Nathaniel Samsel Music

Sample

2012-01-08T18:03:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the songs off of my new CD, "Playing in the Creek"! Some of the pictures in the sideshow are featured in the CD artwork. Also remember to stay up to date with me and the new CD project by liking me on Facebook and following me on Twitter!

Stay tuned!

-Nathaniel

2011

2012-01-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

2011 was one of my very best years ever! I got to teach and perform more last year than I had ever had the opportunity to. I gained four more instruments, including a bluegrass banjo, and I ordered a new chromatic dulcimer. I started learning bluegrass banjo and guitar. I also won three first place titles, including the Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Champion and the Georgia State Dulcimer Championship. I had competed in both of these competitions for three years, so those were both very gratifying to win. But the biggest thing that I accomplished in 2011 was recording my first CD, “Playing in the Creek,” which will be available early next year.

Here are some of my favorite elements of 2011.

Top 3 Favorite Songs I learned:

1. Fishers Hornpipe

2. Kentucky Waltz

3. Be Thou my Vision

Top 3 Favorite Festivals of 2011:

1. The Dulcimer Jamboree in Mtn View, Arkansas (read more here)

2. The Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas (read more here)

3. The Ohio Valley Gathering in Indianapolis, Indiana (read more here)

Top 3 Favorite Moments:

1. Recording a CD (read more here)

2. Winning the Southern Regional Dulcimer Championship (read more here)

3. Winning the Georgia State Dulcimer Championship (read more here)

I look forward to having another great year. I also look forward to seeing all of my music friends and making new ones this up and coming year.

-Nathaniel

Facebook and Twitter!

2011-12-19T16:26:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody, I am now on facebook and twitter. So to stay up to date on everything I have be doing and all of the latest on the new cd. Like me on facebook and follow me on twitter!

Recording.....

2011-12-07T12:22:00.000-08:00

I just got back home after recording the songs for my new CD. I had the CD recorded by Stephen Seifert, who is also going to be mixing and mastering the CD. I learned an enormous amount about recording, and everything seemed to go very smoothly. I learned a lot of things I wouldn't have thought about, like not breathing loudly while I was recording, or like making sure the strap on my dulcimer didn't make any creaking sounds.

Along with doing the recording we also stopped by a beautiful North Georgia stream along the way to the studio to take the pictures for the the new CD, which will be called "Playin' in the Creek."

-Nathaniel

Big News

2011-12-04T05:19:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got some very big news......I am heading to Chattanooga, Tennessee today to record a cd this week!!! More to come soon.

-Nathaniel

Unicoi

2011-11-21T08:57:00.000-08:00

Nathaniel played a couple of songs for the Saturday children's workshop at this year's Fall Festival.

I think that every year that I go to the NGFDA Fall Festival it gets better. I think that the main reason for that is that I know more people, so there are more people to talk to and jam with. So obviously this was my best Unicoi so far.

Something that is wonderful -- and terrible -- at this festival is the vast vendor hall with lots of nice dulcimers for sale. It is full of temptation. I ordered a new chromatic dulcimer from Papaw's Dulcimers.It being chromatic will give me the opportunity to jam more readily with other musicians.

I am already looking forward to the next Unicoi.

-Nathaniel

Fifth Unicoi

2011-11-14T11:35:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my dad yesterday about how much I am looking forward to the North Georgia Foothills Dulcimer Association's Fall Festival at Unicoi State Park, and I realized that this will be the fifth time we have attended this festival. I know that there are a bunch of dulcimer players who have been to this great dulcimer festival more than five times, but to me five just seems like sort of a bench mark.

One of the reasons I like Unicoi so much is that a lot of dulcimer players from the Southeast go to this festival every year, so I see a lot of people that I know. It is kind of like a reunion for me. Another reason that I like this festival so much is that it is only about a half hour from where I live so my dad and I can just day trip at this festival, and it is nice because my friends get to see the beautiful area where I live.

