Lagniappe Dulcimer Society
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Lagniappe Dulcimer Society |
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| Baton Rouge, Louisiana | ||
Welcome! |
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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE MOUNTAIN
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The Lagniappe Dulcimer Society is a volunteer, nonprofit organization for the preservation of an old time musical instrument and the music it produces. Most of all, we have a good time. The dulcimer is known as one of the only true, born and bred American musical instruments although it seems that its roots are from instruments similar to the German zither. The lap, mountain, or Appalachian dulcimer as we know it, is a 3 or 4 stringed instrument held on the lap to play. It is a diatonic instrument, unlike the instrument known as the hammered dulcimer which is a large, trapezoidal shaped instrument and chromatic. The word, ‘dulcimer’ stands for “sweet sound” in the Greek and Latin and that is exactly the sound it produces. It is known as one of the most simple instruments to play mainly because one does not need to know how to read musical notation. We play by number and all tab for the instrument is written in this form. Our group started in February of 1998. Several of us had taken a Louisiana State University Union Leisure Class in Mountain Dulcimer in the fall of 1997. At the end of the six week class, we realized the only way to stay motivated and advance was to start a group who could meet on a regular basis. In February of 1998, we had our first meeting with a surprisingly large attendance. We have moved our meeting place several times but continue to have a core group from Baton Rouge and surrounding towns and have a wonderful time. We have been playing at the Downtown Farmer’s Market in Baton Rouge every first and third Saturday morning and also enjoy playing for schools, nursing homes, Senior Citizen groups and private parties. We enjoy sharing our music with others and the history and uniqueness of our instrument. The stories of how people come to love this simple instrument are similar. Many have heard the “sweet sounds” around Mountain View, Arkansas and Branson, Missouri and other similar places and just had to have one. They are impressed with the simplicity of playing and think, “Maybe, I could do this!” Many come home and place it in a closet or hang it on the wall when they do not have enough knowledge or motivation to continue. We are trying to provide that motivation and knowledge. Presently our group meets every Tuesday evening from 6-9PM at Goodwood Baptist Church on Goodwood Boulevard in Baton Rouge. At different times throughout the year we have classes for the dulcimer ranging from beginner to more advanced players. We play just about anything and everything, focusing most of the time on old mountain music. Anyone is welcome to visit or bring their instrument bought years ago and placed in the closet or hung on the wall because it looked good. We also encourage other acoustic instruments to join us. We love guitars, fiddles, harmonicas, autoharps, bodhrans, spoons, bones, etc. For further information, one can call 225-753-7917 or 225-261-6696.
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