We are going to have a great time this year. In addition to our featured instruments, we are offering some different and unique instruments and workshops. Learn a new instrument as well as improve skills on ones you already know.
(Our “traditional folk” instruments are mountain dulcimer, hammered dulcimer, fiddle, autoharp, ukelele, guitar, banjo and mandolin.)
Here are some of the “lagniappe” (or something extra) workshops.
These workshops are available for individuals registered as “players”:
- Dulci-bro or resonator dulcimer – Steve Eulberg will show us how to play a Dulci-bro. This hybrid instrument is a cross between a dulcimer and a resonator guitar. It is a popular instrument with bluegrass and blues styles of music and gives an entirely different tone to the dulcimer — now you can play “honky-tonk” music on the dulcimer.
- Bowed Psaltery — this small “harp” or psaltery has a lot of punch. It has ancient beginnings and was mentioned in the Bible. The psaltery can be either chromatic or diatonic and is played across the strings with a small bow. Our vendor, Wayne Simms, has beautiful bowed psalteries for sale. We will offer two workshops:
- Wayne will demonstrate how to hold, care for and play a psaltery.
- Maylee Samuels will lead a “tune swap” for any one who already plays the psaltery or is beginning to learn. Bring five copies of music to share and teach (as well as your psaltery).
- Celtic Harp – Lorinda Jones plays the harp. She will teach a class in music for the harp. (Bring your harp.)
- Penny Whistle – we will have two instructors for the whistle this year. Mark Wade and Pam Kaster will offer classes of music for the whistle. Whistles will be for sale at the fête. Classes will be offered for beginners through advanced players. Learn the difference between a “D” whistle and the beautiful tones of a “low D” whistle.
New Fun Workshops for Anyone
New this year are a couple of fun workshops for dulcimer players and non-players. Anyone registered for the festival (players, jammers and non-players are welcome to attend these workshops.):
- “Birding Singing with the Expert” We are fortunate to have renowned birding pro, Doug Pratt, attending as autoharp instructor. He will lead a morning bird watch. So bring your binoculars.
- “Flat Foot Dancing” will be led by our Erynn Marshall, fiddle instructor who hails from Galax, Virginia. Flat foot dancing is a traditional, solo, percussive dance form found in Southern Appalachia. Slightly different from clogging, in flat foot dancing, dancers keep their feet close to the ground. This how-low-can-you-go style distinguishes it from the loud claps of clogging.
- Tabl-Edit Computer Software workshops will be led by Jak Stallings, Lagniappe Club member. He will demonstrate how to make dulcimer tablature and music notation on the computer. If you ever wanted to learn how to write down your dulcimer music in tablature form, this is the software to use and the person to show you how. Jak is a pro at this. Bring you laptop to these workshops.
- “Sacred harp singing” will be led by Margaret Wright and is open to anyone who likes to sing. This old-style of singing uses “shape notes” rather than actual notes on the score to show the pitches of the notes. Soprano, alto, tenor and bass parts make up the arrangement. Many old-time hymnals used this style of music and it is still prevalent today in Old Order Mennonite communities such as this one close to Dayton, Virginia.
Dulcimer Jambalaya 