Unicoi is also where my dad and I first met or were exposed to many great dulcimer performers and teachers, including Jeff Hames, Aaron O'Rourke, Stephen Seifert and Bing Futch, to name just a few. I was also where I played my first open stage when I was 9 years old.

So I cant wait for the beginning of the festival!

-Nathaniel

Dulcimer Rundown

2011-10-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Because I have been a bad, not-up-to-date blogger, there are two stories that need to be told about things that I have done lately. So, here is the rundown.

1. Last weekend I was at the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association's Fall Conference with my dad. This event was mostly about the outdoors side of me, but of course there was some music fit in there too. One of the traditions of the conference is on the last night, after the banquet, all of the members who are musicians get together and jam and quite a few people come and watch. So I was able to jam with some really great guitar players, harmonica players and singers, which was very fun!!!

2. Last night I was at the Georgia State Fiddlers Convention at the Georgia Mountain Fair in Hiwassee. I have been going to this event for the last couple of years, and it has become one of my favorites. It is only a one-evening event for us, but it is jam packed, watching a bunch of people compete with different instruments and then competing myself. This year it was even better than the last two years because I won the mountain dulcimer competition!!!! Something that was cool about winning was the first year I went I placed 3rd, the second time I placed 2nd, and this year this year I won.

-Nathaniel

Winfield #2

2011-09-20T11:52:00.000-07:00

Winfield was great, and even though I really enjoyed it last year, I enjoyed it much more this year for several different reasons. I think the main reason that I enjoyed it more this year was because this year we went on the trip just for the festival and didn't do much else on the way. Last year when we made a bunch of stops on the way for my dad's work to make it possible for him to be able to make the trip. This year, we were able to camp at the festival instead of staying an hour away. It added to the experience being able to have a station to go back to, and it also allowed us to watch more concerts and competitions. The highlight of the concerts was watching Tommy Emmanuel.

Another thing that made this year extra enjoyable was placing in the competition and winning a new McSpadden Ginger Model dulcimer, which has been on my wish list for a while. Like last year, except more this year, I had a very nice time jamming and talking with some friends. We were also more familiar with the festival and the people there and had at least a little sense of tradition that we could build on.

And now, straying from the general tone of the first part of the blog, here is a very interesting competition story -- or at least I think it is. In the second round of the competition I planned to play Redwing and Greensleeves. So I got on stage and played Redwing. Then it was time for Greensleeves, which is a song that I use a capo on, but when I looked at the head of my dulcimer, where I keep my capo........ it was not there!!! I had not prepared another song for competition but I quickly regrouped and played an improvisational version of the Old Rugged Cross, which turned out just fine. And after I got of stage I just shook my head and thought, "What an adventure."

-Nathaniel

Winfield Update

2011-09-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

(from Nathaniel's Dad)
We're stopped for the night on the way home from Winfield, where Nathaniel placed 3rd in the National Mountain Dulcimer Championship. His competition playing included an interesting twist, but I'll let you him tell about that, along with other stuff from the festival, which was wonderful. Congratulations also to Bradley Ellis, who won the competition. At 12 years old, Bradley became the youngest mountain dulcimer champion in the 40-year history of the Walnut Valley Festival.

Winfield Experience

2011-08-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest events of the year for me is coming up in a couple of weeks. The Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas, which is a huge bluegrass music festival that usually draws about 40,000 people. The festival has great jamming and shows on four stages all day long and is home to the national championship of many instruments, including the dulcimer.

The main reason Dad and I are going for me to compete in the dulcimer championship, but I am also looking forward to experiencing the sights and sounds of Winfield just as much as the competition! Last year we didn't get to camp on the grounds, which is a big part of the experience of Winfield, but this year we are camping, and that will give us a great chance to get to know the festival a lot better.

I Cant wait!

