Download or read book Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions written by Ralph Lee Smith and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2010-03-19 with total page 204 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Appalachian dulcimer is one of America's major contributions to world music and folk art. Homemade and handmade, played by people with no formal knowledge of music, this beautiful instrument entered the post-World-War-II Folk Revival with virtually no written record. Appalachian Dulcimer Traditions tells the fascinating story of the effort to recover the instrument's lost history through fieldwork in the Southern mountains, finding of old instruments, and listening to the tales of old folks. After reviewing the instrument's distinctive musical features, Ralph Lee Smith presents the dulcimer's story chronologically, tracing its roots in a Renaissance German instrument, the scheitholt; describing the early history of the scheitholt and the dulcimer in America; and outlining the development of distinctive dulcimer styles in Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. The story continues into the 20th Century, through the final group of tradition-based Appalachian makers whose work flowed into the national scene of the Folk Revival. This fully revised edition provides expanded information about the history of the scheitholt and the dulcimer before the Civil War and discusses traditions and types that are still being discovered and documented. Smith also adds his personal adventures in searching for the dulcimer's history. A new final chapter describes types and styles that do not fit conveniently into the mainstream development of the instrument. The book concludes with several appendixes, including measurements of representative dulcimers and listings of dulcimer recordings in the Archive of Folk Culture of the Library of Congress.
Download or read book The Appalachian Dulcimer Book written by Michael Murphy and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Dulcimer People written by Jean Ritchie and published by Oak Publications. This book was released on 1975-01-01 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dulcimer experiences, news, memories, snapshots, playing styles, tuning and tablature methods, favourite songs, opinions, advice and information on the Appalachian dulcimer.
Download or read book The Story of the Dulcimer written by Ralph Lee Smith and published by Charles K. Wolfe Music. This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perhaps no instrument better represents the music of Appalachia than the fretted dulcimer. The instrument was no longer confined to back porches and local music halls when Jean Ritchie so melodically thrust herself and her dulcimer into the national limelight during the folk revival of the 1950s. But where did the dulcimer, known to exist in no other folk culture in the world, come from? In The Story of the Dulcimer, Ralph Lee Smith traces the dulcimer's beginnings back to European immigration to America in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. As German immigrants settled in Pennsylvania and Appalachia, they brought with them scheitholts, a type of northern European fretted zither. As German immigrants intermingled with English and Scotch-Irish immigrants, the scheitholt, which was customarily played to a slower tempo in German cultural music, began to be musically integrated into the faster tempos of English and Scotch-Irish ballads and folk songs. As Appalachia absorbed an increasing flow of English and Scotch-Irish immigrants and the musical traditions they brought with them, the scheitholt steadily evolved into an instrument that reflected this folk music amalgamation, and the modern dulcimer was born. In this second edition, Smith brings the dulcimer's history into the twenty-first century with a new preface and updates to the original edition. Copiously illustrated with images of both antique scheitholts and contemporary dulcimers, The Story of the Dulcimer is a testament to the enduring musical heritage of Appalachia and solves one of the region's musical mysteries.
Download or read book In Search of the Wild Dulcimer written by Robert Force and published by Vintage Books USA. This book was released on 1974 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Method for Beginning Mountain Dulcimer written by Bing Futch and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2013-09-09 with total page 134 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bing Futch's "Method For Beginning Mountain Dulcimer" is the most comprehensive how-to-learn-the-dulcimer book available. You'll learn the basics, sure, and start playing songs right away. Even better, though, is the depth of content that Bing provides for you in this one incomparable volume - technique, repertoire, theory, history, and FUN! Once you've worked your way through this book, you'll be a competent dulcimer player that can enjoy playing with any group. You'll have a great time honing your skills with Bing, and you'll end up with a wealth of technical skills, music fundamentals, and dulcimer repertoire!
