Appalachian Collection

Appalachian Musical Instruments and Their Makers


 

Scope

Traditional music and handicrafts have been at the center of Appalachian studies research since the birth of the discipline. These two subjects intersect each other in the analysis of Appalachian musical instruments. As examples of material culture, musical instruments carry two levels of meaning: they are simultaneously products of a culture and implements for generating culture. The instruments of the Appalachian region, then, are powerful and unique cultural signifiers, both within Appalachian culture and in the popular culture of the United States. Watauga County in particular has received much attention for its traditional instrument makers, especially those of the Beech Mountain area. This pathfinder lists important sources relating to the manufacture of Appalachian musical instruments, the lives and methods of the makers themselves, and the use of these instruments in their natural context. No attempt has been made to define "traditional" or "non-traditional" makers or means of crafting; however, the sources listed below pertain to what would be generally be considered "traditional" makers and instruments. Sources which deal exclusively with makers and instruments representing areas outside of the Southern Highlands are not included. Some sources may not be currently available within the Appalachian Collection.


A good Introduction to musical instruments and traditional ways of manufacture in the Appalachians is found in:

Eaton, Allen H. Handicrafts of the Southern Highlands. New York: Dover, 1973. An unabridged reprint of the original edition, published in 1937 by the Russell Sage Foundation. ASU APP COLL STACK NK 814 .E2 1973, pages 197-208.

 

Some relevant Library of Congress Subject Headings include:

 

Other books including material about Appalachian musical instruments and makers can usually be found within these Library of Congress Call Number ranges:

 

More information can be found in the Appalachian Collection Clippings File under the following subject headings:

  • Folk Art Music--Dulcimer
  • Folk Music Music--Fiddle Gords (sic)
  • Handicrafts
  • Music--Guitar
  • Musical Instruments
  • Musicians--Appalachian
  • Music--Appalachia
  • Hicks, Stanley
  • Presnell, Ed
  • Music--Banjo
  • Proffitt, Frank

Some Frequently Cited Books include the following:

Alvey, R. Gerald. Dulcimer Maker: The Craft of Homer Ledford . Lexington: Kentucky UP, 1984. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 424 .L4 A75 1984.

Foxfire 3. Edited and introduced by Eliot Wigginton. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press/Doubleday, 1975. ASU APP COLL STACK F 291.2 .F622.

Foxfire 4. Edited and introduced by Eliot Wigginton. New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1977. ASU APP COLL STACK F 291.2 .F623.

Foxfire 6. Edited and introduced by Eliot Wigginton. New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1980. ASU APP COLL STACK F 291.2 .F691

Hines, Chet. How To Make and Play the Dulcimore . Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 1973. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1016 .D8 H5.

Irwin, John Rice. Musical Instruments of the southern Appalachian Mountains . Norris, TN: Museum of Appalachia Press, 1983. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 476.I79.

Long, Lucy Margaret. Stanley Hicks, Appalachian Dulcimer Player: Individual Creativity and Community Tradition. Unpublished M.A. thesis, University of Maryland, 1985. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 419 .H52 L65 1985.

Mitchell, Howard W. The Mountain Dulcimer-- How to make it and play it (after a fashion). Sharon, CT: Folk Legacy Records, 1965. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1016 .D8 M4.

Ring the Banjar: the banjo in America from folklore to factory. Compiled by Robert Lloyd Webb. Cambridge, MA: MIT Museum, 1984. ASU APP COLL OVSZ ML 1015 .B3 R56 1984.

Ritchie, Jean. Jean Ritchie's Dulcimer People. New York: Oak Publications, 1975. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1015 .D8 R6.

Smith, L. Allen. A Catalogue of Pre-Revival Appalachian Dulcimers. Columbia: Missouri UP, 1982. ASU APP COLL OVSZ ML 1015 .A6 S6.

Smith, Ralph Lee. Leonard and Clifford Glenn: Old Time North Carolina Dulcimer and Banjo Makers. Ralph Lee Smith, 1995. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1015 .A6 S645 1995.

 

Journals which often contain articles on Appalachian instrument making and makers include:

The Banjo Newsletter. Greensboro, MD: Banjo Newsletter. Vol. 1, 1973-present. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1 .B35.

