection to the history and culture of the musical instruments they play, or because people who find history interesting are more likely to get interested in dulcimer.

As far as instrument history goes I have read books on guitar, banjo, autoharp, hammered dulcimer, and ukulele history. I've read books about C.F. Martin & Company, the Gibson company (guitar, banjo, mandolin), Fender, and a few others. I have a book on the history of the autoharp and read articles about the history of this instrument. I have read Paul Giffords book on the hammered dulcimer. I've read several books on banjo history including That Half Barbaric Twang. And now that I think about it I've also delved into the histories of violin making and pipe organ building. Just chalk it up to my curiosity about the instruments I play and encounter. BTW, I don't play the violin (although I took lessons in grade school) and I don't play the pipe organ or any keyboard instruments.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Very interesting viewpoint Wally, I agree, I play guitar, well, still in the working mode instead of play. I have never considered digging into the history of the guitar or even some of the famous players/builders. Actually, I was in the midst of a history search before I purchased my first dulcimer. Now I feel the urge to look into some guitar history as well. Never too old to learn.

I suspect that we spend more time on “history” than the players of most other instruments. How much time do modern guitars players spend on Les Paul or C.F. Martin? In the violin/fiddle world virtually everything is a “Strad” copy, whether from Germany, China, or a backwoods shop in West Virginia.

Probably the reason is that we have too many identifiable builders of widely differing instruments. We don’t have a standard shape or tuning.

Every instrument has a wide repertoire, and a variety of playing styles to talk about. We aren’t different on that.

Thankyou Robin. I will mark that date on my calendar. This may be one of those connection sites that Ken was speaking of. Any effort to keep the Dulcimer alive is worth while

@shopdad, the last Saturday in March is International Appalachian Dulcimer Day.  Folks are encouraged to post recordings, videos, or just share in a message how they marked the day.  I'm not sure how many years we've been celebrating-- I'd have to go look for the video I made encouraging celebration of the first IADD. 

@ken-longfield I'm not in any clubs so can't provide any insights regarding whether there is broad interest in the history of the mountain dulcimer.  In my case, I sought out to learn some mountain dulcimer history.  In undergraduate school, I majored in history so it seemed the thing to do was to learn something of the history of the instrument as my interest in the dulcimer grew.  Jean Ritchie's story is the one with which I've spent the most time.    

I would like to hear (see) some other stories or examples of FOTMD group to post what else is being done to promote and encourage the dulcimer 

I believe the tradition will continue as long as there are folks like you guys keeping us "newbees" educated. 

I belong to an airboat club here is central Florida. I have been airboating since the early 70's. I have been the club Historian for many years. I am presently putting together a Historian report for the club on the mountain dulcimer. My problem is I usually get more information than what I have time to present. Much of the formation I have is what I've learned on this site and always searching for more. Ken has been a big help with the article on the Scheitholt. I feel blessed to be a part of a group of players that I can relate to and learn from when it all goes over my head. Looking back over the past years, even before my time, the dulcimer has kept its flavor and it still provides a sound all of it's own. 

I have mentioned this statement in other groups. "I have never met anyone that doesn't like music". Everyone has their specific, favorite style, but never one who says they don't like music in general. I believe that is the key to the future of the dulcimer.  It's unique, and sooths the soul. That's part of the momentum that makes the dulcimer a keeper. 

13413034_10206694947275577_7103448658817529659_n - Copy.jpg  •  110KB

Great questions to consider. I think it is safe to say that all of us on this forum really like the mountain dulcimer.

But do we like it enough to do what we can to keep the history and the tradition alive?

Or will the history and tradition go by the wayside like the Mail Pouch tobacco painted barns and the sequential Burma Shave signs along the roadways?

I think all of us can do our part to keep the history and the traditions alive by keeping a couple of traditional selections in our play list and playing them from time to time, whether or not traditional style is our primary playing style. Who will keep the history and tradition alive when we are dead and gone?

Thanks for starting this discussion Kenl.

On another website, The Traditional Appalachian Dulcimore link , a few folks were wondering if any dulcimer clubs or groups spend any time looking at the history of the Appalachian dulcimer or traditional styles of playing and the early repertoire of players. A question that was asked is should clubs and festivals be encouraged to include dulcimer history and traditions in their gatherings? As someone who became interested in the mountain dulcimer when I was 10 or 11 years old, having heard Jean Ritchie play on a radio program, I've known about them for almost 70 years of my life. I really didn't get involved until after I finished graduate school and made my first dulcimer in 1974. It wasn't until the early 1990s that I began going to some dulcimer festivals and finding others with whom to play, although I did have single playing partners during the late 70s and early 80s. During that time I learned to play in the current popular tunings and popular repertoire of the festivals and clubs. But the sound of the older players kept drawing me back to the early styles of playing and their tunes. This made me want to learn more about the history of the instrument and its antecedents. Over the years I've examined predecessor instruments, built reproductions, and given talks/demonstrations/workshops at some clubs, festivals, and historical societies. These have always drawn more interest at historical societies than at dulcimer festivals and clubs.

So, I'll ask two questions. Is there any interest within the mountain dulcimer community in learning the history and traditions of the instrument? Should clubs and festivals be encouraged to provide this information to their participants?

I look forward to seeing what everyone here thinks.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."