Hearts of the Dulcimer

This 5 minute documentary tells the tale of the mountain dulcimer boom in the 1970s in California. Featuring Michael and Howard Rugg, founders of CapriTaurus Dulcimers in Felton, California, Neal Hellman, owner of Gourd Music, Robert Force, author of In Search of the Wild Dulcimer, and Laura Devine, member of Dulcimer Girls. Written and produced by Patricia Delich and Wayne Jiang.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• dulcimer
• mountain dulcimer
• Appalachian dulcimer
• CapriTaurus
• Michael Rugg
• Howard Rugg
• Neal Hellman
• Laura Devine
• Robert Force
• Gourd Music
• folk music
• Felton
• California
• Renaissance Faire
• Santa Cruz
• Bonnie Carol
• dulcimer builder
• instrument builder
• Dulcimer Girls
• Folk Roots
• Road to Lisdoonvarna
• Tuileries
• Wellyn
• Living in the Country
• Kindred Gathering
• Richard Farina
• Judy Collins
• Joni Mitchell
• Celtic music
• dulcimer history

[dulcimuse]

Thanks to everyone for your encouraging comments. We love hearing what you think.

Starmanskye, that's a hurdy gurdy you're referring to. I don't know for sure, but I believe Michael Hubbert made it.

[starmanskye]

BTW: I'm totally captivated by the big-bodied Cello-looking dulci-thang w/ shuttlebox-looking fretboard shown hanging w/ other instruments in front of the window at 1:35. Jogs my creative juices w/ considering making a hybrid bowed-dulcimer on an old 3/4 Cello body. Just what I needed -- more wacky musical instrument ideas! But love that notion, re: Follow Your Bliss. What the world needs more of, Beautiful, creative & Peaceful Bliss-paths! Namaste!

[starmanskye]

WoW -- What a Gem of Slice-of-Life docu-vid, capturing the essence of the very BEST which folk-music is, esp. as seen thru the explosive musical revival-rennaissance scene circa the 60's & 70's Good Ol' Days and the resurgence of Mountain Dulcimers. OutSTANDING!

[ulricus1]

The dulcimer became worldwide a nice instrument. In Germany in 1976 I built my first "fretboard"-dulcimer. It was just a fretboard to clamp on a table or a door. This was built after a TV-course by John Pearse. With this my instrument building career began. The Dulcimer is a great instrument - but the Hummel (the great grandfather of the Dulcimer) too !!!

[raudiobrown]

Glad I got to be a small part of that scene. I remember how nervous I was, circa 1974, when the little band I played in started getting gigs at the Felton Guild and Club Zyante. I figured everyone who lived within two miles of Capritaurus was a better dulcimer player than I was. They may have been, but they treated me kindly anyway!

Thanks for this lovely little documentary.

[TheBonnieCarol]

Very nice!

Bonnie Carol

[rrambros]

Love it! Really peaks my interest in the instrument. or is it just for cool people? Well done. Professional.

[Strumelia]

Thank you! A great little film with so much wonderful info, people, and images. :)

My only constructive criticism is that everything flashes by too quickly to absorb- archival photos, text captions, verbal narration, setting locations, background music- all 5 things are overlapping and flying by so fast I barely have a moment to sort them out and absorb them...so it would be great if the pace were slowed down a little.

Thanks again for a great little slice of dulcimer history!

[aukezone]

fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!