John Aldon Utz plays and sings Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Many of these are original compositions written for the Mountain Dulcimer.
I do this out of my great love for God and my response to Biblical imperatives:
Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
“Music does bring people together. It allows us to experience the same emotions. People everywhere are the same in heart and spirit. No matter what language we speak, what color we are, the form of our politics or the expression of our love and our faith, music proves: We are the same.” ~ John Denver
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” ~ Ludwig van Beethoven
HISTORY OF THE MOUNTAIN DULCIMER
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May This Day Be
May this day be a time for action.
May this day be a time for joy.
One day is but of life a fraction,
Which we must fill and not destroy.
Refrain:
We are called to seek the Master
And walk with Him life's narrow way;
Each soul can walk, slowly or faster
And by their love our Lord portray.
©2012 John Aldon Utz
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The Ballad of Charlie & Clareen
(Tune: Southwind)
Gather round me and list' as I tell you a tale,
of a love that was haunting but true.
From the north came Clareen, aye, the sweetest colleen,
and the south bid Prince Charlie adieu.
Refrain:
And the Southwind blows always steady and strong,
o'er the heather and sea.
The Southwind knows that all Irish long
for a land and people free.
From Clareen's red hair to her sparkling green eyes,
to the tips of her long dainty toes,
all attract the young lads for to sue for her hand,
came Prince Charlie in love's longing throes.
Ah, she sees him there with his curly brown hair;
his smile pierced her heart to the core.
Upon one knee, will you marry me;
Charlie pledged to love and adore.
Clareen said yes, I will marry thee,
though the way be long and hard.
For our families, dear, are estranged from fear,
due to hatred's blight we're scarred.
Clareen and Charlie were lost one day,
and nary a soul knows whether,
they lived alone in the land they loved,
or died midst the purple heather.
©2012 John Aldon Utz
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Corn Creek
Down by Corn Creek where I was born
quite early one dark summer's morn,
old Doc' Baker told Dad I'd die
before the sunrise caught his eye.
Chorus:
Corn Creek ripples by our village,
listens as we live each day;
hears the songs sung, sees the deeds done
in its waters memories stay!
Growing up here in our small town
with one street and dogs all around,
a sawmill too and general store
we had fun 'mid kinfolks galore!
The town folks were of Irish stock
descended from Dublin's sure rock.
Those pioneers saw Corn Creek flow
and knew this was where they must go!
In those waters, we fished and swam
and baptized in Jesus the Lamb
and we peered from the Byrneville bridge
to catch a glimpse of lover's ridge.
©2012 John Aldon Utz
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John's Audio Files
These files are all original compositions.
https://userfiles-secure.educatorpages.com/userfiles/favoritewebsites/Music/Abba Father.mp3
https://userfiles-secure.educatorpages.com/userfiles/favoritewebsites/Music/Hearken to Emanuel.mp3
https://userfiles-secure.educatorpages.com/userfiles/favoritewebsites/Music/Holiday Gifts.mp3
https://userfiles-secure.educatorpages.com/userfiles/favoritewebsites/Music/No L's.mp3
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Singing a song written by Sam Stone, Indiana Composer,
Dulcimer Player, Mentor and Dear Friend
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Singing an 1868 post Civil War song called Capt Jinks of the Horse Marines
Read about it here: http://www.liucedarswampcollection.org/template1/jinks.html
https://lyricsplayground.com/alpha/songs/c/captainjinksofthehorsemarines.html
And Listen to it here:
https://userfiles-secure.educatorpages.com/userfiles/favoritewebsites/Music/Captain Jinks.mp3
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John's Favorite Dulcimer Websites
http://www.corydondulcimersociety.com
Corydon Dulcimer Society, 20thANNIVERSARY Party
https://photos.app.goo.gl/jUaf6y5wRjKTrWe4A
20thANNIVERSARY, photos by Denise
https://photos.app.goo.gl/FinYxNTXmW3gDExC8
Playing with CDS at Lanesville Heritage Festival and at Beck's Mill near
CDS Spring Mill State Park Picnic and Playing at Maple Syrup Festival
CDS at Corydon's Farmer's Market CDS in Period Dress
"Light-Up Corydon" kicks off the Christmas Season in Corydon, Indiana
(I am on your right, 3rd row, in front of the double bass)
http://www.traditionalmusic.co.uk
https://tinyurl.com/Free-Dulcimer-Tabs
https://prairiedulcimerclub.com
Friends Of The Mountain Dulcimer https://fotmd.com
FREE DULCIMER LESSONS - by Bradley Laird http://www.bradleylaird.com/dulcimer/
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Spoons and Other Weird Appalachian Instruments
That weird sound you hear in your favorite Appalachian tune? It’s probably weirder than you think! Appalachian music— which includes bluegrass, oldtime, folk and more— is one of West Virginia’s most unique features. Its roots go back to early backcountry settlers who brought their passed-down tunes from Ireland, Scotland and England here to the hills with simple instruments. Those instruments are fascinating. They all needed to be basic, easy to build or repair, and portable (most early mountain settlers couldn’t afford or haul around a piano or organ, obviously). They came from a variety of cultures, and most of them weren’t even what we would call “standard” instruments, but rather improvised out of existing tools and objects of rural life.
