(Some updating needed; all links are working as of 5/23/2023.)
Here are some links to local and Northwest dulcimer groups, online schools, tab and music, festival and performer websites and connections to other interesting and wonderful dulcimer websites. See what other dulcimer players are doing and become a part of the dulcimer community!
ONLINE DULCIMER COMMUNITY
Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer – (FOTMD) – Probably the most comprehensive dulcimer website online! Groups and forum discussions on topics that interest you. Ask questions, learn to play songs, share music clips and videos, find resources for buying dulcimers and finding music tab. ‘All’ levels of players welcomed. So much more! Free friendly help and encouragement in playing music!
Everything Dulcimer – This is the ‘new’ Everything Dulcimer website started in 2020. The original website was discontinued in 2018. According to the website’s creator, “this site is not affiliated with the former EverythingDulcimer though it’s meant to be a similar place”. The original site shutdown in June 2018. “The goal is to build a home on the web for the dulcimer community to host tablature, forums, a list of clubs, builders, and upcoming festivals”.
DULCIMER GROUPS IN THE GREATER NORTHWEST
SloeJam Dulcimers – Hey that’s us, you’re already here! We meet the 1’st and 3’rd Friday of the month in the Portland Oregon area. Questions? Please use the contact page.
Bellingham Dulcimer Club – From their website, “the Bellingham Dulcimer Club – aka the BDC” – is located in the City of Bellingham in Whatcom County in Washington State. Club members are local folks with a shared interest in the Appalachian mountain dulcimer.
Dulcimertab.com – This one is worth a long look. A ‘one stop’ dulcimer resource with info about clubs and groups from around the country, events and festival information, dulcimer builders and teachers, and a whole bunch of music/tab (even 1-3-5 tab)! (P.S. the link to our website needs to be added to theirs!)
Old Growth Mountain Dulcimer Club – They are a group of mountain dulcimer fans living in the South Puget Sound area of Washington State. They welcome all player levels. As they say, “Come on in. We’ll Bile up some Cabbage together.”
Three Rivers Dulcimer Society – Located in the Richland Washington (Tri-Cities) area. Please see their website for meeting times, lot’s of beginner information, and even ‘recipes’!
TEACHING WEBSITES
Dulcimer Crossing – “Enjoy mountain dulcimer lessons and hammered dulcimer lessons at your own pace, in the comfort of your own home.” Thousands of web pages of lessons, 1,500+ videos, 4,000 + minutes of instruction, from 12 different teachers. Over 415 pdf documents of tab, lyrics and sheet music. 570+ flash animations where to strike or press the strings. See the website for memberships and price information.
Mountain Dulcimer A to Z – Learn mountain dulcimer with Stephen Seifert. Join Stephen for a comprehensive guided tour of mountain dulcimer playing philosophy, technique, and music for ALL LEVELS. Regardless of your level of musicianship, “he wants to give you the big picture”, A to Z!
‘MD’ Noter and Drone Blog – “A place for traditional noter and drone style Appalachian dulcimer players and beginners” and a lot of information applicable to any style. A fantastic website brought to you by the creator of Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer (see below).
YouTube Mountain Dulcimer Lesson Videos – To get you started, click the link to see some dulcimer teaching videos by a few of the notable teachers. Do a YouTube search for ‘mountain dulcimer’ or ‘mountain dulcimer lessons’ for a more comprehensive look at what’s available on YouTube.
Lessons.Com (Dulcimer Lessons) – Enter zip code, click answers about your needs and the info will be sent to local teachers who have listed themselves. The concept is nice but you may have to wait a while for an email response and there may be other local teachers not listed with this site, or none in your community. (Many of the other established dulcimer websites online list local teachers, and there is always ‘word of mouth’.)
