Hearts of the Dulcimer

060 This is the final Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast episode. Thanks to David Massengill for taking us out with On The Road to Fairfax County....

059 In this episode we're playing originals composed and performed on the mountain dulcimer by the artists themselves. You'll be hearing music from dulcimer players Gary Gallier, Leo Kretzner, Mary Gi...

058 In this episode we're featuring our conversation with Ashley Ernst, the owner and publisher of Dulcimer Players News. DPN has been the quarterly magazine for mountain and hammered dulcimer players...

057 We spoke with people born and raised in New York City in the 1950s and 60s who have become well-known dulcimer players. With Joellen Lapidus, Holly Tannen, Doug Berch, and Rob Brereton....

056 In this episode we're exploring Early Music on the mountain dulcimer. Although the mountain dulcimer didn't exist until centuries after the Early Music time frame, its tonality fits perfectly with...

055 Special announcement from Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast....

054 In our final episode, we bring you the Chicago-based group The Bach and Beethoven Experience sharing stories behind some of the fiddle tunes they played on their album An Appalachian Summer. We sp...

053 If you're a mountain dulcimer player, chances are you know how to play more than a few fiddle tunes on your dulcimer. Each tune has its own origin story. These stories are often attached to specif...

052 We spoke with the talented young dulcimer player Grant Olson from Minnesota. In 2019 at the age of 17, Grant won the coveted first place in the Mountain Dulcimer National Championship at the Walnu...

051 In this episode we feature the stories and music of Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly, a husband and wife musical duo based in Warren, Rhode Island. They're well known for their blend of gorgeous...

050 In this episode we feature our conversation with Jim and Betty Woods, longtime owners of the renowned McSpadden Dulcimers. Over the last two decades, Jim and Betty were able to maintain and raise ...

049 Here's another stay home and play dulcimer episode created during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aubrey Atwater shares tips on how to improve singing and singing with the dulcimer....

048 This is another episode created especially for dulcimer players. We spoke with Heidi Muller and Bob Webb, who shared tips and ideas for using time at home to improve your dulcimer playing....

047 This episode was especially created for dulcimer players. We spoke with Stephen Seifert, one of the top dulcimer performers and teachers in the mountain dulcimer world. Steve gives tips and ideas ...

046 We spoke with Neal and Coleen Walters, a husband and wife musical duo who have been playing music together for more than 5 decades. Neal is well-known for his deep voice and his dulcimer and autoh...

045 We spoke with 2008 National Dulcimer Champion Nina Zanetti about her approach in playing the dulcimer. Nina's known for her gentle style of fingerpicking the dulcimer....

044 The gentle sound of the dulcimer lends itself to lullabies. They ease us into the day and calm us down at night. Lullabies give comfort to the inner child in all of us, no matter how old or young ...

043 We're focusing this episode on music for children on the mountain dulcimer. You'll hear traditional and original songs, songs about whimsical instruments, animal adventures, and songs about people...

042 Meet Bonnie Carol and Max Krimmel, multi-instrumentalists and the builders of the well-known and loved Bonnie Carol Dulcimers....

041 We spoke with dulcimer players Lorinda Jones, a professional music therapist, Sally Smith, a hospice music volunteer, and Marian Perdas and Carollyn Robinson, music volunteers for memory care abou...

040 In this episode we feature Oregon-based composer and conductor Mark Steighner, who has written two concertos for the mountain dulcimer. We're also featuring Stephen Seifert, who performed both of ...

039 With music from all over the globe, celebrate the season with wintry seasonal dulcimer music from Butch Ross, Lorraine Hammond, Jessica Comeau, Don Pedi, Tull Glazener, Madeline MacNeil, Nina Zane...

038 Winter's Turning, My Barista, and Sacred Ground. What do they have in common? They were all written by singer songwriter and dulcimer player Heidi Muller. Heidi and her life partner Bob Webb tell ...

037 The 1964 LP Golden Ring: A Gathering of Friends for Making Music became one of the most popular recordings of the early folk music revival. In this episode, find out why Golden Ring was a groundbr...

036 Stephen Seifert is one of the most accomplished dulcimer performers today. Possessing an impeccable command of the instrument, he's a favorite at festivals and clubs around the country and has per...