Here are the stories of 7 Appalachian instruments that are common throughout the Mountain State, but quite a bit more unique than your standard guitars and fiddles. How many have you heard?
1. Spoons This instrument is about as simple as it gets. Take 2 spoons, pinch them between your fingers so that their backsides are facing each other, and then slap them against your thigh or other hand for a distinct, percussive “click.” Sounds easy, right? Actually, it’s pretty darn tough to play spoons well. A good player can keep the beat as simple as a finger snap before busting into double-time triplets that sound like a tap dancer just hit the floor.
2. Banjos The banjo originated from stringed instruments with gourd bodies that were brought over by African slaves. Like the mandolin, the banjo is not incredibly unique these days (it’s prominent in bluegrass and even mainstream country music), but the niche that it has carved out in mountain music is special. In the West Virginia mountains, you’re more likely to hear a unique style of banjo playing called “clawhammer.” This style involves strumming down with your fingers, rather than the more common up-picks that most banjo players use. The result is a more subtle, soft, earthy feel to the banjo. It simply sounds more Appalachian. Want to hear all these different mountain instruments? West Virginia has some amazing festivals to highlight our musical heritage. Check out the West Virginia State Folk Festival in Glenville or the world-famous Appalachian String Band Festival at Camp Washington-Carver.
3. Washtub bass Spoons and washboards are great for adding a clicking beat to mountain music. But they don’t do much for the low thumping that a big bass drum would do in more percussion-heavy music. Drums have never been widespread in traditional mountain music— for the low end, it’s always been about the bass. The standard for bluegrass, of course, is the big upright bass fiddle. But basses were (and still are) expensive and hard to transport. So like the spoons and the washboard, musicians found a household replacement with the single-string washtub bass. Washtub basses are a bit more complicated than spoons or washboards, but still easy to make. You simply attach a thin cord to the middle underside of a big metal washtub, and tie the other end to a broomstick. Brace the stick on the ground and hold it like the neck of a bass, then pluck the single string while you keep a foot on the tub to adjust the tension and pitch. They actually sound really amazing!
4. Mountain dulcimer As the name suggests, this unique instrument was born right here in Appalachia. Its box-like construction was easier to produce in the home than the complex arched backs and tops of mandolins or fiddles. The dulcimer, which you play on your lap, has harplike qualities that sound a bit more airy and even spiritual than the standard plucky twang of bluegrass instruments, and its music is wholly unique. If you want to hear or learn to play the dulcimer, check out the annual Fort New Salem Dulcimer Festival every August in Salem, West Virginia.
5. Mandolin Ok, now we’re moving into the realm of instruments that were definitely NOT do-it-yourself improvisations, but rather small, portable instruments that were easy to buy and learn on the frontier. The mandolin was originally brought over by southern European immigrants. You tune its paired strings just like a violin’s. But it’s fretted like a guitar, and you pick it like one, too.
