Dulcimer Maker: The Craft of Homer Ledford

by R. Gerald Alvey

Overview

Dulcimer making has long been considered an art. The exquisite design is also functional, and the best instruments sound as beautiful as they look. Homer Ledford, a legend among dulcimer makers, is known for his innovative but traditional craftsmanship. A biography and a step-by-step guide to dulcimer making, this classic book illuminates and celebrates the work of a master craftsman, musician, and folk artist. This new edition presents a foreword by Ron Pen, director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music at the University of Kentucky, and an enlightening afterword featuring a conversation with Ledford. In an era when Americans are rediscovering their musical roots, Dulcimer Maker offers a unique look at a bluegrass legend.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813184142
Publisher:	University Press of Kentucky
Publication date:	10/21/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Ron Pen, associate professor of music and director of the John Jacob Niles Center for American Music and the Appalachian Studies Program at the University of Kentucky, is the editor of The Ballad Book of John Jacob Niles and of Jean Ritchie’s Folk Songs of the Southern Appalachians.

Editorial Reviews

One of the best luthiery biographies to be published in recent memory and a must-read for fans of the mountain dulcimer.

Sing Out!

There is a certain amount of how-to in the book (thank goodness someone cared enough to keep the written log) and even more who-does, but for musicians the core of this tribute and testament is the music-making instrument itself, the sound-in-the-ear as well as the visual object itself, which are both works of art.

Rockland (ME) Courier-Gazette

Even if you don't know a dulcimer from a dobro, this is a fine biography in its own rights, a slice of real life profiling an innovative master of his craft and practicing musician.

Pegram (TN) Advocate

Goes well beyond the numerous scholarly and technical articles written over the years about the dulcimer. Ledford's comments complement Alvey's writing and the fine photographs.

Choice

"Even if you don't know a dulcimer from a dobro, this is a fine biography in its own rights, a slice of real life profiling an innovative master of his craft and practicing musician." -- Pegram (TN) Advocate

"Goes well beyond the numerous scholarly and technical articles written over the years about the dulcimer. Ledford's comments complement Alvey's writing and the fine photographs." -- Choice

"One of the best luthiery biographies to be published in recent memory and a must-read for fans of the mountain dulcimer." -- Sing Out!

"There is a certain amount of how-to in the book (thank goodness someone cared enough to keep the written log) and even more who-does, but for musicians the core of this tribute and testament is the music-making instrument itself, the sound-in-the-ear as well as the visual object itself, which are both works of art." -- Rockland (ME) Courier-Gazette

From the Publisher