035 In this episode we feature innovative dulcimer player, teacher, and builder Joellen Lapidus. Her dulcimers are simply the most unique and beautiful dulcimers ever built. Equally impressive is Joel...

034 In this episode we feature the music and musical journey of life partners Heidi Muller and Bob Webb. Heidi and Bob are multi-instrumentalists who play original and traditional tunes. They blend ea...

033 In this episode we're playing music from Ireland, all on the mountain dulcimer, of course. With music from dulcimer players Carol Walker, Aubrey Atwater, Neal Hellman, Jonathan Dowell, Mark Gilsto...

032 In this episode, we present the stories and music of Howie Mitchell. An innovator of dulcimer building and playing in the 1950s and 60s, Howie is credited with spreading the idea of the 6 and half...

031 Celebrate the winter season with wintry seasonal music by dulcimer players John and Karen Keane, Christine Shoemaker, Stephen Seifert, Wendy Songe, Jessica Comeau, Holly Tannen, and Heidi Muller a...

030 We spoke with Richard Ash from Folkcraft Instruments about the dulcimers his company has built since 1968. With music played on Folkcraft dulcimers from Bing Futch, Stephen Seifert, John and Karen...

029 In this episode we feature dulcimer player Wendy Songe who is an award winning singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet, performer, teacher, and nationally touring musician....

028 We spoke with legendary award-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins about her good friend Richard Fariña. We also explored the importance of Judy Collins' Fifth Album in introducing the dulcimer ...

027 Dulcimer Week in the Wallowas is an annual adult music camp held over the July 4th week and is devoted to learning the mountain dulcimer. This episode is about our experience at the camp with inte...

026 From the Balkans to Scandinavia to the UK and the US, Mark Gilston, the first place winner of the 2016 National Mountain Dulcimer Championship, tells us stories behind the tunes he plays....

025 We feature the music and our conversation with Aaron O'Rourke, one of today's most innovative dulcimer players and composers. At the age of 31, Aaron has already produced an amazing amount of work...

024 For this Mother's Day, we'd like to celebrate all mothers who play dulcimer. We especially appreciate the dulcimer mothers who teach dulcimer to their children and to others. To honor all dulcimer...

023 Ed Freeman was part of the Cambridge folk music scene in the early 60s and interviewed Richard and Mimi Fariña on his radio show in 1965. We spoke with Ed about this and much more....

022 The well-known luthier Rick Turner shares personal stories about Richard and Mimi Fariña and how his luthier skills led him to become part of dulcimer history that was almost forgotten....

021 With the unusual combination of two American and one Chinese instrument, the trio AppalAsia bridge the Appalachian and Chinese music traditions to create music that is soulful, sophisticated, and ...

020 From a contemporary jazz folk original to holiday staples and medieval music, we present tunes that are joyous, reflective, and capture the essence of winter. With music by Linda Brockinton, Heidi...

019 One of the best places to hear new talent in the mountain dulcimer world is at the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship. This annual event takes place at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield,...

018 Singapore seems to have only one performing mountain dulcimer player. He's a 24 year old busker named Ivan Ng Sheng Kai. Hear what it's like to be the lone dulcimer performer in Singapore, and the...

017 This episode features stories told by Neal Hellman about celebrities who encountered the dulcimer at the Renaissance Faire....

016 On the surface, it seems that the mountain dulcimer is not an instrument created for playing the Blues. The impression of the dulcimer's sweet simple sound seems that it would be too gentle to exp...

015 Steve Eulberg is a multi-instrumentalist who plays and sings traditional songs and fiddle tunes; weaving together Celtic, Old-Time, blues, and jazz on both the mountain dulcimer and hammered dulci...

014 Neal Hellman has played the mountain dulcimer for more than 40 years and is the founder, director, and one of the primary artists on the Gourd Music record label. Gourd Music recordings are known ...

013 Linda Brockinton is known for playing a full chord fingerpicking style on the mountain dulcimer. In 2001, she was the first woman to win first place in the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship ...

012 The second in the two part celebration of Judy Klinkhammer's life. She was a well-loved dulcimer player and teacher who lived in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Many people credit Judy for introd...

011 The first of a two part celebration of Judy Klinkhammer's life. She was a well-loved dulcimer player and teacher who lived in the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. Many people credit Judy for introduci...