1st IADD CLAREMONT CA

05/06/22 08:21:33AM @strumelia:

Interesting- I see a high percentage of teardrop shaped dulcimers in this pic. nod

05/05/22 11:03:33PM @ocean-daughter:

Oh my! I wish I'd known about this, I'm just up the road a ways from Claremont! (I'm always taking dulcimers to the Folk Music Center for new nuts or saddles or whatnot...)

05/05/22 02:34:34PM @gregg-schneeman:

Here is the picture your looking for Leo, they just show a square of a rectangular photo here on FOTMD and then the whole picture when you click on it.

04/28/22 10:14:56PM @steve-c:

Leo Kretzner:

Thanks to Gregg for posting this! Yes we had a very successful open jam in Claremont to celebrate the 1st Annual Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer Day. I add a couple more pictures.

We had folks from as far away as Santa Ana, Orange County, and Green Valley Lake, past Lake Arrowhead. We also had many other instruments show up, namely fiddles, banjo, mandolins, guitar, and of course Gregg played his bowed psaltery, if only a bit. If this keeps up it will challenge many mountain dulcimists to move beyond playing only in the key of D!!

The statue, in Italian marble, is by sculptor John Fisher, from Claremont but mainly residing in Italy. It was commissioned as a reconciliation/public art project, circa 2001, after a racially charged incident rattled the community. As a public sculptor, Mr. Fisher said he avoids any set idea of ‘subject’ beginning a project, letting it literally take shape while hearing suggestions every day from people passing by. Because of the neighboring Claremont Colleges, the idea of having a central person reading a book came up more than once.

John took this idea somewhere less mundane with a mountain dulcimer player - who, while officially unnamed, greatly resembled Charles Chase, he and wife Dorothy (fretted dulcimer builder) being co-founders of the Claremont Folk Music Center and Museum, as it's officially called. The Chases' world-wide instrument collection remains on display at the store, alongside fine, newer acoustic instruments. Well worth a visit, if ever nearby, especially combined with Rhino Records (cds, vinyl, hella books and swag) and good eating options.

I wrote a short article for DPN around ’02 or ’03 about the statue and sculptor. I also have more detailed pictures that I’ll be glad to post, once I locate them, lol.

In any case, a very good First Annual IADD was had in Claremont, CA!

thanks for the history of the statue! What a fascinating story!

03/28/22 10:04:29AM @strumelia:

Hahah E double flat...F double sharp... Laugh

03/27/22 10:20:41PM @leo-kretzner:

Oh, brave new world, that has such tunings in it!!

Though I was thinking more of F double-sharp.

03/27/22 08:39:55PM @dusty:

Thanks for sharing the extra pics, Leo. But I have a question: are you saying there are other keys besides D? Perhaps you're thinking of E double flat.

03/27/22 01:40:42PM @leo-kretzner:

Here are a couple more pix! (thanks to fiddling friend Alan Davis)

MD day cmont 5.jpeg • 196KB

MD day cmont 6.jpeg • 145KB

03/27/22 01:34:40PM @leo-kretzner:

Thanks to Gregg for posting this! Yes we had a very successful open jam in Claremont to celebrate the 1st Annual Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer Day. I add a couple more pictures.

We had folks from as far away as Santa Ana, Orange County, and Green Valley Lake, past Lake Arrowhead. We also had many other instruments show up, namely fiddles, banjo, mandolins, guitar, and of course Gregg played his bowed psaltery, if only a bit. If this keeps up it will challenge many mountain dulcimists to move beyond playing only in the key of D!!

The statue, in Italian marble, is by sculptor John Fisher, from Claremont but mainly residing in Italy. It was commissioned as a reconciliation/public art project, circa 2001, after a racially charged incident rattled the community. As a public sculptor, Mr. Fisher said he avoids any set idea of ‘subject’ beginning a project, letting it literally take shape while hearing suggestions every day from people passing by. Because of the neighboring Claremont Colleges, the idea of having a central person reading a book came up more than once.

John took this idea somewhere less mundane with a mountain dulcimer player - who, while officially unnamed, greatly resembled Charles Chase, he and wife Dorothy (fretted dulcimer builder) being co-founders of the Claremont Folk Music Center and Museum, as it's officially called. The Chases' world-wide instrument collection remains on display at the store, alongside fine, newer acoustic instruments. Well worth a visit, if ever nearby, especially combined with Rhino Records (cds, vinyl, hella books and swag) and good eating options.

I wrote a short article for DPN around ’02 or ’03 about the statue and sculptor. I also have more detailed pictures that I’ll be glad to post, once I locate them, lol.

In any case, a very good First Annual IADD was had in Claremont, CA!