PUBLICATIONS. PERFORMERS, BUILDERS AND ‘MD INFLUENCES’
This list can never be complete. It is not not necessarily a “who’s who” of mountain dulcimer or a list of ‘our’ favorites. There are too many noted and deserving performers, champions, legends and dulcimer influences to list in one place. To name only a few, here is an introduction to performers who play and build dulcimers, have composed and recorded, are known for a certain playing style, who teach or have produced instructional books and CD’s and/or who have influenced the past and future of the mountain dulcimer in other ways. Many feature playing samples on their websites or on YouTube and often reference other dulcimer personalities not named on this page. As you become more acquainted with the mountain dulcimer (MD) community, attend festivals and workshops, take a spin around the web/YouTube, these and the names of other dulcimer personalities may begin to sound familiar. Click some of the links and begin the journey! (If you find a name missing that you feel would be of immediate value to add, please send a message via the contact page.)
Legendary Players & Dulcimer Influences (dearly departed and not forgotten)
Please do an internet search for further information about these renowned ‘dulcimer heroes’, to celebrate their influence on the dulcimer, it’s music and development.
Al d’Ossche
Richard Fariña
Homer C. Ledford
Madeline MacNeil – Blue Lion Dulcimer
Jean Ritchie
David Schnaufer
Dulcimer Player News – General information and subscription information about the Dulcimer Players News magazine and CD, for mountain and hammered dulcimer enthusiasts. (Outstanding!)
Appalachian Dulcimer, Wikipedia – A comprehensive look at the history, players, builders and current influences.
The Hearts of the Dulcimer Film/Podcast – A feature-length film documenting the dulcimer renaissance in the 1970s; by Patricia Delich and Wayne Jiang, filmmakers, podcast hosts and musicians. The Podcast “explores the mountain dulcimer’s past, present, and future. If you’re interested in mountain dulcimers, this is the podcast for you.” Deserves a definite visit!
A Comprehensive List of Appalachian Dulcimer Players (Wikipedia) – A list of historical and current influential dulcimer players.
Aubrey Atwater – (workshops and programs, classes, songbooks, performer) “Award winning and internationally acclaimed performer, vocalist and composer. Featured on public radio’s “All Things Considered”, “The Thistle & Shamrock”, and part of the Ozark Highlands Radio Project. Traditional and original folk music performed on guitar, Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Irish tin whistle, mandolin, Appalachian clogging (step-dancing), through story and tales, and old-time banjo. Aubrey has performed, studied and taught around the world. Performs solo, with her husband (Atwater~Donnelly ) and with others in the band. It’s been said that “her pursuit is to understand folk music as an expression of human history and a glimpse into the lives of ‘ordinary’ people.”
Janita Baker / Blue Lion Dulcimers – (dulcimer builder, workshops, performer, composer, songbooks) Performing musician for over 40 years known for her unique style of four equidistant string dulcimer finger-picking. Performs classical, traditional, delta and country blues, ragtime, swing, Hawaiian slack key and original instrumental pieces. Gifted storyteller. Through recordings, books and appearances at festivals and workshops across the United States, Janita is well-known for her teaching skills and ‘Blue Lion Dulcimers’, which she builds with her husband Robert.
David Beede – (dulcimer builder) Award winning luthier (Unicorn Strings Music Company), musician/singer/songwriter who has been teaching and playing for more than 30 years at schools, in concert, at folk festivals, coffee houses and even on street corners. David performs traditional British Isle folk to original instrumental and vocals on the hammered dulcimer, bowed psaltery, chromatic and bass mountain dulcimer, gourd banjo, Native American flute, guitar, mouth bow, snoot flute, penny whistle, jaws harp, bones, bodhran and more. “His music has tickled ears from Florida to Maine… from the Paris underground to Dublin Radio”.
Linda Brockinton – (instructional materials, performer) Linda is a dulcimer performer, songwriter and poet. She began her musical journey at age 11 as a flutist and later played with the Arkansas Symphony during the 1960’s. Her dulcimer playing began during the late 1980’s. In 1999, she won the Southern Regional Dulcimer Championship and was the first woman to win the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship in 2001. Linda has taught at dulcimer, folk and Irish festivals around the country, has recorded 8 CD’s and has written 9 instructional books for the dulcimer. Her preferred style of playing the dulcimer is finger picking.