-Nathaniel

My Fan Club

2011-08-11T05:57:00.000-07:00

Playing for my fan club

I don't have any major dulcimer events that I am going to or any local events I am playing at until September. So lately, I have just been practicing a lot, working on my CD, and figuring out my competition songs for the Winfield. And with all of this time to work on stuff, as you can see in the picture, I have developed a fan club. I play for them every time I practice!

-Nathaniel

East Tennessee Dulcimer

2011-07-25T04:36:00.000-07:00

East Tennessee seems like one of the most popular places for the dulcimer, and last weekend I got to teach and take part in two East Tennessee dulcimer institutions.

First I got to do one of my favorite dulcimer events of the year, teaching and performing on the Pickin' Porch. One of my favorite parts about doing that is being able to visit with Mike Clemmer and all of the rest of the people at Wood' N' Strings Dulcimer Shop. I also always really enjoy trying a few of the instruments in the shop. And all of my classes seemed to go really well too.

And on Sunday I taught the advanced class at the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club, which also seemed to go pretty well. And after the class I stayed and participated in the club jam.....It is a HUGE dulcimer club with players at all levels actively involved an it was fun to be part of their meeting! Thank you to the Knoxville Area Dulcimer Club for giving me the opportunity.

-Nathaniel

Pickin' Poch, July 23

2011-07-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

I will be playing on the Pickin’ Porch at Wood-N-Strings Dulcimer Shop in Townsend, Tennessee on Saturday, July 23 and will teach workshops during the day. The Pickin’ Porch concert begins at 7:00 pm.

Workshops are $10 each, but the third one is free with two paid workshops. To sign up for workshops, please call the shop at (865) 448-6647. Here is the class schedule for the day:

1:00 - 2:00 Fiddle Tune Variations: We will go through several variations that you can easily apply to any fiddle tune and that will help create better arrangements, along with being fun stuff to play with in a jam.

2:15 - 3:15 You are Capo-Able: In this class I will show you a very easy way to look at playing with a capo without using a “capo tab” and to plays songs you know in the key of D in other keys.

3:30 to 4:30 Put Some Sweet Into Your Melody: The word dulcimer means “sweet melody” so in this class we will go over some cool “extras” to help you make better arrangements and that you can apply to songs you already know: Harmonics, slides, cool stuff to do with the 1 ½ fret (no 1 ½ needed for class) bends, pull offs....

Caution!

2011-06-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am sorry to all of my dulcimer friends who all hoped for the best for me, but I am officially corrupted! Around two o-clock today, I purchased a bluegrass banjo. And what is even worse is that I am planning to learn it!

I have liked bluegrass and especially banjo since I was about 5 years old. And about a month ago I found some friends to help me find a good banjo.

I ended up getting a Recording King Rk-R35 Five String Banjo from Banjo.com . It is a great sounding and looking instrument. And the folks at Banjo.com, which is based a couple of hours from here, were super helpful.

But dulcimer friends don't worry. I plan to play dulcimer just as much as always.

-Nathaniel

Coshocton Dulcimer Days

2011-06-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend I was at Coshocton Dulcimer Days. It is a great festival. I was there for the Mid-Eastern Championship last year and had a great time, and this year I got the opportunity to return and teach and perform.

Both of my workshops went really well, and I got to do a solo set and to perform with Hunter Walker before and between the competitions.

Something that was interesting for me was that this was the only dulcimer competition I have been to and have not competed in. I got to sit back relax and just watch the competition, which was weird for me.

Congratulations to Sarah Morgan for winning the Mountain Dulcimer competition.

Thank you to Kendra Ward Bob Bence and the whole festival committee for putting on such a great festival.

-Nathaniel

Bluegrass Jamming

2011-06-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

I had a really fun time jamming with some great bluegrass pickers on the porch of a log cabin at the Mountain Laurel Festival in my hometown. And one of the things that I got to aply a lot was playing along even when it was a song that I didn't know, whether by playing along with the chords or by improvising. One of the best parts about jamming is that you always learn a lot whether you try to or not.

