Song List
Wildwood Flower
Soldiers Joy
Mississippi Sawyer
Lynchburg Town
Angelina Baker
Mister Moon
Rocky Top
Gray Cat on a Tennessee Farm
Fly Around My Pretty Little Miss
Bile Them Cabbage Down
Old Joe Clark
Tennessee Waltz
Amazing Grace
Forked Deer
Oh! Susannah
Waterbound
Sugar Hill
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Joy to the World
Silent Night
Pretty Betty Martin
Okechobee Grass
Cucharin's Cross
Nail That Catfish to a Tree
Muss I Denn
Groundhog
Shaving a Dead Man
Beech Spring
Flop Eared Mule
Ten Thousand Charms
Do Lord
Little Liza Jane
Whiskey Before Breakfast

Dulcimer Players News
Augusta Heritage Ctr.
Ozark Folk Center
Digital Tradition
Dulcimer Theory
Knoxville Club
North Georgia Club
Waverly, TN Club
Kansas City Club
Dulcimer Tab

Newsletter Archive
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001

Club News!!

• Dulcimer Day is right around the corner - Sunday, May 19!!!!!! Please plan on attending this Sunday's (April 21) meeting! We will rehearse our set list and make final plans for the day. This is our Fourth Annual Grand Old Dulcimer Day and each one has been better than the one before. We need everyone's help to make this one the best!!. You can find links here to several of the pieces of music we will be playing. Click on the titles in the song list at the left. We will be playing Oh Susannah, You Are My Sunshine, Forked Deer, Whiskey Before Breakfast, Little Liza Jane and Do Lord.
• The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is supporting us in a great way this year. They are donating the Hatch Show Print posters for Dulcimer Day!! Thank You!!!!!
• There will be a special celebration of Thomas Hart Benton's work at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on April 27-28. The focus will be on the Sources of Country Music mural which prominently features a dulcimer player! Sandy Conatser and Sarah Musgrave will be playing in the Rotunda in front of the mural at 4:00 on Saturday the 27th. There will be children's activities and special admission rates on the 27th. Sunday the 28th will feature a panel discussion and documentary and a performance by Porkbelly Futures (featuring Tracy Hackney on dulcimer!). Call the museum for more details and times.
• Club member, David Shupe, will be playing mandola with the Nashville Mandolin Ensemble performance at Columbia State Community College in Columbia on Saturday night, May 18th at 7 p.m. Program will include music from Bach to Bill Monroe to the Beatles and Beyond!
• Don't forget the Three Rivers Festival in Waverly, TN, on April 26-27. Click Here for general information and Click Here for a schedule of Saturday's events. You can email Anita for more information!

Getting to Know Us: Donna Harvey

Club profiles by Zada Law

Like a garden in spring, the Grand Old Dulcimer Club grows and grows! This month we're pleased to talk with a familiar face in our playing circle, Donna Harvey. Donna learned about our club through the internet, so it was appropriate that we talked via e-mail. Here's our cyber-conversation.

When did you start playing the dulcimer? I bought a dulcimer in the Fall of 2000 and just fiddled around with it until I figured out how to play.
What inspired you to play the mountain dulcimer? I have several reasons; one, because I like the beautiful sound; two, the heritage behind the instrument (being that it's somewhat regional and people seemed intrigued by it); and three, it seems easier to play than most other instruments I tried, and it's not hard to transport.
When did you first hear a mountain dulcimer? I can't think of a specific situtation. It seems that from growing up in the south and my visits to the Smoky Mountains as a child, I heard it and saw it somewhere along the way and knew I loved the sound, but didn't quite pay attention to what it was. It was just sort of always in the background somewhere. It's kind've of like growing up in Nashville and never really paying much attention to Country Music even though it's the Country Music Capital of the World. However, my musical taste has greatly expanded since I was a child. I think that is what opened me up to noticing and becoming more interested in what I was unconsciously being exposed to. The dulcimer grabbed my undivided attention when I saw the dulcimer club playing at the Ellington Agriculture Center. Also, while looking for a class to take at Nashville Tech, the Dulcimer class caught my eye. Unfortunately, the class didn't have enough participants, but from then on out, I just had to have a dulcimer. So my search began.
Did you buy a dulcimer right away? I wanted to rent a dulcimer before buying to see if I would stay attached, but I found that the music stores around here didn't have them for rent or even for sale. So I started searching the internet and ran across an instrument auction site. I was the only bidder and was able to get a great deal!! I got a Cripple Creek dulcimer from a girl out in San Franciso, CA who said it had been in her closet for 12 years and thought it was a shame not to put it to good use. Well it's certainly being put to good use now.
How did you learn to play? I've been teaching myself and learning from other club members. Sometimes I just try to pick out tunes on my own or play along with songs I like on CDs.
How many dulcimers do you have? Just one now.I'd like to get a McSpadden eventually.
Do you play any other instruments? I had 4 years of piano lessons growing up and took a few guitar lessons.
Do other members of your family play the dulcimer? No. My family isn't much of a musical family, but they do enjoy listening. I had a grandmother who played the violin in her school orchestra and an uncle who played the guitar. I inherited the violin (which needs some refurbishing) but haven't taken it up yet. I'm just trying to concentrate on the dulcimer now.
Are you involved with other musical ensembles or clubs? Yes. I sing with the NISD singers (Nashville Irish Step Dancers). I take voice lessons from Mary Moran. She also teaches Irish Step Dancing at NISD, which I did take for a while. I've also sung with our church choir, which I hope to pick back up again soon.
What type of music do you like to play on the dulcimer? That's a difficult question because I like everything. I haven't learned how to play many songs other than the Club Songs, but would like to learn some Celtic tunes and some contemporary music.
Have you been influenced by certain performers or regional styles of music? The dulcimer club as been a good influence! I really like the style of Allison Krauss. She has been a good influence in getting me interested in Bluegrass. Some of my other favorite artists have been Jewel and Carol King.
Do you write music or compete in contests? I've written some songs just for fun, but never really taken it that seriously. I think I would like to compete in the future after I had some songs and become more confident in playing.
What do you do when you're not playing the dulcimer? So much to do and so little time! I work as a legal secretary for the Supreme Court of Tennessee here in Nashville. I enjoy working out at the YMCA, riding my mountain bike, playing tennis, reading, or whatever else might catch my interest on any given day. I'm also the mother of a 17-year-old son who keeps me busy with his activities as well. My son is a very good baseball player, was a City Champ in wrestling in Junior High, and at one time competed in Roller Blade competitions. He'll be starting college next year, but hasn't yet decided where.
Do you have any other hobbies? I'll be getting married in October of 2003, so wedding planning is becoming my hobby. I've taken up paper making and embossing so I can make homemade invitations. I am having an Autumn/Dulcimer themed wedding so I'm hoping to find some dulcimer players who will want to play at my reception next year - hint, hint. :). My fiance is from Buffalo, New York, and has been here for about eight years. He came here to work as a buyer for Bridgestone Firestone and likes fly fishing and golf. I'm very fortunate to have all my immediate family members living here in Nashville. I have two brothers and two sisters who are all married with children, so I have lots of nieces and nephews.