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| "Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto Him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto Him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise!" - Psalm 33:2,3
I welcome the opportunity to introduce people to my unusual instruments! They have brought me great joy, and enabled me to bring joy to others. Be sure to click on "Links" for more information on builders, discussion groups, etc. You can see these instruments by clicking on "Recordings" on the left, under "Resonance: Songs for the Soul."
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| The autoharps I play have 37 strings which are tuned to either a diatonic or chromatic scale. Chords and individual melody notes are obtained by depressing the appropriate chord button and then strumming or plucking the desired note(s). On the back of my first custom instrument, made by George Orthey, is woodburned my music verse: "...upon the harp will I praise Thee, O God, my God." (Psalm 43:4). That was the inspiration for my domain name. Since then, I have acquired four more autoharps: one made by the late Mark Fackeldey, another made by George Orthey for his late wife, Mary Lou, and two that I won in contests, in 2000 made by Tom Fladmark and in 2005 made by Pete D'Aigle.
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| The bowed psaltery comes in all sizes, but the one I play, made by Richard Spencer of Omega Strings, has 37 strings. It is played with a bow (I use two!), drawn across the string between the hitch pins, producing a sound described by many as "haunting and ethereal." I play my instrument mounted on a camera tripod, as it is too big to support on my lap. The lowest note sounds much like a cello.
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| The hammered dulcimer also comes in various sizes, but the one I play was made by Ed Hale and has 16 bass courses and 15 treble courses, a total of 62 strings stretched from side to side. The courses are struck with wooded hammers or mallets, producing a beautiful sound that more than offsets the minor hassle of tuning all of those strings! This instrument was *given* to me, a very direct answer to prayer! The gentleman who gave it to me confessed that he wasn't that pleased with the sound because it was "too ringy" for the kind of music he played, which was fast-paced celtic jigs and fiddle tunes. I just had to marvel! That "ringiness" is the very thing that makes it perfectly suited to the kind of music I love to play, which is hymns and Gospel songs! I am hoping some day to get an extended-range instrument; I'm always running out of those low notes!
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| The mountain dulcimer, also known as the lap or applachian dulcimer, is believed to be one of the few truly indigenous American instruments, originating in the Appalachians. Mine was made by Bob Schepis of Allenwood Dulcimers, patterning the soundhole after a pendant symbolizing "Faith, Hope, and Love." I play in myxolydian tuning, sometimes with flatpick strumming, sometimes with fingerpicked melodies. Its dronal quality is reminiscent of the bagpipe. I also play its hybrid cousin, the banjimer, also made by Bob Schepis of Allenwood Dulcimers.
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