And as a side note that has nothing to do with jamming is that I am looking at learning bluegrass banjo, and my bluegrass friends are helping me find a good banjo!

-Nathaniel

Spring Thing

2011-05-18T06:37:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was at the NGFDA's Spring Thing event at Hard Labor Creek State Park. One of the best parts was the fact that my six-year-old brother Asher got to come along with dad and me. It was really fun for Asher because it is a festival where we could go camping and he could play on the Open Stage and particapate in the jams. We all had a really nice time. Asher played on the Open Stage both days, and I think he impressed everybody with his harmonic a the end of "Boil Them Cabbage."

-Nathaniel

The Dulcimer Jamboree

2011-04-25T15:13:00.000-07:00

The Dulcimer Jamboree at the Ozark Folk Center is one of my favorite festivals of each year, and this year was the best yet. One of the best parts of the festival is the slate of evening concerts. The evening concerts are great and include a mix of the Ozark Folk Center bands, local artists and all the festival instructors.

And Mountain View is an amazing little town, built around folk music, which really appeals to me.

I also really enjoy competing in the ensemble and the mountain dulcimer competitions.

And even though this may not really fit with this blog I think it should be recorded somewhere. The winner of the Hammered Dulcimer competition, Katherine Moritz, is the same person that finished first in the Mid-East Hammered Dulcimer Championship the same year I won the Mountain Dulcimer there.

-Nathaniel

Congratulations, Nathaniel!

2011-04-24T04:16:00.000-07:00

Congratulations, Nathaniel - 2011 Southeastern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Champion. Nathaniel won a beautiful custom McSpadden Dulcimer from the Dulcimer Shoppe in Mountain View, Arkansas, paid entry to the national championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas and $100. Thank you to the Mr. and Mrs. Woods of the Dulcimer Shoppe for their generous sponsorship of the competition and to the Ozark Folk Center, host of the Dulcimer Jamboree.

-Nathaniel's Dad

OVG

2011-03-30T06:22:00.001-07:00

Last weekend I was at the Ohio Valley Gathering, which has been one of my favorite dulcimer festivals for the past couple of years. It is one of the festivals where I have the opportunity to teach, which is a great experience. I had a great time this year teaching, performing, and jamming! The jamming included a couple of fun jams with other young pickers who played a variety of instruments.

Thank you to everybody that helped in making this great festival happen. Can't wait till next year!

-Nathaniel

Catching Up

2011-03-21T07:19:00.000-07:00

I haven't blogged for a while, and there is no good reason, because there has been plenty to blog about.

A couple weeks ago, my Dad and sister and I visited the Grand Ole Opry for the first time and really enjoyed it. And while we were in Nashville, we got to visit the Blair School of Music, where David Schnaufer used to teach. On the same trip I got to see the Les Mis musical in Louisville, Kentucky because my sister is very interested in that.

And last weekend I got to play a few song on stage before the concert by Steve Seifert at the Shamrock Dulcimer Blast. And then I got to play on stage with him on Friday and Saturday nights. It was a lot of fun.

Next weekend I will be at the Ohio Valley Gathering!

-Nathaniel

Preparing

2011-03-07T06:47:00.000-08:00

My Music Room This Morning

I have been working a lot on my upcoming CD since last week. I am trying to work on everything I need to think about. Things like what I want written on the cover, and what kind of pictures I want on it. Things that I hadn't really thought about until I really thought about what needed to be done. Last night I stayed up till 11:00 studing my song list for my CD, making sure that my songs are public domain. It is a big job getting everything together.

-Nathaniel

Electric!

2011-02-12T07:53:00.000-08:00

After playing with an electric dulcimer at Unicoi last year, that has been on the list of dulcimers that I wanted to own. I also played another electric dulcimer at the Colorado Dulcimer Festival, which made me want one even more. But since I am saving up for a laptop I couldn't buy one.