Lee Cagle – (teacher, lessons, instructional materials, performer) Lee is a multi-instrumentalist, singer and storyteller and has been been playing and teaching mountain dulcimer, bowed psaltery, auto-harp and ukulele since 1988. Lee is also a recording artist, author of several books and teaching materials on playing traditional music, particularly for the mountain dulcimer. She is the founder and director of the Memphis Dulcimer & Folk Gathering.
Bonnie Carol – (dulcimer builder, performer, songbooks) Bonnie is a notable dulcimer player, performer, teacher and dulcimer builder. She has played piano and guitar since age 4. She is also an author, recording artist and dulcimer radio program producer, hammered dulcimer player … and plays the Marimba! Long time attendee at the Kindred Gathering dulcimer festival, she is friends with and/or has played with just about ‘all’ of the well known past and current dulcimer personalities, (far too many to name. From the streets of New York City to Nicaragua, Bonnie has performed and taught her music. She is a ‘wilderness adventurer musician’ mixing canoeing, rafting, hiking, swimming and singing with her love of dulcimer and music. This isn’t close to a ‘real’ introduction to this amazing influence upon the dulcimer world. Please see the biography, “A Brief History of Bonnie”, (and more), on her website.
Sue Carpenter – (instructional materials, workshops, performer) After years of playing piano and organ, Sue started playing the mountain dulcimer in 1981 and has been performing and teaching since 1982. It is her innovative finger-picking style that has won her many awards. In 2005, Sue became the National Mountain Dulcimer Champion at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, KS. She is a favorite workshopsuecarpenter.net leader and performer at dulcimer festivals from Maine to California. There is much more to be said about Sue Carpenter, and her website resume says it all.
Mike Casey – (teacher, performer) Classical guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and story teller, Mike adapted Irish banjo, cittern, fiddle, whistle, flute and mandolin techniques to the Appalachian dulcimer. Performer and recording artist, Mike is especially known for his book, “Hands-On Dulcimer“ written to help fretted dulcimer players at all levels grow in their technical abilities in both the right and left hands. The book explores “flat-picking, finger-picking, slurs, chords, strumming, left hand precision and placement, right hand strength and control, volume, tone, articulation, and more using both dulcimer tablature and standard music notation”. Mike has used his years of teaching to “develop exercises that will inspire and challenge players at all levels. The tunes and exercises are in the common dulcimer tuning of D-A-D, with a few exceptions”. Mike can be ‘followed’ by visiting numerous other websites that showcase his work and he can be seen on YouTube.
Mike Clemmer / Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop – (dulcimer builder, performer) Hand-crafted dulcimers. From the website, “Mike’s long sought dream-come-true has evolved from his life-long love of many types of music, playing, singing and his reputation for repairing, trading and buying instruments. Over thirty years ago, an acquaintance asked Mike to help him catch up on his dulcimer orders right here in Townsend. Armed with years of experience repairing guitars and basses, Mike accepted the challenge and learned the art of dulcimer building. Its been a labor of love ever since”.
Jessica Comeau – (teacher, performer, workshops) “Jessica has been playing the mountain dulcimer since 2003. She is a performer-player and vocalist, as well as an interpreter of folk, Celtic, British, medieval European, and world music. She loves to explore musical artistry, interpretation, and self-expression through singing and through the dulcimer, using the traditional strumming style as well as unique flatpicking and fingerpicking styles. Jessica enjoys composing, discovering, and arranging music, especially music within the Celtic, British, Medieval, and Appalachian folk traditions. Among her most recent victories was winning 1st place in the 2014 Deep South Dulcimer Championship in Hattiesburg, MS. She is a founding member of the Pensacola Mountain Dulcimer Wildflowers project, and she continues to perform, learn new music, and teach other dulcimer players.” Jessica can be seen on YouTube playing and teaching. She may also be contacted for individual dulcimer teaching via her website.
