Cover of DPN Vol. 4 No. 2 (1978) featuring a picture of the dulcimer owned by Paul Robinson.

Shape Notes: Finding ‘do’ on the Fretted Dulcimer

Compiled by Fiona Potts | This feature is an assortment of articles from the DPN Archives, all centered around fretboards, shape notes, and tunings. Though not originally connected in any way, together they illustrate both the interconnectedness of the people and events during the decades that Maddie MacNeil was the editor of DPN...
May 6, 2024Posted inVol. 50 No. 2
Ralph Lee Smith on the cover of DPN Vol. 8 No. 3.

Ralph Lee Smith

By Cathy Sabol, from the DPN Archives Vol. 8 No. 3 (1982) | McDougal Street, Greenwich Village, New York, 1956. The folk music revival was in full swing, and the Folklore Center was selling dulcimers 'imported' from North Carolina for $30.00 a piece. Ralph Lee Smith, freelance writer and player of the harmonica, guitar, banjo, and bones, decided to invest in this strange instrument. Fortunately it came tuned. ...
May 6, 2024Posted inMountain Dulcimer Tales and Traditions, Vol. 50 No. 2
Sam Rizzetta: Showing you the tools 

Sam Rizzetta: Showing you the tools 

Compiled by Fiona Potts | I wanted to share Sam Rizzetta's story in his own words – first with excerpts from Maddie MacNeil's interview of him in Vol. 9 No. 1 (1983) (we adapted the cover of that issue for this anniversary issue), followed by selections from his "The Answer Column" and "Technical Dulcimer" columns through the years....
May 6, 2024Posted inVol. 50 No. 2
Vincent Farsetta playing the dulcimer he made for himself, which he used while recording for John Lomax III's upcoming album "Lomax on Lomax." Photo by Linda Paulus. — Dulcimer Players News

Profile: Vincent Farsetta

By Linda Paulus | Vincent Farsetta didn't start life in the mountain places that eventually would infuse his soul. He was born just thirty miles from New York City while Jean Richie and Alan Lomax were jumpstarting urban interest in the Appalachian dulcimer, and where folk music waves were washing over, around, and through Greenwich Village...
May 6, 2024Posted inVol. 50 No. 2
Jean and Lee Schilling, who ran the Folk Life Center of the Smokies and hosted the Cosby Dulcimer Convention, were featured on the cover of Maddie MacNeil's first issue as the sole editor. She wrote a short piece about them and included the arrangement "Mountain Sky" from Jean. From the DPN Archives Vol. 5 No. 1 (1979).

Gatherings: Jean and Lee Schilling

Jean and Lee Schilling, who ran the Folk Life Center of the Smokies and hosted the Cosby Dulcimer Convention, were featured on the cover of Maddie MacNeil's first issue as the sole editor. She wrote a short piece about them and included the arrangement "Mountain Sky" from Jean. I am reprinting them here, followed by some festival reports and a few of my favorite vintage ads.
May 6, 2024Posted inMountain Dulcimer Arrangement, Vol. 50 No. 2