"Meet the Hammered Dulcimer" with Rick Thum

Saturday , October 18, 2003
10:30 am - 1:30 pm
Location:
workshop ($35)

This workshop is for anyone who has ever thought that you might like to play a hammered dulcimer but didn't know where to start. Instruments will be furnished. You will learn how it works and where the notes are and why. You will also learn your first real tune and how to embellish it. We will also talk about the care and feeding of the hammered dulcimer and what to look for in purchasing an instrument.

Rick Thum taught himself to play the guitar at age twelve and played the trumpet in his high school band. Throughout high school and college Rick played in rock bands, eventually playing regularly on the upper deck of the Admiral in St. Louis. While raising his family, Rick directed his church choir. Rick's interest in traditional music was sparked when he bought a hammered dulcimer on a whim and found himself in a three-piece folk band. In 1991 Rick became co-owner of a large Midwestern acoustic instrument shop. He placed first at the 1994 Southwest Regional Dulcimer Contest and third in the 1995 National Championship in Winfield, Kansas. At the prestigious Evart Dulcimer Funfest, the oldest and largest dulcimer fest in the nation, Rick was voted Best Performer and Favorite Teacher in 1995, '96, and '97. He has shared stages with The Tony Rice Unit, Steve Kaufman, Norman Blake, and Bryan Bowers and opened for John Hartford, Norman & Nancy Blake, and Leo Kottke. Rick is the founding member of the Cabin Fever String Band and travels across the country playing solo and teaching at music festivals. He currently has two recordings "Hammered Fiddle Tunes" and "A Reason to Dance". Rick has written and Mel Bay Publishing Inc. has released, in book form, "Hammered Fiddle Tunes" and they plan to release "A Reason to Dance" soon.

Check out recordings we carry featuring Rick Thum