So I was very excited when my first dulcimer teacher, Miss Lynn, surprised me a beautiful electric dulcimer given to me and made by Mr. Ray Anthony. Mr. Anthony had built one for his grandson, Bradley Ellis (who had played the same instrument as I had at Unicoi), and had enough materials to make a second one for me!

It is a beautiful electric dulcimer with a great electric sound! I am looking forward to playing a completely different kind of dulcimer.

Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Anthony

-Nathaniel

Great Festival

2011-02-07T10:28:00.000-08:00

I was so glad when we landed in Colorado and I walked off the plane with my dulcimer on my back, having been able to carry my instrument on the airplane. That was the one thing I had been worried about before the Colorado Dulcimer Festival. But we got there fine, and it was worth the worry. The first night I got to jam with Steve Seifert and Erin and Amber Rogers. When you have a festival that has great instructors, great concerts, great jamming, a competition, and beautiful scenery you have a great festival.

Colorado was a really neat place for me to go because the furthest west I had been for a true dulcimer festival had been Arkansas, so it was was neat for me to go to a place like that for a dulcimer festival.

Thank you to Steve Eulberg for putting on a great festival.

-Nathaniel

Congratulations, Nathaniel

2011-02-07T03:50:00.000-08:00

Congratulations, Nathaniel - 2011 Colorado State Mountain Dulcimer Champion.
-Dad

On Stage in Colorado

2011-02-04T22:57:00.000-08:00

If it wasn't cool enough that Nathaniel got to spend time jamming with Stephen Seifert and Erin and Amber Rogers on the first night of the Colorado Dulcimer Festival, Erin and Amber invited Nathaniel and Steve to join them on stage to play "Angeline the Baker" during the Friday night concert.

Church Offertory - Shall We Gather at the River

2011-01-24T04:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I played the offertory music for church. I wanted to play something faster than what I normally play when I play at church, so here is what I came up with. I am playing it in the key of C on my custom Papaw's Dulcimer.

Competition Conundrum

2011-01-18T05:43:00.000-08:00

Two of the most important things about competing are to practice a lot and to really enjoy the songs that you play. That is hard for me because, like I said in my last blog, my favorite songs change at least every two weeks, and I don't want to decide the songs I am going to play two weeks before a competition. So I just have to do my best to try to like the same songs for a while and practice them as much as I can.

I do have my songs picked out for the Colorado competition. I think!

-Nathaniel

My Favorite Song

2011-01-01T18:13:00.001-08:00

A lot of people have asked me at different times what is my favorite song to play, and I can usually answer the question. However, what the people who I answer should know is that my favorite song to play changes at least once a month - probably every two weeks - maybe once a week - and sometimes every day.

My favorite right now is probably........Well, it doesn't matter. It will be different tomorrow.

-Nathaniel

Going to Colorado

2010-12-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

As a follow-up from the last blog, we will definitely be going to the Colorado Dulcimer Festival! This looks like an amazing festival. Great setting and great instructors, including Steve Eulberg, who puts on the festival, Steve Seifert and Erin Rogers. And I am really looking forward to the competition.

But one of the best parts is that while dad and I are in that area, we are going to go ice fishing for trout in the Rockies for four days before the festival. Very cold, but very worth it.

Dad is working on the plane tickets now.

Merry Christmas.

-Nathaniel

Looking Forward

2010-12-14T11:45:00.000-08:00

Looking forward to a full new year of dulcimer festivals.

My dad is trying to decide which ones we can be at and which ones we can't.

Here are some of the ones we are considering.

The Colorado Dulcimer Festival - This looks like a great event. And it has a competition. But it is a long way away from Northeast Georgia. Dad is looking at linking it with some of his work.

The Ohio Valley Dulcimer Gathering - We went to this one last year and had a lot of fun. Plus, it is one of the festivals where I can teach. However, it is farther away this year than it was last year -- and last year it was near my grandma's house so we were able to stay there.

