Photo by Robert Ray

My Dulcimer

Whenever Eric and I pass through Black Mountain, North Carolina, we stop at a shop called Song of the Wood to play dulcimers and listen to music. On one trip, one of Jerry Read Smith’s Grande Concertmaster dulcimers was in the shop. Once I had played it, I asked to be added to the list of people who were waiting for Jerry to build them one. Fifteen months later (just a few weeks too late for me to play it at our wedding), we went to Black Mountain to pick up the finished product.

The Grande Concertmaster is 4 1/2 octaves, and is nearly fully chromatic – which is why I can play pieces like the Satie Gnossienne on it. It features a soundboard of African Mahogany. Other woods include Rock Maple, Rosewood, and Curly Maple. Jerry handcrafts each of his instruments from scratch. They are well worth the wait. I hope you’ll enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoy playing it.