The Devil's Box. Madison, AL: Tennessee Valley Old Time Fiddlers Association. Vol. 10, 1976- present. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1 .D325.

Foxfire. Rabun Gap, GA: Foxfire Fund, Inc. 1967-present. ASU APP COLL STACK GR 1 .F59.

Goldenseal. Charleston, WV: West Virginia State Department of Commerce. 1975-present. ASU APP COLL STACK F 241 .G64.

Journal of American Folklore. Boston; New York: published for the American Folklore Society by Houghton, Mifflin, and Co. Vol. 1, 1888-present. ASU PERIODICALS.

Kentucky Folklore Record. Bowling Green: Kentucky Folklore Society. Vol. 1, 1955-vol. 32, 1986. (Continued by Southern Folklore below). ASU APP COLL STACK GR 1 .K42.

Mountain Life and Work. Berea, KY: Berea College. Vol. 6-7; 11-13; 15; vol. 33, 1957-vol. 64, 1988: ASU APP COLL STACK GR 103 .M5. Vol. 1, 1925-vol. 52, 1976: ASU APP COLL MIC.

North Carolina Folklore. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina. Vol. 1, 1948-vol.20, 1972. (Continued by North Carolina Folklore Journal below). ASU APP COLL STACK GR 110 .N8 N6.

North Carolina Folklore Journal. Raleigh; Boone: North Carolina Folklore Society. Vol. 21, 1973-present. (Continues North Carolina Folklore above). ASU APP COLL STACK GR 110 .N8 N6.

Old-Time Herald. Galax, VA; Durham: Old-Time Music Group. Vol.1, 1987-present. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 1 O.35.

Southern Folklore. Lexington: Kentucky UP (for Western Kentucky University). Vol. 46, 1989-present. (Continues Southern Folklore Quarterly below and Kentucky Folklore Record above). ASU APP COLL STACK GR 1 .S65.

Southern Folklore Quarterly. Gainesville: University of Florida. Vol. 1, 1937-vol. 45, 1981. (Continued by Southern Folklore above). ASU APP COLL STACK GR 1 .S65.

 

Bibliographieswhich contain materials on Appalachian musical instruments include:

Appalachian Bibliography. Morganton, West Virginia: West Virginia University Library, 1968, 1972, and 1980. ASU APP COLL STACK Z 1251 .A7 A6 1968/1972/1980.

Appalachian Outlook. A periodic bibliography. ASU APP COLL STACK Z 1251 .A7 A55 (October 1964 through October 1991); ASU App Coll Current Periodicals to present.

Edwards, Everett E. References On the Mountaineers Of the Southern Appalachians. Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Agriculture, 1935. ASU APP COLL STACK Z 1251 .A7 E28 1935a.

Feintuch, Burt. Kentucky Folkmusic: An Annotated Bibliography. Lexington: Kentucky UP, 1985. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 128 .F74 F4 1985.

Miller, Terry E. Folk Music In America: A Reference Guide. New York: Garland, 1986. ASU APP COLL STACK ML 128 .F74 M5 1986.

Ross, Charlotte T., ed. Bibliography of Southern Appalachia. Boone, NC: Appalachian Consortium, 1976. ASU APP COLL OVSZ Z 1251 .A7 B5x.

 

Finally, one Video and one Audio Recording provide a useful context for Appalachian musical instrument making and musical performance:

It Still Lives...old time blue ridge mountain music by traditional instrument makers. Rabun Gap, GA: Foxfire Fund, 1980. ASU APP COLL REC #455. Includes a 20 page booklet. Published as an accompaniment to articles published in the journal Foxfire and included in Foxfire 3. Features Watauga County artists Leonard and Clifford Glenn, Stanley Hicks, and Tedra Harmon.

Sourwood Mountain Dulcimers . Directed by Gene DuBey. Whitesburg, KY: Appalshop, 1976. ASU APP COLL VIDEO VC 82. Accompanying text: ASU APP COLL VIDEO VC 82 Guide. Features I.D. Stamper, a traditional musician and instrument builder from eastern Kentucky, as well as the revivalist musician John McCutcheon.

 

Compiler: Lee Wright, Revised 17 November 2000