Hearts of the Dulcimer

The Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast explores the mountain dulcimer's past, present, and future. If you like mountain dulcimers, this is the podcast for you.

The End 01/29/2023

The End 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. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/25763901

Dulcimer Originals 01/16/2023

Dulcimer Originals 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 Giger, Aubrey Atwater, Neal Walters, Christine Shoemaker, Holly Tannen, and Ken Bloom. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/25616997

Ashley Ernst, Publisher and Owner of Dulcimer Players News 11/24/2022

Ashley Ernst, Publisher and Owner of Dulcimer Players News 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 since 1975. With music from both hammered and mountain dulcimer musicians. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/25122576

New York, New York 07/25/2022

New York, New York 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. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/23855469

Early Music and the Mountain Dulcimer 03/13/2022

Early Music and the Mountain Dulcimer 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 the temperament of Early Music. With music from Howie Mitchell, Holly Tannen, and Jessica Comeau. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/22428905

A Winter Miracle 12/08/2021

A Winter Miracle 055 Special announcement from Hearts of the Dulcimer Podcast. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/21416585

Fiddle Tune Stories with The Bach and Beethoven Experience 11/25/2021

Fiddle Tune Stories with The Bach and Beethoven Experience 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 spoke with fiddler Brandi Berry Benson and dulcimer player Keith Collins, who have their feet firmly grounded in the classical and traditional music worlds. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/21286925

Fiddle Tune Stories with Pam Weeks 10/25/2021

Fiddle Tune Stories with Pam Weeks 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 specific places, events, or people. In this and the next episode, we’ll bring you the backstories of some of these fiddle tunes. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/20934650

Grant Olson Dulcimer Explorer 08/30/2021

Grant Olson Dulcimer Explorer 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 Walnut Valley Music Festival in Winfield, Kansas. In addition to playing the dulcimer, Grant also composes his own music. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/20309576

The Sweet Harmonies of Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly 05/10/2021

The Sweet Harmonies of Aubrey Atwater and Elwood Donnelly 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 vocals as well as being multi-instrumentalists. The amazing array of instruments they play include old-time banjo, tin whistle, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, limberjacks, feet, and of course, mountain dulcimer. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/19054799

Jim and Betty Woods: The Longtime Owners of McSpadden Dulcimers 02/05/2021

Jim and Betty Woods: The Longtime Owners of McSpadden Dulcimers 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 the reputation of McSpadden Dulcimers. In 2020, Jim and Betty transferred ownership of McSpadden Dulcimers. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/17838425

Stay Home and Sing with the Dulcimer: with Aubrey Atwater 12/29/2020

Stay Home and Sing with the Dulcimer: with Aubrey Atwater 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. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/17362253

Stay Home and Play Dulcimer: with Heidi Muller and Bob Webb 05/17/2020

Stay Home and Play Dulcimer: with Heidi Muller and Bob Webb 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. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/14450432

Stay Home and Play Dulcimer: with Stephen Seifert 04/10/2020

Stay Home and Play Dulcimer: with Stephen Seifert 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 for what dulcimer players can do to help improve their playing while they’re staying at home. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/13928504

The Deep Sounds of Neal and Coleen Walters 03/25/2020

The Deep Sounds of Neal and Coleen Walters E046 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 autoharp playing. Also featuring music from The Mill Run Dulcimer Band and Doofus. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/13694276

Nina Zanetti: The Gentle Side of the Dulcimer 01/25/2020

Nina Zanetti: The Gentle Side of the Dulcimer 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. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/12880811

Dulcimer Lullabies 10/23/2019

Dulcimer Lullabies 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 we are. In this episode you’ll hear lullabies played by dulcimer players David Schnaufer, Molly McCormack, Neal Walters, Aubrey Atwater, Dusty Turtle, Jessica Comeau, Stephen Seifert, Carol Walker, Kevin Roth, Lorinda Jones, and Duane Porterfield. With commentary by lullabologist Julia Soto Lebentritt. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/11756045

A Children’s Music Special 08/01/2019

A Children’s Music Special 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 and places. With music from dulcimer players Heidi Muller, Bob Webb, Molly McCormack, Kevin Roth, Aubrey Atwater, Joellen Lapidus, Rick Scott, and John Elwood. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/10734221

The Multifaceted Bonnie Carol and Max Krimmel 06/01/2019

The Multifaceted Bonnie Carol and Max Krimmel 042 Meet Bonnie Carol and Max Krimmel, multi-instrumentalists and the builders of the well-known and loved Bonnie Carol Dulcimers. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/10005869

The Healing Dulcimer 04/01/2019

The Healing Dulcimer 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 about how they use the mountain dulcimer to help those in need. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/9214445

The Orchestral Dulcimer 02/01/2019

The Orchestral Dulcimer 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 Mark's concertos as the dulcimer soloist. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/8483750

The Winter Holiday Dulcimer 2018 12/10/2018

The Winter Holiday Dulcimer 2018 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 Zanetti, Aubrey Atwater, and Christine Shoemaker. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/7857512

3 Stories and 3 Tunes from Heidi Muller and Bob Webb 11/16/2018

3 Stories and 3 Tunes from Heidi Muller and Bob Webb 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 us the stories behind each of these three tunes. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/7587800

Golden Ring: A Gathering of Friends for Making Music 08/29/2018

Golden Ring: A Gathering of Friends for Making Music 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 groundbreaking album for the mountain dulcimer. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6983918

The Many Modes of Stephen Seifert 06/29/2018

The Many Modes of Stephen Seifert 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 performed as a soloist on his mountain dulcimer with symphony orchestras. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6758316

The Dulcimer Adventures of Joellen Lapidus 05/31/2018

The Dulcimer Adventures of Joellen Lapidus 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 Joellen's rhythmically sophisticated dulcimer playing. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6652470

Heidi Muller and Bob Webb: Music with a Purpose 04/11/2018

Heidi Muller and Bob Webb: Music with a Purpose 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 each other's influences that reach from the Pacific Northwest to the Appalachian Mountains. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6467662

An Irish Music Special 02/19/2018

An Irish Music Special 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 Gilston, Linda Brockinton, Gary Gallier, Molly McCormack, Lorinda Jones, and Larry and Elaine Conger. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6276670

The Legendary Howie Mitchell 01/13/2018

The Legendary Howie Mitchell 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 fret, the DAD Mixolydian tuning, and the chord melody style of playing dulcimer starting in the late 1950s. All three of these ideas caught on in the dulcimer world and for many players is the standard way of playing dulcimer. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6146409

The Winter Holiday Dulcimer 2017 12/15/2017

The Winter Holiday Dulcimer 2017 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 and Bob Webb. /episode/index/show/dulcimuse/id/6050334

Hearts of the Dulcimer

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