Download or read book Cripple Creek Dulcimer written by BUD FORD and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2014-12-10 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This instruction manual and song collection is a well-crafted collection of basic dulcimer technique and traditional songs that might have been popular in CrippleCreek, Colorado in the 19th Century-- plus a few modern day tunes by its currentinhabitants. The techniques and songs have been transcribed from the performances of Bud and Donna Ford who have been collecting songs for theirfavorite instrument for some time. Bud and Donna explain the basics of playing the dulcimer, including instructions on strumming, tunings, and picking. Solos are offered in all of the various modes (Ionian, Dorian, Locrian, etc.) in standard notation only with lyrics and chord symbols. The end result is an attractive yetpragmatic book that offers a solid grounding in the art of dulcimer playing. Therecording features verbal instruction and performances of most of the tunes in the book on solo dulcimer, making learning easy and fun. The recording used tunings which are lower than those in the book, but this will not affect players reading the tablature. Includes access to online audio
Download or read book The Hammered Dulcimer written by Paul M. Gifford and published by Scarecrow Press. This book was released on 2001-06-13 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The last quarter of the twentieth-century saw a renewed interest in the hammered dulcimer in the United States at the grassroots level as well as from elements of the Folk Revival. This book offers the reader a discussion of the medieval origins of the dulcimer and its subsequent spread under many different names to other parts of the world. Drawing on articles the author has written in English as well as articles by specialists in their own languages, Gifford explains the history and evolution of the instrument. Special attention is paid to the North American tradition from the early 18th-century to the 1970s revival. Drawing from local histories, news clippings, photographs, and interviews, the book examines the playing of the dulcimer and its associated social meanings.
Download or read book Songs and Tunes of the Wilderness Road written by RALPH LEE SMITH and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2010-10-07 with total page 80 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of traditional music for the mountain dulcimer seeks to reunite this beautiful instrument with the people, the music, and the world from which it came. It tells the story of the Wilderness Road, a trail through the Appalachian Mountains from Gate City, Virginia, to Fort Boonesboro, Kentucky, blazed by Daniel Boone, and links it to the history and heritage of the mountain dulcimer. Numerous photographs and maps help tell the story, and each tune in the book includes a historical anecdote describing its origin. This book is a must for anyone interested in the history of the Appalachian Mountain region and its music. the sixteen tunes in this book are written in notation and tablature for the standard three-course mountain dulcimer (without the 6 1/2 or 1 1/2 fret in the fretboard), with chord symbols and complete lyrics. A knowledge of simple chording techniques is all that is needed to play the tunes. the tunings used are Ionian (DAA), Aeolian (DAC), and Dorian (DAG).
Download or read book Dulcimer Maker written by R. Gerald Alvey and published by University Press of Kentucky. This book was released on 2014-07-11 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dulcimer making has long been considered an art. The exquisite design is also functional, and the best instruments sound as beautiful as they look. Homer Ledford, a legend among dulcimer makers, is known for his innovative but traditional craftsmanship. A biography and a step-by-step guide to dulcimer making, this classic book illuminates and celebrates the work of a master craftsman, musician, and folk artist. This new edition presents a foreword by Ron Pen, director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music at the University of Kentucky, and an enlightening afterword featuring a conversation with Ledford. In an era when Americans are rediscovering their musical roots, Dulcimer Maker offers a unique look at a bluegrass legend.
Download or read book Dulcimer a la Mode written by Lorinda Jones and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2016-03-11 with total page 81 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dulcimer a La Mode takes the mystery of out modal tuning and playing for the mountain dulcimer player by presenting four common tunings (DAA, DAG, DAD, and DAC) with instructions for tuning, finding the scales and chords, and learning traditional tunes in each of the four modes. This book will encourage players to retune their instrument and learn more of its versatility. Each tune is presented as a melody with a drone in the mode indicated with strumming and rhythm guides. for most tunes, an optional arrangement or accompaniment is also provided using more complex chords and reflecting more traditional Western harmony. As a further learning tool, the accompanying CD allows the listener to play along with the song as presented in the book.
Download or read book Celtic Songs and Slow Airs for the Mountain Dulcimer written by NEAL HELLMAN and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2015-12-02 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In folk tradition, stories of love lost, betrayal, jealousy, conflict, emigration, and the supernatural are often immortalized in songs of many traditions, demonstrating that singing has been a universal vehicle for the human condition. the criteria for this wonderful collection of prose and melodies is from Celtic traditions that have been with us for hundreds of years. These compositions have been arranged so that each will work both as an air and as a song. All of the selections in the book appear on the companion CD.
