Jessie James - Mawhee repro dulcimer - 18 Mar 15

I received one Kevin Messenger's lovely Mawhee replica dulcimers this morning. The tune Jessie James is running in Call the Tune at present and I have a recordingof Bill Graves (John Mawhee's grandson) playing it. So as soon as the instrument got here it was out on the kitchen table to be recorded The Mawhee dulcimers are only 5" wide with a 25"VSL. They are fitted with 3 x No8 pianowire strings tuned Gdd - No 8 piano wire is about 0.019. The instrumentwasplayed within the Mawhee family with anoter and whipped quill or thumb strum. John Mawhee started making these dulcimers just after the civil war and the family have always used them as a string band instrument as well as for solo playing. The instrument has 3 wooden feet and is designed for playing on a table. Despite its small size, this is one of the loudest dulcimers I have played (when played in the style it was built for). Here I've laid down a guitar backing and then played the dulcimer to my own 'string band' with a whipped quill and noter.