These lovely instruments come from the Ozarks of Arkansas. These are Appalachian dulcimers (or mountain dulcimers) and are played by strumming or picking. They're long, usually shaped like an hour glass and have 3-4 strings. They first appeared in Scot/Irish communities in Appalachia in the early 1800's. (That the history lesson...) They're commonly seen when American folk music is being played.

Mountain View, Arkansas claims to be the heart of American folk music. I don't know if that's true, but there's an amazing number of people there who play folk music. And there are people who come from everywhere to play and listen to folk music. There are banjos, fiddles, guitars, dulcimers, harmonicas, mandolins, and base fiddles everywhere. On a sunny day, it's easy to find 7-8 groups of 6-8 people each gathered to jam on the lawns and gazebos around the town's courthouse.

These are hand-crafted McSpadden dulcimers. They're made in Mountain View and not only lovely to listen to, but also quite beautiful to see. There are all sorts of woods and designs incorporated in the construction. Needless to say, the ones with the hearts caught my eye and I had to get a couple for you.

Ken
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(see next, another beautiful dulcimer)