Download or read book Dirt Simple Mountain Dulcimer written by MADELINE MACNEIL and published by Mel Bay Publications. This book was released on 2013-06-20 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mountain dulcimer has a long and interesting history in the southern Appalachian mountains, and it's an instrument that so many of us enjoy playing. The book begins with the basics of tuning, strumming and finding notes on the dulcimer. The songs and tunes include favorites of dulcimer players, such as Boil That Cabbage Down, Old Joe Clark, Waterbound, Amazing Grace, Aura Lee and Are You Sleeping. The tracks in the accompanying online audio include count-ins and are played at easy-to-follow moderate tempos. Audio download available online.
Download or read book Galax Dulcimer written by Phyllis Gaskins and published by . This book was released on 2012-06-01 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Galax Dulcimer book is a comprehensive, informative book dedicated to the unique playing and construction style of the Galax Dulcimer. Included are songs with playing instructions and Phyllis' own adapted notation showing the authentic playing style of the Galax Dulcimer. There is a section about the history and construction as well as some of the artists who defined this style. This book is a valuable resource for historians, musicians and dulcimer fans of all ability levels and interests.Also included is an instructional Audio CD of all the tunes in the book. Each tune is played slowly and then up tempo.
Download or read book A Dulcimer for Christmas written by Michael Wood and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-06-21 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Dulcimer for Christmas is a great way to share the joy of the Christmas season on your mountain dulcimer! Great care was taken to ensure that the selections in this book sound great and are easy to play. Chords are also provided for each tune and tuning with diagrams to help you jam along with friends. All tunes are written in standard music notation and dulcimer tablature. All major tunes in this book are in D-A-D tuning. Minor tunes are provided in two versions, in D-A-C and A-A-D tunings. Be sure to check out the D-A-A version of this book as well for those who prefer that tuning. Tunes include: Angels from the Realms of Glory, Angels We Have Heard on High, Away in a Manger, Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella, Deck the Halls, God Rest Ye Merry, Good Christian Men, Rejoice, Good King Wenceslas, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Jingle Bells, Joy to the World, O Come, All Ye Faithful, O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. Once in Royal David's City, Patapan, Silent Night, The First Noël, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Wexford Carol, What Child Is This
Download or read book Fingerpicking Dulcimer written by Janita Baker and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of 21 songs arranged in a fingerpicking style for the mountain dulcimer, this book offers a wide variety of musical genres and playing levels. Divided equally between arrangements for three and four equidistant strings, the songs progress in difficulty within each section from beginner to advanced level. Each piece is written in both standard music notation and dulcimer tablature, and is accompanied by performance tips for playing that song. Many arrangements utilize the 6 1/2 fret, and tunings range from standard modal tunings to four-string variations. The arrangements cover a wide range of song styles including traditional ragtime, blues, and classical standards. Songs include My Old Kentucky Home; Londonderry Air, All Through the Night, The Entertainer, Careless Love, House of the Rising Sun, Fr Elise, and Bach's Minuet in G. There is an extensive introduction on playing techniques for both left and right hands, tunings, reading tablature, and dulcimer embellishments. The accompanying CD is an instrumental recording of solo dulcimer, designed to give the student a note-for-note reference to each written arrangement while providing a performance-quality listening experience.
Download or read book Shared Traditions written by Charles W. Joyner and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grounded in Charles Joyner's unique blend of rigorous scholarship and genuine curiosity, these thoughtful and incisive essays by the eminent southern historian and folklorist explore the South's extraordinary amalgam of cultural traditions. By examining the mutual influence of history and folk culture, Shared Traditions reveals the essence of southern culture in the complex and dynamic interactions of descendants of Europeans, Africans, and Native Americans. The book covers a broad spectrum of southern folk groups, folklore expressions, and major themes of southern history, including antebellum society, slavery, the coming of the Civil War, economic modernization in the Appalachians and the Sea Islands, immigration, the civil rights movement, and the effects of cultural tourism. Joyner addresses the convergence of African and European elements in the Old South and explores how specific environmental and demographic features shaped the acculturation process. He discusses divergent practices in worship services, funeral and burial services, and other religious ceremonies. He examines links between speech patterns and cultural patterns, the influence of Irish folk culture in the American South, and the southern Jewish experience. He also investigates points of intersection between history and legend and relations between the new social history and folklore. Ranging from rites of power and resistance on the slave plantation to the creolization of language to the musical brew of blues, country, jazz, and rock, Shared Traditions reveals the distinctive culture born of a sharing by black and white southerners of their deep-rooted and diverse traditions.