Spring Augusta Week - This look like an amazing week-long festival in the West Virginia mountains. I don't know if we will be able to make this one or not, but it sure looks like a good festival.

Dulcimer Jamboree - This is my favorite and the only definite on the schedule. It's the site of the Southeastern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Championship.

-Nathaniel

Unicoi

2010-11-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

The NGFDA Fall Festival is always one of my favorite times in the year. We go every year, but because it is only about 30 minutes from our house we usually day-trip and bring our lunch. It was even better this year since I got one of the youth scholarships so I got to eat and stay at Unicoi Lodge. That was great! The other youth scholarship went to Bradley Ellis.

And as usual I took some great classes, did some fun jamming, and enjoyed some amazing concerts. I even got to play a set in the Friday mid-day concert.

Thank you to NGFDA for a great festival and for the youth scholarships.

-Nathaniel

Art Shows

2010-11-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

Saturday I was playing for about seven hours at an art show. When you play at a show for that long, of course it is tiring; however, it is great practice time. And it is a time when I can rediscover songs that I haven't played for a long time.

Counting down the days til Unicoi!

-Nathaniel

Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival

2010-11-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

Last weekend dad and I were at the Chattanooga Dulcimer Festival.

It was one of the best festivals I've been to as far as the mix of instructors. And it was definitely the best scenery I have seen around a dulcimer festival.

I took some great classes and learned a lot. And the concerts were amazing!

Thank you to Dan and Angie Landrum for putting on an amazing festival.

-Nathaniel

Runner Up at Georgia Fiddlers Convention

2010-10-16T08:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Nathaniel for his second place finish at in the Dulcimer Championship at the Georgia Fiddlers Convention in Hiawassee, Georgia. Nathaniel played "Blue Moon of Kentucky" and "Blackberry Blossom." (posted by Dad)

New Blog Feature - Schedule

2010-10-14T17:27:00.000-07:00

I've added a page on the blog for my schedule. So you can click on the schedule tab at the top and see where I will be.

-Nathaniel

My First Nice Dulcimer

2010-09-30T09:37:00.000-07:00

By the time Dad and I went to our first NGFDA Fall Festival in 2007, Dad knew that I was really getting into the dulcimer and probably needed an instrument upgrade. So I went into the festival pretty much knowing that I was going to get a new instrument. So of course I was looking around seeing if there were any instruments I liked. There were several that I thought were nice, but one really stood out from the rest in my mind was a Cherry-Walnut TK O' Brien. I really liked the looks and sound of it. I now know that it was a very reasonable price, but since my first dulcimer cost $75, the $285 on the price tag sounded like a lot. So I didn't think I was going to get it.

But Dad could see that I really wanted it when I kept asking if we could go back and see if it had been sold.

In the end I walked away with the dulcimer!

Like my first dulcimer (the one we built) I don't play the TK O'Brien much anymore, but it is still a beautiful instrument and has a very special story. And it's still the dulcimer that Dad plays the most.

-Nathaniel

Winfield Campers

2010-09-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

People had told me about how big of a deal the Walnut Vally Festival in Winfield, Kansas was and about how there would be so many people camping around the festival. But it was one of those things that you have to see before it really sinks in just how big it is. It was amazing all the people that were at the festival. But the most amazing part was all the campsites, where the thousands of people camp all around the festival.

Dad and I also learned a lot about the festival, and Jeff Hames showed us around the campgrounds, telling us where different musicians camp and about different camping areas. Next time we go hope camp.

It is an amazing festival!

-Nathaniel

My First Dulcimer Festival

2010-09-06T07:22:00.000-07:00

My first dulcimer festival was the 2007 NGFDA Fall Festival at Unicoi State Park. I had no idea that there would be 300 dulcimer players signed up. I don't think I knew that there were 300 dulcimer players in the world!

