by Steve Eulberg I am so excited to introduce you to this brand-new instrument. I have been waiting for it for over a year and it is finally here! Robert Stephens of South Carolina (StephensLutherie.com) has been working with Aaron O’Rourke (of Chattanooga, TN) to develop a new fingerstyle dulcimer that can also work when […]
building
Tam Kearney Dulcimers
by Steve Eulberg I was picking through my photo archives and was so delighted to uncover these photos! Tam Kearney was a mainstay in the Toronto folk music scene after growing up in Glasgow and then moving to Canada in the 1960s. Unfortunately for us, he passed in 2013. (Read Ian Robb‘s eulogy in SingOut! […]
Historic Dulcimers in England
by Steve Eulberg I was honored to be the American mountain dulcimer tutor for the Nonsuch Dulcimer Club’s Fall Festival in Malvern, England last month. Thanks to Geoff Reeve-Black, I was also able to see some historic mountain dulcimers from his collection that I am pleased to show to you here: This one was built […]
Learn More from Mistakes
by Linda Ratcliff The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. – John Powell I Learn More from My Mistakes Than Successes. Do You? I love to play through a tune perfectly, time after time, but lets get real – in my world, that simply doesn’t happen. I fail to […]
Shop Visit: Blue Lion Dulcimers
by Steve Eulberg A few years back my spouse, Connie, and I had a warm and welcoming visit with Janita and Bob Baker of Blue Lion Instruments in Santa Margarita, California. Watching people work through their rhythms and share their craft is a treasure and joy (for me: especially when there is a sawdust smell!) A […]
Frank Proffitt
by Steve Eulberg In Pete Seeger‘s television series, Rainbow Quest, Episode 26, he hosted folklorist Frank Warner. At about 26:27 they begin discussing Frank Proffitt, including some film of him playing his banjo at the Newport Folk Festival (begins at 40:09) Frank is most well-known for preserving the song Tom Dooley, Earlier in their conversation, Pete relates an exchange of letters […]