R. Gerald Alvey

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Description

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.

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

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

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

Publication Date

1984

Publisher

The University Press of Kentucky

Place of Publication

Lexington, KY

ISBN

9780813190518

eISBN

9780813148458

Keywords

Homer Ledford, Dulcimer, Appalachian music, Musical instrument makers, Kentucky

Disciplines

Cultural History

Notes

Photographs by Jerry Schureman with a foreword by Ron Pen.

Dulcimer Maker: The Craft of Homer Ledford
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