“The Most Dulcimer”
The Mother of Folk, , is truly an inspiration. Jean was the youngest of 14 children and slept in one room with her nine sisters in the family’s farm house in the Cumberland Mountains of Kentucky. As a child she memorized many of the songs that would be influential during her recording career. After graduating from Cumberland College she moved to New York and began to sing her family songs on albums.
The singer and scholar (she was awarded a prestigious Fulbright scholarship) sang primarily unaccompanied folk songs. Occasionally she would play guitar or lap dulcimer. It wound up being the use of dulcimers that distinguished Ritchie from other musicians in her genre. In fact, she got the name for her 1992 album, “The Most Dulcimer,” after fans would repeatedly ask her, “Which album has the most dulcimer?”
Whenever I travel, I like to learn about the native music. Naturally, when I visited Hawaii I decided to investigate ukulele music. The friends I was staying with during my break recommended listening to the work of the late great Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo‘ole.
The first song they played for me was the ukulele medley of “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World.” I instantly recognized the song from a variety of movies and television commercials. Intrigued, I started listening to all of his albums chronologically. I particularly enjoyed how he blended other musical genres, like jazz and reggae, into his songs. Kamakawiwo‘ole died in 1997 from weight-related respiratory illness. Ten thousand people attended his funeral and he was only the third person in Hawaiian history to lie in state at the Capitol building.
The term steel guitar refers both to a type of guitar and a method of playing guitar. Steel guitars are held horizontally with strings facing up towards the player, who in turn uses a slide called “steel” above the fingerboard. In other words, the player’s fingers don’t pluck or fret the strings. Any guitar can be played in this manner, though guitars specifically built for steel guitar playing produce the best sound.
Steel guitar was popularized in Hawaii during the 19th and 20th centuries. During the 1950s and 60s the steel guitar enjoyed immense popularity. Due to its origins, the steel guitar is sometimes referred to as a Hawaiian guitar or Hawaiian steel guitar; however, in Hawaii the term Hawaiian guitar refers to a slack string guitar. It is thought that the design of the bottleneck guitar may have been inspired by steel guitar technique.
Harps have always had a strong presence in Irish society. Even today that is evidenced by the harp being present on the Irish Euro coins. Though the old Gaelic harp tradition has mostly died out, a new harp tradition has been carried through from the 19th century.
John Egan, a Dublin pedal harp maker, created an Irish harp with gut strings and semitone mechanisms like an orchestral pedal harp. The strings and soundbox were modern, though the overall shape mimicked that of its predecessor. These harps are referred to as clarsach in English, though in Ireland they are called Irish harp or clairseach. Scotland, too, experienced a revival in cultural Gaelic that resulted in a new harp design.
It’s no secret that the ukulele is most commonly associated with Hawaiian music. But, did you know that the instrument was derived from a combination of two Portuguese instruments? Two very different instruments in deed: the braguinha and the cavaquinho. There’s speculation as to how this hybrid-style instrument came to be exactly, but rumor has it that a Portuguese traveler arrived in Hawaii carrying a similar instrument, which caught the eye of the locals.
In Hawaiian, the name ukulele can be defined as “jumping flea.” There are many theories about how this instrument’s name came to be. Some include the idea that it was a trait of the traveling passenger’s demeanor or the way a players fingers jump around from string to string while playing the ukulele. Even if the origination of the ukulele and its name are still a mystery, one thing is certain – ukuleles became popular, and fast, within the Hawaiian culture.
Can you recall the controversial cinema to debut in 1972? If you guessed “Deliverance,” then your memory serves you correct. Directed by John Boorman, this film debuted the first recording of dueling banjos, or what is commonly referred to as ‘feuding banjos’ or ‘the battle of the banjos.’ The musicians behind this magic were Don Wayne Reno and Arthur Smith.
Prior to this blockbuster, both parts were played with banjos at the same speed for the entirety of the tune. But since this bluegrass banjo duet came to life in “Deliverance,” most modern-age bluegrass bands mimic the song in the key of G. However, in the movie both the guitarist and banjo players have capos on the second fret, denoting that it’s in the key of A. Maybe it’s about time to relive the bluegrass glory debuted in this movie with an at-home screening of “Deliverance.”
David Holt is a four-time Grammy Award winner is not only a musician; he is also a storyteller, historian, television host and entertainer. He has dedicated his adult life to preserving traditional American music and stories through performance on the ten acoustic instruments he plays. He has been a guest on Hee Haw, Nashville Now, at the Grand Ole Opry, and you can even see him playing in the popular film “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” starring George Clooney.
In 1968, David Holt started his musical journey in the Appalachian Mountains. He wanted to become an old-time banjo player, so he visited remote mountain communities in Kentucky and North Carolina to learn with traditional musicians. He met hundreds of mountaineers with folk music knowledge including banjoist Wade Mainer and washboard player Susie Brunson. In his career David has performed and recorded with many of his mentors such as, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, and Earl Scruggs. Today he tours solo, with Doc Watson, and with his band The Lightning Bolts.
The holidays are here and that means it’s time to head out and get our shopping done. If you’re like me then you’ve probably got a long list of friends and family to shop for. And you’re probably not looking forward to sitting in traffic, fighting crowds and standing in long lines. I know I’m not. That’s why I’ll be doing more online shopping this year. With lower shipping costs and faster delivery times, it’s easier than ever before to do our holiday gift shopping online.
Music is no exception. Young or old, everyone loves good music. When you give the gift of a musical instrument you’re helping the people you care about find self-expression and satisfaction through music. Therapeutic, rewarding and fun, learning how to play a 5 string banjo could be just what the music-lover in your life is looking for. Be a gifting superstar this year and give the gift of music. You’ll be glad you did!
With the holidays come a time of camaraderie and kinship with our family, friends and loved ones. No matter who you are or where you are, we all experience the holiday spirit at its best when we’re sharing it with the people we care about. And if your home is anything like mine there will be plenty of celebrating. With celebration comes music and that means singing and instruments. So this year, before you start playing, make sure your instrument is in top condition so you can avoid those unsavory notes or off-key tones.
Top-quality banjo strings are more affordable than what you might think. And since the holidays have finally arrived there’s no better time to get some new ones. New strings can make a world of difference when you’re playing for your friends and family this year. They can even keep you from having to worry about broken strings. There’s nothing quite so frustrating as truly enjoying the music and having a string break. So do yourself a favor this year and don’t subject yourself to the pitfalls of an out-of-shape instrument.
The bass fiddle, also known as the double bass, string bass, upright bass, bass violin or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra. The bass fiddle is a staple of Western classical music. Jazz, blues, bluegrass, country, and folk music genres also utilize the deep sound of the bass fiddle. Though many people are familiar with seeing a bass fiddle plucked, usually as part of a walking bass line in jazz music, the bass fiddle is built for bowing.
It is unclear if bass fiddles are descended from the viola de gamba or the violin, but traditionally are associated with the violin family. If you think that a bass fiddle looks like an oversized violin, you would be correct. Bass fiddle construction is nearly identical in construction to other violin family instruments. The bass has a bridge, f-holes, tailpiece, scroll, and a sound post just like a traditional violin. Despite the similarities to a violin, there is no set standard way to construct a bass fiddle, so the sound and look can vary instrument to instrument.