Musician and Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer Maker
If you work with tools and wood then you probably know what I mean by “a near miss.”
For a brief moment some of my deeply ingrained shop safety rules went out the window. I was very, very lucky and was not injured, not even a scratch.
I was resawing at the bandsaw. The blade was getting [...]
I would like to encourage you to vote regardless of your opinion about who or what will be best for the United States and the influence the United States has over the rest of the world.
I know many people who are discouraged from voting because they feel their vote won’t count or because of the [...]
I found this photograph both inspiring and comforting. It illustrates the way most projects seem to go.
I currently have 5 dulcimers in the works and all are near completion. They start out as a trip to a sawmill and hours of sorting through wood to find lumber that appeals to me. Then comes milling the [...]
Posted in Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Lutherie, Tools on Oct 24th, 2008
Physical therapy is a wonderful thing. It has helped me continue to play dulcimer and hammered dulcimer as well as standing at the bench and working with hand tools.
I have a chronic physical challenge I have to deal with but many aging musicians, woodworkers and luthiers face a similar issue; doing something you love causes [...]
Posted in Dulcimer, Hammered Dulcimer, Lutherie, Tools on Oct 15th, 2008
Paul Nooncree Hasluck wrote books and articles about a wide variety of handicrafts around the turn of the last century. If you look him up at Google Books or The Internet Archive you’ll find many of his books available as downloads.
“Violins and Other Stringed Instruments – How To Make Them” is available from Google [...]
The best upper body workout I get is a byproduct of preparing rough lumber by hand. When my arms feel achy the next day it is a reminder that I should hand plane timber more often.
I’ve been preparing stock for the dulcimers I will build this Winter. I start out by digging through the wood [...]
Posted in Hammered Dulcimer, Music on Oct 10th, 2008
CD review: Doug Berch is back on the music scene with sumptuous ‘Sadness’
by Chris Rietz
The Lansing State Journal: October 9, 2008
In 1983 he won the National Championship at storied Winfield, Kan., in both lap-style and hammered dulcimer. In 1990 he released “Ocean of Wisdom” on cassette tape (remember those?), a piece that’s become his most-requested [...]
Posted in Thoughts on Oct 4th, 2008
I’ve had this blog going for about a year and still consider myself somewhat new to the process.
A friend who regularly leaves comments did not realize that I almost always respond because she doesn’t go back to my posts to check.
She sends an email as a response to comments on her blog and I respond [...]