Larry Conger – (teacher, performer, instructional materials, workshops) Larry Conger is a player and teacher of the Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer, an American folk instrument. Besides being a popular performer and instructor at various dulcimer festivals around the country, Larry is involved with long distance learning via online lessons. Larry has several dulcimer books and recordings to his credit. Larry and his wife, Elaine are directors of Dulcimer U at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina, hosting numerous dulcimer related workshops throughout the year.
Dulcimer Downloads – (publications) Downloadable versions of dulcimer books and CDs for convenience and a lower price. Hosted by Folkcraft Instruments.
Steve Eulberg / Owl Mountain Music – (player, performer, composer, teacher, workshops, songbooks) (Also see ‘Dulcimer Crossing’ above.) “Steve is an award-winning multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter and is equally comfortable on mountain or hammered dulcimer. Steve has sung and composed for religious communities, union halls, picket lines, inter-faith retreats, mountain-top youth camps, as well as the more familiar venues: clubs, coffeehouses, bookstores, festivals, charity benefits and showcase concerts. Steve is a full time, teacher, composer, and performer, and one of the most awarded. Along with the dulcimer, he also plays guitar, bass, piano and hand percussion. His music has appeared on National Public Radio and he has produced at least 15 recordings. Steve is one of the founding teachers of Dulcimer Crossing, an excellent online ‘dulcimer school’ and community. Steve also offers online teaching originating from the Owl Mountain Music website.”
Ron Ewing – (dulcimer builder, player) Ron builds one of a kind highly crafted mountain and hammer dulcimers, and produces one of the most popular mountain dulcimer capos.
Folkcraft Instruments – (dulcimer builder) “Folkcraft Instruments has been crafting handmade mountain dulcimers since 1968. We’ve been providing the best dulcimers, plus the dulcimer cases, tab books, dulcimer string sets, and everything else a mountain dulcimer player needs. We even provide dulcimer parts – machine heads and wood parts – for builders of all skill levels. We’re happy to build a custom mountain dulcimer for you, make you a custom instrument case, or make you a custom string set. All of our dulcimers are handmade in the USA.”
Bing Futch – (performer, teacher, instructional materials, workshops, songbooks, producer) “Using Appalachian mountain dulcimer, Native American flute, ukulele and a board full of stomp-boxes, Bing Futch celebrates traditional and modern Americana music with passion, humor and boundless energy. In 2006, Bing began performing solo at festivals and music venues across the country. Since then, he has recorded a number of albums and published several music-education books including the best-selling Blues Method For Mountain Dulcimer 101. Typically traveling over 35,000 miles a year in a 32’ Jayco Greyhawk, Bing keeps a busy schedule that includes shooting episodes of Dulcimerica, his video series on YouTube currently in its 13th year. Since the spring of 2020, when coronavirus began to make its presence widely known, he’s been producing music and video from his home in Orlando, Florida and spending lots of time with his wife, Jae, and a menagerie of rescued critters.” Read the complete bio on his website.
Gary Gallier & Les Gallier (dulcimer builder, performer, workshops) Gary Gallier is a nationally recognized pioneer and innovator on the Mountain Dulcimer redefining not only how the instrument is played, but also is expanding it’s musical realm. For over 30 years, The Gallier Brothers have performed and taught at festivals across the country. Gary, with his brother Les have won numerous competitions with their unique playing styles. “Gallier Dulcimers are on the forefront of this innovation, not in just the way they look, but also in the fundamental physics of how they reproduce sound”.
Mark Gilston – (performer, teacher, instructional materials via YouTube) Mark is an award-winning mountain dulcimer player and multi-instrumentalist. Mark plays the gajda (Bulgarian bagpipes), mountain dulcimer, piano, guitar, and his sister is a professional harpist. Mark “gained a love of traditional American ballads and Old-Time songs and instrumentals from recordings and from his father, who often sang the old ballads which he had learned in his youth in Appalachia”.