6. Psaltery This might be the most obscure and unique instrument on the list. Traditionally Irish, the psaltery is a small harp that sits nestled in your arms, and which you play with a bow. Its sound is like a combination of a dulcimer and a violin, and hauntingly beautiful. To hear a bit of this rare treat, stop into Tamarack “The Best of West Virginia” arts center, where Greg and Tish Westman build and play psalteries as artists-inresidence.
7. Washboard Yes, that kind of washboard– the ridged, flat tool that hangs on the walls of dozens of West Virginia antique stores. Like the spoons, a washboard adds high-pitched percussion to the beat of mountain music, only with less of the spoons’ “click” and more of a drawn out “rasp.” Old-time washboard players would make their sound louder by using another common household item— thimbles— on their finger as they stroked across the ridges of the board. These days, some musicians even trick out their washboards by attaching small cymbals or woodblocks, creating a sort of Appalachian percussion set that is both inexpensive and portable.
Reprinted from https://wvtourism.com/appalachian-music-instrument/ www.corydondulcimersociety.com
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DULCIMER LINKS
- TablEdit Search
- TablEdit Links - TAB Archives
- TablEdit Registered User's Page
- TablEdit Manual - Multitrack
- TablEdit Manual - Summary
- TablEdit Manual - Manual
- TablEdit Tablature Editor
- Easy Dulcimer Tab and Sheet Music
- EverythingDulcimer.com
- dulcimer tabs for beginners - Startpage Web Search
- Simple Dulcimer Chords DAD
- Tindle Music Company - Mountain Dulcimer Tablature
- FREE TABLATURES Alphabetical A-C
- Dulcimer Tabs
- Links
- Three Rivers Dulcimer Society
- Chord Chart
- QUOTES
- A Traditional Music Library of folk music
- Mel Bay's Dulcimer Sessions® Webzine | Shelley Stevens - Stephen Collins Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More" for Mountain Dulcimer | February 2006
- Gentle Annie - melody .pdf
- Western North Carolina Dulcimer Collective
- Jeanie With The Light Brown Hai
- Ring Ring de Banjo.mus
- FREE TABLATURES: Other Instruments
- Arrangements by Nina Zanetti
- Gentle Annie lyrics and chords - Irish folk songs
- Stephen C. Foster, Lyrics and chords
- Free Dulcimer Sheet Music and Tab
- Chord Chart - DAd Major.xls
- i_am_a_poor_wayfaring_stranger_page1.jpg (2365×3129)
- Bradford & Franzke Fine Instruments
- TablEdit Manual - Arrange'It
- Corydon Dulcimer Society
- EverythingDulcimer.com
- dulcimer tabs for beginners - Startpage Web Search
- Simple Dulcimer Chords DAD
- Tindle Music Company - Mountain Dulcimer Tablature
- FREE TABLATURES Alphabetical A-C
- Dulcimer Tabs
- Links
- TablEdit Links - TAB Archives
- Three Rivers Dulcimer Society
- Easy Dulcimer Tab and Sheet Music
- Chord Chart
- QUOTES
- Free sheet music for Dulcimer (appalachian)
- A Traditional Music Library of folk music, tune-books, songbooks and sheet music
- TablEdit Registered User's Page
- TablEdit Registered User's Page
- TablEdit Tablature Editor
- Mel Bay's Dulcimer Sessions® Webzine | Shelley Stevens - Stephen Collins Foster's "Hard Times Come Again No More" for Mountain Dulcimer | February 2006
- Gentle Annie - melody .pdf
- Western North Carolina Dulcimer Collective
- Jeanie With The Light Brown Hai
- Ring Ring de Banjo.mus
- FREE TABLATURES Alphabetical I-O
- FREE TABLATURES: Other Instruments
- Arrangements by Nina Zanetti
- Gentle Annie lyrics and chords - Irish folk songs
- Stephen C. Foster, Lyrics and chords
- Free Dulcimer Sheet Music and Tab
- Chord Chart - DAd Major.xls
- i_am_a_poor_wayfaring_stranger_page1.jpg (2365×3129)
- Bradford & Franzke Fine Instruments
- TablEdit Manual - Multitrack
- Prairie Dulcimer Club Home Page