It was so amazing when I walked in and saw all the vendors, all the dulcimers, all the dulcimer players! Those remain a few of my favorite days of my dulcimer playing. It was so inspiring seeing great dulcimer players and doing great things with the dulcimer. I also met Jeff Hames and took my first workshops from him at that festival.

Every year I look forward to going to Unicoi! I'm thankful to have been awarded a Youth Scholarship for this year's festival, and Dad and I are already registered!

-Nathaniel

My First Dulcimer

2010-08-26T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have always liked Appalachian and Bluegrass music, and making things. So when my dad found an ad in the paper for a dulcimer building workshop at a nearby state park, he thought that would be perfect!

We took the class, which was taught by Bob Thomason, together, and came out with a simple but functional instrument. That was my first dulcimer - the one I learned the basics on. And even though I don't play it much anymore, it still has a very sweet sound.

That dulcimer, which we built in February 2007, has sure survived a lot of being dropped!

-Nathaniel

Getting Ready!

2010-08-09T06:57:00.000-07:00

I am practicing my songs that im going to compete with in the Mountain Dulcimer National Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas. My dad and I begin our trip, which includes some fishing along the way, one month from today.

I'm really loking forward to going to Winfield for the first time!

-Nathaniel

The Pros & Me!

2010-07-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

Last week I was at Western Carolina University's Mountain Dulcimer Week, enjoying an amazing week of learning. Jamming, classes, and concerts... It was great.

One of the highlights came right at the beginning. It was the first evening. I went over to jam with Jeff Hames, and that was the start of the jam. After I sat down, Bradley Ellis sat down. Then came Jim Miller, Erin Rogers, Steve Eulberg, Marsha Harris, Molly McCormack, and Gary Sager. So it was me and the pros. It was great! Late in the jam we mostly played really fun rock and blues songs the '50s '60s and '70s.

Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Conger for putting on a great festival and giving me a scholarship!

-Nathaniel

Concert July 31 at Unicoi State Park

2010-07-24T07:39:00.000-07:00

(Photo from the Pickin' Porch at Wood'n'Strings Dulicmer Shop in Townsend, TN)

Nathaniel will perform a one-hour set beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, July 31 in the lodge at Unicoi State Park. The concert is part of the park's Folk Life Days festival. After the concert, Nathaniel and his dad will join other Folk Life demonstrators, including Nathaniel's sister, Sarah, who will be demonstrating cornhusk doll making. The festival, which runs from 10:00 to 4:00, is free, except for a $5 parking fee. A "pass the hat" donation will be taken for Nathaniel.

Old Dulcimers!

2010-07-15T06:54:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was at the Museum of Appalachia, playing dulcimer at the Papaw's Dulcimer booth, where I got to do a couple really fun jams. After jamming awhile, I decided to take a break and go look in the Hall of Fame, which is part of the museum. So, of course, my dad and I pretty much went straight to the back of the building to the old instruments. It was fascinating. There were fiddles, banjos, guitars, and a lot of other stuff, but the best part was a whole corner of old dulcimers and instruments that the dulcimer evolved from. It was so amazing looking at all those old hand-made dulcimers.

If you have never been, this is an amazing place for dulcimer history.

-Nathaniel

Pickin' Porch

2010-07-05T09:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I got to play on the Pickin' Porch at Wood-n-Strings Dulcimer Shop in Townsend, Tennessee!

I had a great time hanging out around the shop and performing on the porch. And I picked up my Clemmer Ban-Jammer.

This is a video of Mr. Clemmer and me playing "Down Yonder" with Ban-Jammers.

Thank you to the Clemmers for letting me play on the Pickin' Porch.

-Nathaniel

New Blog!

2010-06-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

This is my new dulcimer blog. To see older posts go to my original blog.

I have a lot of dulcimer events next month and there will be a lot to blog about.

Hope you enjoy!