Tull Glazener – (performer, teacher, instructional materials, workshops) “Tull Glazener has been sharing the music of the mountain dulcimer through performances and workshops at festivals and dulcimer clubs throughout the country since 1984. He enjoys adapting all kinds of music to the mountain dulcimer, including aires and waltzes, hymns and gospel tunes, rag-time, traditional/old-time, contemporary, classical, jazz, and more. He is best known ‘Instructional CD packets’, as well as several recordings. Over the years he has contributed articles to “Dulcimer Player News”. In addition to the mountain dulcimer, Tull plays hammered dulcimer and button accordion. He lives in Indianapolis, IN where he is the founding director of the ensemble group, ‘DOGs’ (Dulcimer Only Group) of the Central Indiana Folk Music and Mountain Dulcimer Society. He is also the leader of the ‘Family Reunion String Band’, founded by the late Gerry Gray.”
Dave Haas – (performer, teaching materials) From the website, “Dave Haas lives in Charleston, WV, and loves to perform and teach others how to play the mountain dulcimer! He has been playing the dulcimer since 1990, and loves to share the mountain dulcimer and its history with schools, churches, and civic organizations. Dave has released four dulcimer CDs, seven dulcimer instruction/CD workbooks, and a popular dulcimer chord chart (Dulcimer Chord Chart (DAD)”. Dave also plays the guitar, sings, and leads music on Christian retreat experiences such as Kairos Prison Ministry.
Neal Hellman, ‘Gourd Music’ – (teacher, performer, instructional materials, workshops, producer) Visit the Gourd Music website, go to artists, then Neal Hellman. From the bio, “Neal Hellman, nationally acclaimed performer and teacher of the mountain dulcimer, has been active in performing, writing, teaching, and recording acoustic music for the past 40 years. Neal’s recording, Emma’s Waltz, is a colorful dance through traditional and contemporary acoustic music styles. Featuring seventeen different musicians playing compositions from Ireland, Scotland, Finland, America and France. He is the author of many books on the Appalachian dulcimer. As founder, director and one of the primary artists of the Gourd Music record label, Neal has produced over forty albums, including Simple Gifts, The Fairie Round, Tender Shepherd, The World Turned Upside Down and Jefferson’s Fiddle, creating a uniquely distinctive sound, featuring a variety of acoustic instrumental ensembles, rich in texture and tonal color.”
Jeffrey A Lambert – (dulcimer builder) Simply put, Jeff builds dulcimers! He sells kits along with custom built dulcimers. Visit his website to see his all of his accomplishments and honors.
Erin Mae (Lewis) – (teacher, instructional materials, performer) Erin has been playing mountain dulcimer since the age of 7. In 2004 she became the youngest national mountain dulcimer champion at the time. Trained in classical piano and earning a degree in commercial music; Erin toured full time for several years with the duo Scenic Roots. She has recorded several albums with the first in 1999. She has since then has recorded 8 full-length albums, and contributed to several other projects including a feature-length television program. Erin is busy teaching and is involved with her “outreach dream, to play consistently at Care Centers, Schools, Hospitals, and Evening Centers without placing any financial burden on the recipients”.
Joellen Lapidus – (builder, teacher, instructional materials, player, workshops) From the website bio, “Joellen Lapidus is one of the pioneers of contemporary fretted dulcimer playing, songwriting, and instrument construction and is the author of the dulcimer instruction book ‘Lapidus on Dulcimer’. Joellen blends the Appalachian, Indian, Arabic, jazz, classical, and pop musical styles to give the dulcimer a new range of rhythmic, melodic, and tuning possibilities. As a dulcimer maker, her work influenced many of the dulcimer builders of the 70’s and 80’s. Her instruments were known for their innovative shapes and exquisite soundhole and peghead inlay work. She introduced the dulcimer to Joni Mitchell and made three instruments for her between 1968 and 1976. She has also made instruments for David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Wendy Waldman, Garth Hudson and Kevin Roth. Joellen teaches dulcimer in West Los Angeles and runs the Los Angeles Urban/Mountain Dulcimer Club. She performs on dulcimer and accordion with her contemporary folk band: THE URBAN GYPSIES. She has also returned to her original musical loves -KLEZMER MUSIC- and performs with her new Klezmer band ‘SCHMALTZ’.”
