Members of the Athens rock group R.E.M played one. So did Cyndi Lauper and even Joni Mitchell.
What instrument other than the guitar could these eclectic acts have in common? They all shared a desire for the simplicity of the dulcimer — a stringed harp-like instrument that is traditionally played in one’s lap.
And nearly 400 of these dulcimer players will attend the dulcimer convention at the North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association Fall Festival at Unicoi State Park, taking place Thursday through Nov. 18.
"It’s a very basic kind of instrument, but it has a lot of styles," said Bob Thomason, who has been playing the dulcimer for 26 years.
"The first time I saw one was in the late ’60s or early ’70s when I saw Joni Mitchell play one on television," Thomason said.
And soon after learning of the dulcimer, Thomason began to master the instrument. He’s even been building them in his workshop near Helen for 25 years.
Thomason ran a stringed instrument shop in Helen for 20 years, but now makes most of his ers out of his home between Cleveland and Helen. He said he typically fashions the instruments out of thin pieces of walnut wood to produce not only a vibrant, rich sound, but also a craft that’s beautiful to look at.
The instrument maker has become a dulcimer connoisseur of sorts, and he often performs at Unicoi State Park during the summers and teaches dulcimer-building workshops at North Georgia College through the continuing education program. His next dulcimer-building workshop will take place in the spring.
"It’s a very easy instrument," said Jason Kenney, who teaches dulcimer lessons at Vintage Musical Instruments in Dahlonega. "For a musician, you can pretty much master the instrument in an hour. But there’s lots of intricacies that could take years to get down," Kenney said.
The dulcimer is set up similarly to the white keys on a piano, which makes it less difficult to see the octave intervals than on most stringed instruments. Although chords can be played on the dulcimer, traditionally only one note is played at a time, making it a good portable song-writing instrument, Kenney said.
"You tune it to what key you want to play in, so that makes it easy," he said. "You don’t have to think about how to play an F sharp on the dulcimer. It’s pretty hard to hit a bad note."
As a lightweight instrument that is easy to play, the dulcimer has regained popular appeal in recent years — although it has been a mainstay in bluegrass music since the 19th century. It is often used to accompany banjos or singers.
Thomason said the dulcimer has played a big role in Appalachian music culture and has roots that go back to the Dutch, Irish and Scotch ancestors that settled in Appalachia during the 1700s. The dulcimer is derived from an instrument introduced to the Americas by the Pennsylvania Dutch, called the scheitholt.
"The Scotch-Irish took that instrument and transformed it into the dulcimer we know today," Thomason said. "The Scotch-Irish actually came up with the word dulcimer, it’s an English word that they found in the book of Daniel in the King James Bible."
Thomason said the dulcimer has certainly been around since Colonial times, and the oldest one he’s ever put his hands on was made in 1830.
The dulcimer was a popular folk instrument in the 1700s and 1800s in eastern Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, the western part of North Carolina and Virginia.
"It wasn’t a formal instrument like a violin or something, it was more of a regional thing," he said.
The dulcimer was brought to Georgia around the time settlers were shifting around in the Southeast as the Cherokee were relocated, opening up land in Georgia in the early 19th century.
"People did come from all over and they brought with them the things they knew from where they came from. It certainly did make its way here, but it wasn’t as predominant as it was in the southern mountain regions," Thomason said.
Men often made dulcimers for their wives or girlfriends, so they could sing to their children or family members as they played, he added.
"It’s everywhere now… but at the time it was used more for a personal instrument, it was not something people used to perform with,"
Thomason said. "It’s very quiet, and people would often play it in their lap on the front porch."
The newly regained popularity of the dulcimer is evidenced by the growing size of the North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association. With more than 500 members, it’s the largest dulcimer club in the country.
"I think it was a forgotten instrument for many years," said Mike Van Demark, director of the NGFDA Fall Festival dulcimer convention. "It didn’t become popular again until the ’70s and ’80s, when folk singers started using it again."
But dulcimer players and instructors will travel from 17 states to participate in the Fall Festival at Unicoi State Park to celebrate the folk instrument. Some will play the traditional Appalachian lap dulcimer, while others will play the hammer dulcimer or the new bowed dulcimer adaptation, which is played almost like a cello. The inventor of the bowed dulcimer is scheduled to attend the Fall Festival.