McSpadden Dulcimers – (dulcimer builder) “Lynn McSpadden made his first dulcimer in 1962. Friends asked him to make them one and that began the development of the McSpadden Mountain Dulcimer. Lynn with his father and brother developed designs and construction methods to allow making large numbers of dulcimers while maintaining the quality. Improvements over the years have led to the current line of models. The McSpaddens sold the business to Jim and Betty Woods in 2001 and they have continued development of new models. Models introduced since the sale include the Schnaufer models, the six strings both standard range and baritone, the basses, and the dulci-banjos. At the time of the sale we were building number 42,000 and at this writing we are closing in on number 62,000. Building lots of dulcimers doesn’t prove much but having those dulcimer being played by satisfied customers does indicate that we know what we are doing and how to serve the dulcimer community.”
Heidi Muller – (performer, teacher, instructional materials, workshops, composer, songbooks) “Heidi Muller is an award-winning songwriter, singer, guitarist and mountain dulcimer player. In over 25 years of performing, she has played in concert halls, festivals, and living rooms throughout America and produced eight CDs that have established her firmly in the national folk community. She has performed on the nationally-syndicated radio shows Mountain Stage and River City Folk, and has shared stages with Nanci Griffith, Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Robin and Linda Williams, Bill Staines, Richie Havens, David Bromberg, Jean Ritchie and many others. Heidi tours both as a solo artist and with her partner, Bob Webb, from their home in Enterprise, Oregon. They have released three CDs together: Dulcimer Moon, Light the Winter’s Dark, and Seeing Things. Bob is a talented accompanist on guitar, mandolin, dulcimer and cello and was a member of the original Mountain Stage house band. He is also a recording engineer and producer of radio documentaries. Heidi has become widely known for her dulcimer compositions and arrangements and has published eight songbooks. Vists her website to read more about her enormous influence and contribution to the mountain dulcimer.”
*Aaron O’Rourke – (performer, teacher, instructional materials, workshops, composer) Aaron is a “dulcimer superstar”. He is an exceptional performer and instructor on dulcimer and guitar. “Aaron is a wonderful dulcimer player who has brilliantly pioneered bringing jazz forms to the dulcimer. The maturity of his playing is impressive and his humor adds spice to his live performances.” Author of ‘Cleaner, Faster, Brighter’, an exceptional book where Aaron lays out practice drills and exercises to increase speed and fluidity ‘without strain’. To learn more about Aaron’s history as a musician, read the Joellen Lapidus interview with Aaron in 2016. (*Aaron’s website link is not available for the time being. Do some Googling for more information. It’s worth the time. Here is his YouTube link to get started.)
Don Pedi – (player/performer, workshops, ) “Don got involved with the Boston area folk music scene in the early sixties. In Don’s hands, the dulcimer has been accepted as an instrument well suited to playing traditional Southern Dance music. In 1980, at Fiddler’s Grove, he won with such consistency, that Don was declared ‘Master Dulcimer Player’ and removed from future competition. In 1982, Don retired from all festival competitions with over thirty first place trophies and ribbons. In 1983, Don was featured on three episodes of the Nashville Network’s ‘Fire On The Mountain’ TV series. 1998, received the Bacom Lamar Lunsford Award for ‘significant contributions’ in Mountain Music. 1999, appeared on CBS This Morning. Honored for preservation and perpetuation of traditional music at the Memphis Dulcimer Festival. 2000-2002, first taught a course, together with Jo Lunsford Heron (daughter of Bascom Lamar Lunsford) on the History of Appalachian Music and Dance, for the College For Seniors at The University of North Carolina at Asheville. 2005, played music in the BBC documentary film ‘Appalachia: The Endless Forest’. 2009, was featured in the documentary: ‘Why Old Time’.” Please visit the website to read the full bio of this outstanding performer and teacher. Also, this website features a unique view of ‘contemporary mountain dulcimer builders’.