Although the workshop has reached capacity, Van Demark said tickets still remain for the Friday and Saturday evening concerts, where Bob Thomason will perform among many others.
Van Demark encourages families to try their hand at the dulcimer over the weekend.
"We’re very tolerant of everybody’s level of playing," he said. "If you don’t play great that’s OK, play with us anyway. We just want you to play."Thomason ran a stringed instrument shop in Helen for 20 years, but now makes most of his ers out of his home between Cleveland and Helen. He said he typically fashions the instruments out of thin pieces of walnut wood to produce not only a vibrant, rich sound, but also a craft that’s beautiful to look at.
The instrument maker has become a dulcimer connoisseur of sorts, and he often performs at Unicoi State Park during the summers and teaches dulcimer-building workshops at North Georgia College through the continuing education program. His next dulcimer-building workshop will take place in the spring.
"It’s a very easy instrument," said Jason Kenney, who teaches dulcimer lessons at Vintage Musical Instruments in Dahlonega. "For a musician, you can pretty much master the instrument in an hour. But there’s lots of intricacies that could take years to get down," Kenney said.
The dulcimer is set up similarly to the white keys on a piano, which makes it less difficult to see the octave intervals than on most stringed instruments. Although chords can be played on the dulcimer, traditionally only one note is played at a time, making it a good portable song-writing instrument, Kenney said.
"You tune it to what key you want to play in, so that makes it easy," he said. "You don’t have to think about how to play an F sharp on the dulcimer. It’s pretty hard to hit a bad note."
As a lightweight instrument that is easy to play, the dulcimer has regained popular appeal in recent years — although it has been a mainstay in bluegrass music since the 19th century. It is often used to accompany banjos or singers.
Thomason said the dulcimer has played a big role in Appalachian music culture and has roots that go back to the Dutch, Irish and Scotch ancestors that settled in Appalachia during the 1700s. The dulcimer is derived from an instrument introduced to the Americas by the Pennsylvania Dutch, called the scheitholt.
"The Scotch-Irish took that instrument and transformed it into the dulcimer we know today," Thomason said. "The Scotch-Irish actually came up with the word dulcimer, it’s an English word that they found in the book of Daniel in the King James Bible."
Thomason said the dulcimer has certainly been around since Colonial times, and the oldest one he’s ever put his hands on was made in 1830.
The dulcimer was a popular folk instrument in the 1700s and 1800s in eastern Tennessee, eastern Kentucky, the western part of North Carolina and Virginia.
"It wasn’t a formal instrument like a violin or something, it was more of a regional thing," he said.
The dulcimer was brought to Georgia around the time settlers were shifting around in the Southeast as the Cherokee were relocated, opening up land in Georgia in the early 19th century.
"People did come from all over and they brought with them the things they knew from where they came from. It certainly did make its way here, but it wasn’t as predominant as it was in the southern mountain regions," Thomason said.
Men often made dulcimers for their wives or girlfriends, so they could sing to their children or family members as they played, he added.
"It’s everywhere now… but at the time it was used more for a personal instrument, it was not something people used to perform with,"
Thomason said. "It’s very quiet, and people would often play it in their lap on the front porch."
The newly regained popularity of the dulcimer is evidenced by the growing size of the North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association. With more than 500 members, it’s the largest dulcimer club in the country.
"I think it was a forgotten instrument for many years," said Mike Van Demark, director of the NGFDA Fall Festival dulcimer convention. "It didn’t become popular again until the ’70s and ’80s, when folk singers started using it again."
But dulcimer players and instructors will travel from 17 states to participate in the Fall Festival at Unicoi State Park to celebrate the folk instrument. Some will play the traditional Appalachian lap dulcimer, while others will play the hammer dulcimer or the new bowed dulcimer adaptation, which is played almost like a cello. The inventor of the bowed dulcimer is scheduled to attend the Fall Festival.
Although the workshop has reached capacity, Van Demark said tickets still remain for the Friday and Saturday evening concerts, where Bob Thomason will perform among many others.
Van Demark encourages families to try their hand at the dulcimer over the weekend.
"We’re very tolerant of everybody’s level of playing," he said. "If you don’t play great that’s OK, play with us anyway. We just want you to play."