Jerry Rockwell – (instructional materials, player/performer, workshops) “Jerry Rockwell is one of a handful of folk musicians who, since about 1970, have been national and international advocates for the mountain dulcimer. He is an accomplished player, teacher, and custom builder of this American folk instrument. Jerry specializes in the gentle, soothing, and hypnotic sounds of Celtic airs, waltzes, and folk tunes, and is committed to helping his students explore the dulcimer in the deepest and fullest way possible. He lives and works in the Appalachian foothills of southeast Ohio, and regularly teaches mountain dulcimer at workshops across the country. He is the author of an excellent teaching book, ‘Music Theory and Chord Practice for the Mountain Dulcimer’ and other exceptional books.” His website is filled with information on buying, caring for and learning to play the mountain dulcimer. Jerry is currently not building any new dulcimers, but you can see some of his work while visiting the website.
Butch Ross – (performer, workshops) Butch is a “multi-instrumentalist and mountain dulcimer maestro”. Butch is an in-demand performer at folk and dulcimer festivals through the US and Europe. – “Butch Ross is a rockstar. What he does is amazing. His genius is in the fact that he found something unique to him and he just worked it to a point where no one can come close to matching it. He’s seriously brilliant”. –Hayley Graham
Gary Sager – (builder, teacher, player/performer) Gary became interested in the Mountain Dulcimer in 1991 after seeing David Schnaufer’s “Fischer’s Hornpipe” video on CMT. He built a dulcimer in late 1991, then began building seriously in 1992 and has been building and playing since that time. Gary, along with wife Toni are the owners of “Prussia Valley Dulcimers Music Shop”. Gary has taught mountain dulcimer and workshops at many festivals while performing as well. Gary’s first experience in recording was playing accompaniment on Doug Felt’s “A Little of This & A Little of That”.
Steven Seifert – (performer, teacher, workshops) (Also see ‘Mountain Dulcimer A to Z‘ above.) “Stephen is an American folk musician and virtuoso Appalachian dulcimer player. He was adjunct instructor of Mountain Dulcimer at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music from 1997 to 2001. He has been a dulcimer soloist with Orchestra Nashville since 1996. Stephen started with keyboard instruments at an early age. He got more serious around the sixth grade. He tried guitar, but didn’t go so well. He discovered the mountain dulcimer at 16. At 18, he went to music school on a jazz/classical piano scholarship. That only lasted a couple years, as he was becoming more and more obsessed with the dulcimer, its history, the people, and the music. He met, taught, and performed for a time with his favorite dulcimer player, David Schnaufer. Since then, he’s worked hundreds of festivals and clubs, premiered four pieces for dulcimer and orchestra, and has toured the world.” Hear him on YouTube and other internet sources.
Steven K. Smith – (instructional materials, recordings) Mountain dulcimer instrumentalist who has been learning, playing, composing and teaching since 1983. Some of Steven’s other interests are writing; as a published novelist and poet, and backpacking. Of particular interest to learning dulcimer is ‘The Virtual Classroom’ on his website, where you will find a series of articles about various aspects of mountain dulcimer playing, additional tools to aid your playing and composing.
Nina Zanetti – (performer, song books) “Nina Zanetti is the 2008 National Mountain Dulcimer Champion. She comes to the mountain dulcimer from a diverse musical background, including choral music, violin, viola, piano, and shape note singing. Nina has taught workshops at dulcimer festivals throughout the country, including Western Carolina University, John C. Campbell Folk School, and Kentucky Music Week. Nina is especially fond of the ‘softer side of dulcimer’. She plays regularly at churches, historic sites, and community events and She has produced several books of solo arrangements for mountain dulcimer and has co-authored four books of duet arrangements.”